As what will likely be my last Saturday Morning Ablutionary Adventure in a while, I decided to go all out. A grand conjunction of new shaving products arrived over the week, and I was finally able to rescue them from the apartment manager's office and check them out last night after work. So, I decided that this morning's shave as going to be ALL NEW, UNTESTED PRODUCTS. No new brush arrived, so I used a trusty old VDH Boar, the kind that comes in the $9.95 set. It sheds a bit, but works great. Everything else was entirely new to me, and I figured this would be a true ablutionary adventure. The Lineup: Barbon Cream, Barbon Aftershave, Balzano blade, and a vintage Gillette gold fat handle post-war Tech. Being the first I'd used any of this gear, I as a bit nervous and expected to see some red near the end. (NOT MY PICTURE - STOLEN FROM THE INTERWEBS!) Barbon Cream: I ordered this along with the AS from Shaveabuck for $4, $7 including shipping. Probably the lowest price I've paid for a cream and AS together, and I didn't expect much. Out of the tube, I loved the smell. It was kind of a white and green cream, and out of the tube reminded me a bit of toothpaste. The smell was fantastic though. It was a clean, soap smell with hints of complex herbs. I would bet this is a classic barbershop scent in Hungary, where Barbon hails from. It lathered up well with my Budget Boar, very well actually. It was one where it bloomed quickly and didn't take much water to build a lot of lather from an almond sized dollop. It went on my face well, very thick and slick. It had a peculiar quirk to the lather that I can't put my finger on, which distressed me at first, but proved entirely meaningless to the shave. It's almost as if it was thick and rich, but also a bit runny, if that makes sense. There was nothing wrong with that though. It performed well. Balzano Blade: I didn't even know this blade existed until I found it in the Yuma test box. I'm glad it was there, because this may be a new favorite blade. I'll shave with it a couple of more times to see, and remain open minded. My performance Go-To's are Voskhod, Personna Labs and Sharks, and I'd put this right up there with them. Very nice. Gold Gillette Fat Handle Tech: I bought this from our own @Shotwell for $15 out of his classified post. Some of you may remember that I'm not a fan of vintage, and actually find them kind of disgusting. But, I've been dabbling in Tech's for the last few months after abandoning vintage TTO's for good. Techs in general have been hit or miss for me, but I really liked the look of this one (se Shotwell's pic above) and had wanted to try a fat handle before moving on. I'd also wanted a nice looking gold razor, and this was kind of a happy coincidence to be both. This was the best Tech I've used. I loved it. It doesn't bother me that being a post-war tech, it was used by countless Nazi war criminals awaiting trial at Nuremberg, only to be passed on to a young Charles Manson who used it to shave his entire body for high school swim team, until it was donated to a men's shelter where it spent the next 30 years shaving drunken hobos. That was not even a thought or a consideration. Barbano Aftershave: I was dubious when I got this. The smell left a lot to be desired. I'm not a fan of the trational "blue" US drugstore aftersaves like Aqua Velva, and the smell reminded me of a watered down version of those. Meh, I thought to myself. I try it, I PIF it. Who cares? Actually using it, I found it to be an excellent splash. I will likely never buy it again (just because there are too many to try) but I will enjoy it while I've got it. From the bottle, it wasn't all that interesting. In my hand, getting slapped on my face, it was good stuff. Mentholly as all get out. It was nearing Osage Rub country, as far as I'm concerned. Also very medicinal smelling. The smell dries down quickly but the menthol feeling lingers for a good long while. It left my face feeling moisturized, but not overly tacky. The shave itself was fantastic. It ended with a DFS bordering on BBS. I probably could've gotten BBS but being all new products I didn't want to push it. The Barbon cream was among the slickest I've used, the Balzano blade did not disappoint, and the Gillete fat handle Tech didn't either. Forget about Charles Manson and a thousand drunken hobos, this morning I felt like I was the King of Hungary, shaving with a razor made from the gold fillings of my defeated enemies. The Barbon splash at the end was the perfect ending to a great shave. Barbon shave cream and aftershave are fantastic products. I would wholeheartedly reccommend these to any fellow adventurer. The herbally/soapy cream and the menthol goodness of the splash do not smell the same, but complement each other very well. It's the kind of scent you'll be sure to enjoy while shaving in the Den, but will go away soon after. This combo has more bang for the buck than any other products I've used. $7 shipped for both, I expected a cream comparable to Derby and a splash that was about the same as the dollar store AV knock off. Nope. I'd put the cream on par with Proraso or even the English creams as far as performance and scent goes. And if AV or the other US "Blue" aftershaves were as good as this splash, I'd likely be a fan of them. Barbon wins all around. The Balzano blade and majestic gold Gillette were the value add in this shave.
Yes sir, you have a way with words and your colorful details provided great reading entertainment and laughter. Bravo Ron...nicely done!
VERY well written review. I learned some valuable(to me) information and had some really good laughs! You've definitely helped me make up my mind to try some Barbon After Shave from shaveabuck.
