Hi All, I've used this shaving cream three times now, and I'll offer my opinion about this very nice product. Yeah, I've enjoyed it quite a bit. First, the presentation is well done......the tub is protected in a box that shows an old time scene. When opening the tub (made of hard plastic), there's a protective thin lid over the cream. Plus, the product itself is actually packed using an inner transparent hard plastic shell, which can be removed if needed. That means the outer tub can be used as a bowl when traveling, which may be handy. The product is different in texture than other creams I've tried. It's somewhat dense, but unlike Castle Forbes or other extremely thick creams I've used. The stuff does take an extra little bit of mixing to dissolve when mixed in a bowl with a little hot water, but much easier than CF for example. I needed three attempts before nailing the right technique and ratio for this cream, so don't be discouraged at first if it's not wonderful. I settled on using a bit more product than normal, a little more whisking to achieve the tiny bubble stage, and a wetter brush than I've ever tried using before. Those tweaks did the trick nicely! The lather is pretty thick, but more along the lines of a creamy rather than fluffy type. Yeah, sorta similar to the Institut Karite lather, if that helps. It's a medium scented cream, and it's easily sniffed throughout the shave. The fragrance will hang around for maybe half an hour after shaving, but it's subtle. Anyway, the lather maintains it's texture very well during the shave, and no problem with it drying out in mid pass. The J Peterman cream makes a very slick lather......more so than many other soaps or creams I've used. I have to be careful not to get careless when waltzing the blade over my face. Yeah, it's just too easy, with zero resistance as the blade whacks them whiskers. Shaving by sound alone, which is my preference. Heh, I always need to remember exactly how sharp these blades are, but sometimes it's tough to not push the envelope. This cream makes it easy to get sloppy or not pay strict attention. It's interesting, but this product doesn't provide as much cushion as I would have thought. Y'all know what I mean..... that feeling of the lather protecting your face from the blade. Acting as a sorta protective layer that helps keep the blade from scraping along. Yeah, normally that's a nice feature, but it's not needed here. The stuff is slick enough to let the razor sliiiiiiiiiiide anywhere I want it to go, which makes a thick cushion unnecessary. Plus, I seem to get a little closer shave as a result, which ain't bad. My face feels fine after the shave, with no irritation or reaction in the least. The moisturizing property is good, although not quite like the DR Harris or MWF or IK. Still, it's very nice, and I'd recommend trying the stuff. This is a large 7 ounce tub, and runs $27 (only available on the Peterman site). Seems like it should last quite a while, so the price isn't out of line to me. It's a very good product that I'll be buying again in the future. Martin Oh......as as update: I've used this cream now for maybe 15 times or so, and there IS plenty of cushion after all. I just needed to do a final little tweak.....heh. This is a very nice find.
One of the best creams! I can't believe of all the creams, one small company had one product. Its amazing to use. I have tried Castle Forbes, three T's, KMF, Musgo, Proraso, and others. For some reason, this beats them all. Usually to generate a lather to my standards for great a shave I would have to make super lather with Proraso Green Tea and Aloe. Ok, Musgo and 1805 and KMF can hold their own, but not the level of 1903. Here is what 1903 to make stand out from the rest: 1. Very moisturizing from start of the shave to the end and for some time after the shave. The aftershave I used was combo of alum block, thayers, and corn huskers for some protection. Otherwise when I was done with my 5+ passes, I didn't have irritation or itch. 2. I heard the scent used to be stronger in the product. I wish it was, it had great woodsy masculine scent. In fact an hour after the shave, I could still smell a vague scent from the shave. 3. After the shave for quite some time, my face was smooth and soft. It was unique feeling. In the future I may get the balm and maybe the cologne to match up and review. If you have the craze to try as many shave products to define what really works for you, this worth a shot. For the price I paid, 27 plus shipping, its cheaper than castle forbes, T H, and about same as DR Harris which I still have to try. Lately my favorite soap to superlather is Proraso Green Tea and Aloe. With 1903 it doesn't over 1903 scent and makes nice combination of ingredients for skin health, slick lather, and one few zens of shaving I have had. For J Peterman finding 1903 and making shaving cream based it, I salute you.
