SMF

I got this soap a few months back, and whilst I'm not overly-keen on the fragrance I get a very good lather from it. These days I use a Rooney Emillion 1 nearly all the time, and use my normal lathering technique with this soap, which is: give two gentle shakes to start with a relatively dry brush, ...

Whilst the Feather is an excellent shaving tool in it's own right, it is not necessarily the best introduction to straights; the two may share a similar form, but functionally there are a number of differences. First and foremost, there is of course honing and stropping. Not having to do either with...

I've always really enjoyed the typical shea-rich French soaps, but Roger & Gallet soap performs much more like an English triple-milled soap; more protective, but without the level of skincare you usually get from other French soaps. R&G uses a detergent based formula, and doesn't have any m...

If you like the scent of the Speick stick, you should try the EO scented Alpenspeick shaving soap by Stoba Seifenmanufaktur. It might not be tallow based, but it is vastly superior to the stick IMO.

Kindest regards,
Alex

I generally find that US steel is harder than Solingen or Sheffield. Whilst it is not difficult to hone in the sense of demanding a different honing strategy than other steels, it is more labour intensive. Based on the way you have described the razor's edge and your honing techniques, I don't think...

You might try looking for L'amande Homme Zafferano, an excellent hard shaving soap that isn't widely available outside of Italy. You might also try looking for the Herr & Mann line of products, they do both a soap and a cream along with various A/S products, but the line seems to have been disco...

Such a comprehensive post, thank you very much. I must admit, I am somewhat more attracted towards natural stones for whatever reason. Edit; Do you know of any shops/markets in London that may carry such items? Most of the antique stores I see carry heinously expensive furniture and little else. I'...

Penhaligons' English Fern Shaving Soap
Rooney 1:1 Super
8/8 Southern and Richardson 1/4 Hollow
Handamerican Strop
The Gentleman's Refinery A/S Balm
Penhaigon's English Fern edt

Kindest regards,
Alex

If you're still looking for an alternative polishing stone that is available in the UK then you can get a Chinese 12000 grit Polishing Stone from http://www.rutlands.co.uk/hand-tools/sharpening/stones---polishing The Spyderco Ultrafine stone should be available in the UK if you do an iternet search ...

The good thing about Plisson is that they have so many different handle materials to choose from, with Plisson brushes it shouldn't have to be an either/ or kind of situation but rather, I'll have a size 12 in horn, a size 14 in briar a size 16 in pearlescent etc. etc. I don't notice a huge differen...

Fjellheim does seem to be one of those YMMV scents. To my nose it is an abrasively strong scent ( the soap version) it does tend to mellow a little bit when lathered; but it is not something I can ever imagine becoming truly fond of. For me it is a bi-monthly (at most) change of pace, but for those ...

I'm very fond of the Martin de Candre shave soap, might be a little overpriced, but the lathering efficacy is very good. I find the aftershave skincare to be perfectly balanced for my particular skin type, post shave my skin feels soft and well-moisturised, but not overly greasy. As far as the Fitja...

Acqua di Parma Shave Cream
Rooney 1.1 Super
6/8 Livi Regrind
Handamerican Strop
Acqua di Parma A/S Lotion

Kindest regards,
Alex

I must admit water badger had me a little puzzled, I put it down to Google Translate doing it's usual bang-up job of providing an "accurate" translation. Other than that I wasn't sure what the bristles were, part of the translation mentions raw wool hair, another leg hair and then there is...

Curious if any of our forum's members based in Japan have seen or even tried one of these brushes? http://item.rakuten.co.jp/royal3000/a588/ Based on the pictures they aren't the most lust worthy brushes I've ever seen, but it was interesting to read about the maker and his experience in making thes...

Stoba Alpenspeik Shaving Soap
22mm Da Vinci Uomo Silvertip
6/8 T Hessen Bruch
Handamerican Strop
Klar A/S Lotion

Kindest regards,
Alex

I have a NOS Gens razor, that is identical to the one on Lynn Abram's DVD. It is a 15/16 shoulderless, single hollow. The spine is much thicker than many other Solingen razors of a similiar size, and this coupled with a slightly heavier grind mean that there is much less flex on the edge when shavin...

Whilst it is reassuring to think that the email campaign may pay dividends, and that a Hammam scented soap may become available again, is anyone else alarmed to see that another traditional, British company is moving away from Tallow altogether?

Kindest regards,
Alex

Calani Highland Honey Shaving Soap
23mm Shavemac Finest
7/8 Henckels Platinum
Handamerican Strop
The Gentleman's Refinery A/S Balm

Kindest regards,
Alex

I was lucky enough to acquire a couple of pucks of the Hammam Bouquet Shaving Soap and one tube of cream from the Penhaligon's outlet shop in Bicester Village. Both excellent products and I would love to see their return. On a related topic, the last time I was in the Bicester Village store I was ta...