Search found 494 matches

by Brutus
Fri Feb 01, 2019 12:16 pm
Forum: Shopping
Topic: eBay Sales Tax
Replies: 6
Views: 2356

Re: eBay Sales Tax

That’s why I prefer a Value Added Tax (VAT) scheme, where the VAT increases only by a proportional amount (the VAT rate) to the amount at which the price increases: A business buys goods from their supplier for the amount “X” and pays VAT on their purchase. They then sell the goods for (let’s assume...
by Brutus
Fri Feb 01, 2019 11:29 am
Forum: Shopping
Topic: Real Horn Badger Shaving Brush
Replies: 2
Views: 1959

Re: Real Horn Badger Shaving Brush

What I think? I think you are a vendor judging from your screen name. I think, if this is a product you sell, you should only post about it in the Shopping forum. (But you have been told that already before, haven’t you?) And I also think that I will not buy from a seller who willfully ignores the r...
by Brutus
Tue Jan 15, 2019 8:03 pm
Forum: Straight Razors
Topic: Wade & Butcher back in business
Replies: 11
Views: 8054

Re: Wade & Butcher back in business

It’s obviously easier to buy and re-launch an old brand name than to produce the kind of razor that this brand was once famous for. As the name clearly tries to cash in on the reputation of this brand, there appears to be a gulf between ambition and reality that still needs to be bridged. Can’t say ...
by Brutus
Tue Jan 15, 2019 7:52 pm
Forum: Shaving Creams & Hard Soaps
Topic: Checking out some Taylor's soap and creams
Replies: 19
Views: 8859

Re: Checking out some Taylor's soap and creams

Along with their creams, I also used their lavender and their sandalwood shaving soaps. When they discontinued one of these soaps, I switched to D.R. Harris, which I found to be superior anyway. Still have a few tubs of Taylor shaving creams that I use from time to time, which does not seem to cause...
by Brutus
Wed Nov 07, 2018 7:38 pm
Forum: Straight Razors
Topic: Zowada Time
Replies: 2
Views: 3712

Re: Zowada Time

Very kind of this fellow - even more so in his condition, when he has other things to worry about.
Hope he can enjoy the time that he has left.

B.
by Brutus
Tue Nov 06, 2018 7:53 pm
Forum: Shaving Creams & Hard Soaps
Topic: Fall/Winter Soap Scents?
Replies: 6
Views: 4095

Re: Fall/Winter Soap Scents?

How could MWF and Tabac not be on the list? :D To paraphrase a 1966 movie: A soap for all seasons In addition Haslinger Ewe’s Milk and Sandalwood, Martin de Candre Fougere, and - maybe a bit of an outlier - Musgo Real Orange Amber. For some reason I associate the latter with Christmas, but that coul...
by Brutus
Sun Oct 28, 2018 8:03 pm
Forum: Shaving Creams & Hard Soaps
Topic: Tabac inspired
Replies: 19
Views: 8954

Re: Tabac inspired

What a coincidence: I used Tabac this very morning; using a new Rapira blade I wound up with a surprisingly smooth and comfortable shave. Rapira was one that I'd previously written off as "meh", but I'm slowly coming to the realization that shave performance has more to do with technique ...
by Brutus
Sun Oct 28, 2018 7:37 pm
Forum: Shaving Creams & Hard Soaps
Topic: Mitchell's Wool Fat and Hard Water
Replies: 14
Views: 9606

Re: Mitchell's Wool Fat and Hard Water

Mitchell’s Wool Fat does not like hard water. I can get it to work if the water is not overly hard but it does take more effort, and I never had to make it work in some regions of the US that have exceptionally hard water. Haslinger Ewe’s Milk shaving soap has many of the properties that people like...
by Brutus
Sat Sep 29, 2018 5:26 am
Forum: Straight Razors
Topic: Playing with paddle strops again
Replies: 20
Views: 9619

Re: Playing with paddle strops again

Interesting. For most of my straight shaving career I have used hanging strops, or the occasional loom strop, but somewhere along my journey I picked up a French Strop-It Supex 77 paddle strop. First, I did not much care for it and it saw only limited use in the first 1½ years, but then I started wa...
by Brutus
Wed Jul 11, 2018 7:54 pm
Forum: Colognes & Aftershaves
Topic: Why sandalwood?
Replies: 23
Views: 22220

Re: Why sandalwood?

Am I missing something here? https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandalwood Maybe it helps that I am based in the Middle East, just an Arabian Sea away from the place where this stuff grows. But my sandalwood fondness may have more to do with the fact that in my younger years I was given a sandalwood sh...
by Brutus
Mon Jul 02, 2018 7:40 pm
Forum: Shaving Creams & Hard Soaps
Topic: The state of the current English Shaving soaps
Replies: 44
Views: 32877

Re: The state of the current English Shaving soaps

I believe the Jagger/Muhle soaps were made by Haslinger at one time, but I think that might have changed. C. That may have been the case in the past (+4 years ago), but as a regular Haslinger user, the Mühle soaps that I tired then were clearly not on the same level. They got the job done but were ...
by Brutus
Wed Jun 27, 2018 7:56 pm
Forum: Shaving Creams & Hard Soaps
Topic: The state of the current English Shaving soaps
Replies: 44
Views: 32877

Re: The state of the current English Shaving soaps

Edwin Jagger cooperates with Mühle in Germany and when you mentioned sea buckthorn it reminded me of the Mühle sea buckthorn shaving soap. Mühle still distributes it and if the original puck was small to start with, just about 2½“ in diameter, chances are that it may be the same product. See here: h...
by Brutus
Thu Mar 22, 2018 8:58 pm
Forum: Shaving Creams & Hard Soaps
Topic: "That Lather"
Replies: 145
Views: 31711

Re: "That Lather"

Haslinger recently switched from tallow to non-tallow shaving soaps. Last December I spoke to the owner who told me they had wanted to switch to animal-free products for quite some time, but that it took them a while to get the formulation right. The ultimate test before releasing the new product to...
by Brutus
Tue Feb 20, 2018 8:38 pm
Forum: Shaving Creams & Hard Soaps
Topic: Williams Redux
Replies: 24
Views: 10213

Re: Williams Redux

Adding glycerin? Been there and done that. But why should I, when there are so many perfectly capable soaps available that don’t need any additions except water? Any soap that requires addition of a compound to make it work is for me - by definition - inadequate. As far as Mitchell’s Wool Fat is con...
by Brutus
Tue Dec 19, 2017 12:32 am
Forum: Shaving Creams & Hard Soaps
Topic: Tabac inspired
Replies: 19
Views: 8954

Re: Tabac inspired

I recently finished a small 30ml bottle of Tabac aftershave which I thoroughly enjoyed wearing. Quite "old fashioned" as described above, but very classic and suitable for most occasions I found. Here in the UK it's not terribly easy to find - I actually bought my bottle from a hyper-mark...
by Brutus
Fri Dec 15, 2017 12:18 am
Forum: Shaving Creams & Hard Soaps
Topic: Tabac inspired
Replies: 19
Views: 8954

Re: Tabac inspired

This one's just a few days of running out. It's been a great run. It passed the long-term fragrance test with flying colors. I swear it smells even better now with just a few grams left. Almost 2 months of constant use. While I would not want to use any shaving soap or aftershave every day for a mo...
by Brutus
Wed Nov 29, 2017 2:33 am
Forum: Shaving Creams & Hard Soaps
Topic: MDC Rose and Vetyver
Replies: 9
Views: 4032

Re: MDC Rose and Vetyver

...does the MdC in citrus scent actually smell like citrus? Yes, it does. Most definitely. Citrus, but not lemon. It bought mine in June 2017, the previous time Martin de Candre offered the vetiver and citrus limited editions, and like it very much during the warmer months. As Martin de Candre soap...
by Brutus
Tue Oct 31, 2017 1:14 am
Forum: Safety Razors & Blades
Topic: Astra vs. Feather
Replies: 8
Views: 7033

Re: Astra vs. Feather

On the occasion when I do not use a straight, I usually use either a Feather or an Astra SP (green packaging) blade in my safety razors. Overall, I prefer Feathers as they give me in my Mühle R41 and Futur the closest and smoothest shave among all the blades I tried. The Astra SP blade comes close b...
by Brutus
Sun Oct 29, 2017 7:24 am
Forum: Safety Razors & Blades
Topic: Muhle R41 vs Merkur Futur
Replies: 6
Views: 5586

Re: Muhle R41 vs Merkur Futur

Hi Brutus, yes your reply is very helpful! I think I will try the R41. How do you like your Chinese Futur clone? I bought one and think it's excellent! Steve The Chinese Futur clone is nice enough, but I still prefer the original. The clone is significantly ligher (93 grams clone vs. 121 grams orig...
by Brutus
Fri Oct 27, 2017 5:37 am
Forum: ShaveMyFace University
Topic: chin - problem with grain direction
Replies: 29
Views: 26856

Re: chin - problem with grain direction

btw: i'm enjoying your multiplicitous "location"! 8) Thanks. Airline pilot in international ops: base, home, and where I usually end in Europe at least once every month - until I have to retire from active flying at then end of the year. BTW, probably the best job on earth for shopping al...