Checking In

[Crhis]

Hello there,

It's been a while, I think I was last posting regularly here around 2009/10 and I just wanted to say hello again and make sure I've not missed anything major before I place my Christmas 'order'.

I haven't really bought anything new since 09/10 except for my Feather AS leaving my day to day set up pretty much:

Feather AS + Feather Blade
I know some people have skin issues if they use feather blades each day, but they're fine for me.
Kent BK4
I don't even rotate my brush anymore as I love the BK4 so much and I have 0 interest in trying anything new. I bought mine a little before kent changed their logo as I recall, they haven't messed with it since have they? (if say, I wanted to pick up 5 more to be 'safe')
GFT Rose Soap
Same puck I was using before. I basically rotate between this and some DR Harris soaps, a Valobra stick and a Palmolive tube of cream. Sadly I ran out of my old style Penhaligon's English Fern soap a while back and given the stockpile of other things I still have I'm not going to be picking up another puck at those prices.
DR Harris Pink A/S
This is the key thing I'm concerned about as I'm just running out. It's the only A/S that I've ever liked and I use it year round so I'm hoping it's still the same.

I guess I stopped posting because I've settled on these products now and staying here was just tempting me to buy new things that I never liked as much (not to mention I felt like a bit of a broken record making the same recommendations over and over myself).

Oh and while I place my DR Harris order (assuming the Pink is still the same) I've been looking at trying out their new scent (Windsor - it's new to me!) but I recall that they were reformulating their creams around the time I stopped posting and maybe the soaps too? Did anything ever come of this that I should be wary of buying them as compared to my 07/08 pucks? Or else, is Windsor even worth buying?

Glad to see a lot of familiar names still around and I'm happy you're all doing well - hopefully I can check back with a little more regularity from now on (without spending too much money!).

[Crhis]

Just had a look around this very subforum, seems like I'm not the only one making a return.

Did someone hit the metaphorical bat signal?

[Dale]

Hi Christopher,

That's a great product lineup you are using. And thanks for checking in. :) I have both the Windsor cream and soap and think they are both superb in all aspects. This is my first Harris cream so I can't speak to years past.

[Crhis]

Hi Christopher,

That's a great product lineup you are using. And thanks for checking in. I have both the Windsor cream and soap and think they are both superb in all aspects. This is my first Harris cream so I can't speak to years past.

So you bought five extra BK4s? Well done!

No no, I was asking if they'd changed at all before I went and bought five extras! I'm not crazy enough to actually go and do it, I think...

And yes the products I wound up using are just fantastic and that kind of felt like the end of the journey for me and the latest news was always depressing to some extent. The Swedish Gillette debacle being a particular low - the cancellation came out of nowhere for me and I tried to order a few hundred extra from a site that claimed to have them still in stock that day and they just never arrived. I was eventually refunded my money but it was just indicative of how things were going with every reformulation and new idea making things worse than before.

As an aside I noticed in my original post I'm just asking about things getting worse and hoping things have stayed mostly the same - to add a bit more optimism to all of this, did anything get better over the period that I should look in to?

[jww]

I keep vacillating back and forth on a BK4 -- and at the moment have gone into a holding pattern because I am concerned it doesn't have enough backbone.

Welcome back Chris.

[druphus]

DR Harris Pink A/S
This is the key thing I'm concerned about as I'm just running out. It's the only A/S that I've ever liked and I use it year round so I'm hoping it's still the same.

The scent has changed!

It is no longer "rose", but more of a Lilac; however, the consensus seems to be that the change is tolerable, since the effect is the same and the scent is fleeting.

Do a Search in the Colognes/Aftershave section for "Pink" and you can read the posts.

[Crhis]

I keep vacillating back and forth on a BK4 -- and at the moment have gone into a holding pattern because I am concerned it doesn't have enough backbone.

Welcome back Chris.

I remember reading similar things about the BK4 before I went and bought one - that it's floppiness makes it only good for creams etc. but I've found it plenty versatile enough to be my only brush. I had it rotating with a Tulip 2 for a little while but eventually just let that go.

The thing with the BK4 is (I think I eventually came to this conclusion with a few other members here, though I'm not sure if it 'held up' at all) is I thought the BK4 was just as good as any other brush out there and the only differences from the BK4 on upwards were down to personal preference, softness of tips, rarity and so on. That is, one might prefer to use a denser knot, or scratchier or softer tips, or a particular handle over what the BK4 offers, but that these things didn't necessarily make for a better brush, just a different one.

I think that the BK4 would always have a special meaning to me as a symbol of that sort of 'base' elite brush even if I didn't happen to enjoy the way it fits in to my personal needs so much.

[Crhis]

DR Harris Pink A/S
This is the key thing I'm concerned about as I'm just running out. It's the only A/S that I've ever liked and I use it year round so I'm hoping it's still the same.

The scent has changed!

It is no longer "rose", but more of a Lilac; however, the consensus seems to be that the change is tolerable, since the effect is the same and the scent is fleeting.

Do a Search in the Colognes/Aftershave section for "Pink" and you can read the posts.

Oh thanks for that information, I'll have to check the appropriate thread for details!

I guess I haven't much choice in the matter (and shouldn't complain if the effect is the same) but I did quite enjoy the way the Pink stacked with my Rose soaps/creams, even if the scent of the Pink alone wasn't very strong. Oh well.

[vtmax]

Chris, I'm with you with the Feather All Stainless. My all time favorite shaving item. The Pink is great stuff too. I am down to about five shaves left with the the 'old' DR Harris Milk. Boy I am going to miss that one. I recently started using the Harris Almond shaving soap again and am excited to have 'rediscovered' it. Looks like you have a great lineup indeed.

Max

[Crhis]

I must say that I wound up with the All Stainless via an unfortunate incident with the best razor I've ever used; a Gillette Model #58.

I was happily using that until I decided to take it on a trip abroad and due to me not packing it correctly or an overenthusiastic baggage attendant or I don't know what the head was damaged giving me an uneven blade placement.

I experimented with some other old Gillette models I had on hand (generally popular models like SS) nothing really stuck out. I thought about replacing my #58 but the cost was high and I got to thinking about the general permanence of anything I could obtain anyway, regardless of accidents (I've just turned 24, so I'm in this for the long haul) and my need to move on at some point. How many shave-worthy #58s are there in the world? Maybe 700, if that? I felt like (and this is probably totally irrational and neurotic) that I'd always be on edge with this stuff unless I owned something like 10 of them strategically placed in safety deposit boxes across the globe. This also is at least part of the reason I prefer a BK4 to say, a pre-Vulfix Simpson. It's not to say that I don't appreciate the history of things but shaving is fundamentally a practical endeavor for me and partly down to price, partly down to space (and probably partly down to a philosophy of only having 'enough'), I can only afford to have around items I actually use and am comfortable using. Depleting a 20 pack of Light Brigade blades or pulling one more hair out of that one-of-a-kind brush isn't fun for me, it just gets me down and gloomy - better to leave those things to the people who can care for them properly.

A mini dip in to the shaving world mid-hiatus turned me on to the AS as many people were saying it was mild and solid (and most importantly, new and in production and not useless to me like a Merkur (sorry Merkur fans)) and hey, it works for me.

That's not to say I expect the Feather AS to still be in production in however many years either - it's more just an acknowledgement to myself that I'm likely going to have to switch things around a lot over the course of my life (I'd hope that I'd outlive even some of the more hefty stockpiles that I know many of you own!), and I'd better get used to it.

Sorry if that's a bit rambly, hope it made some sense overall!

[Ouchmychin]

I'm not sure if it was going on before you left, but there has developed quite a group of devoted boar users in the brush forum. Lengthy discussions about split tips and willingness to lather. I got one and finally got used to it but can't say for sure what I like best now. Neverr owned a BK4 and my go to has been a pre-Vulfiix Simpson Duke II in best. I just like the fully packed head for soaps.

[Thalay Sagar]

Welcome back Chris. I find myself in the same place with you regarding the BK 4. It's become my primary brush (the others are really only used because I can't shake my addictive nature). Just a wonderful performer and as Gordon has said many times, a winner with soaps and creams.

[rsp1202]

I've had three BK4's, and each time have traded over to a Savile Row because of that brand's relatively stiffer qualities and cushy face-feel that's almost as comforting as the Kent's. But the BK's overall quality has been second to none, and when I read posts like this I'm tempted to try one again.

And I'm always sorry to hear about the demise of a great razor like the #58. I cringed when our old compadre John5 had his stolen on a trip. I bought one, based in large part, because of your experience, Chris. I thought you'd never part with yours.

[vtmax]

Well thought out Chris. And no you did not ramble. Stick around.

Max

[Dale]

Hi Christopher,

That's a great product lineup you are using. And thanks for checking in. I have both the Windsor cream and soap and think they are both superb in all aspects. This is my first Harris cream so I can't speak to years past.

So you bought five extra BK4s? Well done!

No no, I was asking if they'd changed at all before I went and bought five extras! I'm not crazy enough to actually go and do it, I think...

And yes the products I wound up using are just fantastic and that kind of felt like the end of the journey for me and the latest news was always depressing to some extent. The Swedish Gillette debacle being a particular low - the cancellation came out of nowhere for me and I tried to order a few hundred extra from a site that claimed to have them still in stock that day and they just never arrived. I was eventually refunded my money but it was just indicative of how things were going with every reformulation and new idea making things worse than before.

As an aside I noticed in my original post I'm just asking about things getting worse and hoping things have stayed mostly the same - to add a bit more optimism to all of this, did anything get better over the period that I should look in to?[/quote

Oops. Soon after I posted I realized I had misread your post. So I edited, but by the time I had re-posted, you had already responded. Thanks......

[bernards66]

Chris, Good to hear from you. As I've noted in the past, we seem to have similiar tastes and ways of looking at things. I still use my Gillette Model #58 daily ( but I DON'T take it when I travel...you found out why...even when I go via auto I don't want to risk losing/misplacing it. On the road I take an original Superspeed or the Schick N2 Injector ). But if I was unfortunate enough to lose it, rather then try and get another ( given that Gillette DE models from that era can vary somewhat ) I'd probably get one of those Feather AS numbers. I had one and it was the only currently made razor I ever tried that really did it for me. It was excellent, and hopefully sometime I'll be able to retrieve the one I had. As to the Kent BK4, Trumpers Rose soap, and DRH Pink combination, well, for me, there is really nothing 'better'. As good, yes...but not better. I still vary the creams/soaps a bit, and I still have three brushes ( sadly the BK4 got left with the Feather AS ) but it's not at all difficult for me to understand how/why you just stick with the kit you are using as it's absolutely top shelf. And I do, indeed, agree that the BK4 ( and the Simpson Best models ) are kind of the cut-off for 'better', quality wise. Beyond those brushes it really is mostly a matter of very personal taste, specific preferences, psychological factors, etc. I happen to love my Plisson #12 HMW but it is not a 'better' brush than the old BK4 I had, or my current Simpson X2L. Anyway, that's my opinion. Again, good to hear from you.
Regards,
Gordon

[Crhis]

Thankyou for all of the kind words, both for myself and my setup. I really do think it's remarkable the quality of setup you could go out and pick up off a shelf today if you you should lose everything. For as much as things are disappearing or else being reformulated beyond recognition you can still go out and buy a setup that anyone would be pleased with.

And I'm always sorry to hear about the demise of a great razor like the #58. I cringed when our old compadre John5 had his stolen on a trip. I bought one, based in large part, because of your experience, Chris. I thought you'd never part with yours.

Yeah I was broken up over it and in denial for a few weeks putting bad shaves down to technique or some other thing but eventually had to put it to one side. I still own the razor (I am a little sentimental, even if it might not seem so in what I wrote earlier!) and I suppose there's always the possibility of my getting it fixed. Do we have any members that offer such a service?

I'd probably get one of those Feather AS numbers. I had one and it was the only currently made razor I ever tried that really did it for me. It was excellent, and hopefully sometime I'll be able to retrieve the one I had.

That's good to hear that our tastes have aligned again! I do consider myself fortunate in that the Feather blades don't appear to thin my skin quite the same as they did for other gents here so it's a no-brainer choice for me. That could also be due to my light beard/shaving needs mind (It was always a peeve of mine that everyone had a 'wiry/tough' beard and 'very sensitive' skin - I mean there is some sense of selection in the people who would even join a shaving forum that I would expect it to be higher than the norm but still...). I can get away with a 1-pass shave with a little bit of XTG touch-up and whether because of that or something else the Feather's don't put me in too rough a situation.

[brothers]

Christopher, I had a similar problem with a rare Ranger Tech, and an experienced razor guy on another forum helped me fix it. Here's the old 2009 thread. He sent me a PM with detailed instructions and it worked very well. If this is how your razor looks, and if you're interested , send me a PM and we can talk. (PS, I am praying that I still have his instructions saved somewhere, and I'm going to go now and make sure I still have it saved.)