Post 1 updated!
Australian Traveling Box No.5!
- Thread starter bjh618
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Great initial review Gavin!
Not off to a great start this morning. The Gillette Blue blades in the box are made in China (Shanghai, specifically). A cynic would say that doesn't inspire confidence, but we're above that, aren't we? Well, the cynic is right. Two strokes on each cheek and into the bin. Worse than Merkur, worse than Croma Diamant. Replaced with a Gillette Dark Blue (my first use of this blade from a recently-arrived package), which wasn't as good as I hoped either. That is, not as good as Gillette Black. Hope the next 199 are better.
My Tabac lather (personal soap, not from the box) wasn't fabulous because in a moment of inattention I patted my face dry after the shower. That may explain the lack of awesomeness in the Russian Dark Blue, but nothing will excuse the Chinese Blue paint scraper. The inside of the blade wrapping even had an ad for some two-bladed disposable or cartridge (Vector?) so their heart obviously isn't in DE blade manufacture.
After three passes I applied some witch hazel, then some Tabac AS. It felt a little fierce because I guess it was a bit of a rough shave, but I won't hold that against it and will try it again tomorrow. The scent, however, didn't grab me. I couldn't really associate its scent with other Tabac products, and I can't really describe it, either. Not offensive, certainly, but not making me want to run out and buy some either. My one bottle of alcohol-based AS, Speick, smells and feels so fresh on the face that other products will always have a hard time competing. Anyway, like I said, I'll give it another go tomorrow to give it a fair chance.
My Tabac lather (personal soap, not from the box) wasn't fabulous because in a moment of inattention I patted my face dry after the shower. That may explain the lack of awesomeness in the Russian Dark Blue, but nothing will excuse the Chinese Blue paint scraper. The inside of the blade wrapping even had an ad for some two-bladed disposable or cartridge (Vector?) so their heart obviously isn't in DE blade manufacture.
After three passes I applied some witch hazel, then some Tabac AS. It felt a little fierce because I guess it was a bit of a rough shave, but I won't hold that against it and will try it again tomorrow. The scent, however, didn't grab me. I couldn't really associate its scent with other Tabac products, and I can't really describe it, either. Not offensive, certainly, but not making me want to run out and buy some either. My one bottle of alcohol-based AS, Speick, smells and feels so fresh on the face that other products will always have a hard time competing. Anyway, like I said, I'll give it another go tomorrow to give it a fair chance.
This was an evening shave as it was far too cold to get out of bed early enough this morning. I was looking forward to trying the Speick cream as I am a fan of the shave stick. In a blind test, I couldn't tell you this was Speick; I didn't detect any similarity of smell at all. Anyway, the smell was nice -- I'd say a neutral, clean, "premium" kind of shaving cream smell -- and it lathered very well. I hand-lathered for the first time in my life, and it worked great. It lathered well instantly, but also very much appreciated some additional water. The quality of lather was excellent, no doubt about that.
I'm a soap guy, not a cream guy, but I like the Speick cream and could happily use it in future. Turned out I didn't really have enough lather left for the third pass, but I guess that means I didn't use enough cream to start with.
The blade -- 7 O'Clock Dark Blue (Russian "Super Platinum", as if anyone knows them by their proper names...) -- is not from the box but I will contribute some. Gotta say I'm not a fan. Second shave in, same as the first: it's a "decent" blade, not a "premium" blade. And life's too short for decent blades, IMO. I want to think "what an awesome blade!" while shaving. I want the difficult areas around the chin to be beaten into submission by a sharp, smooth blade. In other words, I want a GBE or 7OC Black. Anyway, a B&B thread a month ago or so had plenty to say about these, and lots of people like them. There's a Gillette blade for everybody, I think, so this is well worth a try next time you receive the box.
After the three-pass shave, which did not leave me looking as well-shaved as I'd like, I eschewed my usual alum and witch hazel in order to try out the Tabac AS directly. I prefer Speick AS in every way. It is refreshing (but Speick is more so), and the smell is subtle and well-balanced, but it has left my face feeling dry. It was nice to try it, but this can go back in the box now and I'll try something else.
I'm a soap guy, not a cream guy, but I like the Speick cream and could happily use it in future. Turned out I didn't really have enough lather left for the third pass, but I guess that means I didn't use enough cream to start with.
The blade -- 7 O'Clock Dark Blue (Russian "Super Platinum", as if anyone knows them by their proper names...) -- is not from the box but I will contribute some. Gotta say I'm not a fan. Second shave in, same as the first: it's a "decent" blade, not a "premium" blade. And life's too short for decent blades, IMO. I want to think "what an awesome blade!" while shaving. I want the difficult areas around the chin to be beaten into submission by a sharp, smooth blade. In other words, I want a GBE or 7OC Black. Anyway, a B&B thread a month ago or so had plenty to say about these, and lots of people like them. There's a Gillette blade for everybody, I think, so this is well worth a try next time you receive the box.
After the three-pass shave, which did not leave me looking as well-shaved as I'd like, I eschewed my usual alum and witch hazel in order to try out the Tabac AS directly. I prefer Speick AS in every way. It is refreshing (but Speick is more so), and the smell is subtle and well-balanced, but it has left my face feeling dry. It was nice to try it, but this can go back in the box now and I'll try something else.
Excellent reviews Gavin. I thought the Speick cream was okay, but I prefer the stick.
Stu
Stu
Great reviews mate.
Speick stick for me - the cream was OK but not as good IMHO.
Speick stick for me - the cream was OK but not as good IMHO.
I agree: I use the Speick stick a couple of times a week. I find the smell a bit intense to use it every day.
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- #208
Great review mate,
I've only started using Speick A/S and it is great stuff, probably my favourite splash right now.
I've only started using Speick A/S and it is great stuff, probably my favourite splash right now.
Nice review. Another big thumbs up for the Speick AS.
I bought a bottle of the Tabac AS after having had the box, agree it does tend to dry my skin out a little but the scent is really nice.
I bought a bottle of the Tabac AS after having had the box, agree it does tend to dry my skin out a little but the scent is really nice.
This was the surprise package. I've never used an Old Spice product before, let alone two. And I've hardly heard of ASCO blades apart from one positive mention on B&B. I couldn't tell you a thing about them. Anyway, the results were good.
The Old Spice cream lathered easily, like any cream I guess, smelled nice and provided the cushion and glide expected of it. Like yesterday, though, the lather was really only good for two passes even though I thought I got the snurdle size about right. Creams, especially tube ones, are not my area of expertise.
The ASCO blade is excellent! Nice and efficient; took care of the difficult chin bits. Probably not as smooth as some other blades, but overall very pleasant to use. When I need some more blades in 20 years or so I'll keep these in mind.
The Old Spice AS is very good too. At first the scent didn't grab me, but I'm not into scents anyway. It's a relief when the smell fades away a bit afterwards. Once it settled down I quite liked it. Most importantly, my face feels fresh and doesn't feel dry. (I cheated though by splashing witch hazel first...) I'm happy to have had a chance to use it. I rate it better than Tabac AS, but Speick is still my favourite. Ah, first love...
The Old Spice cream lathered easily, like any cream I guess, smelled nice and provided the cushion and glide expected of it. Like yesterday, though, the lather was really only good for two passes even though I thought I got the snurdle size about right. Creams, especially tube ones, are not my area of expertise.
The ASCO blade is excellent! Nice and efficient; took care of the difficult chin bits. Probably not as smooth as some other blades, but overall very pleasant to use. When I need some more blades in 20 years or so I'll keep these in mind.
The Old Spice AS is very good too. At first the scent didn't grab me, but I'm not into scents anyway. It's a relief when the smell fades away a bit afterwards. Once it settled down I quite liked it. Most importantly, my face feels fresh and doesn't feel dry. (I cheated though by splashing witch hazel first...) I'm happy to have had a chance to use it. I rate it better than Tabac AS, but Speick is still my favourite. Ah, first love...
Yesterday afternoon I completed a perfectly satisfactory shave with these ingredients. The Proraso green-tub soap was my first port of call in the world of traditional shaving. It worked better for me yesterday than it ever did back then, due to a better brush and more experience of building lather. (Although it was my first bowl-lathering experience since I last had the box.) Really, there's no reason I shouldn't go and buy another tub of this. The menthol is something different from my other soaps and it worked perfectly well, so in theory some additional variety wouldn't go astray. But in reality I have plenty and am happy with what I have. So I'll keep Proraso in mind for when I run out of something.
The ASCO blade worked very well on its second shave, just like it did on the first.
The Proraso ASL was nice, and SWMBO liked the smell better than any other aftershave I've ever used. I don't know if the 'Dopobarba' label means anything or if this is just the standard Proraso aftershave, but I did enjoy it. However, my face did feel a bit itchy a few hours later so I'd need to give it another couple of goes before I decided to buy any.
Time will tell whether I shave today.
The ASCO blade worked very well on its second shave, just like it did on the first.
The Proraso ASL was nice, and SWMBO liked the smell better than any other aftershave I've ever used. I don't know if the 'Dopobarba' label means anything or if this is just the standard Proraso aftershave, but I did enjoy it. However, my face did feel a bit itchy a few hours later so I'd need to give it another couple of goes before I decided to buy any.
Time will tell whether I shave today.
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Oh well, I wasn't as active, shave-wise, over the long weekend as I thought I would be. The atrocious weather in Sydney didn't inspire me to do anything I didn't absolutely have to do. So this morning I was faced with two days' growth.
The Edwin Jagger "Sea Buckthorn" cream was nice, and there is some left for others to try. The scent is subtle and pleasant, and let's face it: that's all it brings to the table. The quality of the lather was fine, but I think I get better lather out of my soaps.
The ASCO blade has reached its limit on the third shave, I think. It didn't cause any discomfort, but it seemed a mere participant in the shave, not a leader charging out the front and chopping down those whiskers. I think one more shave would be uncomfortable.
The Edwin Jagger "Sea Buckthorn" after shave balm was lovely. It felt very soothing and moisturising, and the scent matched the cream. Unfortunately this was the last of it. I don't know how much it costs, but if I came across it at a reasonable price, I'd add it to my order.
The Edwin Jagger "Sea Buckthorn" cream was nice, and there is some left for others to try. The scent is subtle and pleasant, and let's face it: that's all it brings to the table. The quality of the lather was fine, but I think I get better lather out of my soaps.
The ASCO blade has reached its limit on the third shave, I think. It didn't cause any discomfort, but it seemed a mere participant in the shave, not a leader charging out the front and chopping down those whiskers. I think one more shave would be uncomfortable.
The Edwin Jagger "Sea Buckthorn" after shave balm was lovely. It felt very soothing and moisturising, and the scent matched the cream. Unfortunately this was the last of it. I don't know how much it costs, but if I came across it at a reasonable price, I'd add it to my order.
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I got the EJ 'Sea Buckthorn' and other EJ samples from The English Shaving Company when they had one of their regular free shipping offers, in fact there is one on now:
'From 11a.m. Tuesday May 15th, 2012 until midnight on Sunday June 17th 2012 we are offering FREE SHIPPING on all standard delivery orders over £10 (after tax has been removed). This applies to ALL ORDERS - UK and overseas.*'
There is something about the Sea Buckthorn that I really like.
'From 11a.m. Tuesday May 15th, 2012 until midnight on Sunday June 17th 2012 we are offering FREE SHIPPING on all standard delivery orders over £10 (after tax has been removed). This applies to ALL ORDERS - UK and overseas.*'
There is something about the Sea Buckthorn that I really like.
Wow, #6. I am doing well.
I was curious to try out the Mennen shave stick. If I understand correctly, it's like Palmolive (tallow version) but made in Fiji. (Who just decides to make a shave stick in Fiji? I don't get it.) Anyway, it's very nice! It lathers up very well, has a slightly nicer scent than Palmolive Euro (that's not saying much...) and performs really well. I'd even say it performed a little better than Palmolive, but it's within the margin of error (day to day variance in soap quantity, water quantity, technique). I could use this regularly, for sure. Where do I get some?
Astra SP is from my stash, not from the box, but I just felt like using one since it's been a while and it gets so much love on B&B. I've always found Astras are more likely than most other blades to give me some irritation, but that was quite a while ago and my technique is better now. I found the blade to be good enough for regular use but not in the premium category. Certainly a good value blade.
Trumpers sandlewood skin food I enjoyed. It feels nice on the skin and smells good. What more can I say?
Pino Sylvestre ASL is something I know nothing about except the name. I was more or less choosing an ASL at random. Feel and smell are OK. SWMBO doesn't like it at all. And I did notice my face feeling just a little clammy later on, but that could be the skin food or the combo of skin food and ASL, so it's wrong to lay the blame on the ASL without further experimentation.
Rubbing my face ATG now, it feels coarse and just a little raw (that "you've shaved" feeling). Soap, blade, skin food or ASL? Well, when you change so many variables at once, who knows? It's probably a cumulative effect of all this enthusiastic travelling-box shaving over the last week. Time to pass it on soon.
I was curious to try out the Mennen shave stick. If I understand correctly, it's like Palmolive (tallow version) but made in Fiji. (Who just decides to make a shave stick in Fiji? I don't get it.) Anyway, it's very nice! It lathers up very well, has a slightly nicer scent than Palmolive Euro (that's not saying much...) and performs really well. I'd even say it performed a little better than Palmolive, but it's within the margin of error (day to day variance in soap quantity, water quantity, technique). I could use this regularly, for sure. Where do I get some?
Astra SP is from my stash, not from the box, but I just felt like using one since it's been a while and it gets so much love on B&B. I've always found Astras are more likely than most other blades to give me some irritation, but that was quite a while ago and my technique is better now. I found the blade to be good enough for regular use but not in the premium category. Certainly a good value blade.
Trumpers sandlewood skin food I enjoyed. It feels nice on the skin and smells good. What more can I say?
Pino Sylvestre ASL is something I know nothing about except the name. I was more or less choosing an ASL at random. Feel and smell are OK. SWMBO doesn't like it at all. And I did notice my face feeling just a little clammy later on, but that could be the skin food or the combo of skin food and ASL, so it's wrong to lay the blame on the ASL without further experimentation.
Rubbing my face ATG now, it feels coarse and just a little raw (that "you've shaved" feeling). Soap, blade, skin food or ASL? Well, when you change so many variables at once, who knows? It's probably a cumulative effect of all this enthusiastic travelling-box shaving over the last week. Time to pass it on soon.
Great reviews Gavin!
Good work! Any favourites so far or you will be keeping it as a conclusion?
Favourites, eh? I hadn't thought about it, but I guess there are some things I would like to turn up in a surprise package on my doorstep: Speick cream, Old Spice ASL, EJ "Sea Buckthorn" ASB, Trumpers Sandlewood Skin Food. Barring a surprise package, one or more of them may end up in an order at some stage. I only have one bottle of ASL so I'll run out of that before I run out of soap or blades!
For my post-indoor-soccer shave tonight, I felt a longing for my own gear. I checked my initial review on receiving the box, which listed the things I wanted to try, and noted that I've ticked all the boxes. So tonight it was Tabac soap, the Astra blade from yesterday, and Speick ASL. Ah... sweet Tabac and Speick. Pity the Germans can't make decent blades!
Interestingly, the Astra performed better tonight than last time. I put it down to Tabac. It really is a class or two above all the merely good soaps and creams. Of course, it could have been better prep or technique; who knows...
Anyway, I'll post the box on Monday. It will take a little time on the weekend to repack. I'll get a permanent marker and go over some of the fading writing on items, and I'm sure there's a little container around here I can put some Tabac cream in. (I prefer the soap, but nobody wants a sample from my in-use puck, right?
Interestingly, the Astra performed better tonight than last time. I put it down to Tabac. It really is a class or two above all the merely good soaps and creams. Of course, it could have been better prep or technique; who knows...
Anyway, I'll post the box on Monday. It will take a little time on the weekend to repack. I'll get a permanent marker and go over some of the fading writing on items, and I'm sure there's a little container around here I can put some Tabac cream in. (I prefer the soap, but nobody wants a sample from my in-use puck, right?
Nice reviews Gavin.
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- #220
Sweet as! Looks like the box will be arriving on my doorstep soon!
Now who is in for round 6???
Now who is in for round 6???
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