Australian Traveling Box No.5!

Day 2:

Hardware:
Razor: Ever-Ready (1912?)
Blade: GEM Stainless
Brush: Opal B194 with TGN Finest
Scuttle: Panogana Brush Scuttle

Software:
Men-U
Pinaud Clubman Special Reserve


There was one GEM Stainless blade among the many blades in the box and I just had to try it. I have an Ever-Ready SE razor that was part of an eBay purchase a year ago. I'm sure you've seen similar auctions, where the main item is an Old Spice mug and thrown in with it is an old razor, an old shaving brush and a puck of modern Williams.

I have never used a SE razor before and wanted to give it a go. I didn't find it that much different from DE shaving. I like DE shaving better due to the selection of blades that are available and will not be switching to SE shaving anytime soon. You're really kind of limited when it comes to purchasing SE blades. There is a huge difference between the GEM Stainless blade and their window scraper blade. I strongly suggest that you do not attempt to use window scraper blades for shaving. They're great for removing rego stickers from car windshields but not whiskers.

The GEM Stainless was both smooth and sharp. It gave me an irritation free BBS shave that lasted for eight hours. After using it I removed it from the razor, patted it dry on a towel and put it away for future use. I am going to do the same with all of the blades that I try so that I can see how many shaves I can get from each blade.

The Men-U shave cream says right on the tube, "Concentrated, Enough for 20 Shaves", so I used a pea sized amount on my brush and began face lathering. I found the lather to be quite thin so I had to use more product. Even with additional product the lather still seemed thin compared to what I am use to but it did provide excellent glide. It contains Tea Tree Oil and lots of it! The scent was overpowering. SWMBO thought I was shaving with peppermint candy. This is probably a good contender for those who like a menthol cream during the summer months. I will not be purchasing this for my rotation.

Lastly, the Pinaud Clubman Special Reserve. I love it! Its got that floral (violets) smell that I like in an aftershave. It goes on strong, burns like heck and then mellows out. Four hours later I can rub my face and still get a whiff of it on my hands. I will be purchasing this when my original Clubman supply runs out.


Cheers,

Stu

Of course EVERYTHING is better with pics - and yours are get pics - thanks!

Great review too!

Great reviews, gorgeous pictures.

Cheers.

I found the same with Men-U. It's concentrated yes, but I need more than a pea size to make enough lather for 3 passes. I don't know how the pump is as I did not try it. The pump (other format of Men-U cream) is supposed to give you enough product with 1 shot.

Day 3:

Hardware:
Razor: Wade & Butcher 13/16
Blade: Extremely Sharp!
Brush: Ever-Ready #69 with TGN Finest
Scuttle: Panogana Brush Scuttle

Software:
Edwin Jagger Sea Buckthorn Cream
Edwin Jagger Sea Buckthorn A/S Lotion


Monday-Friday I use my DE razors and I use my straights on the weekend. Today I used my W&B which is an excellent shaver for me. I've never used the EJ shave cream before and there are three different samples in the box. Sea Buckthorn? *** is that? I had to Google it and do some research. All I can say is, when I opened the container and passed it under my nose it smelled great! A citrus scent and kinda sweet, but not too sweet. I placed a pea sized dollop (1 cm diameter), so perhaps a large pea on my brush and face lathered. Wow, it was thick and creamy. Excellent cushion and glide. I had enough lather for at least four passes and then some. This stuff isn't cheap. It's up there in price with Truefitt & Hill and other expensive creams. However, I believe that you do get what you pay for with this product. Ten years from now when I begin to run low on soaps/creams I will definitely buy some. As a side note, Muhle sells the exact same product with their name on it.

The shaving cream sample is piggy-backed with a matching sample container of A/S lotion. The A/S lotion is a cream and it's white. To my way of thinking, if it's a cream and it's white, then it's an A/S balm (if it looks like duck, walks like a duck and quacks like a duck........then it must be a duck!). I don't know why EJ calls it a lotion. No matter what they call it, I like it. Identical citrus smell same as the shave cream. Not overpowering and it left my face feeling smooth and soft and not oily. I didn't feel any burn, so it either contains no alcohol or very little. SWMBO liked it and so did I.


Cheers,

Stu

Great review and pic!

Glad that the Sea Buckthorn is getting some love. One of my favourites. Not cheap but good gear.

Great review. I really enjoyed the Sea Buckthorn too. Great stuff and also pleased to say it has joined my den.

Day 4:

Hardware:
Razor: Puma Gold 5/8
Blade: Extremely Sharp!
Brush: C.O Bigelow Best Badger
Scuttle: Panogana Brush Scuttle

Software:
Palmolive Shave Stick (Euro)
Aqua Velva Sport A/S


Everything you have read about the Euro Palmolive Shave Stick is true. I have three of them in stock, so I didn't bother unwrapping the one in box #5. I haven't used it in several months so I decided to give it a go. I have several shave sticks in my collection and I only use them when traveling, probably due to the fact that I have so many soaps and creams that the sticks are relegated to the back of the drawer..

At my present rate of usage, the three sticks that I have will probably outlast me! The scent is pleasant, it lathers easily and it provides excellent cushion and glide. What more could you ask of it? Too bad they do not sell it in OZ for $1.49 like the locally made product. There is no comparison between the Euro and Aussie products. The Euro contains tallow and the Aussie contains glycerin. Personally, I like to apply a few drops of glycerin to my brush before face lathering the Euro stick.

I'm an Aqua Velva man, but the AV Sport was a disappointment. I really enjoy both the AV original (I still have a large glass bottle, practically full) and the current AV Ice Blue. The Sport had a minty/flowery scent that I neither liked nor found offensive. It just didn't do anything for me. SWMBO said that it smelled like toothpaste.


Cheers,

Stu

The Palmolive stick certainly is good. Just ordered four more as I'm close to finishing my first one. Unlike you, it's my regular soap, with the fancier stuff saved for nights and weekends when I have more time. Great info on everything else.

nosedog said:

The Palmolive stick certainly is good. Just ordered four more as I'm close to finishing my first one. Unlike you, it's my regular soap, with the fancier stuff saved for nights and weekends when I have more time. Great info on everything else.

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Life is too short to save the "fancier" stuff for nights and weekends.

SWMBO just reminded me that since I am retired, everyday is the weekend!

Day 5:

Hardware:
Razor: #22 British Aristocrat
Blade: Iridium Super
Brush: Ever-Ready 150 with TGN UK 3-band Boar
Scuttle: Panogana Brush Scuttle

Software:
Col Conk Lime Glycerin Soap
Aqua Velva Musk


This is the first time I have used any of the Col Conk products and I liked it. It smelled just like lime (no surprise) and it face lathered easily. It did not dry out on my face during the shave and provided very good cushion and glide. Once loaded, I had enough lather in my brush for 3+ passes.

The Iridium Super blade was one of the best I have ever experienced. It was both very sharp and smooth. Too bad they stopped producing these. You can still find them for sale, but I simply refuse to pay fifty-eight cents per blade. Personna Med Preps are very close in quality and a lot less expensive. As with all blades, YMMV. I am curious to see how many good shaves I can get from the Iridium Super. This was by far my best shave. It was very close and irritation free. My BBS shave lasted 10 hours. I can shave just as close with a Feather, but the Feather feels a bit rough on my cheeks and leaves me with a bit of redness.

The Aqua Velva Musk was great. I can't explain exactly what is smells like except that it was "manly". SWMBO said that I should buy some.


Cheers,

Stu

Again, nice review and great pic!

Oh I'm next I'm next, I'm excited and looking forward to my wife freaking out thinking that I have bought all this stuff!

stuart12dz said:

Life is too short to save the "fancier" stuff for nights and weekends.

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I'm just glad that my workday shave routine is in human shaving's top 1%.

Day 6:

Hardware:
Razor: Gillette Goodwill Head on a BRW Bull Mastiff Handle
Blade: Rapira
Brush: Rodney Neep Custom Kenya Stone Brush
Scuttle: Panogana Brush Scuttle

Software:
Speick Cream
Speick A/S


The jury is still out when it comes to the Rapira blade. My first pass was very rough and I was about to toss the blade and try something else but decided to finish the shave with it. My next two passes were much smoother and I ended up with a descent BBS shave. I am going to try the blade in a different razor later in the month. Certain blades seem to work better in certain razors, at least for me. Due to my first impression, I won't be ordering these in the near future.

As for the Speick cream, well, I like their shave stick a whole lot more. I haven't any complaints about the lather or glide, but the scent was just so-so. I was expecting a lot more considering the amount of good feedback regarding their stick. A pea sized (large pea) amount provided plenty of lather for three passes with heaps left over. I passed my loaded brush under SWMBO's nose and she said it smelled like window cleaner.

Following my shave I applied some unscented Witch Hazel and then the Speick A/S. SWMBO said I still smelled like window cleaner. Needless to say, I will not be placing this on my Christmas list.


Cheers,

Stu

Thank you for the positive comments regarding my reviews and photographs. Photography is another hobby of mine and there isn't anything quite like shaving porn!

Love the brush! What was it knotted with?

Luc said:

Love the brush! What was it knotted with?

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24mm High Mountain Super Silvertip

The Box has been re-packed and is being shipped to Lexbomb tomorrow.

Nice reviews Stu! Not much love for the Speick cream - I own both the stick and cream and definitely prefer the stick, to me the stick produces a slicker lather. In regard to the scent I don't notice too much of a difference. The take away message for me is that the only true way to know if you like a particular product is to try it you can only read reviews for so long. Now wouldn't be great if we had a big box with all sorts of different shaving products.........