Parker 96R Safety Razor

This new razor has a 4 inch handle (compared to the 3 inch common older razors).  It's a fairly hefty razor, weighing in at about 2 ounces.  It came with 5 of the 7am blades and the box as shown in the picture.  This came from eBay - total cost of $19.72 including shipping.

Two Shaving Brushes - Both from eBay

The one of the left is a "vintage" brush.  The auction included this Erskine Badger Hair brush and a bent over Ever Ready boar bristle brush.  It's a chrome-like finish on hard plastic or bakelite.  The other side has a fairly large spot that is black where the chrome finish is worn off.  This is a wonderful brush.  eBay - $18 for two brushes (one not pictured) including shipping.

The one on the right just arrived today.  It was sold as a new badger hair brush, but I don't think it's really badger hair.  It's much stiffer than my old brush, it didn't seem to hold as much water, and I had a hard time getting it to produce a proper lather.  This all leads me to believe it's a bristle (boar) brush that's been dyed to look like badger.  eBay - $14.09 including shipping.

I love the older brush on the left.  The new one - not so much.  Maybe the difference is the fact that the one on the right is new.  Maybe it really is badger, but the one on the left is softer from years of use.  I've shampooed the new one twice.  I'll wash and condition it a couple more times before trying it again.  It didn't even seem to act right when it got wet.  It didn't have that "bloom" that I get with the old brush.

Pirate's Cove Shaving Soap

According to the auction:  

"Handmade pure glycerin Bay Rum & Ginger Shaving Soap. Our soaps are hand blended with pipettes using Bay Rum Oil, Ginger Essential Oil, Cocoa Butter, Vitamin E, & Rosemary Oil.

Cocoa Butter and Vitamin E are well known for their natural antioxidant & moisturizing properties. Rosemary Oil is a natural astringent."

 

"This soap is delightfully aromatic, will produce a rich lather, and will leave your skin feeling smooth and refreshed. A wonderful blend of island fragrances. Give it a try, we think you’ll love it."

 

I LOVE this soap.  It smells great, it builds up a nice slick lather.  It's perfect!  eBay $6 including shipping.

 

 

 

Shaving Scuttle with William's shaving soap

 

These seem like such a good idea... a place to keep hot water right under the soap keeping everything all warm.  I lusted after one of these for a while.  Most of the really cool ones were either in England or Australia, so shipping one over here was really expensive.  I finally got this one for $23.74 including shipping.  It's not exactly my favorite one for looks, but the general shape is right and it's certainly an interesting pattern.  I used it once, but I must be missing something.  So what if the soap is warm?  The brush holds the warmth anyway.  Someone clue me in on this one.

 

I've read that Italy's Proraso shaving cream is the best in the world.  It's not commonly found on eBay and when I did find it, it was no bargain compared to other outlets at $11 per tube plus shipping.  I went to the mall to find a Crabtree & Evelyn to try their cream and ran across O.C. Bigelow Apothecary.  I hadn't heard of them, but apparently they've been around for a while (since 1838).  The woman mentioned that their "house brand" of shaving cream comes from Italy.   I saw it had Eucalyptus in it and wondered if it might be made for them by Proraso.  I asked, but the woman in the shop didn't know.  I figured at $5 per tube, I'd give it a shot even though I'd just spent too much at C&E.

Upon closer inspection it says right there on the package that this is Proraso.  It kicks butt!  No wonder people say it's the best in the world.  Holy cow!

 

Crabtree & Evelyn Shaving Cream

At $18 for this 100gram tube, this is expensive cream.  I tried it for the first time today with my new "badger" brush and it was pretty awful.  I couldn't get it to lather up right.  I then tried it with my real badger brush and it didn't want to lather very well with that either.  Nothing at all like the quality of the Bigelow (Proraso) mentioned above.  It did come with a cool tube roller to make sure you get every last bit out of the tube.  I'll try to get a better picture of the roller later on - it's a chrome looking engraved key (shown attached to the black cardboard in the front of the picture above.)  I have to say I was very disappointed in this cream especially when compared to the $5 tube of Proraso.  I'll try again using a bit more cream and play with the water ratios.  I've heard good things about this stuff and was surprised that my initial impression was bad.  The packaging is quite nice.

 

Superior 70 Bay Rum Alcohol

Mm-mm-mm this smells good.  Hard to find, but cheap when you can get it.  I finally found it at a local Walgreens for less than $2 per bottle.  Way cheaper than traditional aftershaves, but a very nice alternative. A product of Puerto Rico.

Here's a nice article comparing 5 popular bay rums.

Turkish Alum Block

Alum blocks are potash - a natural astringent.  Run this block under cold water and rub it all over your freshly shaved face.  It tightens up the pores and gives a rather brisk tingle depending on the condition of your skin when you apply it.  It will stop minor bleeding (a styptic pencil is based on alum but not at all the same thing).  It can also be used as a deodorant.  Run the wet bar over your pits.

These normally go for $15-$18 from the major brands, but I found a source that allows me to sell these for just over $5 on eBay.

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So there you have it.  My collection as it sits today - July 2008.  I actually didn't show you all of it, but this page shows the major pieces and a few minor ones, too.  Not exactly a cheap hobby to get started in, but once you own the equipment, the soaps & blades are pretty cheap considering how long they last.