Mountain Man & The Jr. Torrey:

This morning's shave was great. Stirling Soaps is an awesome soap and their Mountain Man scent is simply amazing. The scent itself is Stirling's take on Creed's Silver Mountain Water Cologne. And to finish this shave off I paired it with Barbasol Brisk:

The Jr. Torrey did good but can use a few passes on both my 8K and my Shoubandini. Which I might do later on but not really sure if I will or not. But I did get where I wanted to be with just 2 passes. I beginning to like DE safety razors better mainly because I can get a better shave with them now than I can with a straight razor for some reason which is weird because I use to get better shaves with a straight razor. I will NOT be giving up straight razors though.

High Jump 47 & The 42C:

This morning's shave was great. After a nice hot and relaxing shower, I went with Phoenix Artisan Accoutrement's High Jump 47 which is an amazing scent. To my nose, I get a fresh cologne scent. And to finish off this shave, I went with my usual splash:

The Merkur 42C (1904 classic closed comb) was exceptional. I managed to get a 2 pass "ice rink" post shave feel out of it. I'm really digging both this razor and the Merkur 38C barber pole handled razor. Both are mild and comfortable to use, but they're also effective. They're perfect for beginners who are just getting started and are leaving the cartridges behind.

Glacial Lemon Chill & The Doc:

Today's shave was great. Stirling Soaps are awesome and this lemon glacial chill is simply amazing. It has a lemon meringue pie type of scent to it. Sweet but you can still detect the tartness of the lemon and the menthol chill is epic. And I finished it off with the matching aftershave balm:

This was a "do over" shave for the doc considering that I had too many shaves on that blade. Today's shave totally redeemed it. So remember, when in doubt, throw the blade out even if it's on the first pass stop and take a moment to switch out the blade. That's why it's been a long time since I've had a bad shave. I stop and take the time to make sure the blade is good and if I am using a straight razor, I keep one on stand by just in case. Now back to the Daytona 500.

Le Mans & The 38C:

This morning's shave was amazing. Deluxe Shaving Company makes an incredible shaving soap. I went with their Le Mans scented soap which has an incredible scent. To my nose, I get a very nice and refreshing citrus cologne type of scent. And to add a little more refreshment to this slick and moist post shave feel, I paired it with my usual aftershave splash:

The 38C did great. I got a squeaky clean post shave feel in 3 passes. This is a very mild but effective razor especially with a Perma-Sharp blade in it. With this specific razor, I can get away with more than 3 passes very easily but I've gotten into a very good habit of quitting while I'm ahead when it comes to wet/traditional shaving. Don't chase the famed "BBS" or as I like to call it "ice rink" and you will be fine and believe it or not, you will start getting those super slick "ice rink" type of shaves. This coming pay day I will be looking at getting started in Hydroponic grown vegetables. I'm betting that if I keep things simple, things will go very well.

Fortitude & The Wedge:

This morning's shave was great. I was craving Soap Commander pretty bad this morning so after a nice hot shower, I went with their Fortitude scented soap which has an incredible aged hay, aged tobacco and dark rum scent. And to finish this shave off, I paired with their now discontinued Purpose aftershave balm which has a bay rum scent:

The wedge did great. I got a squeaky clean post shave feel in just 2 passes. I believe I am done buying razors for a while now. I've got more than enough so I will be trying some soaps instead. That and I want to send a razor to Dr. Matt to hone up for me.

Volcano & The Doc:

This morning's shave was good. Tiki Bar performs extremely well and this morning, I went with their vegan Volcano scented soap which is more like a croap (cross between a cream & soap). And to finish off this shave I went with my usual good stink. To get Tiki Bar Soap, I highly recommend that you go through Italian Barber to order it. Here's the link to the website: https://www.italianbarber.com/ :

The doc did good but not great and that was because I didn't know how many shaves I had on the blade and it was clear that it needed a new blade. So from now on if I have a doubt about a DE blade, I will put a new blade in it. When in doubt, throw it out rings true in the wet shaving world as well. I should have done that before the shave.

366 & The Black Diamond:

This morning's shave was great. KShave Worx makes some excellent soaps and last year, they celebrated their 1 year anniversary with the 366 soap which is a phenomenal scent. If you like Cella then this is your soap. But unlike Cella, this is more sensitive skin friendly and you also have a bit of sweet cherry added to it. I need to get the matching aftershave for this one. But for today's shave, I paired it with my usual go to aftershave splash:

Oh before I forget, here's some lather porn for you. KShave Worx is a beast when it comes to producing a really nice yogurt type of lather:

The Black Diamond straight was amazing. I ended up getting an "ice rink" after doing 3 passes and touching up one spot which always gives me grief no matter what I use. I also used my friend Anthony Esposito's shave method which seems to work extremely well for me in terms of getting a close shave. I guess my beard grows in a direction that's similar to his.

Al Sapone & The 38C:

This morning's shave was nothing short of Phenomenal. After a nice hot shower, I went with RazoRock and their Al Sapone scent which was made in honor of my friend Ray Pope. To my nose, I get a nice refreshing citrus cologne cologne type of scent that pairs extremely well with Pinaud's Clubman which is what I finished this shave off with this morning:

The Merkur 38C barber pole handle razor was perfect. I managed to get a squeaky clean post shave in just 2 passes. The razor is very nice and comfortable to use. The extra weight from the larger handle is perfect for those with a heavy beard but it's mild enough to use everyday.

Scent Clones & Cloning 101:

I've been asked by a friend to compare a well known scent by smelling it compared to its description of the scent and a lot of the times they don't match. I was also asked about listing soaps that are clones of some old favorites which I will do based upon what I've smelled in the past. So let's get started. Before I begin, I must also inform you that I will try to keep this blog going until I can no longer share it anywhere including Facebook. Once it gets to that point, then that will truly be the end of this blog unless I can find another platform and I do intend to make shave videos really soon. I just hope no one minds my thick "hillbilly accent". So with that being said, let's get started:

For duplicate & custom scents, I highly recommend that you talk to Irena Marchu over at Ginger's Garden if you want an old favorite scent copied in a shave soap or a custom made to order scent with a fast turn around time. Here's the link to her website: http://www.gingersgarden.com/ . I ordered a peach scented soap which I promptly burned through in no time and what makes this so interesting is that it took her only 4 days from the time I ordered it until it arrived here. So she is fast but I say that will also depend on the scent and how complex it is. Plus she has the longest scent chart you will ever see. So if you want a shaving soap that's a cloned copy of your favorite cologne, check out Ginger's Garden. You will be glad that you did. Now onto the cloned scents that I know of:

#1: Barbasol 1980's regular canned shave foam = PAA's Cad

#2: 1938 Shulton's Old Spice = Soap Commander's Endurance

#3: Pinaud's Clubman = PAA's Clubguy

#4: Aqua Velva Classic Ice Sport = Soap Commander's Vision

#5: Welches Grape Soda = KShave Worx Grapelicious/Catie's Bubbles Knee High to a Grape

#6: Brut = KShave Worx Shaping Up

#7: York Peppermint Patty = Wet The Face Peppermint Patty

#8: Acqua di Parma colognia classica = RazoRock Triple X

#9: Scotch Whiskey = Meisner Tremonia "Strong n Scottish"

#10: Harley Davidson leather jacket = Tiki Bar "Go West"

#11: Flintstones ice cream push ups = RazoRock Don Marco

#12: Lemon meringue pie = Stirling Soaps Lemon Glacial chill

#13: Hoppe's Gun Cleaner = PAA's "home on the range" (was known as 9)

#14: Jagermeister/Vick's 44 cough syrup = Stirling Soaps Black Cherry (an old favorite of mine)

As of right now, that is the only cloned scents that I have smelled and know of. There's so many artisan soaps out there that I've not smelled that it would be next to if not impossible for me to put together a much longer list. Plus there's some that were discontinued on a permanent basis and others that were a seasonal scents which never returned except as a Limited Edition which are gone in no time. Especially with Phoenix Artisan Accoutrement's LE scents. Plus your mileage may vary in terms of the actual scent compared to what I smell.

Jack Frost & The Jr. Torrey:

Today's shave was great. Today I decided to go with Steambath Factory and their Jack Frost scented soap which has an incredible vanilla, sugar and a hint of peppermint scent to it. Think of Bath & Body Works' warm sugar and vanilla scent with a little hint of peppermint candy added to it. And to finish off this shave, I finished off my Aqua Velva ice blue aftershave splash:

The Jr. Torrey was perfect. I got a clean shave in just 2 passes which is about what I'm looking for.

Reflection & The DE 89:

Today's shave was excellent. It's also Sunday which means that Soap Commander Sunday is full effect. Today I went with their "Reflection" scented soap which has an incredible Oakmoss & Amber scent. And to finish off this shave, I paired it with Barbasol Brisk aftershave splash:

The DE 89 was great if not perfect. I got a squeaky clean post shave in just 2 passes. It's looking like I will be committed to making 2 passes no matter what I use. I'm also looking at getting another DE safety razor which I will be changing up a bit. I'll have to do some checking on the price though. This next pay day will be very interesting in terms of razor purchasing.

C.O. Bigelow & The Wedge:

Today's shave was great. I was craving Proraso green pretty bad so I went with C.O. Bigelow and their Menthol & Eucalyptus scented cream which is Proraso green made exclusive for them. And to finish off this shave, I paired it with good old Skin Bracer original:

I nailed the edge on the wedge. I got another squeaky clean post shave in just 2 passes. It's not an ice rink because I also got a tiny bit of razor burn. But other than that, I am very happy with this shave. So it will be a few days or so before I shave again.

Honing Time!

Today I decided to go ahead and hone my Steampunk wedge myself. Mainly because I am looking at getting some razors and one of them is going to Dr. Matt to be honed. It will take a while before they get here but I'll have a 7 day set once they do. As far as buying stones go, I will be just looking at 1 mid range stone later on. So lets get started:

First I went ahead and soaked my stones for a good 15 minutes. Basically my new progression will be listed as follows. Bevel set/repair, mid range and finish. First I started with my Might Mini Suehiro 1/3K combo stone followed by my Norton 8K stone using my friend Anthony Esposito's method. The razor took a beautiful edge and then some:

Next I finished on my Shoubandini Type 100 4 times using my diamond plate first then both sides of the Suehiro 1/3K, and then with my Norton 8K as a slurry stone progression if you will:

Next I stropped the razor 10 round trips on both sides of my leather strop:

Under the loupe, the edge looked great and highly polished which really doesn't matter to me. Basically the only thing I use a loupe for now is to make sure that there's no chips or anything on the edge and to make sure I hit the entire edge and didn't miss anything. I'll know how I did when I shave with it which will be tomorrow.

Lemon Chill & The Gem SE:

Today's shave was great and very refreshing. After a nice, hot and relaxing shower, I went with Stirling Soap and their lemon chill scent which has an intense menthol blast and it also has a semi sweet lemon pastry scent to it. And to finish off the shave, I paired it with the matching aftershave balm which in my opinion was the icing on the cake:

The Gem SE with a Gem Blue Star blade was excellent. These blades aren't bad if you strop them a couple of times before the 1st use. Another thing that I did was before I used this blade for the first time was to soak it in some 3 in One oil for about a week to keep it from rusting. The results was a very smooth, close and comfortable "ice rink" post shave feel after just 2 passes. It's a shame that no one has ever done a modern version of the Gem SE razors.

Latha Limon & The Jr. Torrey:

This morning's shave was great. I was craving Barrister & Mann this morning so I grabbed the Latha Limon which has an incredible lemon, orange and rose scent. You would think that these scents wouldn't go together but the orange and rose really make the lemon pop and stand out. And to finish off this shave, I paired it with Stirling Soap's Glacial Lemon Chill aftershave balm which goes perfectly with this soap and also adds a touch of sweetness to it:

The Jr. Torrey was great. I got another "ice rink" type of post shave feel in 3 passes. No irritation but with this razor being a small 5/8's razor, it doesn't have the weight behind to plow through my beard. So I will be looking at some razors to see what I can find.

Fougere' Santal & The Doc:

Today's shave was great. Reef Point Soaps are awesome and always deliver top shelf performance and their Fougere' Santal is exceptional. It pairs perfectly with Brut but is not an exact match which is what I finished this shave off with:

The Doc did great. I got an "ice rink" post shave feel in just 2 passes which is really good because normally to get this close, I would have make 3 passes which is pushing it for my sensitive skin. That's goal of shaving, get an extremely close and comfortable shave with zero irritation. I'm trying do to that with 2 passes or less. So far the Hawk & The Doc are the only safety and single edge razors to get me really close with a minimum amount of passes.

TTFFC Mixed Soap & The Hawk:

Today's shave was simply amazing. After a nice hot and relaxing shower, I went with Maria Arman's Through The Fire Fine Craft soaps. These are mixed soaps and I really can't remember what all scents I have in there. And to finish off this shave, I paired it with Clubman:

The hawk was exceptional. I got a squeaky clean shave with just one pass. In all my years of wet shaving with DE safety razors, single edges and straight razors, I have never gotten a 1 pass shave especially with 2 days worth of beard growth. I need to get more shaves like this, wow. Not one cut and no irritation and no burn from the alcohol based aftershave.

My New Room Heater:

Earlier today, I went to Lowe's and purchased this heater to replace my small electric room heaters. The electric heaters ran my electric bill up nearly $40 dollars and I still had trouble keeping warm especially when it was extremely cold outside like it's going to be tonight (16 degrees F.). Tractor Supply did have them, but they have already got the gas grills out and haven't re stocked their heating department and so far I am loving this heater:

At first I couldn't get it to fit to my 40 pound cylinder, so I stepped out and got my 20 pound cylinder refilled and ran it for about 10 to 15 minutes on low which knocked the "stink" off of it that you do get with new propane heaters. It wasn't like my propane fireplace which lasted about a week before it quit stinking which was pretty intense:

Afterward, I shut it off and figured out the valve set up and I was able to get it attached to my 40 pound cylinder and this will be a huge help. It puts out a much better quality of heat than the electric heaters did. 16,000 BTU's which is about half of what my fireplace puts out:

It heats extremely well on low so I can't imagine how well it does on high. The heater itself cost me $47.36 dollars. And to refill my 20 pound cylinder cost me $9.69 dollars. So far I am liking it and if the power goes out for ANY length of time, I will still have heat.

Refreshment & The DE 89:

This morning's shave was great. After a nice relaxing shower, I went with Soap Commander and their "refreshment" scented soap which has an incredible sweet tea with lemon scent. And today's "good stink" is Stirling Soaps Glacial Lemon Chill aftershave balm which reminds me of a semi sweet lemon pastry. My NY Shaving Company silver tip badger brush is performing extremely well and still has some light stink to it but it's disappearing each time I use it and it's getting even better with each use. Oy Vey Chapo, you have converted me to badger hair brushes:

I still had to do 2 passes with my Edwin Jagger DE 89 and this was also the last shave on this specific blade as well. So I will be putting in a new blade once its finished soaking in my barbicide jar. So I will be looking at some DE razors today to see what I can get. It will probably be not this coming pay day but my next one before I buy anything.