One of you is to blame. I followed your advice and grabbed a scuttle. Boiled some water for it before my shave, and this thing functioned amazingly. And just like that, my much loved granite shaving bowl has been displaced.

The scuttle kept my lather steaming hot. Made for an absolutely luxurious shave.

I again used the Truefitt & Hill pre shave oil. Amazing stuff. May I never shave without it again.

I again used Floid aftershave. That’s for sure going to be a staple for me.

This time I went with Floris No. 89 soap. Very interesting. Lathered quickly, and thanks to the scuttle it stayed good and hot through 2 shaves. This may have been my best shave since getting this DE set up. I think the Floris soap was a key part of it. Was very slick and I like it very much. But it’s probably in 3rd place for fragrance of the 4 creams/soaps I’ve tried over the past 4 days.

My current ranking is:

1) Truefitt & Hill 1805 shaving cream. By a mile! Second isn’t close, to me.

2) Saponificio Varesino Optunia soap

3) Floris No. 89 soap

4). Saponificio Varesino Desert Vetiver

I’ve got several more soaps I’m going to keep trying out and then I’ll rotate through them all.

Not a one of them is bad! The Desert Vetiver is an excellent soap. But man, I’ve put it up against some other amazing products.

The end of Aug brought relief from Austerity and allowed me to kick off Variety Sep with one new item to me. Being Tue, it has to be Tabac of course.

Also brought out the much neglected Slim and paired it with Wilkinson(6) blade for its final use.

In the process of getting to know the new soap, I use the damp Yaqi brush and load straight from bowl for face lathering. Still need to get water ratio right, as initially I had too little. But quickly got it decent and it lathered really well and slick. A very nice 2 pass shave followed.

Think I am going to like the new soap very much - smells great and lathers well. What a great value purchase.

Will introduce more new stuff in next shaves but am looking forward to what others will bring out for Variety Sep!

Razor: Oliworks Meteorite SS (medium plate)
Blade: Personna Gem PDG
Brush: Terry’s Soap
Soap/AS: Terry’s Soap Mysterious Barbershop

Despite the extreme heat where I live, all of Terry’s Soap products have arrived in flawless condition. I’ve seen users receiving defective soaps due to the heat, but this is never an issue with Terry’s. His soaps come with a clear protective piece on top when you open the container. I presume this preserves the soap. Terry’s stuff is high quality and he really knows what he is doing.

For me, Mysterious Barbershop opens as a splash of citrus followed by spicy and leather notes. I’m also getting a bit of an earthy vibe. I imagine this as a luxury barbershop that’s sitting in the middle of an open forest. It’s a classy, unique fragrance. The scent is very pleasing and indeed mysterious.

As always, Terry’s Soap delivers an incredibly slick lather with immense volume and ample cushioning. His after shaves are also a real treat. A nice tingle when first applied, followed by a quick dry-down and a silky smooth finish to the skin. Incredible post-shave feeling with great healing properties, zero residue left behind and a pleasant, well-balanced lingering scent.

⌾ Razor: Blackland Ti OC
⌾ Blade: Wizamet Super Iridium (1)
⌾ Bowl: Captain’s Choice Obsidian
⌾ Brush: Simpson Chubby 2
⌾ Soap: Martin de Candre Agrumes
⌾ Balm: Nivea Sensitive
⌾ Splash: Captain’s Choice North

An evening shave today, with three days of growth to deal with.

My tool of choice was the black Blackbird Ti, with open comb plate. The backplate only arrived earlier today, so I cheated for the SOTD image and posed the razor with the stainless oc plate, before we left for the weekend.

The new satin finish Ti plate, shaved really well - the bristles had no chance at all (they were 99% gone after the first pass), especially against an Agrumes lather. My second pass sealed the deal!

Palate cleanser

SOTD: 09/01/2026

Razor: Gillette Slim Adjustable Prospector H3
Blade: Personna GEM DE, 1st use
Brush: Rad Dinosaur Creations Chathogany Manchuridon Badger
Preshave: Razor Emporium pre-shave soap
Soap: Tabac Puck
Aftershave: Tabac Classic Aftershave
Balm: Nivea Sensitive Balm
Additional Care: Alum Rock
Fragrance: Stirling Green - Solid Cologne

After 31 days of the same kit, it is a pleasure to try something new. Using the Slim felt like I had training won on comparison to the MMOC. Despite nearly no blade feel, all I needed was 2 passes for a near BBS. An excellent shave.

- Shared from My Shave Den for iOS

It was raining heavily today so I took out my Noble Otter Jasmine Green Tea which i have never used before. Bought it around 6 months ago, took a sniff and found it to be special and today seemed like a perfect time to open it and it didn't disappoint.

Brush: Yaqi Caramel

Razor: R96

Blade: Astra Blue

Post shave: Alum + Nat Habit Lavendar Jal

Another instance of you should take u/ EnvironmentalOil8616 recommendations seriously. The lavendar Jal is gentle on the skin and a great scent.

Personally not a fan of astra blue but the soap and the after shave elevated the overall experince. The post shave feel was just

Will give a 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 for the soap.

Here in Aotearoa we might be struggling to shake off winter, but sometimes you just need the bracing chill of Proraso green ❄️

**Sep. 1, 2026**
* **Prep:** Proraso - Rinfrescante - Preshave
* **Brush:** Simpson Trafalgar T2
* **Razor:** Tatara Amakuni
* **Blade:** Feather Professional Softguard (2)
* **Lather:** Proraso - Mentholated - Croap
* **Post Shave:** Proraso - Rinfrescante - Aftershave
* **Post Shave:** Proraso - Rinfrescante - Lotion

Shared from [My Shave Den for iOS](https://apps.apple.com/app/1581646387)

Sufficiently different from Zingari Man's Coconut Nanas, even though the scent profile is very similar. Top tier base, as always with Noble Otter.

Overview and Features:

Brass, you either love it or hate it. Keep in mind it oxidizes and does require regular polishing (or you can keep it savage, depending on how you like it). Small razor, yet quite heavy. Generous blade reveal from the top cap, with a fair bit of blade bend. Very small blade gap, wide lather channels but hard to clean properly due to the slotted design, a toothpick and/or cotton swab is recommended once in a while since soap scum does get trapped over there. No clogging issues within the 2 - 3 days of growth. Base plate corners are quite pointy, but haven't bothered me personally (not a head shaver tho). Note, the threaded post on the top cap is ever so slightly shorter than on most razors I've seen.

Feel:

Zero blade feel whatsoever, super mild razor although the surprising exposure value. Some chatter ATG due to the blade reveal, and some smoothness to be lost due to the higher friction brass tends to make against the skin (at least personally). Efficiency does vary when playing around with the angle, but it never really gets super close. Very nice handle in my opinion, excellent grip and interesting different design.

Final Thoughts:

Exceptional build quality, tight tolerances and neat details. Superb matte factory finish, later polishings might affect it. Fair price for a CNC machined razor I’d say. Recommended to beginners? Hard to knick yourself, but be careful not to run too many passes because that’s the way this razor makes you lean towards. Probably aimed more towards every-other-day shaves, keeping it as delicate as possible. Definitely a fair tool if you don’t seek closeness and blade feel, and of course if you enjoy the aesthetics and weight of raw brass.

Specs:

• Material - CW510L Brass (Pb ≤ 0,2%)
• Making Process - CNC Machining
• Surface Finish - Satin/Blasted
• Razor Type - Double Edge Closed Comb
• Blade Gap - 0,65 mm
• Blade Exposure - 0,15 mm
• Total Weight - 99 g
• Handle Length - 87 mm
• Handle Thickness - 13 mm
• Blade Side Tabs - Covered
• Made in Italy

Feel free to ask any question or further information down in the comments and let me know if there are any specific razors that you would like to see on this series. Thanks to whoever took their time to stop by!

I found this stashed behind a cabinet in my old family cabin. I cleaned it up and seems to still function as it should. Anyone recognize the era or model? Thanks.

Pre-shave: Hot shower

Razor: Mühle Rocca

Blade: Gillette Silver Blue (1)

Soap: Ariana & Evans Rive Paris

Brush: Mühle Classic STF 23mm

Alum: Edwin Jagger

After shave: Nivea Men Hydrocare Balm

After shave: Stirling Mediterranean Man

First shave with the Mühle Rocca and the Mühle brush. This was a one pass shave with a few touch-ups. This was enough to deliver one of my closest shaves so far so I'm very pleased. Mild stinging with the alum but overall pretty smooth for a first.

The brush did well, I think I prefer my 21mm Edwin Jagger though. I can feel slight movement in the handle when shaking this brush which was a bit unexpected, though it seems to be solid and works fine.

I finished my Nivea Men Sensitive and since I've figured my skin is not that sensitive now that I've improved my technique, I tried this other slight variation. It does have a mild scent I didn't care for, but it went away quickly. I went over it with some Sterling Mediterranean Man splash a few minutes later, not part of the plan but I really fancied it when I got there.

I got a hold of my grandpa’s old boar brush a while back, and knew I was going to restore it one day, being a DIY kinda guy.

I can’t find the picture I took before I cut out the warped-and-thoroughly-bent-to-the-side bristles, but I did document what it looked like after I removed them, before I gave the handle a little sanding with 600 grit in preparation for the tung oil. It got 9 coats altogether. I love tung oil—I love how it still looks and feels like wood. I think it looks like oak, but I'm not an expert.

Getting the old knot out really took some work! I had to perforate it with a bunch of ~1mm drill holes and then go to town with a screwdriver, hammer, and an ortho chisel while being VERY conservative to not mar the handle.

Finally it was ready for a new knot, so I ordered a 22mm boar knot from Maggard Razors. It didn’t fit perfectly, so I had to Dremel out the hole, adding around 1mm to get it to fit. I used 4 pennies to get the right loft, it was a pretty tall brush.

Now I have begun to break it in, and it is so perfect! Great for face or bowl lathering—I’m just so happy with how it came out. I really wish my grandpa was around to see it!

One of the great qualities of DE blades is that they're typically rather cheap. I used to replace my every every week no matter how often I actually shaved. Sometimes every shave. But recently I decided to replace it only when I really feel it's dull.
It's been ten shaves now and I feel the blade (Wilkinson) is still usable, just less efficient, so I need one or two passes more.

How many shaves does a blade typically give you?

Ah I have missed this stuff! And the slant - new to me was great, it is light at 16g but it is very well balanced and the blade felt incredibly rigid and without chatter.

Found the correct angle quickly

1st pass - handle tightened all the way up felt mild/

2nd and 3rd passes backing off the handle in increments until i found quite a decent amount of blade feel actually, 100% the closest shave I've had in a month 😄

Wtg/xtg-x2

Went for a big helping of the CF lime,

Good to revisit the omega boar after a month of synthetic and 4711 was the icing on the cake👌

Have a good one lads!

Done.

• PRE: Seaforth! Spiced Preshave Oil
• BRUSH: Ever Ready C40 (Synthetic)
• RAZOR: MMOC, gold
• BLADE: Accuforge GEM Microcoat (31)
• LATHER: “Blue Willy”
• POST: Aqua Velva, vintage

~

$MMOC
$annihilation

Red Ring from Value Village.

• Brush: Simpson T3
• Razor: Henson Ti22+
• Blade: Personna Comfort Coated (2)
• Lather: Lucky Tiger
• Post Shave: Lucky Tiger After Shave & Face Tonic

Second day of using Lucky Tiger products for the week, just with a different brush the day before. Running low on the product so I will re-purchase because of how well it performs. Next week it's back to the pucks & tubs.

For a long time I had been a quick, in the shower, Arko/Proraso straight on the face, no brush, 2 pass, 2 minute shave kinda person outside of special occasions. Recently I decided to get back into nicer soaps, making a nicer lather with a brush, etc. but I still want to get on with the day so keep it pretty quick and still do it in the shower.

I wet and drain the soap and start the brush soaking in a mug first thing, wash my body, load my brush with soap, use that to wash my face/neck/whole head, load more soap and face lather for the shave, 2 passes with that, use the mug to rinse the brush using big flings only acceptable in a shower. Total is maybe 5 minutes at most? But still feels pretty luxurious compared to my old routine.

Anyone else part of the hobby but also want to get on with your day? What do your setups consist of?

Shaving Soap: Stirling Barbershop
Brush: Yaqi Barber Pole Style Shaving Brush 24MM Synthetic
Razor: Merkur 38C Barber Pole
Blade: Tatra Platinum
Aftershave Splash: Stirling Barbershop

Main Ingredients: Beef tallow, stearic acid, castor oil, vegetable glycerin, almond oil, shea butter, coconut milk, lanolin

Brush Performance: Built a dense, slick lather in a few quick swirls without soaking up excess water.

Lather: Rich, cushiony foam.

Cushion/Slickness: Solid protective barrier with smooth residual glide.

Razor/Blade: The heavy Merkur handle guided the Tatra Platinum blade cleanly through stubble.

Post-shave feel: Skin felt hydrated, soft, and comfortable.

Aftershave Splash: Clean sting on application that settles into a smooth, comforting barbershop scent.

Scent Profile: Classic powdery barbershop with warm vanilla, soft spice, and subtle leather notes.

Verdict: A reliable daily setup delivering traditional barber shop performance and comfort.

Henson Ti+, Bic Chrome blade, Yaqi tuxedo 24mm synthetic brush, Zingari man The Wanderer, Thayers and Clubman Pinaud.

Lovely two pass shave today. WTG & XTG and no touch ups needed so very pleased. It’s been a while since I used my Henson and it didn’t disappoint. Smooth and trouble free.

I had been looking forward to trying my new soap and it was well worth the wait. Lovely clean scent that I am finding really difficult to label. I find it a lovely barbershop with a bit of spice and clean detergent. Told you I was struggling to label it! My wife and even our neighbour, who was visiting said what a lovely scent I was giving off so it definitely got a thumbs up. The lather was very rich, it can take a ton of water and the slickness is great and so is the residual slickness. It paired lovely with the clubman and left my skin feeling great. Really looking forward to trying the soap with my boar brushes.

Bought them off Naver and shipped to my accommodation, price difference is huge

Razor: Parker 65R

Blade: Astra Green

Bowl: Roughed up Klean Kanteen 14oz Rise stainless steel mug

Brush: Yaqi Cavern Lake synthetic

Soap: Zingari Man Highlander - sample

AS: Moon Soaps Astoria splash

EDP: Imaginary Authors Cape Heartache

The Cavern Lake Yaqi looks rad as hell, not quite sure about the feel compared to boar. Got a sample pack of soap from Zingari Man, started with Highlander and its great - a lot of bright lavender up front that settles down nicely, great shave paired with the Astra Green my first time, no nicks - felt pretty similar to the GSB but I'm still new. WTG/ATG and feeling a little rough in trouble spots on my neck but very smooth overall.

Finished off with a new aftershave, Moon Astoria and it's everything I hoped the description advertised. Between that, the soap and a splash of Cape Heartache I'm smelling like a damn Christmas tree after a fresh rain and I love it. Have a good one gang

SOTD: Sep 1, 2026
Razor: Alpha Futura
Blade: Tatara Double Edge, 3rd use
Brush: Trotter Barber Nocturnal Gold STF
Soap: BBS Providence
Aftershave: BBS Providence
Balm: Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Face Gel Hydrator
Additional Care: Humphrey's Witch Hazel Astringent

-From the Shave Carousel