I realized that I've talked too much about the things I DON'T like...The soaps that burned, the creams that sucked, and so on...What about the really good stuff? The stuff that I will be keeping around for as long as I possibly can? It's time to make The Master List...
I need a list, a centralized point where I can keep track of all the the products I love. Not just good products, but GREAT products...a Master List. This list is divided into two parts--"The Work Horses", or great products that I recommend without hesitation, and "The Masters", great products that, for one reason or another, are really REALLY special to me. TO ME. Not necessarily to you, and I respect that.
And Here It Is.
Section One: The Work Horses. These products are all very, very good. Great, even. They do what the need to do and you can rely on them without hesitation. But, for one reason or another, they aren't really SPECIAL (to me).
RAZORS
Gillette Tech
BLADES
Gillette 7 O'Clock Sharp Edge and PermaSharp, Gillette Bleue Extra Feather New Hi-Stainless Single Edge blades.
CREAMS
Truefitt & Hill 1805
J.M. Fraser's
Tabula Rasa
Connaught Shaving Creams
Taylor's Of Old Bond Street
Florena
SOAPS
Cella Crema Da Sapone
D.R. Harris Marlborough
Van Der Hagen Deluxe
Irisch Moos
AFTERCARE
The Shave Den's Aftershave Milk--Fantastic Skin Care, great scents.
Connaught Shaving's Three Crowns Aftershave Milk--Like above, but a bit more "heavy duty".
BRUSHES
Kim Son Horn Handled brushes--quality and beauty.
Section Two: The Masters These products have, in one way or another, earned a very special place in my estimation. They are not just great, they are meaningful, and I will undoubtedly keep them in use for as long as they are in production. You will note that the categories are limited; not every product range has earned a place among "The Masters" yet. This is as it should be.
SOAPS
Mitchell's Wool Fat Shaving Soap: This was my first soap, and it remains the best single shaving product I have yet tried. I love every single thing about it. The scent, subtle touches of wildflowers and soap; the lather, smooth and comforting; the skin care, gentle and caring; even the box, as traditional as it get. It's like someone took the essence of "olden days" and made a soap.
Tabac: This soap will surely earn a place on any "best of" list you might find. It's easy to use, gives great lather, and is pretty easily obtained. For me, though, it's special because the scent, for reasons I'm not entirely sure of, is incredibly powerful--it induces memories of my father, just shaven, taking us all out to dinner on Saturday after pay-day; of trips to the zoo and the county fair; of stubbly hugs from a dad I could still talk to. Sappy, but true.
Valobra Fougere Soft Soap: This one is odd. It was a pain in the butt to get, and when I got it I was disappointed at first, but now...now it's almost indispensable. It's got a lovely scent, and lathers like a dream. It really and truly could not be improved upon (except by turning it into MWF).
CREAMS
The Body Shop Maca Root Cream: This one is sure to raise some eyebrows, but like I said, this is my list. The reason I think this one is so special is two-fold. First, it is special in a broad sense because. For many many people, this is the easiest high-quality cream to find--it is readily available to a very large portion of the world; even living in small-town Japan, a Body Shop branch is within easy driving distance. Second, the scent. To me, this is the single best scent in a cream I have found. It's Spring. It's Freshness. It's pure joy in a tube, and I love having it hang around me on a sunny day...I'm sure not everyone agrees, but I LOVE it.
RAZOR
Merkur Futur: This razor completely eradicated and desire I had to try another. It's perfect. The shape, the color (I have a satin matte finish...), the weight and design...Perfection. It's like a BauHaus/SF mashup...and it gives a fantastic shave. Even if I switch to Straight Shaving forever, the Futur will live on in my heart.
BRUSH
L'Ultima Setola: This is kind of cheating, as it's a custom brush--of course it's special to me. But really, it is perfect. The knot is a fantastic Omega boar knot, and the handle fits my hand like a dream, thanks to Rodd's magic touch. Love it, love it, love it.
There you have it. The Master List. These are the products I will never be without. So what about yours?
7 comments:
Great sounding list - a few overlaps with my preferences as well, particularly the Wool Fat, the Futur and Valobra.
Looking forward to trying the Cella and Tabula Rasa.
Thanks! Cella is a great soap, and well worth the small price tag. The Tabula Rasa is very good, as well, but it can be a bit pricey. Samples are good....
Thanks for reading!
Which AS milk do you like best, shave Den or 3 crowns?
Ahhhh...You're putting me on the spot.
They are both great aftershaves, but they seem to have slightly different qualities. I've found that the Three Crowns is a bit heavier duty; it's super moisturizing, and super soothing. In winter, or after a really bad shave, it's great. Now that the weather is heating up, though, the lighter, cooler Shave Den milk is much better. It's soothing, but not as heavy as the Three Crowns. I've been keeping with it, though, for the scent.
The Three Crowns Sandalwood scent is just fantastic. JoAnna apparently has a new Sandalwood scent that I have to try...I'm kind of hooked, now.
Just an FYI, I contacted Xenia and tried to get some Valobra with Fougere scent only to find that she has no more. It was a special order of 250 that is now GONE!!
Hey Jim, has this list changed at all since you wrote it? [I am sure it has :)] If so, how has it changed? It might be fun to see a new write up of this list. :)
Hey Anonymous. Wow...I'd forgotten this one.
Good idea, I'll have to revisit this and see what's changed!
Thanks for reading, and reminding me!
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