Ok, Here We Go Again

• Brush: Dogwood Handcrafts Papa Eld with Declaration Grooming B3 knot
• Razor: EldrormR Industries - GEM Division: MM24
• Blade: Personna GEM PTFE
• Lather: Nobel Otter Firefighter
• Aftershave: Nobel Otter Firefighter
• Fragrance: Imaginary Authors Sundrunk

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When I stumbled into the wetshaving hobby 4 years ago, Nobel Otter and Declaration Grooming were the hot shit (and BaM, but I digress). For some reason, my first impression was that DG’s branding and product names were juvenile and NO’s was clever, whimsical, effective. I can’t rationally explain why a tesselated bison head should be more juvenile than a playful, and I quickly started appreciating both brands a lot. Over the years I’ve had about 20 tubs of DG and 6 of NO.

Today, my vote goes to the water weasel for two reasons: Thé Noir et Vanille, Firefighter, Barrbarr, and Orbit are among my prized possessions, and Opulence. An upset in this otterwise (hihi) entirely predictable tournament would just be the cherry on top. We’ll see how it goes, though, both artisans have a big dedicated fan base.