walden
@walden@wetshav.ing
- Comment on Monday SOTD Thread, January 12th, 2026 (#944) 14 hours ago:
January 12th, 2026
- Brush: Zenith - 508A XL/Bristle (B35) (MOAR BOAR) 31mm Boar
- Razor: GEM Micromatic Clog-Pruf
- Blade: Personna GEM PTFE (2)
- Lather: La Maison du Savon de Marseille - Aloe Vera & Donkey Milk - Soap
- Post Shave: Old Spice - Original - Aftershave
- Post Shave: Declaration Grooming, House of Mammoth - Cerberus - Liniment
Nice shave. This soap lends itself much better to an SE/DE shave. I can actually get mostly through a pass before it dissipates. Nice scent and some good slickness.
- Comment on Sunday SOTD Thread, January 11th, 2026 (#943) 1 day ago:
Ring of Death has started on this tub
Only a few more weeks of continuous use until it’s gone!
- Comment on Sunday SOTD Thread, January 11th, 2026 (#943) 1 day ago:
January 11th, 2026
- Brush: Dogwood Handcrafts - “Santa Noir” w/ 28mm Badger
- Razor: GEM Micromatic Clog-Pruf
- Blade: Personna GEM PTFE (1)
- Lather: House of Mammoth - Snippid - Soap
- Post Shave: London Razors - Mountain Laurel - Aftershave
- Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Friends to the End - Balm
- Fragrance: Eau Factory - Noble - EdT
The Clog-Pruf sure is great. The first couple of passes I kept thinking man, this is smooth. No weepers, super nice. Then, of course, the 3rd pass introduced 3 or 4 weepers. Go figure.
Still an excellent shave.
- Comment on Saturday SOTD Thread, January 10th, 2026 (#942) 2 days ago:
Both seem pretty logical.
- Comment on Saturday SOTD Thread, January 10th, 2026 (#942) 2 days ago:
January 10th, 2026
- Brush: Dogwood Handcrafts - “Santa Noir” w/ 28mm Badger
- Razor: Koraat 15/16 Full Hollow - Sub Exclusive ‘Moarteen’ (7)
- Lather: La Maison du Savon de Marseille - Aloe Vera & Donkey Milk - Soap
- Post Shave: Sketch - Bay Rum - Aftershave
- Post Shave: Nivea - Sensitive - Balm
- Fragrance: Auntie Anne’s Preztels 🥨 - Knead - EdP
Decent shave. Probably would have been much better with better soap. This soap isn’t horrible, but ehh. It smells nice. I got it during a nice vacation to Belgium, so it gets extra points – otherwise I’d probably toss it.
I forgot to strop the razor, so I’ll do a little extra next time.
I printed out a straight razor measuring chart, so I’ll work on adding blade width info to my database to include in the SOTD. This one I’ve had labeled as 15/16” based on common knowledge, but now I can confirm it if I so choose!
- Comment on Free Talk Friday - January 9th, 2026 3 days ago:
Was working 7 in a row optional? Sometimes a good way to prove yourself is to take regular days off. Your absence might make them realize you’re good to have around. Of course, if there are lots of people working there they may not notice you’re gone!
- Comment on Free Talk Friday - January 9th, 2026 3 days ago:
Boar brushes are indeed like that before they are broken in, which takes “a while” depending on the brush.
I couldn’t really tell you why they’re like that, but your experience is to be expected!
You really can’t soak a boar for too long. The hairs are hollow, so soaking lets them suck up enough water to get saturated and soft. You can, however, soak it too deep. I’ve heard from others that if you submerge the whole knot, maybe even a little bit of the handle, the knot can swell and crack the handle.
There are some people who swear by scooping, but I think it’s mostly because they might want to sell the soap later and don’t want to exclude buyers who are creeped out by “lathered” soaps. I think it’s a bit ridiculous, because if someone is buying used soap they probably don’t care at all about that, and it’s a lot of extra work to scoop. Load it like you hate it, I say!
- Comment on Friday SOTD Thread, January 9th, 2026 (#941) 3 days ago:
January 9th, 2026
- Brush: Dogwood Handcrafts - “Santa Noir” w/ 28mm Badger
- Razor: Geneva Cutlery Co. (Genco) Straight Razor (2)
- Lather: Williams - Mug Soap - Soap
- Post Shave: Barrister and Mann - Petrichor - Aftershave
- Post Shave: Nivea - Sensitive - Balm
- Fragrance: Fanzine Saponifications - Caravaggio - EdP
Nice shave. Very close, but a few small weepers – no big deal. I find this razor to be nimble and I quite like that aspect of it. It’s on the narrower side – I should print out one of those straight razor measuring charts.
- Comment on Free Talk Friday - January 9th, 2026 3 days ago:
Our house has hot water baseboard heat which they say should be cleaned every year. It’s a pretty monumental task to clean them, so they haven’t been cleaned in a long time. I’m allergic to cats, and the previous owners had cats. From what I’ve seen so far, this might partially explain why my allergies haven’t gotten better during the winter like they usually do!
- Comment on Thursday SOTD Thread, January 8th, 2026 (#940) 4 days ago:
It seems to be in a sweet spot at the moment… I can refresh the edge before I send it or just leave it be. Up to you.
- Comment on Thursday SOTD Thread, January 8th, 2026 (#940) 4 days ago:
I find it very easy to shave with. It’s super quiet compared to a hollow type of grind. I’d be happy to send it to you if you want to try one before you buy one.
This one was really cheap on auctionninja.com because it had a big chip in it. I was local to the listing, too, so no shipping.
- Comment on Wednesday SOTD Thread, January 7th, 2026 (#939) 4 days ago:
Does he live there, or just visiting?
- Comment on Thursday SOTD Thread, January 8th, 2026 (#940) 4 days ago:
January 8th, 2026
- Brush: Dogwood Handcrafts - “Santa Noir” w/ 28mm Badger
- Razor: Joseph Rogers & Sons Near Wedge (6)
- Lather: Honeybee Soaps - Vetyver - Soap
- Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Varen - Aftershave
- Post Shave: Zingari Man - The Stargazer - Aftershave Serum
Oh wow. After yesterday’s excellent shave I wasn’t sure if it could be beat using my current straight razor technique, but I think today I managed to get an even closer shave. This is great news, because it proves a couple of things. 1) I can put an edge on a razor and it can be wonderful, and 2) 10k is sharp enough.
So now I have 2 razors that I love, and 2 or 3 that I need to learn better and put some more work into the edges.
- Comment on Wednesday SOTD Thread, January 7th, 2026 (#939) 5 days ago:
The numbers don’t lie!
- Comment on Wednesday SOTD Thread, January 7th, 2026 (#939) 5 days ago:
January 7th, 2026
- Brush: Dogwood Handcrafts - w/Maggard SHD 30mm Badger
- Razor: Koraat 15/16 Full Hollow - Sub Exclusive ‘Moarteen’ (6)
- Lather: Honeybee Soaps - Vetyver - Soap
- Post Shave: Barbasol - Brisk - Aftershave
- Post Shave: Nivea - Sensitive - Balm
Fantastic! This JNAT edge certainly works great for me. I normally do 3 passes and some cleanups on my upper neck/lower jaw, but I skipped cleanups today because I got it all with the normal passes. Very close shave.
This soap smells really great. It’s a light, fresh take on vetiver, and the lather is pretty great, too. Honeybee isn’t around anymore.
- Comment on Wednesday SOTD Thread, January 7th, 2026 (#939) 5 days ago:
Killing splashes++
Tough to do.
- Comment on Tuesday SOTD Thread, January 6th, 2026 (#938) 6 days ago:
- Comment on Tuesday SOTD Thread, January 6th, 2026 (#938) 6 days ago:
It’s pretty unique. Woody Almond is a perfect description for it. I’d nominate it for BVWSC but sometimes I think it has some rancid oil smell, but it’s probably just how I interpret the scent. I didn’t smell it today, for example.
- Comment on Tuesday SOTD Thread, January 6th, 2026 (#938) 6 days ago:
January 6th, 2026
- Brush: Wolf Whiskers - “Gianmaria” w/Maggard 26mm Synthetic
- Razor: Worcester Razor Co. Full Hollow (1)
- Lather: Meißner Tremonia - Woody Almond - Soap
- Post Shave: Chatillon Lux - Nefertiti - Aftershave
- Post Shave: Zingari Man - The Stargazer - Aftershave Serum
I once again revisited the honing process on this razor, this time “correcting” some wobble at the spine using an Atoma 600 diamond plate (with the edge taped). Then I did a synthetic progression using 2k, 5k, 8k, 10k.
This still isn’t my favorite razor to shave with, but it’s usable now! I wonder if a razor like this would benefit from a 12k finisher. At least I’m content at the moment and not immediately disgusted and wanting to re-hone it. I’ll try it again another day and see how it goes.
I really like this soap base. It’s pretty basic but very easy to use.
- Comment on Monday SOTD Thread, January 5th, 2026 (#937) 1 week ago:
We’ll find out tomorrow… I did find a bit of wobble with the show side facing up and used my 600 diamond plate to remove material from the spine (mostly from the middle, which is good because that’s what I expected), with the edge covered in kapton tape. Then I went 2,5,8,10k.
- Comment on Monday SOTD Thread, January 5th, 2026 (#937) 1 week ago:
January 5th, 2026
- Brush: Wolf Whiskers - “Gianmaria” w/Maggard 26mm Synthetic
- Razor: Geneva Cutlery Co. (Genco) Straight Razor (1)
- Lather: M�urer & Wirtz - Tabac - Vegan - Soap
- Post Shave: M�urer & Wirtz - Tabac - Aftershave
- Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Friends to the End - Balm
- Fragrance: GLHF Workshop - Atriox - EdP
Wow! Very impressed with this razor.
I honed this the other day along with a Worcester Razor Co., and fully expected this Genco to be the worse of the two. Boy was I wrong. The Worcester has been giving me problems (I have to check for geometry problems, I think), and this one felt almost perfect.
Why am I surprised? Using the packing peanut test made famous ’round these parts by @gcgallant@wetshav.ing, the Worcester razor (which sucks so far) tested amazingly well. This razor (which rocks so far) tested just “ok”. Assuming no geometry problems on the Worcester, maybe it just has bad steel, or maybe the super hollow grind doesn’t work well for me.
I’ve been using vegan Tabac for what feels like forever (5 days in a row), because I kept getting bad shaves and wanted to prove to myself that it wasn’t the lather. I wanted to keep that variable the same until I got a good shave. I’m happy to report that this lather, while not the best, doesn’t suck.
- Comment on Sunday SOTD Thread, January 4th, 2026 (#936) 1 week ago:
January 4th, 2026
- Brush: Wolf Whiskers - “Gianmaria” w/Maggard 26mm Synthetic
- Razor: RazoRock GOAT
- Blade: Elios Inoxidable (1)
- Lather: M�urer & Wirtz - Tabac - Vegan - Soap
- Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Friends to the End - Aftershave
- Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Friends to the End - Balm
Friends to the End is so great.
Shave #2 today because this morning’s straight razor adventure wasn’t good enough, and I’m on call this afternoon. Normally I’d wait and only shave again if I get called in, but we plan on being out and about this afternoon so I have to be ready to go.
My skin was certainly tender, but I was able to be ginger enough to not cause any more damage – and man what a close shave. I do love this razor.
- Comment on Sunday SOTD Thread, January 4th, 2026 (#936) 1 week ago:
January 4th, 2026
- Brush: Wolf Whiskers - “Gianmaria” w/Maggard 26mm Synthetic
- Razor: Worcester Razor Co. Full Hollow (1)
- Lather: M�urer & Wirtz - Tabac - Vegan - Soap
- Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Varen - Aftershave
- Post Shave: Declaration Grooming, House of Mammoth - Cerberus - Liniment
I re-honed this razor since it sucked yesterday. Today was an improvement, but I think it was mostly due to me changing my technique based on their recommendations printed on the enclosed slip of paper (see below).
I’m somewhat pleased because there was an improvement, dispelling some of my thoughts that maybe this razor just stinks. I held the blade basically flush with my face as much as I could, and the comfort improved significantly. The shave is closer than yesterday, but still leaves a lot to be desired.
For now I’ll keep it. I’m still intrigued by the history of this company, the condition that the razor is in, and the overall vibe. Yesterday I was worried that maybe the steel was crap, but now I’m back to thinking it has potential to keep a good edge.
I’m not good at taking pictures of straight razors, but here you go.
- Comment on Saturday SOTD Thread, January 3rd, 2026 (#935) 1 week ago:
Haha, yeah maybe. I wonder what it was like being a straight razor maker in those days. The customer service department must have had to work overtime.
This razor is really super nice looking. It’s a very hollow grind with a very slight belly. Not nearly the belly of the Koraat Piggy Bank, but it’s just barely detectable with the naked eye.
It felt amazing on the stones last night, but I’m not a good judge of steel. I’ve yet to fully learn how to completely remove burrs on the razors I hone, and this one sort of felt like maybe it had one. Nasty stuff.
- Comment on Free Talk Friday - January 2nd, 2026 1 week ago:
And yet, my 101st shave did not go well!
- Comment on Saturday SOTD Thread, January 3rd, 2026 (#935) 1 week ago:
January 3rd, 2026
- Brush: Wolf Whiskers - “Gianmaria” w/Maggard 26mm Synthetic
- Razor: Worcester Razor Co. Full Hollow (1)
- Lather: M�urer & Wirtz - Tabac - Vegan - Soap
- Post Shave: Spearhead Shaving Company - Seaforth! Leather - Aftershave
- Post Shave: Declaration Grooming, House of Mammoth - Cerberus - Liniment
Rough shave, but as you’ll read below “the fault lies not in the razor, but in the unskilful use of it”. That’s two rough shaves in a row, both with vegan Tabac. Not enough science to blame the Tabac, but I’m just saying…
I honed this razor yesterday and had SUCH high hopes for it. It seemed extremely easy to hone and tested fantastically well on the packing peanut. Even the first few strokes seemed excellent. The shave devolved into a tuggy mess, though.
The tang of this razors says “Worcester Razor Co.”, but online research basically only mentions the Torrey Razor Co. being based in Worcester, Massachusetts. Sure enough, this razor has a paper insert in the box that mentions “The J. R. Torrey Razor Co., Worcester, Mass., U.S.A.”
The paper insert is interesting to me. Here’s what it says:
“How to choose and care for a razor
In selecting a razor for use, adaptation to the beard is a very important consideration. For a heavy, coarse beard a too thin-ground blade should not be used unless one is somewhat of an expert in handling a razor; on the other hand, a light, wiry beard and tender skin require a thin-ground blade, which will lay flat on the face.
To use a razor, let it lie nearly flat on the face, and draw it with an easy diagonal motion against the beard from point to heel. Do not scrape with the razor or hold it almost at right angles to the face, as you will only spoil the edge, irritate the skin, and cause the best razor to fail. Persons who are not adepts in the handling of razors are apt to complain that their razors do not shave well, and are liable to condemn a good one, when the fault lies not in the razor, but in the unskilfil use of it
It is important that the beard be thoroughly softened with hot water and soap, and the razor dipped in hot water before using, as this will add much to the comfort of shaving.
After shaving carefully wipe the blade dry, and give it a few strokes on the strop to remove all moisture from the edge and prevent rust.”
- Comment on Love this stuff. 1 week ago:
Catie’s Bubbles is incredible, especially the Premium base.
If you want to try and tell if yours is tallow or vegan, you can tell by the color. Vegan is pretty light colored while the tallow version has a yellowish tint to it. Still, without looking at them side by side it might be hard to know.
I haven’t done a side by side comparing the tallow and vegan, but they do lather differently. I mostly hear people saying they prefer the tallow version, but it’s hard to say if it’s really better or not. People like what they know, and change is hard. The vegan takes a little more effort to load enough into the brush, so that could lead to an objectively worse lather.
Given the choice I’d pick tallow, but given that tallow isn’t available anymore, I’m ok with picking vegan!
- Comment on Free Talk Friday - January 2nd, 2026 1 week ago:
I hit 100 straight razor shaves today. Here are some stats:
Razors used:
- Koraat (39 times)
- Joseph Rogers & Sons (30 times)
- Union Razor Cutlery (17 times)
- Gold Dollar (14 times)
First straight razor shave: April 4th, 2025
Types of razors used since beginning to learn straights (this really surprised me):
- Straight Razor - 100 shaves, 37%
- Double Edge - 100 shaves, 37%
- Cartridge - 35 shaves, 13%
- GEM - 22 shaves, 8%
- Disposable - 14 shaves, 5%
I would have guessed I used DE razors more often than straight razors! What a fun coincidence that they’re both at 100.
- Comment on Friday SOTD Thread, January 2nd, 2026 (#934) 1 week ago:
January 2nd, 2026: Straight Razor Shave 100
- Brush: Wolf Whiskers - “Gianmaria” w/Maggard 26mm Synthetic
- Razor: Koraat 15/16 Full Hollow - Sub Exclusive ‘Moarteen’ (5)
- Lather: M�urer & Wirtz - Tabac - Vegan - Soap
- Post Shave: M�urer & Wirtz - Tabac - Aftershave
- Post Shave: Nivea - Sensitive - Balm
100 Straight Razor shaves! I’m still not 100% confident using a straight, but I think my proficiency is “good”. I figured it was as good a reason as any to try stropping 100 times, and I can confidently say it didn’t make any difference at all compared to what I’ve been doing (around 70 laps).
This shave was ever so slightly rough. The lather felt good, looked good, and felt slick, but I might have overdone it with the water.
This puck of Tabac smells more floral than my tallow puck which is older. The vegan one smells closer to the aftershave. I wonder if it has to do with age, the soap base, or a little bit of both.
- Comment on Love this stuff. 1 week ago:
Tabac is a classic. You’ve inspired me to use it today.
I have both the tallow and vegan versions, so now I just have to decide which one to use.
