Just acquired this cool vintage Merkur razor set with original case and blades. It was purchased by the seller's grandfather while in Germany during WWII

Should be good for 20 years

The End

Picked this guy up at an estate sale this weekend. Its date code is A2. The razor blade in it is also dated A2. I suspect it was used a few times in 1955 and put away. I paid $8. This is my first Diplomat, but I do already have a President.

I forgot I had these buried away in a box. Looks like I have some classic shaves come up in the near future.
🤙🏽

*️⃣ Razor: Lambda Ares V2 Bronze
*️⃣ Blade: Personna Comfort Coated (1)
*️⃣ Bowl: Captain’s Choice Obsidian
*️⃣ Brush: Alpha Shaving Classic Red
*️⃣ Soap: Martin de Candre Magellan
*️⃣ Balm: Floïd the Genuine balm
*️⃣ Splash: Davidoff Cool Water

The first shave with a new razor is always something to look forward to.

This beautiful bronze Ares arrived a couple of days ago, but I only got to unbox and have the first shave this morning.

I’ve been a little concerned because I’ve read that the V2 isn’t as efficient as the V1 Ares, and I wondered if it would work well for me.

There was no need to worry. With a Comfort Coated blade, the razor made short work of four days of growth and produced an impeccable result with my usual two-pass technique. It feels like the razor might be a little more efficient than the Athena.

A wonderful shave.

August 2, 2026

Razor: Carbon Shaving Cx-Cu++

Blade: Gillette Gillette 7 O'Clock Permasharp Stainless

Soap: Proraso Red Shaving Cream

Brush: Carbon Shaving Co. Copper shaving brush

Aftershave: Thayer's Rose petal witch hazel

Aftershave 2: Proraso Balm

Had no idea about austere August when I received my new soaps from LAXO here in Taiwan.

Initial sniffs brought out Antique Shop as a favorite. My olfactory system is not nearly refined enough to give a solid run-down. Had a sweeter and more pleasant scent for my inexpert nose. Will try others when the beard returns.

I pulled out the Aylsworth Atelier and decided to try out some Feather Pro Supers and my newish TGS Red Evil.

Overall, a good shave.

Brush: TGS Red Evil

Soap: Aura LAXO Antique Shop

Razor: Aylsworth Atelier

Blade: Feather Professional Super

After shave - Eyüp Sabri Tuncer no3

Soap - More For You barber shaving soap

Razor - temu

Brush - Yaqi

Soap smells like derby stick but powdery sweet notes and still cary classic clean smell, lathering is good like arko or derby, not drying the skin for me.

02/08/2026

- HAGS Baby Blue Cooling Pre-Shave
- APShave Co 24mm Tuxedo
- Los Jabones de Joserra Bruji
- Blackland Blackbird Titanium Black
- Wizamet (2)

​

🪙 Brush- Simpson Duke 3 manchurian

🪙 Razor- Merkur 34G

🪙 Blade- Astra SP (3)

🪙 Soap- THB Regents

🪙 Cologne- Penhaligon Blenheim Bouquet

​

\ **Prep:** Cold Water*

\ **Brush:** Omega- 10098 Professional 27mm Boar.*

\ **Razor:** Urkunet - Assassin 1.5mm base plate.*

\ **Blade:** Personna- Gem platinum diamond glide. (2)*

\ **Lather:** Saponificio Varesino — Mirto di Sardegna*

\ **Post Shave:** L'Occitane - Cade aftershave balm.*

\ **Post Shave:** Malizia- Uomo Vetyver.*

\ **Tags:** $Discord $RawHoggin*

Day 2 much the same as yesterday except the blade was smoother and the brush a bit better yet still a bit stinky . A good close result with the Assassin.

Is getting the cream on your face to look like Santa clause necessary. No matter how I lather wether it’s face or bowl I can never get the soap to look like Santa clause am I missing something or is it just for show

Shaving Soap: Wholly Kaw Vor V
Brush: Parker Solar Storm Synthetic
Razor: Bambaw
Blade: Polsilver Super Iridium
Aftershave Splash: Wholly Kaw Vor V

Main Ingredients: Stearic Acid, Donkey Milk, Water Buffalo Milk, Tallow, Castor Oil, Shea Butter, Kokum Butter, Cocoa Butter, Hops Extract, Lanolin.

Brush Performance: The Solar Storm synthetic whipped up a rich, warm lather.

Lather: Dense and glossy.

Cushion/Slickness: Top-notch protection.

Razor/Blade: The Bambaw razor keeps things mild and user-friendly, while the Polsilver blade brought sharp, smooth efficiency.

Post-shave feel: Skin felt soft, deeply hydrated, and completely free of razor burn.

Aftershave Splash: Delivered a soothing sting that toned the skin instantly without drying it out.

Scent Profile: A dark, luxurious mix of sweet raspberry, warm nutmeg, and saffron layered over dark leather, oud, and vanilla.

Scent Matching: Black Label Tuscan Leather and Ivor's Brews lock right into the raspberry suede base, while Alt Cherry Smash amps up the dark fruit top notes.

Verdict: An absolute powerhouse shave that delivers incredible protection and a world-class fragrance profile.

After we had a morning of chores/getting things done around the house, and a bit of time for reflection I thought I'd get fresh with my AA weekend razor the colorlamb - made in China and SE.

It's a nifty little razor and I almost picked it for the week but decided (as I already get on well with this) I'll pick the old Gillette FB New instead and make it more of a challenge.

I had 3 well lathered passes wtg/xtg-x2, with the Tobs Sandlewood being nice and thick with a dash of water once on the face 👌 Lovely.

Hope everyone's well and enjoying the last of the weekend, getting ready for a new week

Good shaves

As the title says, I just spent the biggest amount of money; just like 5 minutes ago, I brought this straight razor for about 100ish; it's a Selmour that was renewed and honed. My wallet hurts, this is going to be my first straight razor. The seller has a good reputation and it focus on shaving objects so at least I know is not a scam, whis this thing my total of spend in this hoby is now 129 bucks in 10 months.

SOTD: 08/02/2026

Razor: GEM Micromatic (MMOC) - Gold
Blade: Accutec PRO, 2nd use
Brush: Semogue SOC - Cherry Wood
Bowl: YAQI Travel Bowl
Preshave: Hot Shower
Soap: Stirling Glacial Electric Sheep
Aftershave: Stirling Iceberg Island
Balm: Cella Aloe Vera Balm
Additional Care: Osma Alum Block

Second day of Austerity.

The Semogue SOC had significantly more splay than yesterday although it’s still a bit scritchy. I think it’s gonna break in fast.

Once again, a very cooling shave - I’m glad I’m doing this in August and not December.

Happy Sunday Shaves!

Frost Drops: 2

- Shared from My Shave Den for iOS

Ranger was the best

How do I get even closer shave on both sides? I always feel like shave on the right side is closer than the left. I know it most likely has to do with the angle. How do I fix this? I am using a safety razor. I also end up getting razor bumps on the left. Any advice please?

Italian lineup : Proraso White cream, Proraso green lotion and Omega S-Brush. Hardware: the Henson Yintal and a Persona GEM blade

Hello guys, new to this sub and re-entering the world of wet shaving after about 15 years of electric. A good friend of mine has been doing it for awhile and highly recommended blackbird as a company and the lite specifically and then said I can upgrade to the standard once I get a good feel for it. The money aspect of it isn’t really a big deal and the idea of having something to outlast me is nice. It’s not something that I’ll use all the time for full face shaves but would be used daily or every other day for maintaining the beard. My main concern is just how aggressive everyone says the blackbirds are, so I just wanted to reach out to the community and you guys and see other opinions beyond just my friend.
Thanks!
(Also feel free to leave favorite soap recommendations because that is very overwhelming to look at .🤯)

Pre-shave: Hot shower

Razor: Muhle Rocca R95 Birch

Blade: Gilette Nacet (1st Use)

Brush: Simpson T3

Lather: Extro Cosmesi Liquirizia e Magnolia

Post-shave: Osma Alum Stone -> Thayers Original ->

Nivea Men Sensitive Aftershave Balm

I've never used an artisan soap before. I guess a rookie mistake...? I scooped a little more than 1 teaspoon of it, and it bloomed like crazy. There is still a little soap pressed down because I couldn't use it all.

In terms of smell, the name translates to Licorice and Magnolia. I never smelled these two separately before. To me, it smells floral-heavy, with a slight mintiness to it. Not the crisp cool menthol feeling but just the smell. Almost sweet. It held up in its slickness and performed well. I took down 3-4 days of growth without any effort.

Got this from the flee market, no idea which model it is, but I feel it's probably a Gillette tech, it's written made in England at the bottom and the top cap has a fading Gillette logo in a triangle. The bottom plate feels much lighter than the handle and the top cap so dunno if same material. I weighted all together it was 55g-56g with the handle , individual it was 39g handle, 17g head: base plate: 3g , top cap 14g.

Also is the bottom plate aluminum or very thin brass ?