DOOD.CA: Guy Stuff

Queen Charlotte Soaps Fougere Shaving Soap
Product: Shaving Soap Refill Puck
Size: 3.5oz
Origin: Handmade in USA
Street Price: $15.00
Price Per oz: $4.29

I’m a big fan of Queen Charlotte Soaps (QCS) products, and their Shaving Soap is one of my favourites. QCS is a small mother and son artisan soap shop, but isn’t like many of the other Artisan soap makers that just add some bentonite clay to bar soap and call it shaving soap. QCS specializes in Shaving products such as Creams, Soaps, aftershaves and pre-shave products. The Fougere scent is their take on the classic Fougere scent, which has a touch of spice along with some complex smells including fern and something earthy. Overall a very nice professional smelling scent. Price of the puck is $15 for the Fougere scent, and an extra $2 for a plastic tub or $7 for a wooden tub.

The soap comes wrapped in plastic and I had a wooden bowl that I wasn’t using that fits the soap puck perfectly. These might even be the same wooden bowls that QCS offers on their site. With soaps, I find its easier to lather with a drier brush than creams, and also I like to let a little bit of warm water sit on top of the puck while I let the brush soak and apply pre-shave lotion on my beard. After a couple minutes, the soap softens enough to load it properly. I dump the water off the puck, and shake out the brush until the majority of the water is out.

I load the puck for about a minute, going both clockwise and counter clockwise until the brush looks like its got enough soap in it. Sometimes if its a little bit too dry to load, then I add a drop of water to help, but only a little bit… too much and the lather starts to build too much on the puck. I load for about 60 seconds and then move to my shaving mug to build the lather.

I start building the lather by slowly adding a few drops of water at a time to my Pottersong shaving mug, slowly adding more and more while I whip up the lather until I get my desired consistency. The QCS soap is pretty easy to lather, though it doesn’t whip up quite as fast as creams like TOBS and other English creams. The tallow in the soap however leaves a very nice slickness and also leaves my face feeling very moisturized afterwards. I also find that tallow-based shaving creams and soaps tend to have a translucent look to them. The lather usually takes me about 1-2 minutes to build.

After building for about 1-2 minutes I get lots of creamy lather good for 2+ passes, and if you need enough for 3 passes, you can probably load for longer. This soap is easy enough to lather, and the Fougere scent is very nice. I find the strength of the scent is probably about medium, with a lot of scent when lathering and initial application but after a moment I don’t notice it much anymore. I am a big fan of all QCS products, so I don’t mind the slightly more work they take to lather. The scent and the nice clean natural ingredients are all attractive elements to me and worth it.

Overall, the QCS Fougere Soap is very slick, and very moisturizing. These are its strong points. It is slightly more difficult to lather, and I feel I have to load the brush a bit longer. I have also heard it is harder to load when you have hard water, which I fortunately do not have to deal with. The scent is very pleasant, but is not my favourite of the QCS scents. It uses a combination of Fragrance and Essential Oils, and I tend to prefer pure essential oil products. Still, a fantastic product.

Here’s the Ingredients:
Saponified tallow; water; saponified castor oil and shea butter; glycerin; saponified stearic acid, cocoa butter, and coconut oil; essential and fragrance oil; saponified avocado oil, palm oil, and olive oil; aloe vera extract; kaolin clay; lanolin; vitamin E

Scent: 8/10
Lather: 7/10
Cushion: 8/10
Glide: 10/10
Moisturizing: 10/10
Packaging: 6/10
Value: 8/10
Overall: 8/10

Associated Products Used in This Review: Custom Shaving Brush with TGN Finest 22mm Knot, Pottersong Shaving Mug.

Ace Shaving is one of several Chinese Shaving Brush and Razor manufacturing/distributing companies that sell online via eBay, and other online storefronts. Some other notables would include Frank Shaving and Lijun Shaving, both of which are sold through several different distributors it seems. Ace Shaving’s products don’t have any marking on them but they also offer knots separate from the handles, which is uncommon with the Chinese vendors. Their knots only come in a few select sizes and some in lot sizes only. The one that I’m reviewing today is the 24mm Extra Density silvertip that is quite popular amongst the shaving crowd.

The 24mm Extra Density Silvertip knot comes in a lot of two pieces only, and costs $40 + $5 shipping from China. This puts it at a higher price than the Silvertip knot from TGN, which one would naturally want to compare it to. However, it is a much higher grade knot than the standard silvertip from TGN. If you’ve seen a silvertip from TGN, you’ll know that this looks quite different, with much lighter colored tips. From a looks perspective, the Ace Shaving Silvertip more resembles a Super Badger treated silvertip from TGN, which is a significantly more expensive knot. However, in use and feel, it is different from both.

As you can see, this is a very dense knot, with light, cream-colored tips. The Knot base is a rubberized epoxy type of base and measures almost 24mm exactly. The density of the hairs causes them to flare out immediately after the knot base to 25mm, so its best to mount this knot in a 26mm hole in my opinion. I tried it in a 25mm hole and it wasa bit of a tight fit, but I suppose if you like it would still make a fine brush.

I mounted the first on about 10mm deep, in an older Fuller Brush handle restore. I wanted it to have a balanced look so I chose not to mount it too deep. In retrospect I wish I mounted it just a little bit deeper, just to get a bit more backbone. The brush isn’t really floppy compared with the TGN silvertip, but has a slightly larger amount of flop than the TGN Super Badger. The tips are super soft, and mounted at the right depth this knot would be great for face lathering. I will mount my second knot to a 48mm loft, rather than the 56mm loft that this one has. In the dozen or so times I’ve used it, it shed a couple hairs in the beginning and has stopped shedding since.

Overall this is an awesome bang for buck silvertip knot, which at $20 each is probably the best $20 Silvertip that you can buy. I’ve been told that these are the same as the Whipped Dog knots, but that is speculation. However, if $5-10 extra is not a lot of money to you, I’d recommend going to a TGN Super Badger or a Grade A. If you just want lots of variety in your shave den, this is definitely no slouch. Great value product, recommended!

General Specs:
Softness: Very Soft
Backbone: Slightly Floppy
Density: High Density

Edited to add:
See my review of the Ace Shaving Best Badger in 21.5mm diameter.

I’ve been really getting into building my own shaving brushes recently. I’ve purchased shaving brushes from companies like Art of Shaving, Edwin Jagger, Muhle, Simpsons, Shavemac, and Thater, but eventually, I just wanted to be able to have more unique handles that you don’t see everyday without paying a huge premium. TGN (The Golden Nib) sells high quality hsaving brush knots for very affordable prices, and I use them to set into brush handles that I have made myself or have commissioned others to make for me. Keep your eye out for an article on TGN Shaving Knot reviews and a comparison of their different types of knots and how they perform.

Specs:
Knot Size: 22mm
Loft: 53mm
Handle Height: 50mm
Handle Diameter: 32mm
Glue Bump: 5mm

This is the original chunk of elk antler that I picked up, originally made for Knife handles, but I decided to cut it in half and make two shaving brush handles out of it. This is the first one, and I used the larger antler base, which I put through its paces before getting it to look like the brush below.

First I sealed the bottom of the brush, which I leave raw on this handle, using CA Glue and eventually just saturated with Polyurethane finish until the base was totally sealed. I didn’t want too much texture from the antler bark on the finished handle since I like my brushes to have a smooth, comfortable feel in the hand when I’m whipping up lather. I left some of the deeper bark because I still wanted it to have some character. I rough sanded it down with 60 grit sandpaper and a combination of my dremel and bench sander to get it where I wanted it.

Finally I sanded the whole thing down using incremental grits of sandpaper down to a superfine 600 Grit. Then I used a forstner bit and dremel to clean out the marrow on the top to create a cavity to mount the knot. After that, I gave the whole handle including the knot cavity around 10 coats of Polyurethane to seal it and give it a nice smooth finish.

The knot I ended up mounting in this handle was a TGN 22mm Silvertip. I am a little bit disappointed with this knot because it is the floppiest shaving brush that I have ever owned or handled. The TGN silvertip is so floppy that its hard to build lather. Sure, its super duper soft and feels nice, but its quite hard to use because of its floppiness. I probably won’t ever buy a basic silvertip from TGN again, but their Silvertip Grade A and Super Silvertip are fantastic.

Overall I really love the look and feel of the handle and the knot looks right for the style. While the performance of the TGN silvertip leaves something to be desired, I enjoy the feel of the handle in my hand and how it looks in my bathroom next to my other brushes.

Art of Shaving is synonymous with luxury shaving and has been a fixture in the shaving enthusiast community for a long time. While most Shaving enthusiasts would consider their products overpriced, they do make nice creams, balms and even brushes. This Silvertip Art of Shaving brush under review here is one of their highest end brushes and sells for $180 from Art of Shaving directly – not cheap and priced into the range of some of the most respected brush makers out there like Simpson, Thater, Rooney and M&F.

Specs:
Knot Size: 24mm
Loft: 58mm
Handle Height: 55mm
Handle Diameter: 40mm
Glue Bump: None

There she is, hand-turned Imitation Ivory handle, with Art of Shaving logo printed on one side, and Silvertip Badger Handmade on the other. It is a handsome looking brush, that’s for sure. Stuffed with three band silvertip badger hair, in bulb shape. The bulb shape of this brush is actually even more pronounced than most bulb shaped brushes, which makes the brush slightly less dense feeling and perhaps a bit more floppy feeling than other brushes with similar actual density. It is an unusual shape to me, as none of my other brushes are shaped quite like it and it feels different, I think it improved the flow through of the brush. Its hard to tell from the pics, but the brush almost comes to a point at the top, instead of being very rounded and almost with a small flat section as most of my other brushes are.

The handle is very nicely turned and has a great feel in the hand. I really like this handle shape as you can get really good grip on the base, but it is still comfortable to hold and light and compact. The handle is a bit small for bowl lathering with my deeper bowl, but it is great for face lathering. The silvertip badger hair is among the softest I have ever owned, and I have had this brush for a few years, comparing it to quite a few different brushes.

Over the years, I have tried this brush with many different types of soaps and creams, and eventually have decided that it is much better for creams. The bristles are probably a bit too floppy and the tips too soft to really dig into the soaps and get the product out. However, for face lathering creams, this brush is a dream. It has very nice soft tips, without being too floppy. There is no glue bump, which is a good thing, and gives the brush very good face feel when lathering. Due to the extreme bulb shape, I found that while the loft is quite high at 58mm, it probably acts more like 52mm or so.

Overall, an excellent face lathering brush with very soft, comfortable badger hair with fantastic flow through and a good amount of density. I really enjoy this brush as part of my daily rotation on face lathering cream days. I have other brushes I prefer for Bowl and soaps. However, having said that, this brush does not offer good value. It has a similar feel to some Simpson brushes that cost around $100, and many other brushes for a lot less money.

Art of Shaving Silvertip Badger Specs and Rating:

Handle Comfort: 9
Uncomfortable		Comfortable
Soap Performance: 6
Poor		Excellent
Cream Performance: 10
Poor		Excellent
Bowl Lathering: 7
Poor		Excellent
Face Lathering: 9
Poor		Excellent
Softness: 9
Scratchy		Soft
Backbone: 3
Floppy		Strong
Scrub: 4
Gentle		Scrubby
Density: 7
Sparse		Dense
Hair Thickness: 4
Thin		Thick
Flow-Through: 8
Lather Hog		Lather Giver
Value: 5
Rip-Off		Steal
Overall: 7
Mediocre		Excellent

Lucky Tiger has been around for quite a while, making great shaving products. They recently released a premium line of products with organic extracts and all-natural ingredients, of which this After Shave and Face Tonic is one. I needed an alcohol-free after shave splash that soothes my skin, and the Lucky Tiger After Shave really fit the bill.

That’s the product photo from the manufacturer, with the box. The bottle has an old apothecary style shape with a metal cap. The design is very retro and for me at least, adds to the charm. Also, the product is Paraben Free, though it has several other preservatives that make up for it…

There’s my actual bottle of it. Its a witch hazel-based after shave, like the Thayers stuff, but with a few more chemicals in it. The scent reminds me of citrus cleaner, like the stuff you use to remove stickers (Goo Gone I think its called), but it doesn’t bother me too much. The scent doesn’t linger so its not a big factor. What I do like a LOT about this Lucky Tiger stuff is what it says on the bottle: “Soothe and Refresh”. This after shave splash does that in Spades! It is definately the most soothing and refreshing aftershave I have used, really calms down angry skin after a shave.

A note that readers might want to know: I do not use alcohol based aftershaves anymore, so they are not my preference. I only use Witch Hazel based aftershaves like this stuff and Thayers as well as After Shave Balms.

The product has a squirt insert so you can just give it a squeeze into your palm and splash it on your face, its great. I really recommend this product in conjunction with After Shave Balms, which I use daily. I like to splash some of this on my face immediately after a shave, and while I am cleaning my razor, brush and bowl, I let it dry. After that, I apply my After Shave Balm of the day, and my face feel soft and moisturized and wonderful. Great product, as long as you can get past the citrus cleaner scent!

Ingredients:
Purified Water (Aqua), Polysorbate 20, Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Distillate, Glycerin, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Borago Officinalis (Borage) Seed Oil, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Sodium Hydroxide, Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E Acetate), Retinyl Palmitate (Vitamin A Palmitate), Trisodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Benzoate, Fragrance (Citrus Essential Oils).

Scent: 5/10
Moisturizing: 5/10
Performance: 9/10
Packaging: 7/10
Value: 8/10
Overall: 8/10