In-depth reviews of soaps, splashes, razors, brushes, and gear.
I'm a fragrance freak, and Tokyo Rose stopped me cold. PAA's Pasadena tribute sold out in two hours at Big Shave East. Here's the full note-by-note breakdown across an all-PAA shave.
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Round 1 of Blizzard Battles 2026 pits Mama Bear Soaps' one-off Bedford Falls, a blend of Bear Ice and Hot Buttered Rum, against Adopted Acres' Triple Dog Dare. Twelve artisans entered. One trophy.
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Kaleb at Aylsworth sent me the new Atelier AC razor in satin finish. Fifty-seven grams, 0.5mm gap, Feather Professional on its first use, three and a half days of stubble. Here is what I found.
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An evening shave with Bulgarian Caro Fresh cream, the Karve Bison stainless steel celebrating Canada's World Cup win, and an aftershave that lists caramel in the ingredient list.
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Rust Belt Reserve Botanica from Shannon's Soaps is a modern chypre: pineapple up top, earthy and spicy underneath. Two passes with the Rockwell 6C and the matching aftershave splash.
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I forgot to push record on what turned out to be a perfect BBS shave with Wit's End's brand new Dixie Dream soap and splash. You're still getting the full review.
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Joe at Subtle Art Soap Co. has Whispering Woods out in his new V4B base. Vetiver, Royal Hawaiian sandalwood, amber, vanilla, white musk. I gave it an 80 proof.
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Three shipments, two lost in transit. The Yaqi Tile Ex finally made it to Greenland, and I paired it with a Henson stainless steel handle for a full stainless kit I couldn't buy anywhere else.
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Doug and Barry put together something special with the Texas Spirit Oud Noir, a collab soap out of the Texas Meetup. I got mine through a friend, cracked it open on a Sunday morning, and it delivered.
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My first Artist Club razor, and Aylsworth's Atelier in satin finish delivered a BBS result with zero alum reaction.
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Grabbed this one at the meet-up the moment I got my nose on it. Cajun Blade's 250th Defending Liberty is a bourbon-and-tobacco collab soap, and I haven't put it down since.
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The Maxwell June system runs on top caps, not base plates. I'm putting the new SX through three and a half days of stubble, paired with Cella Riserva Fresco sent over by Lou from Canada.
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First Facebook Live on the channel, and I picked the right soap for it: Cajun Blade's Sub Zero in the new White Walker base. Ninety-two degrees, eyes watering, zero regrets.
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Three brand-new items on the bench: Ethos Pineapple from the Island Collection, the Alpha Futura Fatty copper razor, and a hand-carved Opus Brushworks brush. One week of growth. One BBS shave.
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Picked up Rei Momo at the Noble Otter booth last weekend. Pineapple, coconut, banana, vanilla - tropical and creamy. Coming soon. One shave in, and I'm already sold.
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Episode 37 in my razor review series. I've shaved with this thing 30 times, and it's a $1,300-plus razor with a blade alignment problem. Let's get into it.
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Clean oud, bluebonnet, and gunpowder in one fragrance. And it works. Full review and shave with Adopted Acres Texas Spirit Oud Noir in the Grand Champion 2.0 base.
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Brett loaned me his polished Karve Bison stainless steel for a first run, paired with Soap Palooza Hellbent Cherry. Mild, comfortable, and very close to the Overlander - maybe too close.
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Testing a Vermont Green Slate edge on an eBay Fox Cutlery 11/16, plus a first look at RazoRock Mudder Focker. Honest verdict: the edge shaves, and the soap is better than I expected.
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Aaron's 1974 Gillette black handled Super Speed gets a full three-pass shave. Fifty years of wear shows up in the butterfly mechanism, and the alum confirms exactly which side was which.
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HC&C's James Bond Starring in You Only Have Nine Lives is an oriental fougere inspired by Bond No. 9's Lafayette Street. The Dude of Oud gives it a first shave and breaks down every note.
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HC&C's new James Bond soap is inspired by Bond No. 9's Lafayette Street, and it's not the old James Bond or 007 soaps. Brand new scent, just released, and it's really something.
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Ten shaves in with Bourbon Cowboy from Eric at The Cajun Blade. Bourbon fragrance that doesn't knock you out. That's harder to pull off than it sounds.
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I've been on a fougere kick, and Denton Majik's Dominate is checking every box. An homage to the discontinued Brut Dominant, plus the full Texas Wet Shavers meetup schedule if you're coming out.
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DJ and Heather just launched Salve & Oak Company in May, and their Northwood soap and splash hit right out of the gate. Woodsy, clean, great lather on the first try.
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Red, White & Rugged dupes Avon Wild Country, and the nostalgia hit is real. Full three-pass shave with the Frank Shaving Tobin Throwbacks brush and a Shave It Shave Co razor.
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My first razor from Design94, the titanium, gets a travel shave in a late-70s hotel under the midnight sun. Heavy for titanium, negative exposure, and the Nivea kit I'd pick over everything else.
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I had to go back and rehone the M. Jung 6/8 because the edge from my honing video wasn't good enough. Second pass, TCB Berry Chill in the cup, a lot of menthol, and a hot South Louisiana morning.
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Damon won a Van Yulay scent contest, and Riding Rhonda is what came out of it. He also puts the Blackland Blackbird through two passes and gives his honest take.
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The Shave Mercantile's Sangria Nocturne hits the den tonight: dark fruits, citrus, red wine, and an intimate scent built for late evenings. Plus their new splash aftershave in the same fragrance.
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Neither the Masamune nor the Nodachi worked for me out of the box. One was too mild, the other drew blood. Here's how mixing parts from both finally got me a decent shave.
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Frank at Strike Gold Shave sent me the Red, White & Rugged collab with Razor Emporium - a Reagan-inspired release built on the DNA of Avon Wild Country. Here's my full shave review.
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PAA's Coop (a Doop) is a Joop! homage that hits hard. I ran it through a Str8 Shave Saturday with the Dreifuss 1919 and the wifey gave it 85 proof.
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I picked up The Cajun Blade's Bon Temps Barbershop at Maggard Meetup thanks to my wife's recommendation. Here's a shave with a classic Southern barbershop scent.
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Kim's spring limited edition might knock Fresh Forest off the top of my Wild Fox rankings. Full shave, lather walkthrough, and thoughts on the redesigned aftershave gel.
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I've been asking Ethan at The Shave Mercantile to make a splash for years. He finally did it, and Sangria Nocturne was the one I had to try first.
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David Young at Soap Palooza made a soap for the Great Texas Wet Shavers Meetup - coffee, leather, smoke, and desert creosote. I got my hands on it before the unveiling and it's real good.
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PAA's Coop soap and splash, inspired by Joop! Homme, gets a Memorial Day outdoor field test above Blue River Reservoir. Tobin's score: a 10.
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Pairing Adopted Acres Lime on the Line with the Personna GEM blade, a tallow soap built on lime, spearmint, and peppermint essential oils, no fragrance oils.
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Jerry and Doug built something special with Family First. Second shave in and this EIEIO base is already one of the best I've put on my face.
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First time trying Strike Gold Shave Air Force One, and I'm doing it as a travel shave at Harrison Hot Springs. Brett called this one right.
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Jerry reviewed the Razor Works razor and Forbidden Root soap by BCSoapsNSuch ahead of a group pass-around. There's a learning curve on the razor. The soap was a genuine surprise from a newer artisan.
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Bary reviews Wit's End Ultimate Sacrifice, an annual May release for Law Enforcement Appreciation Month. Inspired by D&G Light Blue, with proceeds benefiting the National Law Enforcement Fund.
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Five aluminum double-edge razors ranked lowest to highest price, from the adjustable PAA Ascension at $69.95 to the Timeless Slant at $84. I can get a damn fine shave every single time from any of them.
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My friend Aaron handed me a box of vintage Super Speeds, and the Red Tip A3 from 1955 is where the exploration starts. Mild, comfortable, and better going against the grain than I expected.
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I took Blaine's second BC Soaps release to the McKenzie River at sunset. Isekai is clean, green, and built for summer - and his new tackle base is better than the first one.
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It's Italian Shave Wednesday, I'm T-minus five days from surgery, and we're touring Europe through soap, aftershave, and cologne. Mondial 1908, Floïd, Musgo Real, and the RazoRock German 37.
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Nick sent me his vintage Shulton Old Spice - soap, aftershave, cologne, the full trifecta - to find out if it's still as slick as he thinks. Forty-plus years in the mug, and the answer is yes.
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The Family First collab from Adopted Acres Soap Co and Shave Dad drops May 9 on Etsy. I got a set a few days early, ran it through the Micromatic, and the EIEIO base is no joke. The name also means more to me personally than you might expect.
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I've got 31 stainless steel razors but only 10 earn regular time on my face. Here's the countdown, $40 to $150, with codes to buy most of them cheaper.
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Brett shared his Panta Rei Mediterraneo with me, and I can't find it anywhere in stock. Aquatic, spicy, layered - if it comes back, don't miss it.
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The Leaf Twig in Glacier just arrived, and I watched the mailbox all day waiting for it. Full kit breakdown and a two-pass shave with Pinaud Clubman Bay Rum to close.
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Four years in and the list has changed. Stainless steel is mostly out, titanium is in, and some razors have earned spots I didn't see coming.
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First time with Noble Otter, and Lorekeeper is the one I almost talked myself out of buying. That ink note everyone questioned? It works.
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Just got the new Proof Select 2.0 in the mail today and put it right to work. Here's what Proof changed from the original and whether it's worth making the switch.
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I borrowed Brett's Henson Medium to finally run a proper side-by-side against my Mild. Three passes, same blade, same soap, same face. The result was closer than I expected.
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I've been wet shaving for over 30 years, and the Rex Konsul gave me one of the best post-shave feels I've had on any razor. Whether that justifies $349 is what this review is here to answer.
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There was noise a few weeks back that TABAC was discontinuing their shave soap. False alarm. What it's actually like to use for the first time.
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Twenty shaves with the RazoRock Next Level 85mm plate. 316L steel, killer value, ultra mild shave. But does the name hold up? I have thoughts.
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Merkur's 37C has been the slant standard for decades. My three-pass BBS walk-through, the blade pairing that makes this head perform, and where Mühle pulls ahead.
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Honest Sportsman Series review by Tobin Fetters. Fragrance breakdown, performance notes, and a giveaway. Ideal for late summer and fall wear.
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First impressions of the Shave Dad Sportsman Series with Wet Shaving Store and Master Soap Creations. Scent notes, performance, pricing and launch deal.
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Explore the Shave Dad Sportsman Series soap and splash. A refined outdoorsy scent – flannel tuxedo. Limited release one-and-done artisan shave set.
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Long Island Shaving reviews the Sportsman Series shaving soap and splash. Oud-inspired, woodsy scent, great lather, and skin-friendly splash.
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A new release! Achieve a closer, irritation-free shave with Shave Dad’s Dad an Homage to Lectric Shave by PAA and Shave Dad!
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Discover the new Jelly Rings set from Strike Gold Shave! Featuring raspberry and chocolate scents, it’s a gourmand delight launching on February 7, 2025.
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A unique collaboration from Strike Gold Shave featuring chocolate, vanilla, and raspberry for an indulgent shaving experience!
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Join Mike at Long Island Shaving for the exciting “Jelly Ring” release review! Experience the perfect chocolate-raspberry shave on Feb 7, limited to 50 sets.
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Join me, Tobin, as I review the new mentholated shaving soaps El Mahiko and El Ludo from The Wet Shaving Store. Enjoy rich, aromatic scents perfect for fall!
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Join Tobin at Doris Ranch as he reviews the Wet Shaving Store’s new Essentials line, featuring unique fragrances inspired by El Salvador’s musical culture!
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Join DJ Chubbs for a smooth shaving experience with the Pumping Iron and the Shave Dad razor. Discover top tips, techniques, and products for the perfect shave!
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Join Tobin for a lively review of the cotton candy-inspired fragrance “Three Ring Circus.” Discover tips, exclusive offers, and upcoming live chats!
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Join Sig Solo in June’s Shave Stick Stories as he reviews the Spike Shave Stick, assessing scent, slickness, and skin feel. Discover his final score!
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Shaving tips from Andy at The Wet Shaving Store; he shares some easy to implement tips that you can use right now to improve the quality of your shave.
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An extra crispy high definition video review of The Wet Shaving Store’s Neon Moon and the Goodfellas Smile Styletto by Subie Shaves!
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Tobin shares his great expertise and thoughts in a video review of the latest release from The Wet Shaving Store and HC&C: Neon Moon.
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A shaving review of the Parker Injector Razor and Elvado Almafi by Rajat Bajaj, a wet shaving enthusiast, expert, and reviewer.
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A review of the Dovo Primo double edge Razor by Andre Pinto (Barba Tradicional). Andre shares his thoughts and first shave impressions with the Dovo Primo.
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A review of the Yates Winning Razor by Andre Pinto (Barba Tradicional). Andre shares his thoughts and experience on his first shave with the Winning razor.
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A shaving review of the Leaf Twig and Shave Dad’s Commando by Rajat Bajaj, a wet shaving enthusiast, expert, and reviewer.
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A review of the Timeless Aluminum Razor by Rajat Bajaj, a wet shaving enthusiast, expert, and reviewer.
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