Paste & Cut Travelling Box #4B - Reviews and Comments

[Mark1966]

Great reviews @nsavage !

Your comments on the box are spot on, it is not just about enabling - also about sorting out stuff you don't want and getting more experience in what is out there.

For those interested the Razor Master 'Pekka' soap is available from our friend Juan at @Gifts&Care.com - see here. He also has the others in this highly appreciated range.

New members are welcome to jump in and join the box too!

 

[alfredus]

Thank you for the great reviews @nsavage and for the box itself!!!

As always too much stuff in there for a month, but I will concentrate on just a few things - great job @Mark1966 and every one else involved

 

[Mark1966]

Great stuff!

Don't forget that EVERY person gets to keep, thanks to @shavetheman

Rapira Blades (one pack per person to keep – courtesy of The Stray Whisker)

TSW After Balm (one pot per person to keep – courtesy of The Stray Whisker)

 

[alfredus]

Here we go - first shave with the box and again my deepest gratitude to @Mark1966 and every one else for making this happen.

Disclaimer: due to the nature of this beast, there is not much time to get to know these products - I use them once. Sometimes there is time for a quick palm lather or sniff beforehand, but usually I pick an item and use it. Therefore these reviews should be all taken with a grain of salt. When I do a proper product review, I use it at least 3-5 times. Add to that, that my products and technique are very narrowly focused (= I know what I want and don't care much about anything else) - these reviews are VERY SUBJECTIVE - you should definitely make up your own mind...

So the first soap I used from the box was the Razor Master Pekka - a product from Finland. I am usually a firm believer in animal fat soaps, but keep hearing, that they are plant based soaps out there, that are as good, if not better than their animal fat counterparts. This one is one of them and @nsavage not only wrote a positive review - he also recommended the soap in person yesterday. the ingredients list is also very short and clean - something I always support.

For me this is a typical vegan soap - if you like those, this one might be right up your alley. But for me it is always the same issue: you have to start with an almost dry brush, and even then the lather explodes (again many might love it) and too much air is in there. It takes then a lot of hard work to kill all those bubbles and get a good lather.

As you can see, the lather has still a lot of volume (=air), which I prefer to avoid. I think it just doesn't protect as much. The residual slickness was nice, but not outstanding and I had many micro weepers. As the only other new variable in my shave was the lighter Ti handle, I am almost certain, it was the lather, that caused it.

The scent is marine, which I absolutely get at first, but then it falls off. I thought long and hard, and the parts missing for me to really remind me of the sea is the salt smell and then either the sun/ozon from a nice warm sunny day at the beach, or the crisp fresh air from one of those cold windy days. I am not sure, if those can be replicated in a soap scent, but they are missing. The scent is rather subtle and dissipates quickly.

 

[TomG]

OK here are my final reviews from the box. Apologies for them all being grouped together in one post.

Whispers from the Woods "Spearmint, Lavender and Vetiver"

Scent wise I didn't feel that this combination worked. Sure I get all of the scents coming through but they don't seem to work well together for me. The spearmint and lavender blend together happily enough but the vetiver completely separates itself so you smell it completely separately. I have used the soap before and found it to be quite good and this was no exception. I did once again feel that I would get a better result lathering directly from a tub of soap rather than from a sample sized piece. The lather was reasonably creamy with good cushion and slickness. The soap was able to take on a fair amount of water. Post shave feel was excellent. Based upon performance I would happily sit this soap in the mid tier. Based on scent (if that sort of thing really bothers you) it really struggles. On a value for money front it also fails miserably IMO. I believe the soap sells for something like $20 for 90 grams which IMO is quite pricey. not only does the performance not live up to the lofty price tag for me but if you consider the poorly thought out scent profile as well it falls far short.

Biotique Bio Palmyra

Scent wise this soap is wonderful and fresh, very acceptable. I'm not much of a cream user and feel that is worth noting here. I generally find that most creams are very easy to lather and provide a nice cushiony and slick lather. This cream was no exception and definitely in the upper tier as far as creams go. Post shave feel was good.

Panna Crema Vetiver

The scent for me was a very washed out Vetiver and not the strong dry earthy Vetiver that I prefer (Mike's Vetiver or Jabonman's Haitian Vetiver are along the lines of what I really enjoy). Soap performance was reasonable. Lather provided ample cushion and slickness but not enough creaminess for my preferences. Post shave feel was however quite good. The soap did not take on much water IMO. Not something I would buy.

Pekka "Fresh Aquatic Scent"

This is a soap I had not even heard of prior to receiving the box. The scent is truly wonderful and is exactly as described on the container. Wonderfully fresh aquatic notes. The performance of the soap really surprised me as well. The soap took quite a bit of water and produced a wonderfully creamy and slick lather with lots of cushion. Post shave feel was excellent. I have to be honest and say I was truly impressed with this soap and would definitely consider buying some in the future. Having a quick look and price wise it appears to be pretty good value for money as well. Do not be surprised if you see some of this coming in to my den in the future.

And that is it for me folks, the box will be heading along to the Adelaide meet up this afternoon where I am sure items will be poked, prodded and sniffed before it goes home with @alfredus. @Mark1966 once again many many thanks for organising this and also to everyone who helped contribute towards it. It really is a fantastic way to try many new items in a short period of time without spending obscene amounts of money.

For me the box has this time around really solidified in my mind that there are not many products out there that do not provide a good experience. I realise that at times my reviews may seem quite harsh and critical but it is important to realise that I have reached a point where I feel that i have found a group of products that work exceptionally well for me personally and I am comparing directly against these. What works for me may not work for you and what I consider to be average you may consider to be outstanding. It is all about our personal experiences and preferences. I hope each and everyone of you that receives the box enjoys the experience as much as I have and if you have not signed up already I believe there is still time to do so.....

Great work with the reviews @nsavage

 

[nsavage]

Here we go - first shave with the box and again my deepest gratitude to @Mark1966 and every one else for making this happen.

Disclaimer: due to the nature of this beast, there is not much time to get to know these products - I use them once. Sometimes there is time for a quick palm lather or sniff beforehand, but usually I pick an item and use it. Therefore these reviews should be all taken with a grain of salt. When I do a proper product review, I use it at least 3-5 times. Add to that, that my products and technique are very narrowly focused (= I know what I want and don't care much about anything else) - these reviews are VERY SUBJECTIVE - you should definitely make up your own mind...

So the first soap I used from the box was the Razor Master Pekka - a product from Finland. I am usually a firm believer in animal fat soaps, but keep hearing, that they are plant based soaps out there, that are as good, if not better than their animal fat counterparts. This one is one of them and @nsavage not only wrote a positive review - he also recommended the soap in person yesterday. the ingredients list is also very short and clean - something I always support.

For me this is a typical vegan soap - if you like those, this one might be right up your alley. But for me it is always the same issue: you have to start with an almost dry brush, and even then the lather explodes (again many might love it) and too much air is in there. It takes then a lot of hard work to kill all those bubbles and get a good lather.

As you can see, the lather has still a lot of volume (=air), which I prefer to avoid. I think it just doesn't protect as much. The residual slickness was nice, but not outstanding and I had many micro weepers. As the only other new variable in my shave was the lighter Ti handle, I am almost certain, it was the lather, that caused it.

The scent is marine, which I absolutely get at first, but then it falls off. I thought long and hard, and the parts missing for me to really remind me of the sea is the salt smell and then either the sun/ozon from a nice warm sunny day at the beach, or the crisp fresh air from one of those cold windy days. I am not sure, if those can be replicated in a soap scent, but they are missing. The scent is rather subtle and dissipates quickly.

Great review @alfredus.

 

[Sxot]

Thank you for the great reviews @nsavage and for the box itself!!!

As always too much stuff in there for a month, but I will concentrate on just a few things - great job @Mark1966 and every one else involved

Month? You get it for two weeks tops, don't you?

 

[Mark1966]

Month? You get it for two weeks tops, don't you?

Gee whiz - does NOBODY read the instruction card?

'The box can be kept for 2 - 3 weeks, please do not exceed 3 weeks. This is longer than previously, but there is more included'

 

[alfredus]

Month? You get it for two weeks tops, don't you?

Of course - I meant I couldn't even get through the stuff in a month, let alone 2 weeks...

As you can see, we already organised the next Adelaide meet-up to pass on the box
https://paste-and-cut.com.au/commun...adelaide-get-together.2063/page-16#post-97779

 

[borked]

Gee whiz - does NOBODY read the instruction card?

'The box can be kept for 2 - 3 weeks, please do not exceed 3 weeks. This is longer than previously, but there is more included'

Males read instructions?
Someone tell him he's dreaming!

 

[alfredus]

Shave 2 and for this one I choose the Valobra Fougere soap

For the Disclaimer please read my first review - no need to post the same again and again

Valobra is by many considered a classic and I always wondered how it would perform. I can absolutely see, why in the 70-00's with the inventions of various canned garbage, soaps like Valobra, Cella or Proraso must have been invaluable to keep the wet shaving tradition alive. The lather is much better than the Razor Master - although I would still not classify this as a true Tallow soap. It definitely has a high stearic acid content. There were still a lot of bubbles at first - even with a really damp brush - and it took some hard work to get the lather in a decent shape.

But the end result was much creamier and had less volume. It even had some shine to it. The slickness was absolutely adequate and the protection, although not great, there. The resulting shave drew no blood - but a fair amount of sting from the alum.

The absolute weak point for me (and I can't believe I am saying this) was the scent: I have no idea, what a true Fougere is to be honest, but this is for me just a fake scent, reminding me more of old air-plane toilets than any thing remotely associated with nature...

Having said, a very interesting walk down wet shaving history - so thanks again @Mark1966

 

[todras]

Great review @alfredus

I love Valobra soaps myself - the fragrance being very faint if detectable at all and certainly not authentic. I find the lather superb though from the tub, it typifies Italian shaving soaps and whips up with panache and gutso!

I wonder if the sample came from the hard puck, or a stick (?)


'

 

[Mark1966]

Ditto - great review @alfredus !

The sample came from a hard puck @todras. It was scrapped through the soap, as with all the samples, to ensure that it was not simply a top layer which can often not be reflective of the soap as a whole.

 

[todras]

The sample came from a hard puck @todras. It was scrapped through the soap, as with all the samples, to ensure that it was not simply a top layer which can often not be reflective of the soap as a whole.

Thanks for the clarification, that is definitely a good way to ensure a fair sample.

 

[alfredus]

Friday afternoon shave after a very long day and an even longer week - I needed a relaxing one...

I have heard a lot of good things about the Phoenix & Beau soaps from @Kerry@Phoenix&Beau - and I was really hopeful, that could deliver. The soap itself is really soft, but this is just an observation - I really don't care about this fact. From the moment I started to lather up, I knew I'd like this one - not a bubble in sight, just getting some creamy lather, that could take lots of water - maybe I took it too far?

Maybe not - it can't get drippy enough and the stuff was flying around the Billabong

Nice slickness and good protection, the lather stood its ground even with the amount of water added. @nsavage told me, it would be a lot of work - but these days I always add a pinch of citric acid to the lathering water and it makes a world of difference. Really nice solid soap and I understand, why so many like it!

The downside: scent. Not like the Valobra - this is definitely not a fake scent - it smells real - but I am just not a fan of tar and smoke. There other notes hidden in there, but the birch tar is just too overpowering for me...but I understand this is very personal.

As always my gratitude to @Mark1966 for this great opportunity

 

[todras]

There other notes hidden in there, but the birch tar is just too overpowering for me

Oh, yes it is like that. I have a 100ml bottle of it here and the stuff is treacherous at the best of times, the quantities you need in a scent are in the smallest proportions else it just smashes over everything with a deep, burnt caramel fug. Blasted wretched stuff really, still horses for courses!

Cracking review again @alfredus , do you have hard water in SA ?

 

[Mark1966]

Friday afternoon shave after a very long day and an even longer week - I needed a relaxing one...

I have heard a lot of good things about the Phoenix & Beau soaps from @Kerry@Phoenix&Beau - and I was really hopeful, that could deliver. The soap itself is really soft, but this is just an observation - I really don't care about this fact. From the moment I started to lather up, I knew I'd like this one - not a bubble in sight, just getting some creamy lather, that could take lots of water - maybe I took it too far?

Maybe not - it can't get drippy enough and the stuff was flying around the Billabong

Nice slickness and good protection, the lather stood its ground even with the amount of water added. @nsavage told me, it would be a lot of work - but these days I always add a pinch of citric acid to the lathering water and it makes a world of difference. Really nice solid soap and I understand, why so many like it!

The downside: scent. Not like the Valobra - this is definitely not a fake scent - it smells real - but I am just not a fan of tar and smoke. There other notes hidden in there, but the birch tar is just too overpowering for me...but I understand this is very personal.

As always my gratitude to @Mark1966 for this great opportunity

Another great review! Thanks

 

[alfredus]

Oh, yes it is like that. I have a 100ml bottle of it here and the stuff is treacherous at the best of times, the quantities you need in a scent are in the smallest proportions else it just smashes over everything with a deep, burnt caramel fug. Blasted wretched stuff really, still horses for courses!

Cracking review again @alfredus , do you have hard water in SA ?

Thank you - and hard water would be a compliment I think

I mean it is not Mt Isa hard, but still in 150+ppm area, so definitely yes, hard water

 

[alfredus]

Sunday and some time on my hands - so I decided to use 2 products from the box

I have never been a fan of OC razors nor of vintage ones, but given a chance to try out an almost 100 year old piece of history, who can say no?

And to be honest, I was surprised: the razor is much milder than I thought - given that so many rave about the NEW and I found them to be very uncomfortable. I just had 2 tiny weepers, both in areas my skin is very unhappy at the moment. Having said that, the shave itself was also not super close...I will try it with a Ladas next.

The soap is for me more a croap/cream - in typical Italian fashion. And it was actually quiet nice. I am not sure, if this is the Vegan or the tallow formula, but it took some decent amount of water, and the resulting lather was very easy to build and shiny.

The scent was also quiet nice - not a dark Vetiver like Mike's, but more a grassy version. For some reason I also got some Fenugreek in there. The resulting post-shave was much better and less drying than the likes of Proraso. All in all an enjoyable Sunday shave.


Thank you again @Mark1966 for this great opportunity

 

[Mark1966]

Another great review @alfredus !

Of course who cannot resist a hundred year old razor I figured that would be pretty cool in the box

I should point out that this is the OLD formula Panna Crema.

See review on Sharpologist here - http://sharpologist.com/2015/10/greyish-vetiver-two-pannacrema-vetiver.html

Comparison on B&B here - https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/threads/pannacrema-vetiver-vs-pannacrema-pure2o-vetiver.493123/

New range on mfr website here - http://www.pannacrema.com/en/pure2o/71-pure2o-vetiver.html