Razor: Gillette Goodwill
Blade: Gillette Silver Blue
Brush: Certifyd Badger/Boar Mix (restored by @reyes_restores)
Soap: Stonefield Shaving Company Three Six & Charlie
Aftershave: Stonefield Shaving Company Three Six & Charlie Splash
Other: Thirsty Badger lather bowl
The focus on today’s shave is going to be vintage. Usually I highlight the software but today I’m going to be focusing on a couple of really nice vintage items that made their way into my den. As much as I like the new releases from artisans where they are innovating with new materials/designs, something about a vintage item just speaks to me. One of he reasons I got into traditional wet shaving is that bridge to the past so vintage shave gear is right up my alley.
First, the brush today is a Certifyd Badger/Boar mix that I picked up post-restore from @reyes_restores. If you don’t follow him on Instagram, you should. He does fantastic work. When I picked up a few vintage brushes, he was super helpful in getting me over the hump restoring those priceless items. I’ve always wanted a longer handle with the letter etching on the side but to this point they had been elusive to me. When I saw this beauty posted on Instagram, I jumped. JR did a fantastic job restoring this to the rich burgundy and cream colour without losing any of the lettering. Inside the brush has been weighted with plaster to give it a good balance and to set the loft. It is surprisingly heavy, more so than the rest of the brushes in my den. He used a boar/badger mix which I’ve never tried before. It is an interesting knot with a really nice backbone from the boar, with the softness and lathering properties of a badger. I like it quite a bit and I’m interested to see where it goes as it breaks in. A big win on this brush and I’m proud to have it in the den.
The razor is a Gillette Goodwill, made in Canada in the 1930’s. It is in fantastic shape. There is a slight handle crack, quite common in this razor I’m told, that has been stabilized with epoxy. I love the look of the razor. It is gold plated and has suffered little to no plating loss. The handle is a ball end style. The head is a lower profile with a unique square post design. There is a really nice ornate pattern on the top cap. Weighting and balance is quite good for a razor of this era. I was surprised how aggressive this felt. You can definitely feel the blade and sense how efficient it is. Where the razor falls down for me is that the blade alignment is tricky, there is a fair amount of blade play until it is tightened up. If you don’t pay attention it is very easy to lock the blade in misaligned.
It wouldn’t be a SOTD without at least mentioning the software. Today I used Stonefield Shaving Company Three Six & Charlie. I have used and mentioned this before but it is worth mentioning again, this scent is fantastic. Bergamot, Irish Tweed, Coffee, and Pipe Tobacco. The Irish Tweed and Coffee work so well together. If you haven’t tried this scent I can’t recommend it enough. It has a great throwback vibe, perfect for this vintage shave.
