Razor: Gillette Fatboy on 2
Blade: Gillette Nacet
Brush: Paragon Synthetic
Soap: Crown King Atomic Bay Rum
Aftershave: Crown King Atomic Bay Rum Splash
Other: Thirsty Badger lather bowl
Bay Rum has never really been my thing. I know a lot of guys really love it, but to me I’ve typically found it to be over spiced and heavy on the clove. Since I’m a traditional wet shaver I figured I really needed to have a Bay Rum in the shave den though and when I saw a lot for sale with this set in it, I figured I’d give it a go.
To me, this Bay Rum is a winner. This isn’t heavy on the clove, in fact there is no clove in it. To me I get the rum, the subtle citrus notes and the nice blend of spice. It doesn’t punch you in the face. I’m a rum drinker, and to me, this actually smells a lot like a spiced rum and coke with a squeeze of lime. A bay rum that can stay in my den.
The soap itself is a heavy buttered soft soap. Loading was quite easy, in fact you have to pay attention to not overload. I was able to work up a nice lather. Nice cushion, not the slickest, but a really nice post shave. The splash, while not an exact match, was actually pretty close. My knock on PAA and Crown King that I have used previously is that the splash doesn’t match the soap, often coming across one note. That isn’t the case here.
The Gillette Fatboy was a recent acquisition that I had been wanting for a while. I’m so glad I picked it up, it shaves like a dream. 3 pass BBS today. I plan to send it off for full restore/replate in the near future but I figure I should give it a few shaves in her original glory.
I gave a different lather bowl a run today and along with looking great it performed very well. Comfortable in the hand and whipped up a great lather with the Paragon brush, another recent acquisition to the den that is rapidly becoming my favourite brush. If you like a substantial handle and are a fan of wood, check our Paragon.
