Razor: Assured Dollar Tree TTO $1.25 Special
Blade: Assured Dollar Tree Blades
Brush: Wildwest Brushworks Bobcat Synthetic
Soap: Lather Bros Summer 305
Aftershave: Lather Bros Summer 305 Splash
Other: Thirsty Badger lather bowl
Spring is here, it is time to bring some of the warmer weather scents into rotation. Up today is Lather Bros Summer 305. This is an artisan that I don’t have a lot of experience with so I was looking forward to getting in to this shave. This is the newest packaging, possibly a new formula as well. The tubs are a touch on the smaller side but they do a fantastic job. Water proof labels with a stunning look. I really like what they are going for here.
The scent on this one, I was a bit unsure of. Neroli typically is a no for me, but in this case, it works and works quite well. The scent on this is Vetiver, Lemongress, Neroli and a blend of pomegranate. It is their take on a Southern Florida Classic. The vetiver and the lemongrass round out the neroli for me into this unique summer blend. Soap is on the firm side so I opted to bloom the soap. After I loaded the brush I realised I had over hydrated. I kept working it in the bowl and was able to work out the over hydration without loading more soap. It can take water. It did create a huge amount of lather that didn’t stay in the bowl. Good thing I have the side handle on this thing or it would have been dropped for sure. She is slick. The shave itself was just OK, but I don’t fault the soap…..
You see today I did one last shave with the Assured Dollar Tree razor and blades. I wanted to do my final thoughts on this $1.25 setup. My final verdict on this, not good. I have used this a handful of times with various blades. It shaves well enough, blade gap is even, but the build quality is rubbish. It is already rusting in spots and the doors are starting to get sticky. I take pretty good care rinsing and drying after each shave and never left a blade in, so that says something. The blades this came with do not pair well with the razor either. They aren’t great blades but in a quality razor you will get a good enough shave. Paired with this, it felt overly aggressive and not smooth at all. If you are travelling and forgot your razor, this will pass for the trip but don’t plan on keeping it long term at all. If you just need blades and have a decent razor, these will get you a passable shave. But don’t expect to use this setup more than a couple weeks. I’d take it over the disposables in the store, but barely. And don’t buy these trying to setup a new wet shaver. There is a high likely hood you will sour them on the hobby.
I finished up the shave with the matching splash. This had an alcohol burn to it (a bit more than I’m used to, a sign of a rougher shave for me). Scent strength is nice. It carries with you without overwhelming. You get the subtle scent of the shave to carry on, perfectly acceptable for office wear. Looking forward to giving this set another go with a better setup to really put it through the paces.
