Pre-Shave : Shower
Bowl : $2 Stainless Steel Mixing Bowl w/sandpapered Micro-Texture
Brush : PAA Amber Aerolite
Soap : HC&C Scentless Shave Soap w/HC&C Badass Scent Oil
Razor : Parker 87R w/Bic Chrome Platinum
Post Shave : Thayers Witch Hazel : Lemon
Others : Dior Eau Sauvage + Dior Homme scent layering

Long overnight shift and finally got home to clean up and shave. While technically my late night, it’s mid morning for everyone else at home on a Sunday.
So, made coffee and breakfast and once that done, my much needed shower and shave.

HC&C was Julio’s favorite shave soap and I can see why, this (older base) is extremely slick, lather has good body though not as much as say PAA’s or Ginger’s Garden but still whips up into a thick easy to layer on creamy lather.
It’s residual slickness is extremely good and easily lends to a single pass ATG, XTG, ATG shave.

What is really cool with HC&C is that while you can buy pre-scented soaps, you can also choose buy a non-scented tub and self scent with scented oils.
In this case I chose to use “Badass”, which smells really fantastic.

The scent of Badass is something I can only describe as a mix of two of my favorite body scents, Dior Homme and Dior Eau Sauvage.
It has that citrus / lemony note of Eau Sauvage but slides and develops into a more floral fougere that is similar to Dior Homme and while by no means a match, pairs really well with either.
You can of course choose to scent layer with both.

Wife, by the way, loves it.

Smelling fantastic and feeling just as frisky.

Stay safe
Stay sane
Stay happy

Pre-Shave : Shower, PAA Cube
Brush : PAA Amber Aerolite
Soap : Siliski Soaps Internal Calamity
Razor : Parker 87R w/Bic Chrome Platinum (The Sword of Achilles)
Post Shave : Clubman Pinuad Sweet Rum

Just randomly picking a soap of the day, and Siliski’s Soaps’ Internal Calamity’s dark citrus like scent was just the thing I needed.
Simplified, the scent accords comes across to me as kind of something like bitter orange with a woody tang.
Nice.

Still loving the Parker 87R and Bic combo, though I might step away from it tomorrow as using this guy twice a day does toe the edge a little between comfortable and just shy of irritation. Still it was an easy 1 pass (XTG, ATG) shave with it.
The extreme voluminous and slick lather helped considerably of course to cushion, give glide and reduce any irritation I may have had, had I chosen to use a lesser quality soap.

Finished up with Clubman’s Sweet Rum and after using this a few times, it’s growing on me.
I still think Tequila Tease is the best release from Clubman in recent times but this isn’t half too bad, once you get past that horrid first 20 seconds or so.
The scent evolves once it goes into the dry down and it’s a nice subtle fruity note riding on top of that rum, incense and woods accords.

Stay safe
Stay sane
Stay happy

Pre-Shave : Shower
Brush : PAA Amber Aerolite
Soap : Van Yulay Bay of Roses
Razor : Rockwell Model T-R5 w/Bic Chrome Platinum Blade
Post Shave : Van Yulay Bay of Roses Splash


Didn’t use the Cube today, as I wanted a “virgin” lather, so after the shower, I just rubbed the puck on the face where I usually work the brush with, that is chin, neck and cheeks. Loaded with a slightly wet with the water shaken out (not dripping wet!) brush and went to town on the face.
Had to spray some water on a few times as the soap was thirsty and got a very thick, very creamy lather that would have made anyone who wanted a “Santa Beard Lather” proud.

Scent was a fantastic, beautiful Spiced Bay Rum and Rose. (20 mins after the shave, I’m still cupping my hands over the face to breath in the scent!)

Disclosure :
Rockwell sent me another Gunmetal Model T.
I was shocked and pleasantly surprised.
And of course, I had to try it out to see if it was the same as my “fixed” version or if it still had the “early Model T issues”.

This Model T I am glad to say also shaved beautifully.
To give it a test, I had it at setting 5 which is a little more aggressive then I usually set my Razors.
I have to say that it felt as good as my 6S on R5.

Just that touch of blade feel, and with a gap that easily deals with growth several days old but still smooth as butter without nicks or weepers.
Of course technique and blade played a huge part but I am very very happy with the quality of the shave I got from the Razor.

To date, the Rockwell Model T is my best performing Adjustable TTO.

Smelling great, feeling great!
Hope everyone have a great day.

Stay safe
Stay sane
Stay happy

Pre-Shave : Shower, PAA Cube
Brush : Frank Shaving G5 Synthetic
Soap : Van Yulay Smoking Hot Pineapple
Razor : PAA Meta4 w/Wizamet Super Iridium Blade
Post Shave : Floid Black

First things first.
Happy Birthday Monica! Hope the year will bring as much blessings as rain we get here in South East Asia.

Had a long tiring day at work so wanted something relaxing, went with Van Yulay’s Smoking Hot Pineapples hard puck.
Love the scent, loads easily on the G5, was a little thirsty and hand to dip a few times as the lather was really thick, and paired perfectly with Floid’s Black AS.

Smelling like BBQed Pineapples!
And all I think of are Hawaiian BBQed babyback ribs with smoky charred pineapple slices for dinner and a pitcher of Pinacolada to just sit back and relax.
Damn.
I need a vacation.

Stay safe
Stay sane
Stay happy

Pre-Shave : Shower, PAA Cube
Brush : Oumo 24mm SHD ACE Dual Band Badger
Soap : PAA Sacre Bleu
Razor : PAA Meta4 w/Wizamet Super Iridium Blade
Post Shave : Aqua Velva (Spain)

Mail Call! Got the Glass Bottled Spanish Aqua Velva!
So of course, there’s only one soap to go with it. PAA’s Sacre Bleu. Along with PAA’s Meta4 and the Super Iridium blades, it all made for a fresh, extremely smooth and comfortable shave.

Scent of the Spanish Aqua Velva is far more subtle than the Classic Ice Blue, with the “Classic” being far more pungent and aggressive with its camphor.
The scent accords of the Spanish version is actually slightly closer to another “Blue” Aftershave favorite, Epsilon Blue (Floid Blue).

The Classic’s scent do last longer though, so for those who want that Aqua Velva scent to last, the Classic is still the way to go.
Still, there’s the glass bottle which you can recycle back into use once you used up the splash and you’ll be able to transfer Classic out of its plastic bottle into glass.

All in all, had a great shave.

Stay safe
Stay sane
Stay happy

Pre-shave : Shower, lather on hands face wash
Bowl : Van Yulay Resin
Brush : Oumo ACE SHD Dual Band Badger
Soap : Van Yulay Achilles Hard Puck
Razor : Parker 87R w/Bic Chrome Platinum (The Sword Of Achilles)
Post Shave : Van Yulay Achilles Aftershave Splash

Talk of Tobacco scented scent had me hankering for some and one of the best I have used is Van Yulay’s Achilles.
Simply put, its a smoky Bourbon and Tobacco, with rosewood, cedar and birch accords filling in the background.
Also this soap’s and aftershave’s scent strength like it’s namesake, are at Epic levels.
My bathroom was just filled with the smell of smoky bourbon and tobacco.

I have heard though, that some might find the hard puck harder to lather up.
Unlike cream or Monica’s usual croap, they do require you to load a little more, and here’s the trick, add water slowly only when needed while you are working the lather, going from that thick soapy paste to creamy OMG slick as frack, smells so good when on your face lather. (Lather Porn included)

For bowl lathering I usually use a wet but with excess water shaken off brush (you do not want a dripping wet brush), holding the puck in one hand (out of the tin), above the bowl, while loading with the other.
This is to catch the run off foam from the brush into the bowl, which usually have more then enough water, to work the soap in the brush into a creamy lather.
Only add more water if the lather is still pasty thick.
What you want is cream yogurt with Van Yulay’s soaps.

If you face lather, same rule applies, load a little heavy on the brush, go slow with the water and work the lather on face, slowly adding more water if needed, or going back to the puck if you have too much water in the brush. (Some might find it easier to face lather with the puck)

Also really enjoying that cheap ($29) Parker TTO.
Damn good stuff.
Along with The Sword of Achilles loaded in, it just mowed growth off like hot knife on butter.

The one thing I really like about the 87R (as with all Parker TTOs) is the audio feedback is very distinct, you know when you have a BBS when the blade stops singing.

All in all it was a fantastic shave.
Smelling fantastic, feeling fantastic, hopes everyone else has a great day.

Stay safe
Stay sane
Stay happy

Pre-Shave : Shower, PAA Cube
Soap : JS Sloane Brushless-Latherless Shave Cream
Razor : Parker 87R w/Bic Chrome Platinum
Post Shave : Thayers Lavender Witch Hazel, JS Sloane Aftershave Lotion

TLDR : Parker 87R is essentially a Gillette on setting 5-6 and very smooth. JS Sloane cream is as old school as you can get, mint-lavender scented 1919 style latherless cream.

Mail Call!

Still have RADS. Can’t help myself.
But I am actually glad I got this one. (US$29.00+/- )

As far as I know the body is brass and they claim its a full brass frame (does that include the head assembly?)
If its all brass, that’s not bad for $29, but even if the head assembly is Zemak / Pot Metal its a good priced razor for the shave I got.

A bit of comparison first.

Side by side with the Fat Guy (No, I don’t have a Fat Boy), you can see that they are both about the same size, thickness of the handle is about the same though the Parker is a little lighter I believe, coming at 1.92 ounces or 54.5 grams

Gap is about on par with the Fat Guy (or Fat Boy) on setting 6.
However even in this pic you can see that there is no slant in the Parker’s head compared to the Fat Guy’s which has an obvious slant.

Handle knurling is solid, and while I would have preferred if the knurling is more pronounced like the Meta4’s handle, it still gave a firm grip even when hands were wet and coated with shaving cream.

The top down view shows that blade alignment is spot on.
It does have tabs sticking out.
So do be aware near ears and nose.

A nickpick, with the doors opened and loose, the doors didn’t open fully symmetrical but it doesn’t effect placement of blade, it does however close fully and symmetrically.
Also Both sides show even blade alignment, if there is any misalignment, its not obvious to the eyeball.

The shave itself is a little different from my other Parkers.
If you have used the 99R / 22R / Variant (setting 4+) you’d know what I mean when I say those razors feel blade forward.

Not so on this one.
It seems they toned it down some, and it does feel more blade neutral, almost like a Rockwell on Plate 5 as far as blade feel goes, and together with the ample blade gap, I would place this razor as a mid range level shave.

Also, like all Parker TTOs, this razor will make your blade sing, and you can tell if you still have stubble on your face as the shave is very audible.

All in all for a $29 razor, it handled itself very well, gave a true “Faceturbation” BBS shave, is not too shabby looking as well as being a TTO, meaning no fuss no muss fumbling with parts to assemble.
Twist, open, pop in blade, twist, close and lock, shave!

Given how smooth it was for me, I’d say Parker outdid themselves with this one.
The sad thing is, many will probably overlook Brands like Parker in pursuit of the more expansive artisan razors out there. Or they have the perception that if its made in China / India / Vietnam (or any where in Asia) it’s likely to be poor quality.

Parkers can’t compare with the likes of my Blackland, Tatara or even the more affordable high quality razors from Razorock / PAA but for $29, I’d say this one is definitely worth the money spent.

Stay Safe
Stay sane
Stay happy

• Pre-Shave : Shower, PAA Ice Cube
• Bowl : Stainless Steel Mixing Bowl (micro textured)
• Soap : Wet The Face Ozark Alchemy
• Razor : PAA Meta4 w/Bic Chrome Platinum
• Post Shave : Wet The Face Ozark Alchemy Aftershave Splash

Lather Porn : “The Big Kahuna” a little big wave action to wet your appetite for Summer

Happy Chinese New Year and a strong year of the Ox to all my friends of Chinese Heritage!

Wanted something woodsy and fresh, and went with Don’s fantastic Ozark Alchemy with a bit of ground menthol mixed in.
Menthol for me, always helps to pop those notes up when you are lathering and when the lather finally goes onto your face. And I really needed that menthol cool after a long hot day at work.
Scent with the menthol, fantastic and I wonder if a tiny drop of peppermint EO (be careful with EOs as always) would make it even better.
Next time for sure.

Now that I have been using the Meta4 for a while and paired it up against my “Hoy Trinity” of Razors, The Tatara Nodachi, The Rockwell 6s, PAA’s Ascension and ran through a number of blades from Feathers, Nacets, Bics, Treet Black Beauties, Personna Reds, to a number of lesser known brands like Zaza, Derby Usta, Lord, Sharks and a few others, there are definite pros and cons to the Meta4.

The very thing that makes it such a great razor is also it’s weakest link. Extremely smooth and mild to the point that I’d describe this as a soft and gentle razor.
It’s very forgiving, even allowing for a little extra pressure placed on the razor by Cartridge Refugees, and its very unlikely to cut or nick.

The reason for this is that the blade is recessed, negative exposure actual but in use is perhaps just shy of being blade neutral.

Like the Tatara Masamune Standard, this razor prefers blades on the sharper end of the scale.
Otherwise, it may well leave micro stubble, even if you go ATG a few times.
Meaning, BBS to the touch when your fingers go WTG and XTG but on the ATG, you can feel that wee stubborn stubs of stubble that is not quite fully shorn off.

This could lead to over shaving if you are a True BBS chaser.

It’s also definitely not for shavers who want “blade feel”, as you hardly feel the blade at all.
Unless of course you use enough force to press down on the head of the razor so that your flesh makes a convex bump filling into the blade gap, which would be a very bad idea.

However, for beginners, those who aren’t always chasing that True BBS or shavers with more sensitive skin, I think this razor should be #1 on your list to buy, or try if a buddy has one and is willing to lend it to you.

Having said that, the Meta4 may actually take PAA’s Ascension’s spot as one of my Holy Trinity of razors.
It is a damn good all rounder, smooth as buttered baby’s butt, efficient as a dedicated secretary and joy to use Razor.

Stay safe
Stay sane
Stay happy

Pre-Shave : Shower, PAA Cube
Brush : Oumo 26mm SHD Silvertips
Soap : Van Yulay Enter the Dragon w/Ground Menthol
Razor : Tatara Nodachi Std w/RR SS UFO Handle w/Bic Chrome Platinum
Post Shave : Van Yulay Enter the Dragon Splash

Revisiting older stuff, loading for bear while hunting for squirrels as I really didn’t need to use the 26mm SHD but I got soap to last me decades soooooo just going to enjoy lathering up.

Coming off PAA’s Meta4, the Nodachi Std felt very aggressive, though luckily, its still extremely smooth.
It’s hard to describe as you are very aware of the blade on your skin and is still able to give your that extreme BBS (even your BBS feels like it got a BBS shave) without the irritation.
YMMV of course as I think my skin’s been toughened with my twice a day shaves.

Stay safe
Stay sane
Stay happy

• Pre-Shave : Shower, PAA Ice Cube
• Brush : PAA Amber Aerolite
• Soap : PAA Dapper Doc’s Lilac and Fig
• Razor : PAA Meta4 (Kirby) w/Wizamet Super Iridium Blade
• Post Shave : PAA Dapper Doc’s Lilac and Fig Aftershave Cologne, PAA Mysterium Serum (w/menthol)

TLDR : Dapper Doc’s is awesome, Meta4 is the new girl and she’s kicking everyone’s butt.

So it took a while but it finally got here to sunny Singapore after being stuck in LA for almost 2 weeks.

Dapper Doc’s Lilac and Fig smells fantastic, especially on the dry down when the accords settle and that lilac, fig, rose and musk blends into a heady sweet but almost boozy scent.
Make no mistake, this is a man’s scent that you’d imagine Sherlock Holmes (and his Author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle), Doc Holiday, or Tennyson and the men he pens in those famous lines in the Charge of the Light Brigade would wear.

Storm’d at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well,
Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of Hell

Yeah, definitely a man’s floral scent.

Now for the star of the show, The Meta4 (The Metaphor!)

The razor itself comes in a simple box with carboard holders to keep the razor in place while in transit.
And while some might want a more lavish presentation, I think it does what its supposed to do and by keeping the price of something you are probably going to throw away down, cost and money spent went into the razor itself and it shows.

Broken down, it is a slot post, three piece razor, simple.
You will notice that the finishing is well done, and especially, the brand and name etched into the baseplate is a very welcomed sight.
Little things but these little things give a sense of quality and soul to the razor.

At this point I should mention the knurling. Way too often, we get really good looking handles but more often than not, the knurling if any, or patterns in the handle are all but useless when you need a grip that counts, and really there to serve a cosmetic function.

Not so with this handle. Even with my hand (and yes I did that on purpose) covered in Cube Lather, and anyone who has used the Cube knows just how slippery and slick that is, I have no issues picking up, gripping and using the razor.
I’d still recommend to wash your hands off first of course. 🤣

When I first put a blade in and looked at the the working gap, I have to say, it is quite something else but don’t let it intimidate you, I’ll get to the blade geometry and head design in a bit.

I think the first time anyone sees this razor they’d go “Holy frack! Look at that gap!”
Seriously, lather and hair will pass through easily, pretty sure months old beard isn’t going to be an issue.

And here is where the genius of this head design shines.

The head itself is extremely nimble, not being bulky, it’s easy to maneuver around your ears and nose, along with the fully covered design means no blade tabs to accidently cut you.
Also, the top cap’s groves help those who want to buff, making “riding the cap” easier and not “sticky” (precursor to the double open comb) as some find with other smooth capped razors.

But the real genius is the business end of the razor.
The curvature of the blade and how it is set (recessed) makes it a very, very mild shave. Pop in a good sharp blade like the Bic / Nacet / Super Iridium and it will work its magic.
This thing will take off growth and you’ll barely feel if at all, the blade.
In my case, I felt nada.
Not a bit.
For those who want more blade feel, I’d recommend using Kai Blades.

Having said that, for those who like the feel of blade on skin, it is very likely you may over shave by pressing down harder than you should with this razor so you might take that into consideration.
For those who want something that feels super mild, this might work for you.

Given the gap and curvature, I’d say that this is a neutral blade exposure shave but because that the blade is slightly recess with its very shallow angle of attack of the blade, the blade will literally skim on lather, acting as a guillotine but just barely kissing the skin.

In short its going to be smooth as melted butter on a baby’s butt.
As our face will be after the shave.

All in all this is a beauty in the den and she has essentially kicked all my other girls in the nads.
And for the price, is definitely a must buy if you want a razor that will last a lifetime, is extremely efficient but surprising mild.
If you don’t want to spend a chunk of change on a Stainless Steel razor, give the Prismatic ($25) a try but I think most will just buy the Stainless Steel Meta4 due to the improvements (handle!) and looks.

Stay safe
Stay sane
Stay happy