A lot of people have recently seen the light and come over to real shaving. They see the products and industry as they are but they don’t see this history, the back story and what is happening and what has happened in the industry that supplies them.
The classical English shaving brush is a prime example. Just after World War II every man in Britain who shaved used a brush, the manufacturers who met this demand also supplied the British Empire and other countries in the world market. So it was a large and thriving industry from inexpensive plastic Culmak brushes to solid gold handled Simpson masterpieces. Then aerosol shaving foams came along which were a lot more convenient (yet far less good) and the whole industry pretty much went the way of the dinosaur. Even Simpson’s went bust.
At the top end there was still some business, mostly from the famous St James’s grooming shops like Trumpers and Taylors of Old Bond Street. These retailers buy their brushes in from Vulfix, Rooney and other workshops but always the brushes are branded up with the name of the retailer, never with the name of the manufacturer. This is sad because each manufacturer has a lot of unique proprietary heritage that goes into their brushes. A Rooney is made a lot differently from a Simpson’s, for instance. The knowledge is handed down through generations of craftsmen and, remarkably, survives changes in company ownership.
Some of the shaving brush workshops survived by putting their skills to different uses. They knew how to machine resin so could make parts for lots of different industries, from pens to backgammon pieces. Then when an order came in from St James they would run off a batch of brushes. To add to the flexibility needed for survival some of the manual processes could be done by home workers, who were trained up with the necessary skills. Jobs like weighing the hair for each knot, for instance.
Morris & Forndran are one of the brush companies that have survived, founded in the 1930s, they were present at the 1947 British Industries Fair where they were listed as manufacturers of Ivory Brushes, Mirrors, Wood Brushes, Tortoiseshell Brush Sets, Silver Mounted Brush Sets. Fitted Dressing Cases. Cigar and Cigarette Boxes in rare Woods and Shagreen. Combs in real and imitation Tortoiseshell.
Recently they have changed ownership and all the original equipment has been moved to a new workshop in London. Traditionally Morris & Forndran sold their brushes under the name of the retailer selling them but under the new ownership they are starting to supply small numbers of high quality, traditional, English brushes under their own brand name. These brushes contain 80 years of Morris & Forndran heritage and manufacturing techniques so they are different, once again, from a Simpson’s or a Rooney.
But they are a very small company. To put it in context the biggest quality brush producer by far is Progress Vulfix in the Isle of Man, they manufacture under the Vulfix and Simpson’s brand names but they also produce the brushes sold under the retailers own name in lots of shops all over the world. Yet this industry giant employs around just 15 people.
Nowadays the customer value in badger shaving brushes lies with the Chinese manufacturers such as Frank Shaving and LiJun who have close access to the raw materials and cheap labour. The next step up are the many Western brush brands that put a Chinese knot into a Western handle. But if you want real hand crafted quality and heritage then you cannot beat a traditional English brush. They cost a lot of money but you are getting what you pay for.
Bloomed after two shaves
In the pictures you can see the brush that Morris & Forndran sent to me. It is classical and beautiful, an exceptionally well made work of art. It is made out of what they are calling Blonde Badger which, as you can see, is a two band with nearly white tips and a pronounced bulb shaped knot which is mounted in a strikingly porcelain white handle. According to my vernier it has a 24mm knot diameter, a 53mm loft and a 47mm handle height. It has plenty of backbone and the tips, whilst soft, are not super soft so provide a good face massage. This will be just amazing at face lathering hard soaps like Mitchell’s Wool Fat as well as being an excellent all round brush.
So what’s it like to use? Pretty close to perfect actually. It is sized somewhere near the top end of a face latherer, which works well for me. The knot shape is primarily bulb (the centre two thirds) with a bit of fan in there (the outer third), this gives lots of control over the lather without being too pointy. The brush loads up very quickly and easily then releases the lather exactly how and when you want, it easily holds enough charge for a three pass shave. The backbone is spot on, certainly not floppy yet not too rigid. Likewise the tip softness, luxury without being a mop. And the density is just perfect for holding a big charge without being a lather hog. All this will get even better as the brush breaks in with a bit more use. Overall if I had to choose just one brush from my collection, right now this would be the one.
Traditional shaving attracts some very keen hobbyists whose hobby goes to the extent of making their own shaving brushes and making their own shaving soap. You can see the attraction here, using customised products that are made exactly to your own requirements and specifications to do the exact job that you want.
Shaving soaps are different to ordinary bath soaps in that their purpose is to lubricate rather than to clean. Thereareplentyofonlinearticlesabouthowtheformulationdiffers. But the chemistry of soap is very simple and you can very easily make batches of it in your kitchen using the exact ingredients that you want. You get to have the fun of making it then the fun of using it. Some of these videos are for normal soap, the processes are the same, it is just that the ingredients are slightly different for shaving soap.
This water badger brush with a black buffalo horn handle and gold lettering is for sale at Trumper’s St. James’s Shop at 1 Duke of York Street for £1,100 and is attracting some attention. So I had a chat with someone I know who is in the brush business and who hand ties knots for high end brushes himself. He told me that the water badger hair he uses comes from China and has nothing to do with the spoof water badger of Devon.
In fact this Chinese water badger is Meles meles, or European badger and is the same animal variety that all badger brush hair comes from, whether the animal lives in Europe or China. What is different about water badger is its lifestyle and this is what makes the hair different. He tells me that it is the most expensive badger hair from China, that it is ginger in colour and that it is very, very soft. In fact he reckons that it is too soft to make a good shaving brush out of, but that he has done so on occasions, mostly for Russian customers.
So I then spoke to Kamil Ozturk who is the manager of that Trumper’s branch. He told me that the hair in this brush came from Siberia (is it Meles leucurus sibiricus?). He also agreed with my other source that this is far too soft for a serious shaving brush and that for this reason he would not be stocking any more. He did, however, say that the supplier of the brush was offering it to other retailers, so they could turn up elsewhere.
Unfortunately I don’t have a picture of this brush. There are pictures of a smaller “sample” brush floating round the web, but none of this one.
One excellent way to avoid this is to buy artisan shaving soaps and creams crafted in small batches from the finest natural ingredients. Probably the leading producer of such soaps and creams in the UK (but who ships worldwide) is Nanny’s Silly Soap Company, who developed their products in close consultation with the traditional shaving community.
Let’s see what they say themselves:
Nanny’s Silly Soap Company is a small artisan business which specialises in soap made without harsh synthetic ingredients. My soap is made with a range of luxury oils and exotic butters, carefully selected and balanced to produce a hard long lasting bar with creamy luxurious lather, gentle cleansing and scents from nature. No synthetic foaming agents, preservatives, chelators, scents or colours are used in my soap. Only essential oils and other botanicals are used for scent, and for colours plant based ingredients and clays are used.
All of the above applies to my shaving soaps, except that they are not hard – somewhere between a hard soap and a cream. They work well whatever type of brush you use.
Many people with dry itchy skin conditions, including eczema, find that natural soap like mine can improve their skin’s condition.
I have eulogised on here before about horse hair brushes, they are said to have 85% of the good attributes of badger brushes and 85% of the good attributes of boar brushes. Certainly the ones made in Spain by Vie Long have a very enthusiastic following. And they have the advantage that the hair is the result of natural grooming, so no animals are harmed in their production. So all in all I had no hesitation in buying one of these brushes from Turkey.
Turkish horse hair and Chinese bristle shaving brushes
Wow, this brush is a bundle of fun. A whole world better than the Chinese boar brushes at this price point. It looks very similar in size to a Semogue Owners Club when sat next to one. Around a 24mm knot, 54 mm loft, 56mm handle height. The handle is varnished light wood and the horse hair is very light brown. Build quality is good but the detail finish is not there, varnish thickness etc. Still excellent for the price but nowhere near the presentation of, say, a Frank Shaving brush.
Turkish horse hair and Semogue Owners Club shaving brushes
Brand new you can tell it is horse hair by the smell. I lathered it up twice with Williams and washed it with dishwashing liquid and the smell was gone. During this process it shed half a dozen or so hairs. Then it was time to shave, it loaded up very nicely indeed with MWF and held enough for three passes. It was quite soft to the face but obviously not Silver Tip soft, though I have used badger brushes that are far more scritchy. And it certainly had enough backbone to handle MWF easily.
Turkish shaving brushes. Jaguar and horse hair
All in all this is an excellent brush and at the price it is just silly value for money. Easily the best value shaving brush on the market just now.
If You Acquired a Gillette M3Power Razor Between May 1, 2004 and October 31, 2005 You May Be Entitled to Benefits from a Class Action Settlement
There is a proposed class action settlement with The Gillette Company in a class action lawsuit called In re M3Power Razor System Marketing & Sales Practices Litigation.
The lawsuit claims that Gillette’s advertisements stating that the M3Power Razor (“M3P”) “raises or stimulates hair up and away from the skin” were false and misleading and violated consumer-related laws in the USA and Canada. In mid-2005, Gillette deleted those representations from its ads. The proposed Settlement is not an admission of wrongdoing or an indication that any law was violated. The Court has not ruled on the merits of the plaintiffs’ claims or on the defenses made by Gillette. Gillette denies the allegations but agreed to the proposed Settlement to resolve this class action. This lawsuit is not about the safety of the M3Power Razor.
The proposed Settlement provides $7,500,000 to benefit Settlement Class Members who obtained an M3P in the USA between May 1, 2004 and September 30, 2005 and in Canada between May 1, 2004 and October 31, 2005. M3Ps purchased for re-sale are not included.
The proposed Settlement will provide Settlement Class Members who submit a valid, timely claim with either a refund (a minimum of $13 US or $16.25 Canadian, depending on the place of purchase) for their M3P, or up to two $5 US rebates (up to a total of $10 US, or the equivalent in Canadian dollars) for any M3Power blades and/or any Fusion or Fusion ProGlide razor purchased before May 2, 2011, or a new Gillette manual men’s razor as a replacement, and other relief.
Claims are limited to one per person and three per household. If claims exceed the amount available for benefits, there will be no benefit for replacement razors and the refunds and rebates will be reduced in proportion. If claims do not exceed the amount available, additional benefits may be distributed.
Ben Barnow, Barnow and Associates, P.C. and Robert M. Rothman, Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP have been appointed as Settlement Class Counsel. If approved, Gillette will pay fees, costs, and expenses of Settlement Class Counsel, as well as incentive awards to the individuals who brought the lawsuit. These amounts will not be deducted from the proposed Settlement. You may hire your own attorney, if you wish, at your own expense.
If you do not want to be legally bound by the proposed Settlement, you must exclude yourself in writing, postmarked by March 4, 2011, and sent to the Settlement Administrator at the address below. If you stay in the Settlement Class, you may file a claim. Claims must be postmarked by May 2, 2011. You may object to any aspect of the proposed Settlement. Objections must be postmarked by March 4, 2011. You also may request in writing to appear at the Final Fairness Hearing, which will be held on March 25, 2011 at 2:00 p.m. The U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts will consider whether the proposed Settlement is fair, reasonable, and adequate and the motion for attorneys’ fees, costs, and expenses. The Court will also consider objections at that time.
This is only a summary of the proposed Settlement. For a more detailed Notice, a copy of the Settlement Agreement, and how to file a claim: call: 1-877-506-4030, visit: http://www.m3powersettlement.com, or write to: M3Power Settlement, P.O. Box 2302, Faribault, MN 55021-9002.
Gillette Super Speeds. Red Tip, Flare Tip, Blue Tip
However they were preceded by a model which is known as the 1940s Super Speed. This was made in small quantities during World War 2, from 1942 to 1945 and production was ramped up in 1946 and kept going till 1954. Interestingly this was one of the razors that saw the introduction of date codes, stamped on the bottom of the razor head, from the third quarter of 1950. These codes run from 1 to 4 for the quarter of production and have a letter for the year. 1950 was V, 1951 was W and 1952 was X, which is of interest to me because an X3 Gillette razor would be my birth razor.
Gillette Milord, 1940s Super Speed, Black Tip Super Speed
There were two anomalies of 1940s Super Speed production. The first was that when they replaced the standard nickel plating with gold plating they renamed the razor. It became the Milord. The second was the effects of the Korean war. This used up immense quantities of brass for making artillery shells, to such an extent that there was a strategic shortage of brass in 1951 and 1952 which was the worst that America had ever seen. This hit Gillette especially as their razors were mostly nickel plated brass, so they were forced to adapt to the circumstances.
This is what led to the Black Tip Super Speed, which was only made for these two years. It was made with either a steel handle (the only steel handled razor that Gillette ever made in the USA) or an aluminium handle. On both of these versions the TTO knob at the bottom of the handle was made from black plastic (unlike the later Red Tip and Blue Tip models which had painted metal TTO knobs).
Gillette Black Tip X3 birthday razor
Despite their comparative rarity, interesting history and the fact that they are one of the best shavers Gillette ever made these razors still sell for comparatively low prices. They just aren’t in fashion, which suited me down to the ground when I went hunting for my X3 birth razor Black Tip on eBay. The one I found is a steel handled version in immaculate, almost unused, condition and it cost me just $7.99 (£4.93) and like most of my vintage Gillettes it crossed the Atlantic in a jiffy bag.
Razors photographed:
B2 Super Speed Red Tip 1956
J4 Super Speed Flare Tip 1964
C1 Super Speed Blue Tip 1957
No code Milord
No code 1940s Super Speed
X3 Super Speed Black Tip 1952
Both the “no code” razors have a notched centre bar so are 1948 or later.
And lots of good discussion, 83 topics and 274 posts of good quality. Also two people have kindly volunteers to be moderators.
The idea is to have an online community which is friendly and supportive with mutual respect where people are treated as they would like to be treated themselves. A tall order but it can be done.
Predictably two of these internet hooligans descended on the forum to try and trash it, presumably they thought that they were being clever. If they jumped over the wall of my home and started vandalising the garden I would call the police and their pictures, names and addresses would soon be in the local paper. But somehow they think that the internet is different.
So I banned them, banned their IP addresses and posted their IPs complete with Lookup details, just to let them know that they aren’t really anonymous. And they got off lightly, there are spammer databases used by blogs, forums and elsewhere on the internet, I could have referred them to these which would have curtailed their internet rights significantly.
This does not mean I am ever going to publish the IP addresses of other members, no matter how much I disagree with them and no matter how heated the discussion, because I won’t. What it does mean is that I am protecting the normal, civilised majority from the barbarians. We either have a civilised community or we don’t and I will do what it takes to make sure that we get the former outcome.
When I was young you could buy an aftershave called Moustache made by Rochas and it was unique, unlike any other aftershave, it was completely distinctive whilst remaining remarkable pleasant. Launched in 1948, just after World War 2, it was designed by Edmond and Theresa Roudnitska (his wife). Edmond was one of the most famous perfumers of all time and created famous, classical brands for Dior, Elizabeth Arden, Rochas and Hermes, amongst others. Theresa had studied at l’Ecole de Chimie in Paris, graduating in 1941, and served her apprenticeship in the laboratories of the De Laire company. It is thought that Theresa instigated the idea for Moustache and that Edmond added polish to the formulation.
Apparently there are six different families of fragrance used in aftershaves, these are citrus, spicy, leather, lavender, fougere, and woody (and combinations of these). If you go to one of the traditional St James’s men’s grooming shops and sample their long established men’s colognes you will find a cross section of these scent families represented. For Moustache the notes are lime, bergamot, pine, fruits, vetiver and moss, yet the citrus was very subtle and did not intrude. There are plenty of reviews of it online on more specialised sites than this.
Then came disaster. Rochas (under owners Procter & Gamble who also own Gillette) decided to reformulate Moustache to bring it more in line with modern fashions ( another scent, Monsieur Rochas was also reformulated). They made it more refreshing, made the citrus dominate. But of course in doing so all they succeeded in doing was to create yet another “me too” which had no special merit to make it stand out from the legions of citrus scents. So there was no real need to buy it and in the end Rochas had little option but to discontinue it.
You can buy old stock of the reformulated Moustache online and once you get past the initial citrus jolt it is still a bit special, but in reality it is a pale shadow of the original. You can even still buy the old formulation. If you are looking for Moustache then the new formulation is in a rectangular frosted glass bottle with a silver cap. The original is in a cylindrical fluted glass bottle.
All this has left a bad taste in my mouth and put me off my citrus favourites like Au Sauvage by Dior and Agua Fresca by Dominguez, instead I am going through a phase of Bay Rum and Floid as my own little statement against fashion and the conformity it can sometimes bring us.
