July 1, 2023
- Brush: AP Shave Co Candy Stripe 24mm Boar/Badger Mix #MISTURA
- Razor: Roman Empire Shaving Poseidon Shavette #RAINBOW
- Blade: Wilkinson Sword
- Lather: Highland Springs Soap Company - Found Cherry
- Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. - Black Cherry Splash
- Fragrance: Coty – Raw Vanilla
- Music: Warrant – Cherry Pie
And… Here. We. Go.
Day 1 of this month-long extravaganza I’ve been waiting a year for. Last year was my first Lather Games and it was all fun and games and I placed a respectable 18th place. It was actually higher than I ever expected I’d finish, and I was (and still am) ecstatic with my prize from Barrister and Mann. Last year’s games were when I first really started to feel like I was part of this community. Sure, I posted a little bit here and there, and got good shaving advice, but I never paid much attention to the faceless user names or who was posting what. And I certainly wasn’t inserting myself into anything. Then, the Lather Games changed that, it was fun to mix it up, participate in the stories, and I proudly won the side contest of defending Cosmo’s daily use of Midnight Stag. And it was fun. Now this year, the fun and games are over. It's time to go to work. From this point forward, The 9th Annual Lather Games will forever be known as: The Lather Games: Priusaurus’ Revenge. The gloves are off and I’m playing for keeps.
I’m not going to be as insightful as u/RedMosquitoMM, and I’m my antics aren’t going to come close to u/djundjila in 2021, and I can’t recreate u/CosmoBarber’s 2020 performance. But I don’t need to. I’m going to out-work, out-write, out-interview, and out-shave every last person in this competition. No point will be left on the table. No post will be mailed in. And no challenge won’t be accepted. I’m calling my shot on day 1. Not only am I going to win this damn thing, I just may bring home a perfect score in the process. So be warned, r/wetshaving community: from this point forward, you’re all playing for 2nd place.
Wait – Did Priusaurus say “out-interview”?? You damn right I did. As part of my 2023 Lather Games efforts, I’ve reached out to all the artisans we know and love (and a few that many don’t), and will be including a series I’m calling “10 Questions with…” in the vast majority of daily posts, asking them about themselves and their business.
Now that I’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s reflect on how far I’ve come since the last games. This time last year, I owned 3 razors, 2 brushes, and I could fit all my soaps in a toolbox. This year, I’m at 3 dozen razors, over 15 brushes, and I’d need a giant snap-on tool chest to fit my soap collection. If this is the rabbit hole, I’m gonna need that rescue crew that got those Chilean Miners out of their cave-in to come get me next. However, one thing is staying the same: Last year, I made a commitment not to match scents the entire games, and this year I’m doing the same damn thing. With the exception of Dickhole Day, I won’t be matching anything. I can and own many, many, many matching sets, but I’m #ridingwithItchy for the entirety of The Games. No dickholing here. And that's a promise.
Even with all the growth and progress I’ve made since last year, there’s still a LOT I haven’t shaved with. I still haven’t used a slant razor, never tried an artist club razor, and I’ve never tried a shavette. One of those ends today. I picked up a Roman Empire Shaving Shavette and took it for its maiden voyage today.
I’m also using soap from an artisan I never used before: Highland Springs Soap Company with a scent called “Found Cherry”, which is a dupe of Tom Ford’s Lost Cherry with notes of Black Cherry, Tonka, and Almond. It has a delicious sweetness to it and almost smells like cherry vanilla ice cream without being cloying at all. Found Cherry is almost like Moon Soaps' Amaretto Speciale’s little brother with the Tonka in there to tone it down a notch or two. The smell was very enjoyable. It lathered up great and provided me a nice slick cushion to glide this new shavette across my skin. Anyone that knows me, knows I’m not super picky when it comes to soaps. I really feel like 99% of modern soaps can produce a good lather, and HSSC is no different. I enjoyed using their soap.
The AP Shave Co Boar/Badger mix is my absolute favorite AP Shave Co brush that I own. The knot has the perfect amount of scritch from the boar, with the softness of the Badger to even it out. And his handle looks amazing and feels great in my hand.
I paired Found Cherry with Stirling’s Black Cherry Splash, which smells more like cherry flavored cough medicine, than the delicious cherry from the soap. Then I sprayed on Raw Vanilla for a really nice #FOF combination to balance out the fake cherry from the splash.
Challenge:
I’ve used straights in the last year, which prepared me for my first time with a shavette. This wasn’t as smooth as a straight, but only having to navigate 1.75 inches of blade instead of 3 inches of potentially beheading myself allowed me to be more precise, which I actually liked. But that’s where the advantages ended. The blade wasn’t as smooth, and it didn’t feel as comfortable in my hand as a straight. Like anything, I’m sure with practice it’ll be fine. The good news is, I didn’t cut or nick myself at all, so I have that going for me.
To close out of my essay of the day:
10 Questions with… AP Shave Co.
AP Shave Co is no stranger to our community and is a proud sponsor of these Lather Games, as well as the dude who put together the brush and handle I used today. Andrew was kind enough to play along with my shenanigans. Thank you u/apshaveco! Really appreciate all you do for this community and taking the time to answer these questions:
1. How did you get started selling shaving brushes? What was the process like when you were getting started?
My friend actually got me started by referring me to r/wicked_edge*. From there I got pretty obsessed with the hobby, found a product that wasn't being made readily available easily (what I went on to name the tuxedo) and the rest is pretty much history. Getting started I just sold knots on Etsy, slowly as my name got out there I diversified my product line and built out a full website.*
2. What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned since starting AP Shave Co?
Hmmmm this is a really good question. I don't really have one answer that stands out, but I think the biggest lesson I've learned is to just be patient. I'll have so many ideas, so many additions to the lineup, and so many raw materials that I think are awesome, that it all can't be done at once. Taking things one step at a time has proven to be a successful model for me and it also helps me better understand what the "majority" likes, as we all know this hobby can be very YMMV so what I think is great may not be what others see as great.
3. Have you used every type of knot AP Shave Co sells?
Yes. Always. That's the core value of my business. As a hobbyist, I only sell what I'd use personally. If it's not quality and tested by myself, it's not going in the AP Shave Co. lineup. It's my reputation on the line every time I release a product and I take that seriously.
4. If you had to use only one brush/razor/soap/aftershave for a month, what would you pick?
Oh man, this is a tough one. It really depends on the month, but here's what I've been feeling recently:Brush: AP Shave Co. Layered Comfort Aluminum Handle (Bronze) x Muhle 25mm STF Razor: Triangle Slot Tech (Made in Canada) with a Titanium Handle Soap: Chiseled Face Trade Winds Aftershave: Chiseled Face Cryogen Aftershave (love my menthol!)
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