RIP SOTD:
- Razor: Charcoal Goods Brass Level 2
- Blade: Astra Superior Platinum (5)
- Brush: Lentfer Custom Woodworks Red and Black
- Lather: Mickey Lee Soapworks - Lu'au
- Aftershave: Mickey Lee Soapworks - Lu'au
- Fragrance: Summer Break Soaps - Daydream
It's crazy to look back over my years and see the artisans we've lost along the way. Some of them, like Storybook Soapworks, West of Olympia, and Red Panda were small artisans that got their start here on Reddit and were a part of our community and the super supportive community of artisans here. Others were bigger players such as Dr. Jon's, but to me at least, none were bigger than Mickey Lee Soapworks. When I started, these guys were big time, and for good reason. Their soap base and scents were top notch. When they decided to close up shop it blew my mind, but also, I get it. Running a business is a lot of work especially when you've got other things going on. Both owners, Mickey Lee and Sammy Lee were active here back in the day and were awesome people. Lu'au remains the best exclusive the sub had ever done.
On another note, we need to talk about bentonite clay. I just can't get enough of wet shaving (I purchased leisureguy's book and read it cover to cover in one sitting!) I've also been reading through the entire day of B&B. 14 years and 4 months ago OldBobHemi proved conclusively through his observations that the ingredient Bentonite Clay dulls razors significantly. Mr. Hemi says he feels that he might maybe sometimes get 1 or so less shaves out of a blade when using soaps with Bentonite Clay. Several other forum members agreed that they also maybe might sometimes get less shaves. Now despite this hard hitting scientific evidence, I've noticed that several artisans continue to use this harmful ingredient in their soap. I didn't switch to wet shaving to lose money, and if my blades are going to wear out sooner and cost me an extra $1.55 per year, well then count me out. I'll be sticking with my supply of Williams (RIP) until these "artisans" wise up.