Frederich Ern & Co
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| An absolute pleasure to work on and hone. |
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Monday, April 28, 2014
WSO Shave of the Day!
Monday 4/28/2014
Schick Type E Injector
Schick Injector Blade
Shave Factory Small Horsehair Brush
WSO Pre-Shave Oil (new batch)
WSO Vetiver Premium Shave Sop
WSO Vetiver Aftershave Blash
So today I used some new products and an old blade. I knew the Blade in this Type E injector pretty much had it but I wanted to see how the shave would go using the WSO products and a known beat blade. This is my favorite if the Schick Injectors, one of the most aggressive. I like the way this razor shaves very much.
The brush is a Shaving Factory $10 shipped horsehair brush. Now there has been debate that this is not horsehair at all but boar. I am not certain how anyone could question if this is horse of not once it gets wet. This smells like wet horse. Doubts erased. Rarely can I leave anything alone I get and thats the case with this brush. I sanded the cheap finish on it and coated it with 3 coats of spar urethane, sanding between all coats. If you are looking for an intro to horse brush this one is a great value at only $10 and is not a bad brush. It only shed a few hair in the beginning then stopped. Its prob got 40 test lathers and a few shave uses under its belt. Hey for $10 shipped- its a darn good value. Its no Vie-Long , but it isnt bad at all.
Today's shave was interesting. I mainly wanted to see if the Pre-Shave Oil and the Soap could help to overcome a blade that needed replacing. I will be honest, it cant 100%. It can help, but it cant overcome it. I did half my face in Pre-Shave Oil, half with none. The half with none was less comfortable to shave and there was more pull for certain. The side with the Pre-Shave Oil was better but I could still detect the blade needed replacing. I was sufficiently satisfied that indeed the Pre-Shave was making a difference.
On to the soap. this is a new vetiver scent of WSO Soap that may be released shortly. It is out with testers right now, probably just a formality as the real boss, my wife, likes it. As you may have heard me say before, if she likes a scent you might as well just go with it. She seems to have that knack. Plus she provides that ever important spouses opinion that can result in the pleasant purchasing experience of a product. In all seriousness Im liking this scent. In fact it is one of those that initially I liked it and thought yes I think this would be we received to now smelling it often thinking there is something about it I really like but haven't figured out yet.
The Vetiver Aftershave Blash offered a great finish to not the smoothest shave. It was a great way to test the soothing properties of the balm, the dull blade that is. In spite of a fairly rough shave, my face feels pretty good.
Actually in spite of the poor blade condition overall the shave outcome is not that bad. All in all it was an interesting shave experience and I very much enjoyed the new scent and the performance of the Pre-Shave Oil. I accomplished my goal and look forward to a shave tomorrow with a finely honed & stropped straight or a new med prep, feather or personnna lab! lol
I hope you all have fantastic shaves today!
Regards,
Jim@WetShaveObsession
Sunday, April 27, 2014
WSO Shave of the Day!
Sunday 4/27/2014
Vintage 4/8" Severin French Point Straight
Vie-Long Peleon Brown Horsehair Brush
WSO Mentholated Pre-Shave Oil
WSO Bill the Barber Soap
WSO Green Irish Tweed Balm
I will keep this short and sweet. Had a fantastic shave tonight, This Severin was everything I hoped it would be and more. The razor came to me in fantastic condition. I washed it and lightly hand polished scales and then blade. I freshened it with 40 laps with green compound then stropped it, then it was ready to shave. Arm hairs were flying. I was very fortunate to receive a razor that was so well taken care of.
This razor provides excellent maneuverability and great audible feedback. I could hear the whiskers slicing, it was very very nice.
I am very pleased and proud of the new Mentholated Pre-Shave Oil. It works wonderfully. Both softening and conditioning the whiskers while acting on the pore of the skin causing the whiskers to extend and stiffen then slightly. I attribute this to the very minimal amount of SD40 which is just enough to keep menthol is solution and maintain product sterility. That being said its astringent qualities def assist the menthol in exerting its effects on the pores of the skin.
I got the Bill the Barber lather to my desired "straight shave" consistency and it performed beautifully. I had way more than required for the single pass and multiple touch ups.
This was a full straight only shave , my 2nd in a row, and it came out better than yesterdays. I think my straight technique is improving.
Now usually I use a blash post straight shave, but today I decided to go with the Balm. What a pleasant choice. Bot only do I love the Green Irish Tweed scent, the balm is rich and soothing without that greasy feel. My skin feels very soft and moisturized and well protected at the moment.
All in all this was a very good shave. im thrilled with the new straight and pleased with the product performance. I enjoyed this shave very much!
Enjoy Your Shaves!
Regards,
Jim@WetShaveObsesssion
Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate is NOT Sodium Laureth Sulfate !!
Sadly sometimes in forums information gets passed around that is often inaccurate. I don't think this is intentional at all, but it happens all the time. The thing that is frightening about it is it gets adopted, accepted, and regurgitated as fact.
I am specifically referring to some confusion I recently observed regarding Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate and Sodium Laureth Sulfate.
You see Sodium Laureth Sulfate is a synthetically derived detergent that is synthesized using sulfuric acid. It can be a potential skin irritant and I would never use it in my soap.
Now Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate is a completely different animal. It is a very mild, skin friendly, foaming agent that is naturally derived from palm and coconut oil. It has virtually no irritant properties whatsoever in the concentration used and I use it in my soaps without hesitation.
Now it is easy to see where some serious misinformation could be perpetrated given the closeness of the names of the 2 substances and how people might assume based on that that they were the same thing. Nothing could be further from the truth. I would strongly encourage those that have any questions regarding ingredient or ingredient properties to go ahead and email me or contact me via twitter or pm me on the forums. I will be more than happy to accurately answer any questions you might have.
This actually ties in well as I have been considering doing a featured ingredient of the month write up here on the blog. This write up could be on Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate this month; The all natural , skin friendly, mild, irritation free lathering agent used in WSO Premium Shave Soap!
Enjoy Your Shaves!
Regards,
Jim@WetShaaveObsession
I am specifically referring to some confusion I recently observed regarding Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate and Sodium Laureth Sulfate.
You see Sodium Laureth Sulfate is a synthetically derived detergent that is synthesized using sulfuric acid. It can be a potential skin irritant and I would never use it in my soap.
Now Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate is a completely different animal. It is a very mild, skin friendly, foaming agent that is naturally derived from palm and coconut oil. It has virtually no irritant properties whatsoever in the concentration used and I use it in my soaps without hesitation.
Now it is easy to see where some serious misinformation could be perpetrated given the closeness of the names of the 2 substances and how people might assume based on that that they were the same thing. Nothing could be further from the truth. I would strongly encourage those that have any questions regarding ingredient or ingredient properties to go ahead and email me or contact me via twitter or pm me on the forums. I will be more than happy to accurately answer any questions you might have.
This actually ties in well as I have been considering doing a featured ingredient of the month write up here on the blog. This write up could be on Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate this month; The all natural , skin friendly, mild, irritation free lathering agent used in WSO Premium Shave Soap!
Enjoy Your Shaves!
Regards,
Jim@WetShaaveObsession
Pre-Shave Oil Back & Mentholed Pre-Shave Oil Released!
Our Original Pre-Shave Oil is back in stock: WSO Ultimate Pre-Shave Oil
Our New Mentholated Pre-Shave Oil is now released: WSO Ultimate Skincare Mentholated Pre-Shave Oil
For those users of Pre-Shave Oil take your Pre-Shave Oil to the next level. For those that have tried Pre-Shave Oils and said they make no difference, try one that is designed to truly make a difference!
Thanks to everyone for their patronage and support. It is only due to that that new product offerings such as the Ultimate Skincare Mentholated Pre-Shave Oil are possible. For that I am truly grateful.
Enjoy Your Shaves!
Regards,
Jim@WetShaveObsession
Our New Mentholated Pre-Shave Oil is now released: WSO Ultimate Skincare Mentholated Pre-Shave Oil
For those users of Pre-Shave Oil take your Pre-Shave Oil to the next level. For those that have tried Pre-Shave Oils and said they make no difference, try one that is designed to truly make a difference!
Thanks to everyone for their patronage and support. It is only due to that that new product offerings such as the Ultimate Skincare Mentholated Pre-Shave Oil are possible. For that I am truly grateful.
Enjoy Your Shaves!
Regards,
Jim@WetShaveObsession
Saturday, April 26, 2014
WSO Saturday Straight Shave of the Day!
Saturday 4/26/2014
Wm Elliot & Co Straight Razor
Simpson Colonel X2L
WSO Mentholated Pre-Shave Oil
WSO White Lightning Soap
WSO White Lightning Blash
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| Nice Consistency Straight Razor Shave Lather for me. YMMV |
This was a very pleasant shave from start to finish. This is one of the few straight razors I have that I got pretty much already restored. Most of them need at the very least need a serious cleaning, blade and scale polishing, and serious honing. This razor came 100% shave ready and in beautiful condition. It is a Wm Elliot & Co 5/8"and it is a very nice shaving razor in my opinion.
Now I am no straight razor expert by any means and it is only recently I got back into shaving with a straight. I have to say it has rejuvenated my excitement for wetshaving, not that it needed it, but it has! I am enjoying both the shaving and in many cases the razor restoring and the razor preparation as well.
Prep for todays shave was a hot water face wash and WSO Mentholated Pre-Shave Oil. This is actually being released today as a new product. I will be posting a write up upon its release so I will not say too much here. I have been using this for some time, many of you if you follow my SOTD have seen me using it. I will say one this. I have heard many, many, times that Pre-Shave Oil does nothing for someone's shave, or, "I have tried it and it didnt make a difference". This Pre-Shave Oil is actually designed to do something. For me it makes a difference during the shave, it makes a difference in the end result.
The soap used is WSO White Lightning, a favorite choice of mine for straight razor shaves. It and the Lime seem to be my go to's when I use a straight for some unplanned, random, reason. Perhaps because I really enjoy the Blash after a straight shave and I have matching Blash in those 2 scents! The soap scent is not a conscious one, the Blash use post straight shave definitely is.
The shave went very well. I did one pass and several touch up passes id say. Not full passes but areas that needed going over. The side of my chin both right and left. One portion of my neck, and a couple other small places. I am happy to say it was a full straight razor shave that went very well. As I am feeling my face now it seems there is one small area where I could have done a tad better but overall I am pleased.
The post shave inspection/Blash application went well. I definitely like the soothing of the blash after a shave, especially so after a straight razor shave. My skin feels very good right now.
Everything went very well with todays straight shave and again thanks to my beautiful wife for allowing me the time to enjoy it. Im off to take the kids for Water Ice, its a pretty nice day here in Southeast PA today, off to enjoy it a bit!
Enjoy Your Shaves!
Regards,
Jim@WetShaveObsession
Friday, April 25, 2014
WSO & Knockout Shave...Quite the 1-2 Punch !!
I am extremely humbled and honored to make this announcement. WetShaveObsession has partnered with Knockout Shave, or Knockout Shave has partnered with WetShaveObsession, however you choose to look at it. At any rate in the coming weeks Knockout Shave will be carrying WetShaveObsession Premium Shave Soap.
I have been approached by several retailers about the possibility of them selling WSO Premium Shave Soap. My response has always been the same, I barely am able to keep up with my direct orders and my margins are not set for a wholesale/retail scenario. Everyone politely replied that they understood and if the situation were to change to contact them.
Everyone that is, except Knockout Shave. He continued to talk to me, to develop a relationship with me, allow me to get to know him. We spoke in depth and he shared how he will not sell anything he does not personally try or use and believe in himself. We talked in depth about our shared passion of wetshaving. We established and developed a friendship based on our shared passion. We also spoke in depth about business and about my concerns of how it was getting harder to keep up with customer demand. The last thing in the world I want is a customer wanting to use my soap or aftershaves or pre-shave, and not being able to get it.
The conclusion we came to was that if I somehow could do a couple bulk batches of soap and wholesale them to a retailer that would agree to sell them at my fixed price point, it would offer my customers an alternate source for product should I run out of stock. We both agreed this would help. If I was going to do something like this it was becoming more and more clear who I would want to do it with.
The next issue we had to overcome was that of the profit margin of the soap. The pricing of WSO is by no means set up for a wholesale/retail scenario. The ingredients are the finest and in almost all cases 100% organic raw materials available. The soapmaking process used is so labor intensive, however that labor is a labor of love and a passion, so it has never been appropriately valued when it comes to a product pricing standpoint. It was at this point motives and objectives became perfectly clear. The goal here, with him and me, was not to be greedy and make a ton of money. It was exactly the same for both of us, to be able to provide the customers that wanted it, WSO Premium Shave Soap.
I would be able to provide an alternate source of stock for my customers. Customers that otherwise would have to either wait or choose not to purchase WSO Premium Shave Soap. He would be able to (and these are his words not mine) carry the best soap there is out there. We both were willing to take a significant cut in profit margins in order to accomplish this end.
To say I am excited about this relationship is an understatement. I have no doubts that it will work and work well as it is founded upon sound ethical principles, not greed. Its motives are good, thus its outcome shall be as well. Its an honor to be associated with a gentleman with the morals, ethics and character displayed by Knockout Shave. When you find a retailer whose ultimate goal is the same as yours, to provide people with the best possible shaving products possible, and not to try to make the most money possible, that is someone you better align yourself with as soon as possible. That is exactly what I did.
So keep your eye out in the next week or two and visit Knockout Shave. It will be an honor having WetShaveObsession Premium Shave Soap for sale by this fantastic retailer, wet shaving enthusiast, and one heck of a good human being!.
Enjoy Your Shaves!
Regards,
Jim@WetShaveObsession
I have been approached by several retailers about the possibility of them selling WSO Premium Shave Soap. My response has always been the same, I barely am able to keep up with my direct orders and my margins are not set for a wholesale/retail scenario. Everyone politely replied that they understood and if the situation were to change to contact them.
Everyone that is, except Knockout Shave. He continued to talk to me, to develop a relationship with me, allow me to get to know him. We spoke in depth and he shared how he will not sell anything he does not personally try or use and believe in himself. We talked in depth about our shared passion of wetshaving. We established and developed a friendship based on our shared passion. We also spoke in depth about business and about my concerns of how it was getting harder to keep up with customer demand. The last thing in the world I want is a customer wanting to use my soap or aftershaves or pre-shave, and not being able to get it.
The conclusion we came to was that if I somehow could do a couple bulk batches of soap and wholesale them to a retailer that would agree to sell them at my fixed price point, it would offer my customers an alternate source for product should I run out of stock. We both agreed this would help. If I was going to do something like this it was becoming more and more clear who I would want to do it with.
The next issue we had to overcome was that of the profit margin of the soap. The pricing of WSO is by no means set up for a wholesale/retail scenario. The ingredients are the finest and in almost all cases 100% organic raw materials available. The soapmaking process used is so labor intensive, however that labor is a labor of love and a passion, so it has never been appropriately valued when it comes to a product pricing standpoint. It was at this point motives and objectives became perfectly clear. The goal here, with him and me, was not to be greedy and make a ton of money. It was exactly the same for both of us, to be able to provide the customers that wanted it, WSO Premium Shave Soap.
I would be able to provide an alternate source of stock for my customers. Customers that otherwise would have to either wait or choose not to purchase WSO Premium Shave Soap. He would be able to (and these are his words not mine) carry the best soap there is out there. We both were willing to take a significant cut in profit margins in order to accomplish this end.
To say I am excited about this relationship is an understatement. I have no doubts that it will work and work well as it is founded upon sound ethical principles, not greed. Its motives are good, thus its outcome shall be as well. Its an honor to be associated with a gentleman with the morals, ethics and character displayed by Knockout Shave. When you find a retailer whose ultimate goal is the same as yours, to provide people with the best possible shaving products possible, and not to try to make the most money possible, that is someone you better align yourself with as soon as possible. That is exactly what I did.
So keep your eye out in the next week or two and visit Knockout Shave. It will be an honor having WetShaveObsession Premium Shave Soap for sale by this fantastic retailer, wet shaving enthusiast, and one heck of a good human being!.
Enjoy Your Shaves!
Regards,
Jim@WetShaveObsession
Thursday, April 24, 2014
WSO Vie-Long Lord Randal Review
Vie-Long Lord Randal Brush Review
Specs:
Knot Diameter: 24mm
Knot Loft: 52mm
Overall Height: 113mm
Hair Type: Natural White Horsehair
Soap Used: WSO Lime
Initial Impression: The brush itself is beautiful. It has nice weight and balance to it, feels great in the hand, and the finish is beautiful. Sometimes turned handles like these have white lines you can see around area where there is a transition, like the 2 ridges near the center of this handle. This is especially true on darker brushes. No so here. Flawless finish. Overall initial impression, very attractive brush. Super appealing, good feel.
Feel: The brush has nice soft tips, not as soft as a good synthetic but up there with a good quality badger brush for sure. As far as backbone it has adequate backbone. For whatever reason the white horsehair feels a tad bit softer and has a tad less backbone than my brown horsehair brushes. This is not a bad thing. It is almost the perfect middle ground for everything; softness, scritch, and backbone. The feel of the horsehair knot for me is just about perfect. It seriously reminds me of my Simpsons Colonel X2L in Best. Thats saying quite a bit from a brush with a $42 price tag.
General Impressions: The brush look great, feels great in the hand, it lathers exceptionally well both face and bowl, has a nice mix of softness and scritch, with almost the perfect amount of backbone for me. This is one of those brushes that as soon as I used it I knew it would be a winner for me no matter how I chose to use it. I love the versatility this brush displays, I love the way it looks, I love the way it feels on my face.
When I take a step back and think I paid only $42 for this brush with its looks , feel and performance, all I can think of is what a fantastic value it is. I got a brush for $42 with a horsehair knot that performs up the with my Simpsons Best Badger Brush. Thats pretty darn impressive!
In Summation: I am highly impressed. If you have never used a horsehair brush, this is the one to get. It has it all. Look at it like this, if you dont like this brush, you wont like any horsehair brush as this is the finest example of a well designed, attractive, well thought out horsehair brush with excellent performance. In all honesty if someone told me I could only use this brush from here on out, I would not be that upset. For someone as obsessed as I am with literally 16 or so brushes in the rotation and a bunch more just around, that's saying quite a bit.
The brush itsself is available at http://www.bullgooseshaving.com
It is the Vie-Long Lord Randal. It is available in Brown Horse, White Horse, Horse/ Badger Mix , and Premium Silvertip.
BTW I have last years Vie-Long beehive in premium silvertip and it is the finest silvertip knot I have in any brush,bar none. Vie-Long in my mind is becoming synonymous with two things : Quality and Value.
So I hope you enjoyed the review, the brush is absolutely fantastic. I cannot recommend it enough.
Enjoy Your Shaves!
Regards,
Jim@WetShaveObsesssion
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
WSO Shave of the Day!
Wednesday 4/23/2014
Pax 42. 3/8" ; H. Eicher and Sons Straight Razor
Vie-Long Lord Randal White Horsehair
WSO Mentholated Pre-Shave
WSO Bill the Barber Premium Shave Soap
WSO Lime Premium Aftershave Blash
I am going to keep this brief as I am in the middle of several things at the moment. Soap is being made, orders are being packed, and shipping labels printed.
As far as todays shave honestly I feel fantastic about it. Everything in this shave was top notch and much of it has some form of meaning to me. The razor is a vintage straight that I restored myself. It is a 3/8"which is a bit unusual and not very glamorous. So often people are caught up in and impressed with the large 7/8"blades etc and I will admit they are very nice and very desirable. A 3/8 razor is often thought of as a trim up razor or a cheap razor. In all honesty I think 3/8 and 4/8 straights are the absolute best straights someone can start with. They are so easy to use and so maneuverable it is an absolute pleasure to shave with one. Especially one you restored and honed yourself.
The brush today is the new Vie-Long Lord Randal from Bullgoose Shaving. What can I say- Phil nailed this one. The brush looks gorgeous, performs amazingly, and is a fantastic value at only $42 for the Natural White Horsehair knot. Fantastic brush destined to end up alongside my 2013 Vie-Long Beehive Badger-Horse mix and my Simpsons Colonel X2L as one of my top brushes.
Even the bowl today was a personal favorite. It is a turned teakwood polynesian bowl. It is far more beautiful than the picture does it justice. It is also the perfect size and I absolutely love it.
The software for the shave all performed well. I personally view Pre-Shave a necessity when I use a straight in particular.
The Bill the Barber soap worked extremely well. I add more water to my soap when I shave with a straight, The lather is a bit of a different consistency and one of the things I was looking for when formulating a soap was one that would do the job equally as well whether lathering for a de Safety Razor or for a straight and I honestly fee that the WSO Shave soaps do.
The Aftershave Blash choice was a last minute one I had every intention of matching my soap selection by using a Bill the Barber scented blash but when I was reaching for it the Lime caught my eye and as you may have noticed in my SOTD it is a perennial favorite of mine. There is something about that crisp citrusy finish to the shave I really like. At any rate the Lime Blash did its job well, first tightening then soothing and cooling the skin. It still feels fantastic right now.
All in all a very rewarding shave with an excellent end result. Thanks for joining me today!
Enjoy Your Shaves!
Regards,
Jim@WetShaveObsesssion
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
WSO Stock Update 4/22/2014
WSO Stock Update:
Ultimate Pre-Shave Oil is currently out of Stock. It is on schedule to be restocked by Tuesday around 8pm Eastern Standard Time.This includes a new Ultimate Skincare Mentholated Pre-Shave as well.
Premium Shave Soap-
In Stock -
Baywood
Bay Rum
White Lightning (2 Pucks)
Green Irish Tweed (3 pucks)
Vanillawood (1 puck)
Out of Stock-
Bill the Barber
Lime
Zaro
Signature
Louie's Coconut Lime
The Naud
LD Spice
Cucumber Melon
Aftershave Balm & Blash-
Full Stock
There has been a change in the order the soap stock will be refilled. This is directly due to and based on customer demand:
Bill there Barber
Zaro
Signature
Coconut Lime
The Naud
LD Spice
Cucumber Melon
I want to thank everyone for their patience and I assure you I am working as hard as possible to restock soaps as quickly as I can. The only thing more important to me than getting the soaps restocked is maintaining the integrity of the product and not cutting any corners that would compromise product quality. I appreciate your patience and understanding and thank all of you for your patronage and support. It is sincerely appreciated
Enjoy Your Shaves!.
Regards,
Jim@WetShaveObsession
Ultimate Pre-Shave Oil is currently out of Stock. It is on schedule to be restocked by Tuesday around 8pm Eastern Standard Time.This includes a new Ultimate Skincare Mentholated Pre-Shave as well.
Premium Shave Soap-
In Stock -
Baywood
Bay Rum
White Lightning (2 Pucks)
Green Irish Tweed (3 pucks)
Vanillawood (1 puck)
Out of Stock-
Bill the Barber
Lime
Zaro
Signature
Louie's Coconut Lime
The Naud
LD Spice
Cucumber Melon
Aftershave Balm & Blash-
Full Stock
There has been a change in the order the soap stock will be refilled. This is directly due to and based on customer demand:
Bill there Barber
Zaro
Signature
Coconut Lime
The Naud
LD Spice
Cucumber Melon
I want to thank everyone for their patience and I assure you I am working as hard as possible to restock soaps as quickly as I can. The only thing more important to me than getting the soaps restocked is maintaining the integrity of the product and not cutting any corners that would compromise product quality. I appreciate your patience and understanding and thank all of you for your patronage and support. It is sincerely appreciated
Enjoy Your Shaves!.
Regards,
Jim@WetShaveObsession
Friday, April 18, 2014
WSO Stock Update 4/18/2014
WSO Stock Update:
Ultimate Pre-Shave Oil is currently out of Stock. It will be restocked hopefully by Tuesday. In addition to the regular Pre-Shave Oil I will be adding and offering a new Ultimate Skincare Mentholated Version as well.
Premium Shave Soap-
In Stock -
Baywood (Bay Rum & Sandalwood Scent)
Bay Rum
Green Irish Tweed
Very Low Stock-
Bill the Barber (1 left)
Vanillawood (2 left)
White Lightning (3 left)
Tommi (tommy hilfiger) (1 left)
Lime (1 left)
Out of Stock-
Zaro
Signature
Louie's Coconut Lime
The Naud
LD Spice
Cucumber Melon
Aftershave Balm & Blash-
Signature - Low Stock
Bill the Barber - Low Stock
I will be working hard all weekend to replenish Soap Stock. They will be filled in the following order:
Zaro
Coconut Lime
Signature
The Naud
LD Spice
Cucumber Melon
Thank You all for your patronage and support. It is sincerely appreciated!
I promise to work as hard as possible to be able to restock as quickly as I can. That being said I will not cut corners or compromise quality while doing it so please bear with me and I should be able be fully stocked again by next weekend.
I am also increasing my base batch sizes so my next runs will be even larger and stock can be more quickly replenished. For those of you that do not know what I am referring to you can read about my Premium Shave Soap and an overview of the process I use on my website ( http://www.WetShaveObsesssion.com ). It is a Triple Hand Milled (or triple batched) Soap so there are 3 full cooking steps in the process. Each results in a reduction in water content of the soap. That is one reason why my pucks are so hard and not soft like many other soap offerings. The actual volume of the product is reduced by over 1/3 from the first hand milling through to the end if the 3rd and final hand milling. That volume difference is all water. Water you are paying for in a non Triple Hand Milled Soap. Thats just one mall detail that I feel makes a difference in the quality of the product provided to the customer. It is also the first thing people suggest I change when they see how busy I am and try to think of ways to save me time. It, however, is not open for discussion. The question asked is How much difference does it really make? My answer is always the same, "It doesn't matter because any difference that is not moving the product towards being better is not a change I am willing to make".
Sorry for rambling on there. I just had the pleasure of meeting with my accountant so I am a little fired up at some of his suggestions. I know he is only trying to help but he should stick to number crunching and I will stick to soap making LOL...
Enjoy Your Shaves!
Regards,
Jim@WetShaveObsession
Ultimate Pre-Shave Oil is currently out of Stock. It will be restocked hopefully by Tuesday. In addition to the regular Pre-Shave Oil I will be adding and offering a new Ultimate Skincare Mentholated Version as well.
Premium Shave Soap-
In Stock -
Baywood (Bay Rum & Sandalwood Scent)
Bay Rum
Green Irish Tweed
Very Low Stock-
Bill the Barber (1 left)
Vanillawood (2 left)
White Lightning (3 left)
Tommi (tommy hilfiger) (1 left)
Lime (1 left)
Out of Stock-
Zaro
Signature
Louie's Coconut Lime
The Naud
LD Spice
Cucumber Melon
Aftershave Balm & Blash-
Signature - Low Stock
Bill the Barber - Low Stock
I will be working hard all weekend to replenish Soap Stock. They will be filled in the following order:
Zaro
Coconut Lime
Signature
The Naud
LD Spice
Cucumber Melon
Thank You all for your patronage and support. It is sincerely appreciated!
I promise to work as hard as possible to be able to restock as quickly as I can. That being said I will not cut corners or compromise quality while doing it so please bear with me and I should be able be fully stocked again by next weekend.
I am also increasing my base batch sizes so my next runs will be even larger and stock can be more quickly replenished. For those of you that do not know what I am referring to you can read about my Premium Shave Soap and an overview of the process I use on my website ( http://www.WetShaveObsesssion.com ). It is a Triple Hand Milled (or triple batched) Soap so there are 3 full cooking steps in the process. Each results in a reduction in water content of the soap. That is one reason why my pucks are so hard and not soft like many other soap offerings. The actual volume of the product is reduced by over 1/3 from the first hand milling through to the end if the 3rd and final hand milling. That volume difference is all water. Water you are paying for in a non Triple Hand Milled Soap. Thats just one mall detail that I feel makes a difference in the quality of the product provided to the customer. It is also the first thing people suggest I change when they see how busy I am and try to think of ways to save me time. It, however, is not open for discussion. The question asked is How much difference does it really make? My answer is always the same, "It doesn't matter because any difference that is not moving the product towards being better is not a change I am willing to make".
Sorry for rambling on there. I just had the pleasure of meeting with my accountant so I am a little fired up at some of his suggestions. I know he is only trying to help but he should stick to number crunching and I will stick to soap making LOL...
Enjoy Your Shaves!
Regards,
Jim@WetShaveObsession
WSO Shave of the Day!
Thursday 4/17/2014
Merkur 45 Bakelite
Feather
Vulfix 28 Boar 21mm
WSO Ultimate Pre-Shave Oil
WSO White Lightning Soap
WSO Lime Blash
So todays shave was with my Merkur 45 bakelite razor. Well it really isn't bakelite, but it is modern plastic made to look just like a bakelite vintage de safety razor. I chose this razor because a thread was recently started in a shaving forum about it and I posted in the thread. That got me thinking I havent used this razor in quite some time. So today is the day I dusted it off and took it out for a spin!
My prep was pretty standard for me if I do not get a hot shower pre-shave. I washed my face with a new pre-shave soap I have been working on. I patted it dry leaving a slight bit of moisture. I then put about 4 drops..thats it...4 drops... of WSO mentholated pre-shave oil.while I allowed that to absorb into my skin I commenced lathering.
The brush I chose today is a vulfix 28. It is a 21mm boar knot brush and this would be my first actual use for a full shave. I have done about 4-5 test lathers with it while I was mainly testing the soap, nit this brush. The entire reason I got this brush is I wanted a boar around 20mm. I didn't want an Omega or a Semogue, not because they aren't good brushes, they most certainly are, just because I wanted something different. I have a vulfix 2234 in super badger and it is one amazing brush. I saw this vulfix boar and picked it up figuring why not. It turns out this is an excellent little boar brush that I believe will only continue to serve me better and better the more I use it.
My Soap today is WSO White Lightning. I had put a bit of hot water on top of the soap which i had in a plastic ziploc twist top container (like gladware but with a twist on lid). I had a very small amount of White Lightning left at the end of the last batch so i reached for whatever was close and this happened to be there. Man it was a good score! It worked great to lather in!. It was then I realized I was moving towards quite the travel set up with the Merkur 45, the soap in the ziploc plastic container, the small Vulfix boar, etc. At any rate I lathered my soap and well Ill just show you a pic of the result:
Some absolutely beautiful, Thick, rich , and slick lather today. So much so that when I put the brush in the plastic ziploc container full off lather I notice it stood straight up. Then I decided to dump some lather on a plate and see if it could hold the brush up without anything all around the sides being pushed in so to speak. The result is the pic above and I think it speaks for itself!
All lathered up I began the shave. The Merkur 45 is a small, lightweight (obviously) razor. That does not mean it is timid. It is not super aggressive but I would call it medium aggressive. It is definitely more aggressive than the Merkur head on say the 38c or the 43c. I think the fact that this is such a light razor throws people off on the aggression factor. I have heard many say it is very aggressive but I think perhaps that is due to the tendency to apply unnecessary pressure when using such a light razor. This could give the false impression of aggression in a razor.
I did my standard 3 pass, WG,XG.AG and got an excellent shave. There are a couple keys with this razor and if you follow them it is a winner in my opinion. First no pressure. Apply no pressure even thought it is a light weight razor. Second a very sharp blade. This ties in with the above. I think you need a very sharp blade with this razor or again it can come off as more aggressive than it truly is. Also being so light, if a blade is tugging, the tendency may be to again apply pressure. I used a feather blade and had no issues.
All in all todays shave was excellent. I really like this razor and I think I picked it up for like $19 or something. You can t beat it. It would make an excellent Gym Bag or Travel razor but by no means dismiss it from a role in a regular rotation. This plastic razor shaves that well if all else is in order.
Post shave I finished up with WSO Lime Blash which I very much like and cannot wait for full time spring and summer weather when I think it may become my go to scent in soap and Aftershave. My skin felt and still feels fantastic and upon inspection it was a fantastic shave.
Solid prep, Quality Pre-Shave, Good Razor, Sharp Blade, Nice brush, Great Lather, Quality Aftershave = Great Shave. Thats a formula that works right there! I hope you all have or had a great shave today!
Enjoy Your Shaves!
Regards,
Jim@WetShaveObsesssion
Thursday, April 17, 2014
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
WSO Vintage Razor Review:The Schick E-3 Injector
Schick E3 Injector
The Schick Type E Injector was made from 1935-1945. It has a bakelite handle and a spring mechanism that rotates to the left to allow for cleaning. This Particular razor is most easily identified as an E3 as the guard bar has parallel grooving. The razor is 3.75" long x 1.5" wide. It weights 1 1/8oz or 32 grams. The Type E was the first Schick Injector with a bakelite handle. You can tell the handle on a Schick Injector is bakelite as opposed to plastic as there is no seam down the center of the handle. Quite often on auction sites Schick Type G Injectors are misrepresented (often unintentionally I am sure) as Type E Injectors. The Type G has the plastic handle with the seam down the center. So if you are looking to buy a Type E or a bakelite handle look for the seam, if it is not there then the handle is most likely bakelite (unless someone sanded out the seam).
The Schick Injector is one of the longest production run safety razors ever. It was manufactured from 1935-2003. The very same blade can be used in every Schick Injector and they are still available for purchase to this day.
Schick Injectors are fairly plentiful and can be located readily on auction sites. There are a select few that demand high dollar values and for the most part even pristine NOS Schick Injectors can be had for under $100. The exceptions are some limited edition models made using precious metals and a few of the De Luxe Versions if they are complete with case and original injector with blades in it.
All in all the Schick Injector is about as close to a cartridge razor shave as you can get while still being a safety razor. Like many long production run razors the general rule of thumb is the older the razor the more aggressive it tends to be. This is a fairly early Injector and I would categorize it as Medium Aggressive.
The Razor
As stated above this razor is as close as you can get to a cartridge razor shave yet still be a safety razor. Pretty ironic considering it has been around for 80 years! To install a blade you purchase injector blades. They come in an injector loaded with blades with a metal guide that actually slides into the razor head that is known as a key.
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| Loading Blade |
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| Type E with Injector |
As far as the shave goes as I said I would categorize this as a medium aggressive razor. It provides a fine shave. I was using the schick injector blades that I recently purchased for about $5 . The razor is very small and very maneuverable. It is very easy to get the sometimes hard to reach areas such as under the nostrils etc. The shave performance is excellent. I did my typical 3 pass, WG,XG,AG shave but in all honesty I could prob do a 2 pass with some touch up and be fine. Below was my shave set up:
The Schick Type E Injector is a fine razor. It performs fantastically. If it has one drawback (or 2) it is the size and weight. It is very small and very light. The weight does not bother me, the short handle does a bit but it in no way prevents achieving a good shave. M shave today was fantastic. Super smooth, super easy and very fast.
If you have never shaved with a Schick Injector Type E I strongly recommend picking one up. They are fairly easy to come by, relatively inexpensive, and very fun to shave with from time to time. I would almost say it is a great introduction to Safety Razor Shaving but I hesitate as I feel starting with this will not promote or foster the learning of proper form and technique. That being sad it is great, fun razor to use, that is definitely worth having. Also it is an integral part of Safety Razor history. In production for 70 years and quite ahead of its time when it came out the Schick Type E Injector has a firmly established place in safety razor shaving.
I personally have a fairly extensive Schick Injector collection and this is one of my "user" razors. I have many that are in the case and a few NOS that I really do not use but more display. That being said for every one I have on display I have the corresponding razor in my "user" rotation. I thoroughly enjoy using them and the Type E is one of my favorites. Dare I say it is "just right" on the aggressiveness scale for me.
I hope you enjoyed this Vintage Razor Review and found it informative. If you wish to discuss the Schick Injector Type E more in depth please post on my facebook page ( https://www.facebook.com/WetShaveObsession ) or hit me up on twitter ( https://twitter.com/WetShaveObsess ) .
Enjoy Your Shaves!
Regards,
Jim@WetShaveObsession
WSO Stock Update 4/16/2014
Soaps
Vanillawood
White Lightning
Bill the Barber
Baywood
Green Irish Tweed
Zaro - Low Stock
The Naud - Low Stock
Lime - Very Low Stock
Aftershave Balm
Full Stock
Aftershave Blash
Full Stock
Pre-Shave Oil
Out of Stock. Will be in stock by Saturday 4/19/2014 if all goes well. Also will be offering a Mentholated Pre-Shave Oil at that time as well.
RazoRestore
Low Stock
RazoShine
Low Stock
Thank You!
Enjoy Your Shaves!
Jim@WetShaveObsession
Vanillawood
White Lightning
Bill the Barber
Baywood
Green Irish Tweed
Zaro - Low Stock
The Naud - Low Stock
Lime - Very Low Stock
Aftershave Balm
Full Stock
Aftershave Blash
Full Stock
Pre-Shave Oil
Out of Stock. Will be in stock by Saturday 4/19/2014 if all goes well. Also will be offering a Mentholated Pre-Shave Oil at that time as well.
RazoRestore
Low Stock
RazoShine
Low Stock
Thank You!
Enjoy Your Shaves!
Jim@WetShaveObsession
Monday, April 14, 2014
Stock Update, 4/14/2014
Pre-Shave Oil- Ultimate Pre-Shave Oil is out of stock. Will be back in stock by the end of the week. I will also be offering a mentholated version at that time as well.
Soaps- I have White Lightning, Vanillawood, Bay Rum are in stock. The Naud, Zaro and Lime are in stock but very low. Baywood, Bill the Barber & Signature will be back in stock soon.
Atfershave Blam & Blash- Fully Stocked
Enjoy Your Shaves!
Regards,
Jiim
Soaps- I have White Lightning, Vanillawood, Bay Rum are in stock. The Naud, Zaro and Lime are in stock but very low. Baywood, Bill the Barber & Signature will be back in stock soon.
Atfershave Blam & Blash- Fully Stocked
Enjoy Your Shaves!
Regards,
Jiim
Sunday, April 13, 2014
WSO Shave of the Day!
Sunday 4/13/2014
EJ DE 89
Feather Blade
Omega 46215 24mm Synthetic
WSO Bay Rum Premium Shave Soap
WSO Bay Rum Shea Aftershave Butter (Prototype)
So todays shave was a very pleasant one. I used the good old EJ DE89 with a feather blade. I honestly think the DE89 is the most versatile, finest quality modern razor head in production today. It just performs exceptionally well under all shaving conditions for me. Heavy Growth, light growth, you name it.
The brush is a new acquisition for me. It is an Omega 46215 24mm Synthetic. While Omega is not necessarily know for their handle quality this is an obvious exception. This handle not only looks beautiful it has nice heft to it and somewhat of a beehive shape minus the ridges. The tip of this brush are among the softest I have ever used. Its ability to hold water and lather is up there with the upper echelon synthetics. Still not like a nice Badger or well broken in boar, but as far as synthetic go this one does it with the best of them. It is slightly lacking in backbone. In fact it has just enough to make it passable for me personally. If I had to equate this to other synthetics I would say it is in the calls of the Plisson when it comes to softness (just slightly less soft but VERY close) and just below the Franks Shaving as far as backbone. For around $30 shipped this is an excellent synthetic brush and as is the norm with Omega , a fantastic value.
The WSO Bay Rum Premium Shave Soap performed as I have become accustomed too. The lather was thick and slick. In fact here is a pic of just how thick and rich the lather is:
Fantastic!
The shave itself went extremely well. My typical 3 pass WG,XG,AG. Plenty of lather to spare. No nick or weepers. Super smooth. Very enjoyable!
The Aftershave Product is a brand new concept and this is the first one like it. In fact it is in an empty "Working Hands" container! It is an Organic, Unrefined, Shea based Aftershave butter. It has an organic astringent incorporated along with several other ingredients. It is super soothing and calming to the skin. It still needs a bit of tweaking as although it works fantastically, I need to play with some ingredient ratios. It is just a tad too greasy. I think with some formula refinements this has the potential to be an excellent product offering. It would be extremely useful for straight razor shavers as well as people who have bad skin reactions to aggressive or multi pass shaves.
All in all, a great shave today. I hope you all can say the same! Have a great Sunday Night and join me tomorrow here for the Vintage Razor Review.
Enjoy Your Shaves!
Regards,
Jim@WetShaveOnsession
WSO Shave of the Day!
Saturday 4/12/2014
WSO Restored Kama 5/8" Full Hollow Ground
2012 Vie-Long Butterscotch Beehive 25mm Horse Hair Brush
WSO Mentholated PSO
WSO Lime Ultimate Skincare Premium Shave Soap
WSO Lime Ultimate Skincare Premium Aftershave Blash
So I have decided every Sat or Sun will be a straight razor shave day. The main thing that prevents me from shaving with a straight more often is time, or I should say the time it takes me to do it. I can tell you the last time I shaved with a straight razor almost to the day, It was they day before my Etsy Store went live. The reason being I had a Bingo Vintage Straight I had restored and was listing for sale and I wanted to be 100% certain that it was shave ready. I used it, it was. I finish stropped it and that was the last time I did a straight razor shave.
The story here is actually much the same. I picked this Kama up to restore and sell. I never picked up a vintage razor before where the box and scales looked so good and the blade so bad. Luckily the blade side with the etching was not that bad at all. Most of the rust was on the tang and the opposite side of the blade on the spine of the razor.
Once I got the blade in good shape the honing process began. I wont get into it in depth here but I would like to blog some time on my honing technique. I am by no means a honemeister, but I have come up with a method that works and I think absolutely anyone can do it and do it well. In my opinion the key is taking your time, being careful, and being patient. More on that another time!
Ok so the Kama came out beautiful. I prepped well tonight, took my time, and performed my first straight razor shave in months. My prep consisted of a hot water face wash followed by application of about 4 drops of mentholated PSO. After that I did a final pre-shave strop. Then I lathered the WSO Lime. This Lime smells fantastic to me. I really like the scent. The Vie-Long brush was magnificent in whipping up some serious lather. I applied the lather and took my time starting on the right side of my face. The first stroke was a down stroke and man was I amazed. this 5/8 Kama was fantastic! SO smooth and the feedback was amazing. I mean you could feel everything through this razor. I could not believe how smoothly this sliced the whiskers and how much it felt like an extension of my fingertips. Being a 5/6"it was very maneuverable. Even my neck area, which is usually my prob spot with a straight, went smooth as silk.
I finished off the shave, very impressed with this razor and thrilled wit the product performance. Cold water splash to the face, patting it dry leaving a bit of moisture, applied the WSO LIme Aftershave Blash, inspected. Very fine shave. Face felt fantastic.
Now comes the dilemma, I had every intention of selling this Kama. Now I in no way shape or form want to get rid of it. This is the situation that arises when doing restores. So often when you get done you have put some much time in and brought something back to life. It is hard to let it go. On top of that if you use it and it performs as well as this Kama did, no chance. I really want to keep this razor! I suppose we will see!
I hope everyone had a fantastic Saturday Shave. Join me for my WSO Shave of the Day here on the blog. Mondays is the Vintage Razor Review Shave of the Day, Now Saturdays it seems will be The Saturday Straight Shave of the Day. In between I have DE, Injectr and SE Shave of the Days. Thanks for joining me tonight!
Enjoy Your Shaves!
Regards,
Jim@WetShaveObsessiom
PS: One more Pic of this Beautiful Kama!
Saturday, April 12, 2014
Friday, April 11, 2014
WSO Shave of the Day!
Friday 4/11/2014
Standard Razor
Feather
Vie-Long Beehive Horse/Badger Mix, 25mm
WSO Ultimate Mentholated Pre-Shave Oil
WSO Tommi Premium Shave Soap
WSO Toomi Premium Aftershave Blash
The Modern Wetshave
So I have named todays shave "The Modern Wetshave". Everything used is fairly new when you look at the big wetshaving picture. A modern style all machined aluminum DE Razor. A horse & badger knotted shaving brush. Modern scented soap. Modern Scented Aftershave. All new, all performed fantastic!
Now dont get me wrong i LOVE vintage razors and I love vintage scents like Bay Rum and so on, but it is time to modernize the software options available to today's wetshaver! My wife doesnt like me smelling like an old man as she puts it. While I love a good Bay Rum scent I understand where she is coming from. That is why I have the Tommi scent soap and AS Balm and Blash. It is also the reason for Zaro, our modern upscale fougere scent. They offer a newer scent option to our shaving products. While we have other cologne based scents like LD Spice and The Naud, in my wifes eyes they fall into the "old man" category.
One of the thing to be looking for are more modern cologne based scents coming down the WSO Pipeline. I have plans for a couple very popular, modern Armani scents as well as a couple others that are among the current most popular men fragrances available.
It was so nice shaving with soap that performed like a classic yet smelled like a current, popular cologne. I got done my shave, put on my Tommi AS Blash, then a couple sprays of Tommy for Men and I am set for a Friday night out with the wife and she thinks I smell fantastic. Not only do I smell great, I have a super smooth, soft skinned face as well!
I think its time to offer top notch performance wetshaving products with modern day scents and that is exactly what I intend to do. So tell your wives or your girlfriend or significant other no more exclusively "old man" scents. Its time to take wetshaving to the next level not only in performance but in scent offerings as well!
Oh as far as todays shave, lol. A fine 3 pass shave, WG,AG,XG. Could not have asked for better performance out of hardware or software. Pulled out a Feather Blade, put it in the Standard Razor, after applying the Mentholated Pre-Shave Oil whipped up some serious lather of that fantastic Tommi scent. Lathered up my face and off I went. No nicks, super smooth, face feels fantastic, I smell good. What more could you ask for out of a great Friday early evening shave!
I hope you all had fantastic shaves today and have a great Friday night. Busy weekend here at WSO but I will be posting a SOTD at least one of the 2 weekends days. Stay Tuned!
Enjoy Your Shaves!
Regards,
Jim
Thursday, April 10, 2014
All Sales Now Through Etsy Store
First I just want to take a moment to thank everyone for all their support and patronage. Things have just been going exceptionally well. The speed at which the volume of sales here at WetShaveObsession has increased is a bit mind boggling to be honest. What started as a personal hobby and sharing products with a few friends has turned into something much more.
That brings me to the reason for this blog. Initially when I started sharing my products with the public I did so strictly on the forums. I started WetShaveObsession.com as basically a product reference site. A place where people could go and read about the products and if they were interested either email me their order, or pm it to me on a forum, or click the contact us button on the site and get it to me that way. I would then email or pm back with my paypal information, funds would be sent, product shipped etc. This worked fine in the beginning but as things got busier I thought perhaps about adding a cart checkout to the site etc. To be honest I didn't feel like incurring the added expense and site maintenance of doing so. My solution was to open an Etsy store and give people the option of ordering direct from me via the initial method, or ordering through my Etsy Store.
Again this worked well for a while and it was actually beneficial from a shipping cost standpoint to order direct from me so many people continued to do so. Well since then I have have been able to secure better shipping rates through essentially a 3rd party shipping Co-Op and my shipping charges are the same whether ordering through the Etsy Store or through me directly.
That brings us to where we are now. By starting off initially having people order through me direct and then by enabling them to save money on shipping costs by doing so even when the Etsy Store was open I set a precedent that still exists to this day. Now that things have gotten much busier this has created a bit of a logistics nightmare. Gathering orders from Etsy, sorting through orders in my email, sorting through them in pm's. Far too much time is being spent gathering orders from different locations, matching corresponding paypal payments to the correct order, then fulfilling orders in the order that they were received and doing so from multiple sources.
It is for the above mentioned reasons that I am now selling products only through the Etsy Store. Now that there is no benefit to ordering direct from me as far as shipping cost it simply makes sense from a logistics standpoint to make this change.
I have to say I am a bit unhappy having to do so. Personally interacting multiple times via email exchanges etc has afforded me the opportunity to really get to know my customers well and there are many that I now correspond with regularly about wetshaving in general, having nothing to do with ordering products and the like. I have become friends with many of them. I sincerely do not want this logistical change to impact that fantastic benefit. I will do my best to interact even more on the forums, to blog, tweet and post on facebook more. I would also encourage all my customers, potential customers, or just avid wetshavers to email me at any time simply to talk wetshaving or with any questions you might have. A large portion of what I enjoy about this entire endeavor is the people. The people I get to know and interact with. I do not want that to change.
Again I thank all of WetShaveObsession's customer and supporters. From this point forward all orders should be placed through our Etsy Store ( https://www.etsy.com/shop/WetShaveObsession ). If you email me to place an order please do not be offended if I direct you to the Etsy store. I am in no way blowing you off or being lazy. It is simply what is necessary in order to continue to be able to provide a high level of service given the increased volume. By all means, order from the Etsy store, then shoot me an email to talk shaving!
Enjoy Your Shaves!
Regards,
Jim
That brings me to the reason for this blog. Initially when I started sharing my products with the public I did so strictly on the forums. I started WetShaveObsession.com as basically a product reference site. A place where people could go and read about the products and if they were interested either email me their order, or pm it to me on a forum, or click the contact us button on the site and get it to me that way. I would then email or pm back with my paypal information, funds would be sent, product shipped etc. This worked fine in the beginning but as things got busier I thought perhaps about adding a cart checkout to the site etc. To be honest I didn't feel like incurring the added expense and site maintenance of doing so. My solution was to open an Etsy store and give people the option of ordering direct from me via the initial method, or ordering through my Etsy Store.
Again this worked well for a while and it was actually beneficial from a shipping cost standpoint to order direct from me so many people continued to do so. Well since then I have have been able to secure better shipping rates through essentially a 3rd party shipping Co-Op and my shipping charges are the same whether ordering through the Etsy Store or through me directly.
That brings us to where we are now. By starting off initially having people order through me direct and then by enabling them to save money on shipping costs by doing so even when the Etsy Store was open I set a precedent that still exists to this day. Now that things have gotten much busier this has created a bit of a logistics nightmare. Gathering orders from Etsy, sorting through orders in my email, sorting through them in pm's. Far too much time is being spent gathering orders from different locations, matching corresponding paypal payments to the correct order, then fulfilling orders in the order that they were received and doing so from multiple sources.
It is for the above mentioned reasons that I am now selling products only through the Etsy Store. Now that there is no benefit to ordering direct from me as far as shipping cost it simply makes sense from a logistics standpoint to make this change.
I have to say I am a bit unhappy having to do so. Personally interacting multiple times via email exchanges etc has afforded me the opportunity to really get to know my customers well and there are many that I now correspond with regularly about wetshaving in general, having nothing to do with ordering products and the like. I have become friends with many of them. I sincerely do not want this logistical change to impact that fantastic benefit. I will do my best to interact even more on the forums, to blog, tweet and post on facebook more. I would also encourage all my customers, potential customers, or just avid wetshavers to email me at any time simply to talk wetshaving or with any questions you might have. A large portion of what I enjoy about this entire endeavor is the people. The people I get to know and interact with. I do not want that to change.
Again I thank all of WetShaveObsession's customer and supporters. From this point forward all orders should be placed through our Etsy Store ( https://www.etsy.com/shop/WetShaveObsession ). If you email me to place an order please do not be offended if I direct you to the Etsy store. I am in no way blowing you off or being lazy. It is simply what is necessary in order to continue to be able to provide a high level of service given the increased volume. By all means, order from the Etsy store, then shoot me an email to talk shaving!
Enjoy Your Shaves!
Regards,
Jim
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