by Hans - the Shaving Detective | Feb 9, 2011 | Background stuff
I am going to London tomorrow morning… A few years ago, I would instantly be thinking of Westminster Abbey, the Thames, musicals and… pubs! But today I am the shaving detective. Even though I am traveling with my wife this weekend, it certainly will influence our plans for the trip.
Names like Taylor of Old Bond Street, G.F. Trumper, Truefitt & Hill and other great brands were totally unknown to me when I last visited London. Some of the oldest and most classic barbershops in the World are located in central London – all within perfect walking distance of each other. And London is full of places to visit for me as a shave blogger. Murdock London and others might be on my list as well.
Even though my wife has already planned our trip with an uneven amount of shopping time, I am sure “barbershop strolling” is not part of her initial plans. Anyway, I expect to visit at least a few of the old barbershops and bring some nice products with me back to Denmark on Sunday.
King of Shaves Azor 5 and Shick / Wilkinson Hydro 5
Speaking of nice products. For the first time ever, I will leave home without any shaving gear at all. As I arrive in London, I will get hold of a few products I still need to review on Shaving Detective.
Next week, you can expect my unbiased view on the King of Shaves Azor 5 razor along with the Wilkinson Hydro 5 (known as Shick Hydro 5 to my US readers). None of these razors are available in Denmark, and I am looking forward to get my hands on them.
I will probably not check my email while I am away. If for some reason you need to contact me while I'm in town, I'll be staying at the Americana Hotel at Gloucester Place. You can always send me a text message at (+45)26828308.
I'll be back on Sunday – with my mind full of inspiration and my bags full of great products. Or at least as many as I can fit into the bag, once my wife has finished shopping at Westfield.
Did I forget someone? Mail me today (Wednesday) before 9 PM GMT at [email protected] – and I'll respond before leaving. 🙂
by Hans - the Shaving Detective | Jan 7, 2011 | Background stuff
Gillette has announced the launch of its Gillette Young Guns program by unveiling the 2011 roster of six rising stars in their respective sports: Matt Ryan and Ray Rice from football, Evan Longoria and Carlos González from baseball and Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch from auto racing.
The campaign will launch in US this weekend – but I have been allowed to show you the video before it's released to the public…
Enjoy! You probably know the guys in the video much better than me..
UPDATE: For some reason, Gillette has removed the video. Read my comment about this here!
Gillette Young Guns is a sports marketing platform connecting Gillette?s full line of grooming products with avid sports fans in North America. The program highlights up-and-coming stars and gives fans an in-depth look into the keys to their success both on and off the field. The Gillette Young Guns will appear in print and broadcast advertising, consumer promotions, point-of-sale materials, online and public relations activities.
The 2011 class of Gillette Young Guns was selected not only for their individual sporting accomplishments and future potential, but also for their strong leadership qualities. They are a group of exceptionally motivated young men who hold themselves to high standards on and off the field. Through the expanded Gillette Young Guns program, Gillette will provide fans greater access to this next generation of rising stars. The first opportunity for fans to engage with the Gillette Young Guns can be found in the latest issue of ESPN The Magazine, where fans will be able to view exclusive video content on each of the athletes via Quick-Response [QR] Codes on their mobile devices.
?I?m honored to be partnering with Gillette and joining such a talented lineup of athletes,? said Matt Ryan, starting quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons. ?I look forward to scoring big for Gillette and its passionate fans nationwide.?
?Be Ready? is the central theme of the Gillette Young Guns advertising campaign. This creative concept taps into a core truth that all men need to be ready for the moments in life that will ultimately define them. Gillette encourages men to follow in the Young Guns? footsteps and ?Be Ready? every day.
UPDATE: For some reason, Gillette has removed the video. Read my comment about this here!
by Hans - the Shaving Detective | Dec 24, 2010 | Background stuff
You would expect shaving equipment to be widely available everywhere. I live in Denmark, and we generally consider ourselves as a highly developed society. We have been named ‘the happiest people in the World', and we like to spend our money on high quality products. At least the products we can use to show off with. When it comes to shaving, we're generally left with a few brands and extraordinary high prices.
A few good online shops have emerged in the last few years, but the average man doesn't buy shaving equipment online. Chances are that he'll go to the super market – and find two different Gillettes with replaceable blades and a no-name disposable razor. The larger super markets may have a 5-pack of Gillette DE blades, but don't expect more than that. Visiting a drug store won't help much, as the stock is pretty much the same.
I have never seen any other brand of DE blades than Gillette in a Danish shop. I went to Germany earlier this month, and a normal drugstore had 4 different brands of DE blades – and several qualities in each brand.
As a shaving detective, I buy most of my stuff online. Especially from shops in England, but also from Germany, Sweden, USA and a few other places.
Are we still vikings?
Back in time, Denmark (and the rest of Scandinavia) was the home of the Vikings. Vikings are usually depicted with a large beard and wild hair. Today, more than a thousand years later we still consider shaving and grooming to be… well, unnecessary at best.
I like buying stuff online, but when it comes to buying a shaving gel or after shave, I would still prefer to buy it in a “real” store. But flying to Germany or London every now and then just doesn't fit my budget.
Where do you shop?
Do you find it hard to get the shaving equipment you like? Or is this just a thing I'm experiencing in Denmark?
Let me know where you get your equipment – online or in a brick'n'mortar store..
And finally, let me wish you all a Merry christmas! I'll get back with a few articles in the next few days. Take care!
by Hans - the Shaving Detective | Oct 6, 2010 | Accessories, Reviews and tests
A few months ago – shortly after I reviewed the RazorPit blade cleaner, I received an odd package from the company Greeneverblade. As I opened it, I found a black piece of plastic, designed to hold a standard cartridge razor like Gillette or Shick. But where the blades were to be put, the plastic was replaced with what seemed to be a flat piece of cupper. The EverBlade claimed to make my razor blades last longer! How? Why? Really? Read on!
Can the EverBlade make your razor blades last longer?
So this is how it works… When your razor is not in use, you put it to rest on the EverBlade with the blades on top of the metal part. That's all. No cleaning, nothing to switch on, nothing to do at all… You can sit down and watch the EverBlade work. But it's quite boring, as it doesn't do anything you can see. It doesn't even make a noise. In fact, all this is why I didn't really believe in this product when I received it. But you know what? It worked! And still works!
The single blade I used for this review (a Gillette Fusion cartridge) worked perfectly for nearly 35 shaves! That's more than I got from the RazorPit cleaner! And nearly ten times what I get from a normal cartridge!
I am not going to get into too many details about how the EverBlade actually works. Chris Wilson from the company behind the Everblade, made a long explanation to me about magnetic fields and energy bouncing back and forth between the razor and the EverBlade. But I thinks it's even simpler. The EverBlade works as an anode for the razor, causing the metal on the EverBlade to corrode instead of the metal on the razor blades. If you really (and I mean REALLY!) want to read about anodes, check Wikipedia on anodes. Otherwise – just be happy finding a product that actually works!
The EverBlade I got will fit most modern cartridge razors. I had a problem with the new ProGlide blades, as they are slightly larger than others – but hey, the EverBlade guys just changed the design. A few days ago, a new version of the EverBlade was launched, and it will fit the ProGlide as well!
All in all, even though I was truly skeptical, the EverBlade surprised me with impressive results. It's reasonably priced, and it seems to do a good job. At least with my Fusion blades. The Everblade is currently sold at  $14.95 on Amazon.com  (updated december 2011). I haven't seen it in any European stores yet.
Read more about the EverBlade on Greeneverblade.com.
Did you try the EverBlade? Or do you understand anodes and magnetic fields better than me? Join the discussion below by commenting this article!
by Hans - the Shaving Detective | Aug 25, 2010 | Wet Shaving
Last month, I made a purchase on a local online auction. Honestly, I didn't know exactly what to expect, as the description on the auction site was quite vague.
“Nostalgic Gillette” and “Old metal box with razor in it”… That was pretty much all I knew when I made my first bid. But I didn't care. This was the first vintage razor I had seen on any Danish sites, so I just had to get it.
It turned out that I won the auction as the only bidder, and paid the equivalent of 10 dollars for it – plus a bit for postage. The box arrived a few days later, and I was eager to get it cleaned and to find out more about this.
I turned to the Badger&Blade forum to ask for help, and after a few days, we had it identified as a Gillette Old Type Single Ring razor from somewhere between 1908 and 1920. It doesn't have a serial number on it, so we haven't been able to come closer to a specific year. But hey – I am still excited about owning a razor which has survived nearly 100 years and two world wars. It's one of the coolest things I have ever bought.
Having identified the razor, it was time to clean it and prepare it for use. You can read more about cleaning vintage razors in my next post, coming soon. Make sure you get updates by email or follow my tweets.
by Hans - the Shaving Detective | Jul 16, 2010 | Accessories, Reviews and tests
Have you ever found yourself thinking “If I could just find a way to stop my beard from growing that fast…”? Relax! You're not the first to think like that – and I have actually found a way to do it! Or at least – that's what the people behind the new Bluebeards Revenge Luxury Shaving Cream says.
Paraben free
The Bluebeards Revenge cream is free of the “claimed to be hormone disprupting” parabens. This is a great plus for me. I don't know if parabens are bad or not – but if we can make products without it, I believe we should! Bluebeards Revenge does contain other stuff, like the new “Decelerine”, but according to the sources I have been able to find online, it doesn't contain anything dangerous!
Smells good, feels good
The Bluebeard Revenge cream is a classic shaving cream with a nice and subtle scent. It is not a scent that will blow you away – but on the other hand, it is extremely nice and balanced.
The Shaving Detective rating
According to the people behind the Bluebeards Revenge, you will get the full effect of the Decelerine after a month or more. I haven't had time to test this, but even without the effect of the Decelerine I would recommend the Bluebeards Revenge as a very good shaving cream!
Oh – and by the way… Once you get your own can of Bluebeards Revenge, you should remember to read all the recommendations and warnings on the package. They are all priceless, funny and adds to the charming presentation of something as dull as shaving cream.
In my eyes, the Bluebeards Revenge stands out as a well branded, high quality product – with the added bonus of Decelerine to slow down your beard growth.
