Wood Shavette Straight Razor Kit - Replaceable Blade Straight Razor, Redwood Shavette, No Stropping or Honing, Leather Case, Brush, Bowl, Perfect Travel Kit, Hygienic, Great for Beginners, Great Gift

Gift returned

I’m a guy so I’ll keep this short and sweet. It arrived on time and this company provides an excellent product. Highly recommended.

Okay

Feels a bit overpriced, but a solid set with wood finishings and a nice little bag. The shaver takes cartridges as basically all of them do. The brush is very nice -- not sure if it's badger but it feels and works like it.

Something I really like about this set is how small it is. It's basically a travel size and is so compact it fits inside a leather dopp kit I have, along with the other wet shaving supplies I already had.I'll review each thing separately.The bag is a nice shade of leather, and is sewn well. I do wish the zipper were metal. Somehow having plastic teeth on leather just makes it seem like the leather isn't real. The elastic compartments inside are too loose. They really don't hold the products in. And elastic loosens over time, so just be careful when you open it, knowing your razor may fall out.The bowl is super tiny! I thought the photos were out of scale, but it really is a very tiny travel bowl. But it's well made, and it's nice that it fits inside the bag. It fits the puck that this set came with, but it doesn't work with my other shaving soap puck (which is much too big).The soap puck is a tiny size, but it (aside from the bowl) is one of my favorite items in the set. Though it's definitely scented, it's not as overpowering as my other one. It creates a really good lather.I compared the lather the faux bristle brush in this set creates with my badger brush. I'm not a big fan of this brush. The bristles are super stiff, shed a lot, and it doesn't create as good of a lather as my real badger brush does. I much prefer the one I have been using for years. Of course, it's possible this one will get softer and stop shedding over time.I tried using the shavette, but it's a little too intimidating for me. I use an old-fashioned double edge safety razor, which also fits in the case, and is about the extent of my bravery with using old-fashioned shaving supplies.My average score is four on this set. I think some things are better than others. But it's a nice starter or travel set.

The kit as a whole is pretty nice, but I do wish that the handle on the shavette was better made. The carrying bag is excellent, the stainless steel bowl is very nice (on par with many such bowls, though), and the brush is pretty good. I do like that the brush is badger friendly, and I also like that it doesn't have a strong musky smell.The shave soap worked okay for me but not great. I ended up using my own that worked better, and the bowl and brush worked just fine with it.This was my first try at a shavette, and...yeah, I cut myself. :) Holding the handle out of the way so that I can actually see where I'm shaving was unusual to me, and it's something that would definitely take some getting used to. People can put Gillette down, but I'm telling you, they know they're stuff. :) I haven't cut myself using one of their blades in several years, and I'm happy with the results.My only real disappointment with the set is the condition of the handle. It's a nice wood, but it has some chips/chunks missing. Nothing horrible, but it didn't leave a great first impression - and definitely makes me say that this set (at least the one that I received) isn't worth the (as I write this) $70 price tag. You can get a brush, bowl, and shave soap on par with these for about $20.

If you are into using a straight razor, this is almost perfect...not quite but it is close (to me). For some reason I really like the bag and how good the material is, how the case is a great quality leather, and how "old school" the design is. The razor isn't too heavy, has replaceable blades to ensure sharpness with no sharpening, and the brush and bowl is of the same classic outstanding design. It comes with everything that is needed to try out straight razor shaving (there was a tiny little shaving soap sample included). The lather from it was great, most likely from the brush, and the razor was very accurate in trimming the lines of my other facial hair (under my neck, sideburns, etc). I like this a lot and feel like it would be a solid 5 stars if it ran about 15% less or so...somewhere in the 50 buck range would be perfect.Pros:Solid design for razor, bag, brushBeautiful leather caseComes with sample shaving soapLighweightEasy to travel with (prob need to check it if trying to fly, however)Brush makes a good latherIs a great gift ideaCons:Isn't cheapOverall, I would say this is worth it if you are looking to take a time-honored kind of shave experience into your bathroom. It is made well, the case/razor/brush is beautiful and it works well and is hygenic. This is a great kit to try or to gift.