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Best of 2020

Summary:

Razor(s): GEMs in general, and the Micromatic Clog-Pruf specifically. I have thoroughly enjoyed trying out and getting to know these quirky razors this year. Basically all of them have worked for me, but the Clog-Pruf is my favorite for being a well-balanced, medium aggression razor. If I had to pick a DE, I would pick my Gillette Flat Bottom Tech, but my Triangle Tech is almost just as good.

Brush: This year I have realized that I don’t really enjoy how the majority of the cool, expensive badger knots function in use, no matter how attractive some of those brushes may look. Despite my general apathy toward brushes, I do love my somewhat recently acquired Wolf Whiskers/Maggard SHD brush. This brush was a custom for someone who decided they no longer wanted it, and I was the lucky buyer. The handle is stunning, and the SHD knot is soft and easy to use.

Soap: I am extremely impressed with what u/Ironbeard_SYS and Spearhead Shaving have accomplished with the 20.1 base this year. They managed to create a great new soap base, and release it in a wide variety of scents from cologne dupes to recreating vintage Seaforth scents with the help of u/hawns. It’s hard to ignore the wide audience they have been able to reach with this variety in scents, and that’s a big reason why I chose them as the best new soap base of 2020.

Aftershave: Living in the Midwest, I prefer to use aftershave balms and lotions as opposed to splashes for the majority of the year. The Croatian company Spartium Natural Cosmetics released their Meštar aftershave lotion a few months ago, and it has been my favorite aftershave product to use since receiving it. The lotion has a nice, non-greasy texture, and the dark aquatic scent is terrific. I am hoping that they will release this original scent in more products in the future.

Honorable Mention: I wanted to mention u/NobleOtter & u/ntownuser Marbles for a couple reasons. Firstly, if you can’t get your hands on Meštar aftershave easily (most of you probably can’t), Noble Otter’s splash formula is my favorite on the market at the moment. Secondly, while still being vaguely similar to Fenchurch, Marbles is a unique scent that I would have listed as my favorite fragrance of the year, but unfortunately the extrait was a bit too potent for me in that format, so I stick with the soap and splash to enjoy the scent ☺

Disclosure Statement, just in case Rule 3 mod is out to get me: I bought the razors and Wolf Whiskers brush with my own money. u/sapat1 gifted me the Meštar aftershave. The Spearhead soap and NO/APR Marbles soap and splash were gifts from the artisans.