Shaving soaps, creams, brushes, and aftershaves reviewed: what performs, what’s overhyped, and what Thomas actually uses.
Barrister and Mann vs Declaration Grooming: Which Soap Brand Wins? After 23 years of wet shaving and testing hundreds of artisan soaps, I’ve found that both Barrister and Mann and Declaration Grooming represent the absolute pinnacle of modern shaving soap craftsmanship—but they excel in different ways. Barrister and Mann delivers consistently excellent performance across a…
Best Aftershave Splashes and Colognes for Classic Wet Shavers After 23 years of wet shaving and testing hundreds of razors, I’ve learned that the aftershave you choose matters just as much as the blade. A quality splash doesn’t just smell good—it tones your skin, closes pores, and turns a functional morning routine into a ritual…
I ruined my grandfather’s 1959 Gillette straight razor within the first week of using it—not from shaving, but from skipping the strop. Twenty-three years later, I can tell you that stropping is the single most important habit for maintaining a straight razor’s edge, and it takes less than two minutes before each shave. Stropping realigns…
I’ve been at this wet shaving game for over two decades now, and I can tell you with absolute certainty that the game changed when American craftsmen started machining precision safety razors. The Karve Christopher Bradley isn’t just another three-piece razor—it’s what happens when a Michigan-based artisan decides that shavers deserve better than mass-produced mediocrity….
I still remember the first time I opened a tin of Taylor of Old Bond Street shaving soap. It arrived in a small cardboard box, the bowl itself wrapped in tissue paper like a piece of fine china. When I lifted the lid, the scent of sandalwood hit me — not the synthetic, cloying sweetness…
My grandfather handed me my first tube of Proraso when I was sixteen. “If it’s good enough for Italian barbers,” he said, “it’s good enough for us.” Twenty-three years and roughly three hundred razors later, I still keep a tube in my rotation. That should tell you something. Proraso isn’t exotic. It won’t make you…
Affiliate Disclosure: ClassicBlade.com is reader-supported. When you buy through links on this page, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thomas only recommends products he has personally tested or has strong community evidence for. I still remember standing in front of my grandfather’s medicine cabinet, holding his old Gillette Tech,…
Best Aftershave Balms for Sensitive Skin: Soothing and Non-Irritating Picks I’ve been wet shaving for over two decades. In that time I’ve tested more than 300 razors and, along the way, burned through more aftershave products than I care to count — including a few that turned my face into a red, stinging mess. If…
I’ve been wet shaving with a safety razor for over 20 years, and if there’s one thing that separates a mediocre shave from an exceptional one, it’s preparation. Specifically, pre-shave oil. I know, I know — it sounds like an extra step, and when you’re half-asleep at 6 AM, the last thing you want is…
After 20+ years of wet shaving, Thomas Hargrove breaks down the best shaving brushes of 2026 — badger, boar, and synthetic — with picks for every budget from $14 to luxury.