Happy New Year! Today, January 23, 2012 marks the beginning of the Chinese New Year. To celebrate, why not treat yourself to this special pen with a Dragon clasp? Available in either rollerball or 18k gold medium tipped fountain pen, it is black and gold adorned with ruby rhinestones. Are you born in the Year of the Dragon?
Benton Clay has less than 50 Grids left, and to be honest, we just want to clear them out. After receiving multiple feedback on this item, the consensus seems that it could be a little more user-friendly. It has a covered nib, an unusual filler, and it lays down a thin line which some feel is on the “dry” side. That said, I find it gets good results with Private Reserve Tanzanite ink, which is known to flow more freely than most inks. I love the concise line I get when I use it, but the people have spoken so this pen is now priced to clear at $4.99. Not recommended as a starter pen.
Own a Fountain Pen that you know absolutely nothing about! Purple, butterscotch, silver, jet-black, medium, fine, fat, skinny? You just don’t know until you see it! But for $3.33 what have you to lose? Order a few and no two will be alike. Purchase here.
Our October pen is a beauty from the venerable Fuliwen company. This pen’s previous sellers inform us that before liquidating their inventory, this pen was a top seller. Its etched cap and graphic lend exotic appeal while the 18k gold plated, 2-tone medium nib adds a touch of luxury. It’s a smooth writer that looks both classy and mysterious. How to buy it.
I’m not a bad musician. Recently I had the opportunity to play a $10,000 flute and man could that instrument sing. But without years of practice on my $400 student flute, I would never have been able to appreciate the nuance and expressiveness of the more expensive version. Sometimes repetition is good. Try using the same shaving gear for days upon end, even weeks or months upon end, until you are contented with your shave. Find the optimal performance of your chosen tool set. Learn the variables and tweak them to perfection. Once you have mastered the technique, branch out to other brands, other blades, changing up only one element at a time. Remember, your forefathers achieved BBS using the same tools year over year because they had few options. For those with less than perfect shaves, were they less masculine for having a 5 o’clock shadow by 12 noon? Hardly. How about some perspective! Let’s be less concerned about acquiring gear and consumables and more concerned about being content with what we have. With the a few basic tools and solid technique, you too can be contented with your shave.
It’s hard to apply preshave oil (PSO) without using your hands. But isn’t that dangerous? What if you lose your grip on the razor due to slippery fingers? Isn’t PSO a hazard? Not necessarily. A good PSO is light enough to absorb quickly into the skin. And rubbing any excess into ones elbows removes the problem altogether. All it takes is thinking outside the box – and a little elbow grease!
What a pleasure and an honour to see Benton Clay shaving soap mentioned in LeisureGuy’s informative blog. When a customer reports issues with lather break-down and we always tell them, load generously and add more water than you think you need. Benton Clay is not a delicate, high-end soap that wants incremental slow tiny trickles. It’s thirsty and it wants lots of water — fast. Why? Because the product contains clay — not just any clay but bentonite clay. Bentonite is different than other cosmetic clays (like French clay or kaolin) because it expands. In fact, it’s not really clay at all but an ancient volcanic mud that expands to twelve times its volume when moistened. So the water is feeding not only the lather, but the clay. Bentonite also absorbs essential oils, so having sufficient water ensures you get the full aroma from the soap. In short, lots of water makes for optimal lather and optimal release of scent.
Benton Clay recently purchased the inventory of an online pen business and we are slowly uncrating inventory as time permits. We expect to uncrate one model per month until all are posted.
September’s pen is the “Grid“.
About 20 years ago I read some advice intended to prevent razor burn. It said always to shave in the direction the hair grows and never, ever to go “against the grain”. That bad advice cost me 20 years of effective shaves. A “second pass” shaving against the grain (ATG) makes for a smooth shave by removing that extra bit of stubble, and it’s made possible by the proper preparation: a hot shower, optional pre-shave oil, and a luxuriously-lathered, protective soap or cream. Ignorance is no substitute for good technique. What about you, what’s the worst shaving advice you have ever received?
Tallow
Benton Clay is pleased to be working with a Canadian soap artisan on our first tallow-based shaving soap! We are looking for approximately 50 testers. As a tester, you will receive a 20g sample of unscented shaving soap in exchange for your candid feedback on the product. If you are interested in being part of the test group, please register for this site and post here in the comments. Priority will be given to existing customers, bloggers, and people who have already used and enjoy tallow-based shaving soaps. Priority will also be given to those who spread the word via Twitter, BadgerandBlade.com, and Facebook. If you are selected as a tester, you will receive additional criteria and information by email. Many thanks and best of luck!