The near-collapse of GM’s truck and SUV business announced yesterday with the inevitable plant closures and layoffs – the result of rising fuel prices and a worsening economy – got me thinking about gourmet shaving in a Kraft Dinner environment. As coincidence would have it, these thoughts were greeted with the arrival of my J.M. Fraser Shaving Cream and Booster After Shave from Fendrihan. Now, these products must be at the absolute peak of the price/value relationship….a big quantity for a tiny price. At $12 for a one lb. jar, the shave cream is about 1/4 the price of any of the English shave creams (by weight), and at $10 for 400 ml the after shave is even cheaper than Aqua Velva! But are they any good?
Well, I’m here to tell you that I REALLY LOVE THIS STUFF! I decided to test the lather with the most challenging of all safety razors, the Gem G-Bar. It performed flawlessly, a thick, rich, moist lather that easily went the three passes with lots leftover for more if I wanted it. And this with the Simpson Chubby #2, a tough brush to work up a good lather even with the best of soaps/creams. The mild citrus scent was very pleasant and not at all overwhelming…I could see myself using it for a superlather with a variety of soaps, but honestly, I don’t think a superlather is even warranted with this stuff.
The Booster Oriental Spice was reminiscent of Jade East, with very similar notes. Its not a very concentrated scent, so it makes for a great post-shave body splash.
And BTW, Alfred at Fendrihan is such a gentleman, I asked him about other Booster scents and he sent me a generous sample bottle of Lilac from his own personal stash since he doesn’t yet carry that scent. Ligthning fast delivery as usual.
As I think Dear Abby used to say: Run, don’t walk, to your computer and place an order for this stuff.
