I received the replacement Hydrolast Shave Cloth from Jean Roberts at Enchanté, along with a sample of the new Hydrolast Finishing Balm. Jean sent me the new cloth after reading my earlier review, which convinced her I must have been sent the wrong product.

The new cloth didn’t look particularly different from the earlier one but it did behave quite differently; it was softer once wet and didn’t scunch up into a little ball as soon as it hit the water. It didn’t smell like a swamp either! I was able to fold it as per the instructions and use it to apply the various shaving “mix” components. The cloth did a pretty good job of laying down the lather and because of its very aggressive texture actually did “raise” the beard quite nicely for cutting.

All this being said, the Hydrolast Shave Cloth still poses a conundrum to me because it appears to be a product looking for a problem. It’s positioned by Enchanté as an alternative to the shave brush for the budget minded shaver who isn’t sure he wants to commit to an expensive badger brush. But frankly, for the eight bucks the cloth costs, a budget-minded shaver could still buy an inexpensive brush that would most likely do an as-good if not better job than the shave cloth while at the same time providing a more “authentic” shave.

The Finishing Balm on the other hand is excellent, a little thinner than Cutting Balm, going on very easily and providing a perfect substrate for a “gloss cut” in Method Shaving terms. The scent is also very nice with citrus hints. A definite re-buy.