G.B.SGBS Shaving Gift Set with Safety Razor, Bowl, Shaving Soap, Shaving Brush and Stand Pre Shave Oil, After Shave Balm and Toiletry Bag

This is like a 3.5 stars.The holder thing is great, the blade is great, the brush is okay. The little bowl is eh, what annoyed me was the soap. It's glycerin soap. Odds are if you are buying this you want the "true" and "genuine" feel of things, not a glycerin soap that feels like children's soap. Yeah there's a few pictures with the green lime I got, but the main picture has a white soap that led me to believe it would be a different kind of soap...The brush you think is great until you buy a quality one and realize it's not so great, heh. The biggest problem with this set is quality control, you can tell from the description, "Brush, razor", that they're trying to be non specific. That's why you'll see a review saying one thing, and another saying another. They basically put together a random set, so you dont know which soap/razor/brush/bowl you'll get.Knowing now what I know, if I could go back, I'd buy the stand and brush separately, the blade any merkur is fine. And a different bowl (the thing is tiny, at least in my man-hand), and the hitting of the brush on it is a bit annoying.If you like long handle: Merkur Model 180 Long Handled Safety Razor Or Short: Merkur Classic Safety Razor, Straight Stand: Colonel Conk Evernice Model 775 Chrome Safety Razor Stand Brush is:Cheap: 100% Pure Badger Bristle Shaving Brush with Black Deluxe Handle & Free Stand from Parker Safety Razor Best: 100% Silvertip Badger Bristle Shaving Brush (Chrome Handle) and Free Shaving Brush Stand from Parker Safety Razor As you can see the price is almost the same or maybe a bit more than this package, but then you can customize as to how you want it.Soap search for anything proraso.I would pay the little bit more to get exactly what I want, but that's because I bought this set to experiment. If you're completely new you might as well go for it and try it out, and its def good as a present.Bowl: Edwin Jagger Rn6 Contemporary Chrome Plated Shaving Soap Bowl, Chrome BY THE WAY: Do NOT buy a pack of merkur blades with this, while merkur is known for the razors, I only found out later their blades are infamous for being bad. Yeah some people are ok with it, most are not. Most people agree that Feather is the sharpest/best, but remember that sharpest also means mistake = ouch. 10 Feather Razor Blades NEW Hi-stainless Double Edge Or if you want to have some fun and try things out (I LOVE an adventure) buy: Double Edge Safety Razor Blade Variety Pack - 100 Blades! That's a variety of blades from all over the world, that way you try them all, and it comes with 2 of each so you make sure you like it.And always buy a: Clubman Styptic Pencil 0.33 oz. 812000 It's like a $1, and most pharmacies like CVS have it. You dip it in water, touch a cut, and it stops bleeding.Go to [...] for all the tips and forums on shaving if you have any questions or want to see reviews and such.Things to know:- Check to see how it looks before you unscrew it, so that you know how to put it back together the right way.The way to use and shave is:- Soak Soap + Brush in water while you take a shower (if it's the glycerin soap)- Squeeze brush, wring it out, rub it on soap for a while, then bring it to bowl.- Spin it for a while until you have a lathering cream.- Put on face.- Shave (watch youtube videos, search "how to shave with a double edge" or something)- Splash face with cool waterIMPORTANT:- Although some people depending on hair growth allow a blade to last a week, normally, the general consensus is each blade lasts you 3 shaves, or 3 days. So that pack of 100 blades SHOULD last you 300 days, or almost 10 months... for $20 dollars. $20 dollars wouldn't even buy you a refill of Gillette Fusion blades... That last me 1 month.Good Luck!

I bought this year's ago when I moved to a new place and wanted a quality "manly" shaving kit on my bathroom counter. Something that was quality, looked good, and would give me a great shave.1st of all, I would say this is quality and something that will easily last you years with regular use and care.2nd, if you have the space and are neat, it will good in your bathroom.But now for the most important things, the shaver pales in comparison to a straight razor like the Parker SR1 or a Gillette 5 razor cartridge. It just lacked the smoothness for me.I love a straight razor holder for the closeness and precision lines around side burns, beards, etc. The Gillette type razors excel at rough areas like neck. This safety razor holder lacks in both or those areas.While it feels great to use, I found that I would only use the boar bristle brush on weekends and then hardly ever. It really wasn't worth the time or effort.The major con for this purchase was the price. I paid almost twice as much as the kit is currently listed for. Even at the current price, it's over priced. This set should never go for more than $50 for what you get.

Matching a good razor and blade to the face is a must sooo...I'm an over 55 Shaver and have a full heavy and hard beard who must shave once a day or there is a shadow. My facial skin and structure resembles ( the Marlboro Man) with slight imperfections and weathered with a creviced chin. With that said I require a forgiving quality razor with a sharp blade. I require "Feather" or "Astra" blades (extra sharp/aggresive) with a forgiving/shielded razor. This 180 Razor has an excellent shield to glide on your face protecting the slight imperfections and crevices from age and wrinkle lines. Also the long handle is knurled for slip free handling and managing the angles of the face. The weight on the head of the razor (when matched to the double edge blade you require) allows the razor to work with no pressure reducing Knicks an cuts to minimal if any at all. HIGH QUALITY HERE!!! The shaving brush is heavy based so as it won't tip over when saturated with average thickness and leangth. I PRODUCED A QUICK LATHER WITH MINIMAL EFFORT AN NO SHEDDING. Surprising me I though it would have been minimal/cheap quality. Mind you it's not my $150 brush but still a good beginner above middle of the road brush. The stand is HEAVY and will not tip saving your product from dropping an saving on counter space. Nicely done!!! The stainless steel bowl has a hollow base with no cover but adequately holds your soap bar enabling a lather to be built. Obviously it doesn't have the weight of a stone bowl but compliments the set well in its price range. The set came with 1 "Merk" razor blade which I do not use but is fine for novice and pros to test and see if it's to their beards liking. It also came with a Lime College Conklin soap bar for those wishing to expand their knowledge of soaps. In conclusion this set is excellent for beginners and us "older pros" alike without spending a fortune and still receiving a high quality set for its price range. For beginners get a quality lubricating/high talon soap and MATCH THE BLADE TO YOUR SKIN AND FACIAL HAIR (that's important). Facial preparation is the key prior to the shave. This set is A GREAT BUY IN ITS PRICE RANGE....QUALITY IS HERE AND ALL YOU NEED IS HERE!!!