Mantic59 presents Sharpologist.com - The start of a new era for the legendary shaving guru
The legendary wet shaving expert, Mantic59, has launched a stylish new website about style, shaving and grooming.
The site, Sharpologist.com, replaces the iconic Mantic59.blogspot.com and aims to achieve one main goal, “to pass on to you what your father didn’t teach you about grooming and style”.
Mantic says he is sad that he had to bring his old site to an end but is looking forward to making Sharpologist.com a leading online destination for shaving tips, product reviews and the latest grooming and style news.
“After using the free Blogger/Blogspot service for five years I decided to ‘bite the bullet’ and get a real website,” he said.
“With the popularity of my shaving videos really starting to ramp up (I now have over 10,000 Youtube subscribers and get about 3000 video views per day!) I just couldn’t get the features and functionality I wanted out of Blogspot. So with the help of some very web-savvy shaving converts–who just happen to work at a full service digital media company – ‘Sharpologist’ is born!”
Mantic is a Youtube sensation
The site, which has the tagline ‘Look sharp. Feel sharp. Be sharp’, will also feature articles from the likes of Craig The Barber, The LeisureGuy and Andy Tarnoff.
American wet shaving guru Mantic is a good friend of The Shaving Shack after taking part in a very successful Question and Answer session with Shaving Shack customers in 2010.
He also produced a video review of The Bluebeards Revenge shave cream for us earlier this year.
Everyone hear at The Shaving Shack would like to wish Mantic all the best with his new venture.
Shaving Shack now stocking Edwin Jagger range of luxury shaving products
The Shaving Shack is delighted to announce that we are now stocking the Edwin Jagger range of luxury shaving and men’s grooming products.
Internationally renowned for exquisite workmanship, Edwin Jagger shaving products are used by discerning wet shavers the world over.
And we have a great range of Edwin Jagger safety razors, Mach3 razors, shaving creams, shaving brushes and shaving sets to choose from.
If you’re a fan of double edge shaving then why not treat yourself to the Edwin Jagger Double Edge Razor DE86 (£21.99) or the Edwin Jagger Double Edge Razor (Bulbous Lined) (£82.99).
Prefer a Mach3 razor? Well you’re in luck as we are also stocking the very stylish Edwin Jagger Mach 3 Razor in Ebony (£27.99) and the beautifully presented Edwin Jagger Mach 3 Razor in Imitation Ivory (£27.99).
Treat your bathroom to the elegance of the Chatsworth range!
The Chatsworth range is understandably a best seller within the premium Edwin Jagger collection.
This imitation ivory brush, filled with hand tied Super Badger grade hair, is an ideal accompaniment to the matching imitation ivory razor. Manufactured in Sheffield from carefully selected, finest quality polyester material.
Another highlight from the Edwin Jagger Chatsworth range is this all-metal brush, filled with hand tied Super Badger grade hair, an ideal accompaniment to the matching all metal razor. Manufactured in Sheffield, this brush is precision engraved with a Barley pattern finished in high quality chrome plate.
You can browse our complete Edwin Jagger range by clicking here.
Bluebeards ‘Scimitar’ described as a quality and attractive safety razor
A leading wet shaving expert has described The Bluebeards Revenge “Scimitar” as a quality and attractive safety razor.
Mike Sandoval, from Shaving101.com, said the razor was a “prime example of the brand’s modern and whimsical designs”.
“Immediately noticeable is the skull and crossbones Bluebeards Revenge logo laser etched onto the top plate of the cutting head. This ups the ‘cool factor’ because it is masculine and unconventional, but presented in an upscale way,” he said.
“Unlike many of the double edge razors on the market that are very utilitarian in appearance with coarse knurling patterned handles, the ‘Scimitar’ features smoother lines and a classy overall appearance.”
The US wet shaving legend then went on to praise the razor’s handle texture, describing it as “evenly spaced horizontal lines that provide a bit of texture to the grip surface, but maintains a smooth feel and gives the razor an attractive appearance”.
Mike went on to explain: “The chrome plating is evenly applied and smooth with no areas of unevenness or imperfections to be found anywhere.
“It is a traditional three-piece razor with an extremely well designed cutting head that fits together with exact tolerances that provides a perfectly even cutting edge exposure on each side when a blade is installed.
“The gap between the cutting edge and safety bar is gauged to provide a mild blade exposure that shaves efficiently, but is comfortable to use and results in fewer nicks and cuts than other more aggressive razors.”
The Shaving Shack sells The Bluebeards Revenge “Scimitar” Double Edge Razor for £34.99.
You can read the full Shaving101 review by clicking here.
Women waste 50bn litres of water shaving legs in shower
A new study has revealed that one in three women leave the shower running while they shave their legs, wasting nearly 50 billion litres of water a year.
Thames Water, which commissioned the research, said the amount wasted would be enough to supply the whole of London for around 25 days.
So come on ladies its about time you started to save the planet and invest in some decent shaving cream, a razor that actually cuts, and perhaps a luxury shaving brush to ensure you can whip up a thick and consistent lather.
Here at The Shaving Shack we have all the shaving accessories any girl could ever need, or want for that matter.
If pink is your thing then why not treat yourself to this Pink Mach 3 Razor or Pink Badger Shaving Brush.
And if you really hate shaving your pins and would do anything to not have to, then we have some very good news.
Our best-selling product is The Bluebeards Revenge shaving cream, which is the only brand on the market that can actually slow down and reduce hair growth.
It features the miracle component Decelerine™ - which contains a mixture of active ingredients that delay hair growth, reducing the frequency of shaving and depilation and at the same time providing a recovering effect on the skin.
You can also buy all three of these luxury products as a gift set for just £49.99. A unique treat for yourself or a magnificent present for someone you care about.
Men binning overpriced cartridge razors….at last
Newspaper reports out today are suggesting that the global financial crisis is taking its toll on the men’s grooming industry, with the ‘alpha male’ supposedly making a comeback.
According to a new study by The Grocer, British men are switching away from the smooth metrosexual ideal to the bearded and messy look during the economic downturn.
The research has revealed that in the past year sales of razors and blades were down by 7 per cent.
Market analysts Kantar Worldpanel say rising prices, as well as the economic slump, is a key factor for the change in male attitudes.
However, for men still wanting too look dapper and clean-shaven but don’t want to pay the earth for some overpriced and poor performing cartridge razor, then there is a solution, and it’s called double edge shaving.
Not only is double edge razor technically superior to a Gillette ProGlide or any other expensive cartridge based razor system, its also much cheaper.
The following comparison is based on an average use of: 1 x Mach3 cartridge a week OR 2 x double-edged razor blades a week
MACH3 CARTRIDGE YEARLY COST
Boots do twelve cartridges for £11.99. So: £11.99 divided by 12 weeks of shaving x 52 weeks a year = £51.96 for a year’s worth of Mach3 cartridges.
DOUBLE EDGED RAZOR BLADE YEARLY COST
At the Shaving Shack, we do 30 blades for £5.99 (15 weeks shaving at two blades a week). So: £5.99 divided by 15 weeks of shaving x 52 weeks a year = £20.76 for a year’s worth of double edged razor blades.
That’s a saving of around £31 a year and less than half the cost of shaving with Mach3s.
Even in the first year, where you would have to purchase a double edged razor, this saving is more than enough to cover this initial extra cost.
Need another reason to bin the expensive cartridge system and opt instead for the luxurious double edge razor? A study published earlier this year found that well-groomed guys have much better job prospects as well. 90 per cent of HR professionals said being well groomed is more important than a firm handshake when it comes time for a job interview.
And if that doesn’t convince you, surely this well….Research also suggests that men who shave regularly have twice as much sex as those that don’t.
This study found that men who shave at least five times a week are having sex 15.5 times per month, compared to 7.8 times for unshaven men.
So men, abandon the scruffy, un-shaven look and quick as it would appear that keeping yourself clean-shaven is the key to a successful career and love life.
Shave off the moustache to beat hay fever
If you’re prone to allergies like hay fever, you might want to shave off that moustache.
Well that’s according to a study, which suggests that men who washed their moustaches twice a day with liquid soap used fewer antihistamines and decongestants.
The reason for this? Cleaning the moustache got rid of stuck pollen grains.
Dr Rob Hicks, GP and author of Beat Your Allergy, said: “Like clothing, skin and hair, a moustache will trap pollen throughout the day.
“A man with hay fever might consider shaving off his moustache to see whether it makes a difference.
“That would probably be easier and more effective than remembering to wash it twice a day.”
$100k sapphire razor now being stocked at The Shaving Shack
The Shaving Shack is delighted to announce that we are now stocking the $100,000 Zafirro Iridium razor.
Is it April Fools Day again?
Unfortunately, we are not really stocking this luxurious new razor but I thought I would give it a product mention anyway.
According to Zafirro, it’s the world’s first razor with sapphire blades. The handle is made primarily from iridium, one of the rarest and strongest metals in existence.
“In addition to vastly extended blade life, the solid white sapphire blades offer a number of additional advantages over conventional steel blades. They are hypoallergenic, impervious to oxidation and corrosion, and very sharp,” said Zafirro in a statement.
“The sapphire is sharpened using high-energy, ionized particles to create an edge less than 100 atoms in width, 5000 times smaller than the width of a hair.”
The company says it will only produce 99 of the Iridium line, which went on sale yesterday for $100,000.
The blades include a 10-year guarantee and Zafirro will provide complementary servicing and professional cleaning for Iridium customers, as well as resharpening if necessary.
Sounds like a bargain!! For more information, visit www.zafirro.com.
Well if you haven’t got a spare $100k lying around then you might want to pick an alternative razor brand such as Merkur or Parker, we’ve got plenty of these in stock.
Youtube shaving guru Mantic59 tests out the Bluebeards Revenge
Double edge shaving guru Mantic, a veteran of the BadgerAndBlade and ShaveMyFace forums, has been testing the much-hyped Bluebeards Revenge shaving cream.
Mantic's Youtube videos have been seen by more than 4 million people
The American has been shaving with the cream to test whether the product can infact reduce and slow down beard growth with regular use.
So what were his findings? “I started to notice a difference in my beard after about 45 days of continuous use: hair started to get noticeably thinner and shorter,” said Mantic. Read his full review by clicking here.
The Bluebeards Revenge contains a miracle ingredient called Decelerine - which the manufactures Lipotec say can reduce beard growth over time.
According to Lipotec, in tests Decelerine showed a 30% decrease in hair length as well as a 16% reduction in hair density after 60 days.
As well as slowing down beard regrowth, Decelerine also relieves and soothes the effects of shaving (especially skin prone to irritation and dryness) by providing moisturisation and protection to facilitate its regeneration.
Mantic has helped thousands of wet shavers with their technique with his YouTube videos and forum postings.
Check out Mantic’s video review of The Bluebeards Revenge.
For more great videos on the art of traditional wet shaving, visit Mantic’s website http://mantic59.blogspot.com or Youtube channel - http://www.youtube.com/user/mantic59he much-hyped
US man shaves beard after waiting 10 years for Osama bin Laden’s capture or death
An American high school teacher, who grew his beard for nearly ten years, has finally shaved it off following the death of Osama bin Laden.
Gary Weddle, 50, made a vow on 11 September 2001 to stay unshaven until Osama, the Al Qaeda leader, was captured or killed.
He grew the beard to remind his pupils of America’s most deadly terror attack.
Weddle, of East Wenatchee, Washington, was working in the garden on Sunday when a work colleague phoned to tell him that bin Laden, dubbed the “world’s most wanted terrorist”, had been killed by American soldiers in Pakistan.
On hearing the news, Weddle reached for his razor and scissors, with the momentous occasion witnessed by his delighted and relieved wife and close friends.
“I spent my first five minutes crying and then I couldn’t get it off fast enough,” Gary told The Daily Astorian newspaper.
The infamous al-Qaeda terrorist attack occurred on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington on September 11, 2001, killing around 3,000 people.
I wonder what razor he used?
Guest post by Straight Razor Place founder Lynn Abrams
We recently sent a tub of The Bluebeards Revenge shaving cream to William Ewin, or Jockeys41 as he is also known, so he could test it with a cutthroat or straight razor.
Jockeys41, who praised the cream very highly, posted a link to his YouTube review on the very impressive wet shaving forum, The Straight Razor Place (www.straightrazorplace.com).
This review was seen by the forum’s founder, Lynn Abrams, who then Tweeted us, asking for a sample of the cream so he could see first hand what all the fuss was about.
Here at the Shaving Shack, we are very keen to promote every method of traditional wet shaving and thought it would be an excellent idea to ask Lynn to submit a guest post on the growing popularity of The Straight Razor Place forum, and his love for the art of straight shaving.
Here goes:
“
Hello, my name is Lynn Abrams and I am the founder of The Straight Razor Place (SRP), the first and original straight razor forum on the internet. I would like to thank Mark for the opportunity to participate in his blog and share what has been an amazing 10 years in the development of wet shaving and straight razor shaving.
I started shaving with a straight razor in 1973 after my grandfather took me to a barber for a straight razor shave. The shave was so smooth and close that I didn’t have to shave for two days. I was so hooked that I purchased a straight razor within a week. It was a Cutlery World razor, probably made by Dovo and I still have it today. During this time, the only known places to purchase straight razors, brushes, strops or soaps was from either Cutlery stores or Knife shops. So for the next 25 years or so I shaved with that straight razor on and off, depending on whether I could get it sharpened properly. I was using a cheap shaving soap in a coffee mug and an old boar’s hair brush. I used to send the razor off to various cutlery shops for honing and about 50 percent of the time, the razor came back with an edge fit for shaving. During this time, I was also in business and like most people; I was absorbed in the day to day pace of a busy job and family. Shaving was a necessary evil and definitely looked at as a chore. I was out of the house after waking up in 30 minutes and on the road to a busy day of work.
It seems like yesterday, but in 1999, I began looking on the internet for information on how to hone/sharpen and maintain my straight razor. At this time, I was on a mission to back off of the hectic daily pace of life and enjoy my straight razor complete with a hot towel treatment whenever I could. All that I can tell you is that it was very frustrating to search the web every day only to find an occasional question and answer on a knife forum or to hit the mother lode at the time and find Arthur Boon’s article which contained some great information about straight razors, their use and care. There just was no place where you could discuss straight razors or wetshaving or ask questions to. Information was extremely limited.
So I had this idea. Yahoo had a function called groups and I figured that if I started a straight razor group, there would be a place to preserve knowledge about the art of straight razor shaving. This turned out to be one of the more fun ventures that I have undertaken in my life. SRP Yahoo was started in November of 2000. When the group started, I asked my 3 sons to join so that we could have a few members and began soliciting people buying and selling razor on ebay to join as well. It started out very slow, but by the end of the 1st year, we began putting together some great information and discussion regarding the use of straight razors, identification of them, their care and of course, how to sharpen one. I realized that my quest was taking shape, but I really had a long way to go. I began purchasing every ebay razor I could get my hands on and with the help of a gentleman named Don Walters; I started to learn how to hone my own straight razors. I can’t begin to tell you the level of excitement I had when I was able to shave with the first straight razor I sharpened. It was like catching a fish on the very first fly I ever tied. Well that was many thousands of razors ago and to this day, I have not lost the enjoyment that comes from making straight razors shave ready for myself and other people. It is the basis from which we decided that every new razor sold would be honed at no expense to the buyer at my shop so that people would have every opportunity at success when using a straight razor.
If you ever get the chance, check out the old yahoo group Straight Razor Place and start reading from the beginning. You will quickly recognize just how far we have come. You can see where we had the assistance of John West, a thirty year collector of straight razors who enlightened us about which razors barbers liked best, razor values and razor history. We had people like Ray DuPont, deceased, who was the founder of Classic Shaving show up as an early ebay vendor when he first started the business. Ray was one of the first people to offer a full variety of products channeled directly to the wet shaving population. It has been amazing to see the variety of people from all walks of life that have come into this environment and many are still around today. The membership has now grown to almost 30,000 members on the .com site and the Yahoo site remains in operation. The mission remains to spread the world and share the art of wetshaving and straight razor shaving. It is all about changing the chore of shaving daily into a pleasure that people can look forward to.
One of the things that I am most proud of is that Straight Razor Place has not only grown from its humble origin into the most credible source of straight razor information, but it is a place that has a pay it forward mentality. The membership is without question, one of the most helpful and generous groups of people on the planet. SRP does not allow any vendor or individual to be trashed. They also do not allow any selling or special interests in the forum other than the vendor section. There is a great Wiki there for people to research and help build information. It is just an amazing collection of people and after 10 years, it remains a place that I like to visit every day.
So where are we today? There are hundreds of specialty vendors offering great products to the wet shaving population. We know about great brushes and strops and sharpening stones that were not available years ago. We have more available information and assistance to new people than ever in history. The amount of soaps and aftershaves and colognes available today is staggering. We have people all over the world making custom straight razors and restoring vintage razors. We have razor manufacturers coming back into the business. Where there were a few hundred listings on ebay 10 years ago, there are now thousands. We have people recognizing the positive effect of not having to throw out plastic disposables every week and helping the environment. We have many bloggers out there helping to spread the word and aiding in the introduction and evaluation of new products. We see straight razor use showing up in news stories all over the country. If you look on YouTube, you will find hundreds of videos from people sharing their experiences and providing help in using all wet shaving tools. In addition, there are now wetshaving and straight razor forums that have started in many countries and quite a few here in the US. It has been most gratifying to see this kind of growth and especially in the last several years. A lot of the people who started forums had their beginnings at SRP. We may never get to mainstream, but there are millions of people enjoying the benefits of all kinds of wetshaving today and happily spreading the word.
This is all a dream come true for me and considering where we have come from, I can say mission accomplished. To me, it will never be about the vendors or individual recognition. It will always be about sharing the information and helping people to enjoy shaving and grooming along with providing them answers to all their questions. Let’s continue to make this a world where people look forward to the next shave.
Thank you to all the wonderful people I have met over the last 10 years and let’s look forward to the legacy we have created. We all continue to learn something about this sport every day and it is a journey well worth experiencing.
Sincerely,
Lynn
“
This article first appeared on Mantic 59′s Shaving Journal. He kindly gave us permission to post it here.
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