Can anyone say if Colonel Conk does anything really special?

Maybe a few of you out there started as I did, at the Colonel Conk website. That's the one that sells starter packages, with it's own line of soaps that you can buy in three-packs, aftershave, and a few really awful tools which are liable to send you running to the honemeisters. Today I've been shopping behind my laptop on this sunny day because I have so many items in general to see about (many are SR-related) before I go to work tomorrow. I'm not ordering any soap because I already have enough in Conk three-packs to last for years. People say Conk scent has no staying power, to which I can only agree, and that goes for the aftershave too (although that almond balm smells amazing in the bottle). So I'll see if aftershave by Razorock and Ogdalla are any better.

Anyway, for future reference, does anyone think there's any Conk products which are comparatively special and worth their prices? Other than the Conk shaving mug which I own, which has a flared top and a handle (handy for "Conk"ing somebody over the head with:)), that's all that comes to mind for me now. What products do you know to be better or worse than the Colonel's?

Hmm....well....I still have my wooden handle pure badger brush and Col. Conk straight razor(Dovo best quality)that I bought from Conk after 7 years and they still work like champs. I never thought much of the aftershaves and soaps but I think they have their place in the shaving world.

There is a permanent spot on my soap shelf for Col Conk Amber, I have always liked that one

Ah-ha! Come to think of it, my brush is also the Colonel's. They do seem to have that part of the market cornered. I've already gone through one of theirs, but then I didn't take care of it, just left it in my mug. I went looking to replace it with an upgrade, but most available options (where I looked anyway) seemed to be questionably cheap, or outrageously more expensive, so I ended up with another of the Colonel's badgers. I've been storing it in a brush holder so that it can drain, but two months later a few bristles are popping out under gentle use - oh, well!

Wow, they do have nice razors at the site, although I don't know if they produce any of them. That olive wood Dovo does look nice!

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Originally Posted by Nightblade

Hmm....well....I still have my wooden handle pure badger brush and Col. Conk straight razor(Dovo best quality)that I bought from Conk after 7 years and they still work like champs. I never thought much of the aftershaves and soaps but I think they have their place in the shaving world.

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I screwed an eye hook in to the end of mine and put a cord on it so it hangs down nicely.Never let me down yet.

By that, do you mean that you never found bristles dropped into your soap, or that you never lost enough to change it's performace? I'd like to figure out if it's my fault.

I started out winging it with brush until I happened across a tutorial for brushing the soap, and this one actually said to fill the mug. I didn't fill it higher than the top surface of my soap, and I had so much water in there it ran off my face no matter how long I whipped the brush around! So next I started almost dry, dribbling on a few drops at a time, and after about 30 seconds it looked like the lather would be about as good as it could get, which for a guy who used to rub Irish Spring bar soap on his face before htting it with the safety razor, it seemed great (soap is soap, any is always better than none, and Irish Spring smells awesome). But just today I reviewed that tutorial again because I happened accross people who were expressing amazement with their SR lather, and I wanted to know what that was about. I don't know if I can really get up early enough to whip it for a couple of minutes every morning when I do all that stropping too, but what a difference! But I still tend to be conservative with the water, to avoid ruining a lot of the soap which I'll have to dump out if I want to shave that day.

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Originally Posted by Nightblade

I screwed an eye hook in to the end of mine and put a cord on it so it hangs down nicely.Never let me down yet.

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Originally Posted by bluroot

By that, do you mean that you never found bristles dropped into your soap, or that you never lost enough to change it's performace? I'd like to figure out if it's my fault.

I started out winging it with brush until I happened across a tutorial for brushing the soap, and this one actually said to fill the mug. I didn't fill it higher than the top surface of my soap, and I had so much water in there it ran off my face no matter how long I whipped the brush around! So next I started almost dry, dribbling on a few drops at a time, and after about 30 seconds it looked like the lather would be about as good as it could get, which for a guy who used to rub Irish Spring bar soap on his face before htting it with the safety razor, it seemed great (soap is soap, any is always better than none, and Irish Spring smells awesome). But just today I reviewed that tutorial again because I happened accross people who were expressing amazement with their SR lather, and I wanted to know what that was about. I don't know if I can really get up early enough to whip it for a couple of minutes every morning when I do all that stropping too, but what a difference! But I still tend to be conservative with the water, to avoid ruining a lot of the soap which I'll have to dump out if I want to shave that day.

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If your quoting me ? I never lose bristles. My Conk Pure Badger is in great shape. Boar bristles are what shed . Soak your brush before using and then after try to slap out or shake out as much moisture as possible. Don't wring your brush, and hang it upside down so that any excess moisture can drip out(down and out of the brush) As for lather.When I got a puck in my mug. I fill the mug with water and drop the brush in for a minute er two. This soaks my brush and softens up my soap at the same time.Then ,dump out the excess water and start to whippin up a nice lather. As far as soap being just soap. Definitely not true. Big differences in shave soap and cleansing soap. Cleansing soap is for just that, cleansing ergo stripping your skin of dirt and everything else. Shaving soaps have alot more moisturizing and lubricating ingredients in them. Try Mitchells wool fat or Proraso(my personal fav) and then compare to Irish Spring ?:o

Tried and true:oAttachment 132624

Everything Conk sells is made for them. They are only a web based retailer. They are based in a small town about 20 miles from me and operate mostly out of a house. I see nothing special about anything they sell. They basically stole a defunct business name from the 19th century and sell the connection with history and the West.

I would concour with that.Interesting they are close to you like that.Didn't know they was from NM way ?:)

Now I'm wondering what brand my brush really is ?

yea the original Col Conk started his business in Albuquerque selling shaving gear retail with "Western" scents and expanded. When he died in the early 20th century the business died with him.

I would guess their brushes are Vulfix. I know the razors are Dovo's

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Originally Posted by thebigspendur

yea the original Col Conk started his business in Albuquerque selling shaving gear retail with "Western" scents and expanded. When he died in the early 20th century the business died with him.

I would guess their brushes are Vulfix. I know the razors are Dovo's

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I'll have to look at the Vulvix site. I musta paid $20.00 for that wood handle brush and it's been an absolute champ. My Conk/Dovo best quality hs been a good standby as well. Was my first razor. Boy did I get some good face burns from that thing before I knew what I was doing. Thanks to SRP that changed though.:chapeau

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Originally Posted by Nightblade

If your quoting me ? I never lose bristles. My Conk Pure Badger is in great shape. Boar bristles are what shed . Soak your brush before using and then after try to slap out or shake out as much moisture as possible. Don't wring your brush, and hang it upside down so that any excess moisture can drip out(down and out of the brush) As for lather.When I got a puck in my mug. I fill the mug with water and drop the brush in for a minute er two. This soaks my brush and softens up my soap at the same time.Then ,dump out the excess water and start to whippin up a nice lather. As far as soap being just soap. Definitely not true. Big differences in shave soap and cleansing soap. Cleansing soap is for just that, cleansing ergo stripping your skin of dirt and everything else. Shaving soaps have alot more moisturizing and lubricating ingredients in them. Try Mitchells wool fat or Proraso(my personal fav) and then compare to Irish Spring ?:o

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I always quote, but only because I feel that makes it easier for everyone to follow a thread - hope there's no issues with that.

Thanks for the advice. Just last night I figured out what I was doing wrong, and I've just been stupid as usual for not wanting to waste expensive soap, and this is definitely better soap! That's why I never rinsed the soap out of my brush, never realizing this would damage it!

Btw, my days shaving with Irish Spring are way behind me. I was only saying that I used that because it's soap I had available in the house, it smelled nice, and I had no other use for it because of a skin condition which causes dry scales nearly everywhere, but not on the face.

No worries...I just wasn't sure if you were addressing me or not,it's all good. and yes rinse that brush out.:D