Thread: The Bomb, Dense, bayrum

OK....I don't know if this should go in "Reviews" or here, so I'll put it here.

Got my dense variation of the bomb in bay rum yesterday.

First impression, nice, fresh bayrum scent, and not quite as dense as I was expecting to be honest. Seemed less dense than Castle Forbes

Laterhering: Al is NOT kidding when he says it's a challenge to get a nice lather. When he says it is hydrophobic at the beginning, he MEANS IT. I tried a few different small practice runs (ruined one or two with water up front), and decided that this is the way to go for me: Scuttle with hot water, medium firm brush, loaded directly from the jar. (I loaded WAY WAY WAY too much, more on this later). I loaded about the same as I would if loading other hard creams, such as CF or Aqua Di Parma.
I started swirling/whipping until I had a nice rim of dense DENSE protolather (I don't know what else to call it), I whipped and swirled for about a minute, fast and active. I then added a few drops (perhaps five?) of water. Back to whipping/lathering, and it perhaps doubled in volume. Had I not so excessively loaded the brush, this might have been all that was neccesary. A half minute or so of this, and I added another 5-7 drops of water, and I am telling you, the lather EXPLODED. The bowl of my scuttle was FULL of lather so dense my brush would almost stand up in it. BUT, it was creamy and SLICK SLICK SLICK.

I spread it on my face like somewhere between whipped cream and cake frosting, then let it sit while I stropped a 8/8 Joe Chandler Damascus (freshly honed). I went to wash it off and I realized that the peaks in the lather were still perfectly formed. When I rinsed, my skin felt soft and lubricated. I re-lathered, still not really having made a dent in the volume of lather in the scuttle, and started shaving.
I AM NOT KIDDING WHEN I SAY THAT THE LUBRICATION AND CUSHIONING PROVIDED WERE THE BEST I HAVE EVER FELT FROM A CREAM, AND RIGHT UP NEAR THE TOP OF WHAT IVE EVER FELT FROM A SOAP.
When I was done shaving, I should point out, there was ZERO sign that the lather was ready to dry out or break down, and I took my time with this shave.

I finished a three pass shave, and I have a nice BBS shave that needs a great lather and a great razor to do its job. I rinsed, and just to see JUST how much I had over-loaded by, I relathered, rinsed, relathered, rinsed, relathered, rinsed, and then squeezed out EASILY another two passes worth of lather. So....uh, yeah, I could have shaved three times (more if I have been conserviative with lather) on the amount I used.
So, in jar-loading, one must be very careful to not waste this cream.

Scent: 9+ (it would be a 10, but it is just of a SLIGHTLY different "style" of bayrum than my absolute favorites like Ogallala)
Lathering EASE: 2/6 (this is not an easy lather to build. I could see it being VERY frustrating for the new user or the latehr-challneged who doesn't like to experiment. BUT...now that I tried a few ways, and think I know the best for me, it is not too terribly hard, just time consuming. Hence the split rating.) Al has never made any claims otherwise, in fact, he is the first to tell you this is not an easy cream to lather. He even gave tips on lathering with my order.
Lather quality: 10 (only because I can not give a 42)
Cushion: 10
Lubrication: 10
Skin conditioning: 10

The short story is this: If you are willing to learn what might be a slightly new technique for lather, and work for it a tad....you can not be displeased with this fantastic prodcut. Al...look for a new order from me...this time in that wonderful lime!!! And thank you for bringing this wonderful product to the market.

I have the lime dense version, it is somewhat challenging, but your efforts are rewarded.
I use mine as I would a soap, swirling the brush directly on the bomb in the tub. I find it easier to build lather that way. My lime Bomb is thicker than CF fwiw.....

Rich

Ok, I keep seeing the reviews. Where can I get this?

Simply put, the Lime is lather monster! I'm too cheap for Brita dispenser so have to make due with hard water. The Atom Bomb is the bomb! Ease of lathering. Outstanding cushioning and moisturizing features-as the blade glades seamless and effortlessly. Doesn't even feel like you're shaving at all! That's how good it is.

Originally Posted by Oglethorpe

Ok, I keep seeing the reviews. Where can I get this?

PM Alraz mate!

Nice review!

If you don't mind, can you describe the scent a little more? What kind of bay rum is it? Clovey; cinnamon-y; lots of bay; etc?

Thanks in advance.

After reading this thread I broke out the bomb. I haven't used it in a while because I have too many soaps/creams in my rotation probably 75, I'm working on reducing that. Anyway, The Bomb. I don't know if it improves with age or what, but I put a small amount that I scrapped with my finger in the bottom of my heated scuttle, I had loads of lather quick. Very impressed. It stayed nice and moist on my face while I stropped. Just awesome, Ranks right up there with CF, and T&H, if not better, really really impressive....

Ogie, Alraz has the bomb....

somkelaw1, let me begin by saying that your review is excellent, very objective and containing ALL! the observations that a person should make when using The Bomb for the first time; this certainly says a lot. I appreciate your effort. I normally do not interfere with the review process but think that it is a good idea to comment on a few things:

1) The density of the Castle Forbes changes a bit with the scent and the batch. With The Bomb I have observed this as well and it even changes a bit as it cures. I notice that the first tubs of the batch are not as dense and yours was the 1st of 2010 ;-). I can certainly make it denser but if I do that, it becomes more challenging as well ;-). Do not panic, the density of yours should increase a bit overtime ;-).

2) No surprises, it is different and may be puzzling at first. You will see that as you get used to The Bomb, like with any puzzle, it becomes a lot easier ;-). I believe that your rating would change after you use it a couple of more times (no objection to your rating whatsoever).

3) Excellent term!!!, give this guy a cigar!!!! ;-) I will use it from now on in my lathering tips.

4) Yeah, if you take the time a put a bit of extra effort, it will do this every time.

5) Thank you, it is extremely refreshing to hear these comments from users that have used the top tier products, thanks.

6 and 7) I said that The Bomb is pretty economical ;-), and the longevity of the lather is outstanding in my opinion.

8) I am glad that you liked your Bomb ;-). Nice razor to try The Bomb with, thanks.

Originally Posted by smokelaw1

1) First impression, nice, fresh bayrum scent, and not quite as dense as I was expecting to be honest. Seemed less dense than Castle Forbes

2) Laterhering: Al is NOT kidding when he says it's a challenge to get a nice lather. When he says it is hydrophobic at the beginning, he MEANS IT.

3) I started swirling/whipping until I had a nice rim of dense DENSE protolather

4) I am telling you, the lather EXPLODED. The bowl of my scuttle was FULL of lather so dense my brush would almost stand up in it. BUT, it was creamy and SLICK SLICK SLICK.


5) I AM NOT KIDDING WHEN I SAY THAT THE LUBRICATION AND CUSHIONING PROVIDED WERE THE BEST I HAVE EVER FELT FROM A CREAM, AND RIGHT UP NEAR THE TOP OF WHAT IVE EVER FELT FROM A SOAP.

6) When I was done shaving, I should point out, there was ZERO sign that the lather was ready to dry out or break down, and I took my time with this shave.

7) So, in jar-loading, one must be very careful to not waste this cream.

8) Al...look for a new order from me...this time in that wonderful lime!!! And thank you for bringing this wonderful product to the market.

Originally Posted by Oglethorpe

Ok, I keep seeing the reviews. Where can I get this?

Oglethorpe, just send me a PM. I am the sole distributor of The Bomb for the universe, including Antartica, The Shara and Mars ;-). I do not have a website, I can explain but probably not here.

Originally Posted by Allen

Nice review!

If you don't mind, can you describe the scent a little more? What kind of bay rum is it? Clovey; cinnamon-y; lots of bay; etc?

Thanks in advance.

The bay rum I use is 100% P. racemosa essential oil and comes from a Caribbean island. I do not find it clovey or cinnamony but it can be if people would like it ;-). As scent perception and taste is very personal I would let people comment on their impressions rather than giving my own.

Originally Posted by zib

I put a small amount that I scrapped with my finger in the bottom of my heated scuttle, I had loads of lather quick. Very impressed. It stayed nice and moist on my face while I stropped. Just awesome, Ranks right up there with CF, and T&H, if not better, really really impressive....

This is the way I use The Bomb. I am not sure if it improves much overtime of that you get more used to it, see the comments about the puzzle above. Definitely using a heated scuttle should work loosening it up at first. You have so many that it is hard for The Bomb to find space in your rotation ;-).

I think that I have covered everybody's comments. Needless to say, I am very excited but also humbled, thank you. I am glad that The Bomb brings smiles to your faces when you shave;-). Thanks SiRed8 for your always complementary remarks.

Al raz.

Thanks, Al

I wouldn't go so far as to post this in the review section, but I wanted to make a few comments on the Bomb as well. I'm also working with the same Bay Rum scent in the dense formula. Bottom line if you don't want to read a lot: This stuff is awesome! Get some!

The scent: IMHO, Al hit the sweet spot with the scent. It doesn't blow you away or make you open the windows, but the bay rum smells sweet from start to finish. It lingers just enough on the skin. (Al sent me a sample of the tangerine scent and I can't wait to try that one next!)

The latherability: as previously mentioned, it takes a little work to get the right lather, but it's so worth it. I didn't get it right until I got a few tips from Al and made a test batch. The real trick is to scoop that "protolather" back into the bottom of the bowl. After a good 2-3 minutes you've got some mean, explosive lather going - so much so I might need to buy a bigger shave bowl. If you wind up getting a batch, you'll find Al is really helpful with instructions and tips and he'll work with you on getting it right. (Thanks again Al! )

The lather: Really, really thick and rich. You can feel how cushiony and slick your shave will be as soon as you brush the lather on your face. It keeps those meringue-like peaks throughout the shave, and stays moist until the end of your clean up. (I felt bad dumping an entire shaves worth of lather when I was done.) It may be easiest to imagine it as "uber-lather with no assembly required."

The shave: The lather gives premium glide and cushion as you shave. There must be some really good skin conditioners in there because your face doesn't dry out mid-pass like with some other soaps/creams. I have pretty dry skin (it's ashy, really) and almost got away with no ASB at the end, which is saying a lot. My mug is now soft and smooth.

Post Shave: Because my face was so well protected, I walked away with no razor burn or irritation after three full passes. I'm a newbie here, so again I owe a lot of that to the Bomb. I used Al's homemade Bay Rum AS (which has a lot of alcohol) and felt nearly no sting. So I must have gotten a really smooth shave to not have that "Home Alone" moment. hehe

Instead of going piece by piece with a number rating, I'll just give the Bomb a whole-hearted 10 out of 10 - it's a perfect stand-alone shave cream. I also want to point out that it's very economical. I used maybe a pea-sized amount to get three full passes with a bunch of leftover lather.

For my fellow newbies: the latherability might be tricky at first, but once you get it right, the cushion and slickness makes the shave a little more forgiving. A huge plus!

This thread had convinced me to contact Al and inquire about the Bomb. He has obliged me and is working on a new scent. I will comment on it once I've had a chance to try it. I am excited, to say the least.