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I have no problem, whatsoever, with the quality of the alum, itself, or it's ability to do what it's intended to do, following wet shaving.The problem that I have with my "Shavex Alum Block", is that the surfaces of the particular block of alum, that I received, were EiXiTiRiEiMiEiLiY ROUGH. I could easily deal with the fact that this Shavex Alum Block's surfaces were quite uneven and asymmetrical. Although, I am puzzled as to why this should, necessarily, be the case. The steps in processing blocks of this type, would seem, most likely, to be fairly straightforward and not difficult to do well.As a rule, I rarely quibble over little discrepancies with products that I buy. I've never before written a negative review on anything that I've purchased from Amazon, and that would include a proverbial "ton" of products, over the last several years. Thank goodness for Amazon Prime's free two day shipping. Otherwise, we would have gone bankrupt, from shipping charges, alone.The bottom line is that this particular Shavex Alum Block arrived with surfaces so rough, that I can not imagine that anyone would be willing to slide it across their face following a wet shave; and certainly not, in the event that they sustained any skin abrasions or nicks, during their shave. One of the two broad surfaces of this block literally felt like a roughly finished concrete driveway... the kind of driveway that you would n e v e r want to fall and scrape your knee on. Well... it did feel almost that rough.I didn't really want to send it back, primarily because I recently began shaving with a straight razor, which has somewhat of a learning curve, resulting in a lot more frequent nicks and abrasions (than when using a trusty multi-blade razor). I needed the alum block to doctor up all those little shaving war wounds, to avoid the risk of needing professional medical attention, or worse yet, a transfusion or something of the like!I decided that I could "make" the surfaces of my new alum block, into what they should have been like, in the first place, using some sandpaper and elbow grease. I soon found that it was going to take a lot more than 220, or even 120 grit sandpaper, especially to even begin to smooth out that one particular side's surface on the block. It was a lot more rough than the others. I ended up resorting to 80 grit sandpaper, and even then, it took a lot of effort to attain an almost acceptable level of smoothness for use on the face. Believe it or not, I even resorted to using a random orbital sander (with some success), during my initial smoothing efforts. Actually, yesterday I noticed one side of the block to still be in need of some more sanding work.Relatively speaking, there's another a minor issue. The plastic box that came with my Shavex Alum Block, was about as rinky-dink as you can get... extremely thin and barely able to maintain it's shape. The two little thin plastic pieces on the front, intended to keep the box closed, are very weak (and it's still brand new). If I'm lucky the box may hold be able to survive for more than a month or so with care. Considering the very small cost of including a plastic box, that would be able to function well, and easily last as long as the alum block, itself, you would think that Shavex would have a lot more pride in how their product is presented to it's loyal users. The current box just screams " C H E A P ", the moment the product is opened by the consumer. What were they thinking?Now, honestly, I'm going to give Shavex the "benefit of the doubt", and make the assumption that the particular alum block that I received, was a very rare exception (to the usual very high quality alum blocks that Shavex produces). I'm going to assume that this particular alum block, just somehow managed to slip past, what is normally an outstanding quality control system. With all the 4 & 5 star reviews I'm seeing here, this is likely the case. Otherwise, perhaps, a change in the actual source of the alum, or a change in the way the alum is processed may have occurred along the way. Many reviewers even comment on how nice the plastic box is. This is somewhat puzzling to me. BUT, at the end of the day, I would rather maintain a positive attitude. When the time comes I will, most likely, order another Shavex Alum Block. Chances are, the next one I get will be in pristine condition!By the way, the straight razor, that I'm now using, was also purchased from Amazon, and I'm very impressed with it's quality. It's the Feather Artist Club SS Folding Handle Shaving Razor, made in Japan by Feather. It has a very unique functional design, is stainless steel, and uses Feather replaceable blades. The replaceable blades avoid the necessity of having to strop (and, occasionally, hone) the blade before use, as is the case with a traditional straight razor. It's, also, about half the cost of the better than average traditional straight razor, and doesn't require the up-front cost of expensive accessories, such as quality Japanese Water Stones for honing and a quality Strop to keep it shave-ready.Check the Feather razor out at: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008CF6KMC/ref=oh_details_o03_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1or view an image of it at: http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61%2BGS%2Bfif6L._SL1500_.jpg

If you've never used Alum after shaving, it's a great way to prevent infected follicles, as well as tighten pores after a shave. It has a similar effect to aftershave (although I use both) but there is no smell whatsoever. It's a natural astringent, mild antiseptic, and causes pores to constrict, so it'll stop most minor bleeding. I use it even when I haven't cut my face, because it really tightens up the skin. Fair warning, if you're coming off a fresh shave, it stings like the dickens, although applied to normal skin, it does almost nothing. But to me, it's a "good" kind of sting, much like aftershave, if that makes any sense.I heartily recommend this particular block because of its size. I don't understand why most alum blocks are tiny. (Smaller than a matchbox.) This one is about the size of a normal bar of soap. Don't worry about the price, this will probably last you a year at least, assuming you don't drop it. (It's has a brittle crystalline structure, and will shatter if dropped.)Another thing that alum is great for is an underarm antiperspirant. I have a second of these blocks that I use for that. (It seemed kinda gross to use the same one for both.) If you shave your armpits, you can probably expect a little sting when applying it, but I don't, so it's not at all uncomfortable to apply. Since it naturally constricts pores, you'll find it really does decrease sweating throughout the day. It does nothing whatsoever to mask odor, so in my opinion, you're treating the problem, not the symptom. When you put it on, you'll probably feel like it didn't do anything, because it doesn't leave clumps of sticky stuff in your armpits. However, if you use it for a couple of days, you'll notice significantly less body odor at the end of each day. And unlike most antiperspirants, it doesn't actually block or clog your pores, so, at least for me, it doesn't irritate the skin under my arms.All in all, highly recommended for both purposes. I guess that makes this a ten star review!

I won't repeat what others have said here. It's more than worth the price. Buy a cheaper block like I used to do and within a couple of months you've got a broken down "Pile of Salt" instead of a useable block that can last you a couple of years or more. Always take care of your block. Keep it clean and dab it as dry as you can get it, put it back in its case (its not a travel case, it is it's protective home when not in use), and it will last a very long time and remain smooth. As with all blocks, if you drop it, it will shatter into a million pieces. But most experienced shavers know to go slow, handle with care, and enjoy the experience!