Another happy customer!!! 
2nd round Soap Pass-Around
- Thread starter Demaskee
- Start date
So the box arrived this afternoon and I've opened it up. I see some old friends from the last time the box passed my way, but lots of new things to try as well. I'm going to formulate a plan of attack this evening and will report back.
Excellent. Glad it arrived safely 
Shave 1
I reviewed a lot of soap samples last year when I participated in the Soap Sample Passaround. (It’s one of the best things I’ve done on B&B – thanks [MENTION=73656]dfoulk[/MENTION] for organizing it!) I developed a format for my reviews that I’ll continue to use here. Ultimately, I try to rate the soap as to whether I’d buy it again, so I have 5 grades: Definitely No, Probably No, Maybe, Probably Yes, and Definitely Yes.
(I’ve tried 95 soaps according to my record and I’ve marked 57 as Probably Yes or Definitely Yes. So at some point I’ll probably have to figure out a way to further delineate my top choices.)
Today was Soap Sample #133. This is a soap from a maker that I’ve not tried before. I’ve seen the name around but it’s not mentioned much on B&B. This is a vegan soap with a menthol component to it. It’s scent is described as rose with green notes.
Razor: Gillette Popular #47
Blade: Kai (3)
Brush: Paladin Sumo – 24mm Fan
Soap/cream: Sample 133
Aftershave: Stirling Piacenza
Glide: Decent but not above average.
Cushion: Very good. Even in spots where the lather was thinner, I think it was protective.
Latherability: Lathers very well. I did put a little water in to bloom the soap per the maker’s instructions.
Lather Stability: Very good.
Residual Slickness: Not much residual slickness. I would not feel confident to do a lot of touch-up without reapplying some lather.
Scent Strength: A rose scent was definitely there before I lathered the soap and as I lathered. At first I was smelling the rose on my face, but this was soon overtaken by a menthol scent. The menthol quieted down on my second pass and the rose became noticeable again.
Scent Appeal: The rose scent is fuller than other rose scents that I’ve tried in the past, such as Klar Kabinett (which I think of as a dry, pure rose). At one point I thought I smelled a little citrus – more like an orange flower than pure zest. Other than that, I didn’t get much of any green notes. I’m not overly fond of menthol, but this was not overwhelming either in scent or feel.
Post-Shave Feel: Good but not exceptional.
Result and Conclusions: This was the first menthol soap that I’ve used. It was an interesting experience and I think that I would use a menthol soap again. This one was very nice and, although it’s not a top tier soap for me, I would consider purchasing it particularly if I didn’t have another known menthol soap. This is somewhere between a “Maybe” and a “Probably Yes” for me.
I reviewed a lot of soap samples last year when I participated in the Soap Sample Passaround. (It’s one of the best things I’ve done on B&B – thanks [MENTION=73656]dfoulk[/MENTION] for organizing it!) I developed a format for my reviews that I’ll continue to use here. Ultimately, I try to rate the soap as to whether I’d buy it again, so I have 5 grades: Definitely No, Probably No, Maybe, Probably Yes, and Definitely Yes.
(I’ve tried 95 soaps according to my record and I’ve marked 57 as Probably Yes or Definitely Yes. So at some point I’ll probably have to figure out a way to further delineate my top choices.)
Today was Soap Sample #133. This is a soap from a maker that I’ve not tried before. I’ve seen the name around but it’s not mentioned much on B&B. This is a vegan soap with a menthol component to it. It’s scent is described as rose with green notes.
Razor: Gillette Popular #47
Blade: Kai (3)
Brush: Paladin Sumo – 24mm Fan
Soap/cream: Sample 133
Aftershave: Stirling Piacenza
Glide: Decent but not above average.
Cushion: Very good. Even in spots where the lather was thinner, I think it was protective.
Latherability: Lathers very well. I did put a little water in to bloom the soap per the maker’s instructions.
Lather Stability: Very good.
Residual Slickness: Not much residual slickness. I would not feel confident to do a lot of touch-up without reapplying some lather.
Scent Strength: A rose scent was definitely there before I lathered the soap and as I lathered. At first I was smelling the rose on my face, but this was soon overtaken by a menthol scent. The menthol quieted down on my second pass and the rose became noticeable again.
Scent Appeal: The rose scent is fuller than other rose scents that I’ve tried in the past, such as Klar Kabinett (which I think of as a dry, pure rose). At one point I thought I smelled a little citrus – more like an orange flower than pure zest. Other than that, I didn’t get much of any green notes. I’m not overly fond of menthol, but this was not overwhelming either in scent or feel.
Post-Shave Feel: Good but not exceptional.
Result and Conclusions: This was the first menthol soap that I’ve used. It was an interesting experience and I think that I would use a menthol soap again. This one was very nice and, although it’s not a top tier soap for me, I would consider purchasing it particularly if I didn’t have another known menthol soap. This is somewhere between a “Maybe” and a “Probably Yes” for me.
Excellent review. Pretty sure I know this soap. If it is the one I am thinking of, the menthol overpowers the rose scent to my nose. And I agree, good, but not great soap. Looking forward to reading your next reviews.
Shave 2
Razor: Thick-Cap Old (Left-Side), New LC (Right-Side)
Blade: Kai (4)
Preshave: Crown Shaving Co. Supreme Glide Pre-Shave
Brush: Zenith 24mm Boar
Soap/cream: Soap #791
Aftershave: Stirling Coniferous
Glide: Average. The soap was not particularly slick when rubbing it between my fingers.
Cushion: Good cushion. To me, this was probably the best aspect of the soap.
Latherability: This is a softer soap. It lathers very well. I took a large sample of it by accident, but it was easily conquered by my brush.
Lather Stability: Average or a little less. I could see it fall apart a little on my second application. (I usually shave with 2 passes.)
Residual Slickness: There is little residual slickness.
Scent Strength: The scent had average strength. Not much out of the jar, but more as I lathered it. It was present throughout the shave, but did not linger as I rinsed my face.
Scent Appeal: The scent is described as having some sandalwood in it, but I got more of a green-peanut scent than what I think of as the classic sandalwood (for instance, AoS). I don’t know whether what I think of as sandalwood is really sandalwood, but that’s what I was expecting. I’ve smelled the same scent in other soaps as well and it has surprised me (not necessarily described as sandalwood scented). Perhaps I have falsely accused sandalwood of not meeting my expectation or perhaps I’m really just smelling the base of the soap itself. In either case, it’s not my favorite smell.
Post-Shave Feel: Neither good nor bad. I did not get the sense of post-shave conditioning that I like from a top-tier soap.
Result and Conclusions: This soap is not for me. It doesn’t really excel at any of the main qualities that I look for in my favorite soaps (slickness, post-shave feel and, to some extent, scent). This is a brand that I’ve been interested in trying. It’s a house brand for someone else and I’m not sure who the actual maker is. So I’m glad to have experimented with it, but I probably would not buy it.
Razor: Thick-Cap Old (Left-Side), New LC (Right-Side)
Blade: Kai (4)
Preshave: Crown Shaving Co. Supreme Glide Pre-Shave
Brush: Zenith 24mm Boar
Soap/cream: Soap #791
Aftershave: Stirling Coniferous
Glide: Average. The soap was not particularly slick when rubbing it between my fingers.
Cushion: Good cushion. To me, this was probably the best aspect of the soap.
Latherability: This is a softer soap. It lathers very well. I took a large sample of it by accident, but it was easily conquered by my brush.
Lather Stability: Average or a little less. I could see it fall apart a little on my second application. (I usually shave with 2 passes.)
Residual Slickness: There is little residual slickness.
Scent Strength: The scent had average strength. Not much out of the jar, but more as I lathered it. It was present throughout the shave, but did not linger as I rinsed my face.
Scent Appeal: The scent is described as having some sandalwood in it, but I got more of a green-peanut scent than what I think of as the classic sandalwood (for instance, AoS). I don’t know whether what I think of as sandalwood is really sandalwood, but that’s what I was expecting. I’ve smelled the same scent in other soaps as well and it has surprised me (not necessarily described as sandalwood scented). Perhaps I have falsely accused sandalwood of not meeting my expectation or perhaps I’m really just smelling the base of the soap itself. In either case, it’s not my favorite smell.
Post-Shave Feel: Neither good nor bad. I did not get the sense of post-shave conditioning that I like from a top-tier soap.
Result and Conclusions: This soap is not for me. It doesn’t really excel at any of the main qualities that I look for in my favorite soaps (slickness, post-shave feel and, to some extent, scent). This is a brand that I’ve been interested in trying. It’s a house brand for someone else and I’m not sure who the actual maker is. So I’m glad to have experimented with it, but I probably would not buy it.
I wrote this yesterday, but couldn't post because of the down time.
Shave 3
Razor: PAA Slant on Maggard’s MR-11 handle
Blade: Kai (5)
Preshave: Crown Shaving Co. Supreme Glide Pre-Shave
Brush: Shave Revolution Evolution 24mm synthetic
Soap/cream: Soap 730
Aftershave: Chiseled Face Easy Street
Glide: Very good, but not the very best. Reasonably slick between the fingers.
Cushion: I think it was very good. My hesitation is because I was using a new razor configuration that may not be the best for testing soaps. There definitely was a good amount of cushion; it was only that the shave felt a little harsher than I’m used to.
Latherability: Excellent. My sample lathered well as I added small amounts of water. I tried to add a little more water to this one because another version (vegan) of this maker’s soap seemed very stiff – like egg whites. This tallow version is much better.
Lather Stability: Excellent. There was lather still in the bowl that looked great as I washed up after the shave.
Residual Slickness: Decent. I was able to do some touchup without any problems.
Scent Strength: There is a noticeable scent out of the tub and as I lathered. I wouldn’t mind a little more strength, but I’d never complain about this characteristic.
Scent Appeal: To be honest, the reason I chose to test this soap was because of the scent. (This was despite the fact that I hadn’t really loved the other sample from this maker.) It’s got a bit of citrus, a bit of floral, and a bit of herb/tea. As I was shaving, I thought that it was really close to one of my all-time favorite AS: the now-discontinued Chiseled Face Easy Street. I wasn’t sure because I ration out my bottle of the Easy Street. Needless to say, I enjoy the scent a lot and had to see how close it was to the Chiseled Face.
Post-Shave Feel: I’m writing this a few hours later and it feels great. I don’t know whether that’s because of the CF or the soap, but I have no complaints.
Result and Conclusions: All in all, a nice shave despite the harshness of the blade and razor configuration. I’m still enjoying the scent of the Easy Street. (For those who are interested, the scents are close – especially after dry down – but there’s more citrus in the Easy Street, especially at the beginning.) I will say that this soap is in the running for a keeper, but I suspect it may have stiff competition from others in the next few days. I rate this as a “Probably Yes” but mostly for the scent. This maker has an AS, so I may also want to check that out after the yearly sabbatical.
Shave 3
Razor: PAA Slant on Maggard’s MR-11 handle
Blade: Kai (5)
Preshave: Crown Shaving Co. Supreme Glide Pre-Shave
Brush: Shave Revolution Evolution 24mm synthetic
Soap/cream: Soap 730
Aftershave: Chiseled Face Easy Street
Glide: Very good, but not the very best. Reasonably slick between the fingers.
Cushion: I think it was very good. My hesitation is because I was using a new razor configuration that may not be the best for testing soaps. There definitely was a good amount of cushion; it was only that the shave felt a little harsher than I’m used to.
Latherability: Excellent. My sample lathered well as I added small amounts of water. I tried to add a little more water to this one because another version (vegan) of this maker’s soap seemed very stiff – like egg whites. This tallow version is much better.
Lather Stability: Excellent. There was lather still in the bowl that looked great as I washed up after the shave.
Residual Slickness: Decent. I was able to do some touchup without any problems.
Scent Strength: There is a noticeable scent out of the tub and as I lathered. I wouldn’t mind a little more strength, but I’d never complain about this characteristic.
Scent Appeal: To be honest, the reason I chose to test this soap was because of the scent. (This was despite the fact that I hadn’t really loved the other sample from this maker.) It’s got a bit of citrus, a bit of floral, and a bit of herb/tea. As I was shaving, I thought that it was really close to one of my all-time favorite AS: the now-discontinued Chiseled Face Easy Street. I wasn’t sure because I ration out my bottle of the Easy Street. Needless to say, I enjoy the scent a lot and had to see how close it was to the Chiseled Face.
Post-Shave Feel: I’m writing this a few hours later and it feels great. I don’t know whether that’s because of the CF or the soap, but I have no complaints.
Result and Conclusions: All in all, a nice shave despite the harshness of the blade and razor configuration. I’m still enjoying the scent of the Easy Street. (For those who are interested, the scents are close – especially after dry down – but there’s more citrus in the Easy Street, especially at the beginning.) I will say that this soap is in the running for a keeper, but I suspect it may have stiff competition from others in the next few days. I rate this as a “Probably Yes” but mostly for the scent. This maker has an AS, so I may also want to check that out after the yearly sabbatical.
Shave 4
Razor: iKon Deluxe DLC head on Maggard’s MR-11 handle
Blade: Kai (6)
Preshave: Crown Shaving Co. Supreme Glide Pre-Shave
Brush: Paladin Sumo
Soap/cream: Dr. Jon’s Shaving Cream
Aftershave: Chiseled Face Cedar and Spice
Today I had the opportunity to try out Dr. Jon's new shaving cream formula.
Glide: Nice glide. Lather was fairly slick between the fingers.
Cushion: Very good. As I applied it, I got the sensation of not feeling the brush on my face; this is a sensation that I feel when I’ve used my favorite soaps and creams.
Latherability: Excellent. I misjudged the amount of the cream to take and had a small sample. Nevertheless, I was able to get significant lather out of the sample – more than enough for my regular shave.
Lather Stability: Excellent.
Residual Slickness: Pretty good but not superior. I did a little touch up without any problem, but didn’t feel that I had much slickness from the cream.
Scent Strength: I’m not sure whether this soap is scented or not. There was some scent out of the sample container, but it was not pronounced while lathering or shaving.
Scent Appeal: Eh. But there are several Dr. Jon’s scents that I like.
Post-Shave Feel: Pretty good. Again, I used aftershave from my favorite maker, so it’s hard to say what’s the soap and what’s the AS. But you can’t argue with the result.
Result and Conclusions: I’m not much of a cream guy these days. When I was exploring creams early in my wet shaving career, I settled on 3 that I thought were great for shaving and straightforward in their ingredient choices: Crown Shaving Co., Nancy Boy, and Al’s. I haven’t used much of my favorites recently, but from memory I would rate this cream at either with or just below these favorites of mine.
Thanks, Jon, for letting us try out the new stuff! I wish you success with this great product.
Razor: iKon Deluxe DLC head on Maggard’s MR-11 handle
Blade: Kai (6)
Preshave: Crown Shaving Co. Supreme Glide Pre-Shave
Brush: Paladin Sumo
Soap/cream: Dr. Jon’s Shaving Cream
Aftershave: Chiseled Face Cedar and Spice
Today I had the opportunity to try out Dr. Jon's new shaving cream formula.
Glide: Nice glide. Lather was fairly slick between the fingers.
Cushion: Very good. As I applied it, I got the sensation of not feeling the brush on my face; this is a sensation that I feel when I’ve used my favorite soaps and creams.
Latherability: Excellent. I misjudged the amount of the cream to take and had a small sample. Nevertheless, I was able to get significant lather out of the sample – more than enough for my regular shave.
Lather Stability: Excellent.
Residual Slickness: Pretty good but not superior. I did a little touch up without any problem, but didn’t feel that I had much slickness from the cream.
Scent Strength: I’m not sure whether this soap is scented or not. There was some scent out of the sample container, but it was not pronounced while lathering or shaving.
Scent Appeal: Eh. But there are several Dr. Jon’s scents that I like.
Post-Shave Feel: Pretty good. Again, I used aftershave from my favorite maker, so it’s hard to say what’s the soap and what’s the AS. But you can’t argue with the result.
Result and Conclusions: I’m not much of a cream guy these days. When I was exploring creams early in my wet shaving career, I settled on 3 that I thought were great for shaving and straightforward in their ingredient choices: Crown Shaving Co., Nancy Boy, and Al’s. I haven’t used much of my favorites recently, but from memory I would rate this cream at either with or just below these favorites of mine.
Thanks, Jon, for letting us try out the new stuff! I wish you success with this great product.
Excellent reviews Bob.
Thanks Mark. In order to use this structured review, I have to observe my shave more closely as it happens and then to think of each aspect of the soap as I write the review. That helps me to avoid saying "yeah - a pretty good shave" as my review.
Shave 5
Razor: iKon Deluxe DLC head on Maggard’s MR-11 handle
Blade: Kai (7)
Preshave: Crown Shaving Co. Supreme Glide Pre-Shave
Brush: Semogue 830/Razorock Bruce
Soap/cream: Soap 764
Aftershave: Stirling Tuscany
This is a story of two soaps – both from the same tub. Because of my difficulties today, I did not take any pictures.
As background, this soap is made by a maker that is liked by many on B&B. However, many on B&B have issues with the maker. The soap itself is also one of this maker’s more polarizing soaps because of its scent. I’ve heard many descriptions of the soap, some of which make it sound miserable. Because of this reputation, the soap has been discontinued.
I am, though, someone who likes this maker so I was hoping that I’d have a chance to try it sometime. I was really pleased to see it in the box and it made it to my list for the week.
I took a normal sized sample from the tub and pressed it into my bowl. I started to lather, but did not get much of anything after 30-40 seconds. So I went back and got a second sample. A second attempt at lathering and still not much. By this time I was confused and frustrated. I didn’t think that I would need to use this much soap to get some lather, but I went and took a third small amount.
I finally managed to get a thin lather on my brush so I tried to build the lather by face lathering some more. I ended up with a thin covering of my face and took a few strokes with my razor. Bleh.
Had I never tried this soap before, I would have just given up. But other versions of the soap – from an older formula – always worked for me. At this point I made an executive decision. Someone had already directly lathered from this soap, so I took a clean brush – a Razorock Bruce only used once before – and built a lather from the tub. [Note, that I've completely cleaned the surface of the soap so that it should be in good condition for another user.]
And what a difference that made. Nice thick lovely soap. Here are the details.
Glide: Glide was decent with the thin, but lovely with the thick.
Cushion: Not much from the thin; nice and thick – with that luxurious feeling that I get from my favorite soaps.
Latherability: Um, a little persnickety. See above.
Lather Stability: Not good if under-lathered. Once I got it right, it was very stable.
Residual Slickness: Excellent. No problem to do touch ups.
Scent Strength: There was one note that I could smell from the tub. Once lathering, other scents emerged and remained throughout the shave. I could smell it on my face after rinsing off, but could not smell it once the aftershave was applied.
Scent Appeal: I generally like more complex scents. I don’t find this one to be offputting at all – I smell grass, pepper, and leather mostly. It’s not my favorite scent from this maker but I like it.
Post-Shave Feel: Best one so far.
Result and Conclusions: Without considering my collection, this would be a definite take. However, I already have a few of this maker’s soaps. So I’m going to see how my other choices perform before saying that I’m taking this soap. Would I buy this again? “Probably yes.”
Razor: iKon Deluxe DLC head on Maggard’s MR-11 handle
Blade: Kai (7)
Preshave: Crown Shaving Co. Supreme Glide Pre-Shave
Brush: Semogue 830/Razorock Bruce
Soap/cream: Soap 764
Aftershave: Stirling Tuscany
This is a story of two soaps – both from the same tub. Because of my difficulties today, I did not take any pictures.
As background, this soap is made by a maker that is liked by many on B&B. However, many on B&B have issues with the maker. The soap itself is also one of this maker’s more polarizing soaps because of its scent. I’ve heard many descriptions of the soap, some of which make it sound miserable. Because of this reputation, the soap has been discontinued.
I am, though, someone who likes this maker so I was hoping that I’d have a chance to try it sometime. I was really pleased to see it in the box and it made it to my list for the week.
I took a normal sized sample from the tub and pressed it into my bowl. I started to lather, but did not get much of anything after 30-40 seconds. So I went back and got a second sample. A second attempt at lathering and still not much. By this time I was confused and frustrated. I didn’t think that I would need to use this much soap to get some lather, but I went and took a third small amount.
I finally managed to get a thin lather on my brush so I tried to build the lather by face lathering some more. I ended up with a thin covering of my face and took a few strokes with my razor. Bleh.
Had I never tried this soap before, I would have just given up. But other versions of the soap – from an older formula – always worked for me. At this point I made an executive decision. Someone had already directly lathered from this soap, so I took a clean brush – a Razorock Bruce only used once before – and built a lather from the tub. [Note, that I've completely cleaned the surface of the soap so that it should be in good condition for another user.]
And what a difference that made. Nice thick lovely soap. Here are the details.
Glide: Glide was decent with the thin, but lovely with the thick.
Cushion: Not much from the thin; nice and thick – with that luxurious feeling that I get from my favorite soaps.
Latherability: Um, a little persnickety. See above.
Lather Stability: Not good if under-lathered. Once I got it right, it was very stable.
Residual Slickness: Excellent. No problem to do touch ups.
Scent Strength: There was one note that I could smell from the tub. Once lathering, other scents emerged and remained throughout the shave. I could smell it on my face after rinsing off, but could not smell it once the aftershave was applied.
Scent Appeal: I generally like more complex scents. I don’t find this one to be offputting at all – I smell grass, pepper, and leather mostly. It’s not my favorite scent from this maker but I like it.
Post-Shave Feel: Best one so far.
Result and Conclusions: Without considering my collection, this would be a definite take. However, I already have a few of this maker’s soaps. So I’m going to see how my other choices perform before saying that I’m taking this soap. Would I buy this again? “Probably yes.”
OK - I've been thinking about this this afternoon and I decided to commit to taking Soap #764. It was not my place to decide to lather on the soap regardless of the reasoning behind my decision or the fact that it had already been lathered. Neither of those factors excuse my failure to follow the rules of the pass-around.
I'll follow the "you break it, you buy it standard." I don't want to condone lathering on the soap under any condition. Sorry for my lapse of reason there, guys.
I'll follow the "you break it, you buy it standard." I don't want to condone lathering on the soap under any condition. Sorry for my lapse of reason there, guys.
Personally, I didn't have an issue with it. If it is the soap maker I think it is, you are correct that it gets a better lather from the tub. But either way, it's a good soap. Can't wait to see if I'm right about what you took.
Thanks Don. I appreciate that. And I agree that - for me at least - it's not a big deal to use soap that someone else may have lathered. But it's against the rules and others have expressed their displeasure about the practice. It wasn't very gentlemanly of me to substitute my judgment about what is OK for what we all have agreed to. So I will try to mitigate my mistake by taking the soap. (Mind you, this is not a big burden for me. )
)Shave 6
Razor: iKon Deluxe DLC head on Maggard’s MR-11 handle
Blade: Kai (8)
Preshave: Crown Shaving Co. Supreme Glide Pre-Shave
Brush: RazoRock BC Silvertip Plissoft
Soap/cream: Soap #773
Aftershave: Myrsol Antesol
Glide: Excellent. Soap was slick between the fingers.
Cushion: Excellent and, at least on this shave, very thick.
Latherability: This is a very soft soap – in my mind it meets the definition of a croap. Lathered beautifully and seemed to take on water very well. The lather built very easily and was more than enough for two passes. A little foamy as seen above, but this disappeared as I lathered my face.
Lather Stability: Seems to be excellent.
Residual Slickness: Very nice. Still slick after rinsing my face between passes. Could easily touch up as needed.
Scent Strength: A little light. Some scent (but not a lot) from the tub. I could smell it as I was lathering and shaving, but not particularly strong or noticeable.
Scent Appeal: This soap describes itself as a fougere. To my nose, it was just “green.” I think the scent is perfectly fine but it’s nothing that I’d go out of my way to make sure I had.
Post-Shave Feel: Very good, but just a touch below my favorites.
Result and Conclusions: A really nice soap that is in contention for being taken. This soap is made by an artisan that is rarely discussed in this forum. That’s surprising since it’s a performer. If I had any concerns about this soap, it would be longevity/expense. My fear with these really soft soaps is that I’ll burn through them. Having said that, it might not be a bad thing for me to get through a few tubs from my stash.
Razor: iKon Deluxe DLC head on Maggard’s MR-11 handle
Blade: Kai (8)
Preshave: Crown Shaving Co. Supreme Glide Pre-Shave
Brush: RazoRock BC Silvertip Plissoft
Soap/cream: Soap #773
Aftershave: Myrsol Antesol
Glide: Excellent. Soap was slick between the fingers.
Cushion: Excellent and, at least on this shave, very thick.
Latherability: This is a very soft soap – in my mind it meets the definition of a croap. Lathered beautifully and seemed to take on water very well. The lather built very easily and was more than enough for two passes. A little foamy as seen above, but this disappeared as I lathered my face.
Lather Stability: Seems to be excellent.
Residual Slickness: Very nice. Still slick after rinsing my face between passes. Could easily touch up as needed.
Scent Strength: A little light. Some scent (but not a lot) from the tub. I could smell it as I was lathering and shaving, but not particularly strong or noticeable.
Scent Appeal: This soap describes itself as a fougere. To my nose, it was just “green.” I think the scent is perfectly fine but it’s nothing that I’d go out of my way to make sure I had.
Post-Shave Feel: Very good, but just a touch below my favorites.
Result and Conclusions: A really nice soap that is in contention for being taken. This soap is made by an artisan that is rarely discussed in this forum. That’s surprising since it’s a performer. If I had any concerns about this soap, it would be longevity/expense. My fear with these really soft soaps is that I’ll burn through them. Having said that, it might not be a bad thing for me to get through a few tubs from my stash.
Really nice job on the reviews. I'm loving the pics as well.
Hey folks, due to some upcoming travel and life things, I'm moving myself to the bottom of the list, let me know if that creates any issues, thanks!
UPDATED LIST (2/10/17):
0. dfoulk
1. Ashcampbell - complete
2. sskim3 - complete
3. Rockclimber - complete
4. oteixeira - complete
5. Kaidoh - complete
6. NickMach007 - complete
7. Nyquistrate - complete
8. InNae - complete
9. Hanover - complete
10. bobmsp - In Possession
12. Blaidth
13. dangerousdon
13. FreshVintage
14. back to dfoulk for cleanup
UPDATED LIST (2/10/17):
0. dfoulk
1. Ashcampbell - complete
2. sskim3 - complete
3. Rockclimber - complete
4. oteixeira - complete
5. Kaidoh - complete
6. NickMach007 - complete
7. Nyquistrate - complete
8. InNae - complete
9. Hanover - complete
10. bobmsp - In Possession
12. Blaidth
13. dangerousdon
13. FreshVintage
14. back to dfoulk for cleanup
Shave 7
Razor: iKon Deluxe DLC head on Maggard’s MR-11 handle
Blade: Kai (9)
Preshave: Crown Shaving Co. Supreme Glide Pre-Shave
Brush: RazoRock Plissoft – Bruce Handle
Soap/cream: Soap #777
Aftershave: Chiseled Face Santa Paula
Glide: Excellent. Soap was slick between the fingers.
Cushion: Today it was very thick and creamy. Excellent protection.
Latherability: This is a relatively soft soap. Not quite as soft as Soap #773 (yesterday’s victim), but easily scooped. I’d probably call this one a croap as well.
Lather Stability: Seemed to be stable.
Residual Slickness: Very good. I found that I was able to touch up easily with the slickness that remained after rinsing.
Scent Strength: This soap is definitely one of the stronger ones as far as scent goes. It was not overwhelming by any means but I could easily smell it in the container and the scent is apparent as you shave.
Scent Appeal: The closest I can come to describing this scent is “Margarita.” It has both a lime and a vegetal scent that reminds me of tequila. This doesn’t meet the scent’s description exactly, but I enjoyed it.
Post-Shave Feel: Again, very good, but just a touch below my favorites.
Result and Conclusions: Today’s shave was basically a duplicate of yesterday’s. I think both 773 and 777 are very close in quality and performance. I’ve enjoyed both products and will be keeping them both in mind. (Interestingly, both soaps are vegan.) If nothing else, I think I like the scent of today’s soap better than that of yesterday’s. But aside from that, I would be hard pressed to figure out which one was which.
I've run my trades by David and the box will be ready to go out tomorrow. I'll reveal my picks (if you haven't figured them out already) once I've sent the box out.
Razor: iKon Deluxe DLC head on Maggard’s MR-11 handle
Blade: Kai (9)
Preshave: Crown Shaving Co. Supreme Glide Pre-Shave
Brush: RazoRock Plissoft – Bruce Handle
Soap/cream: Soap #777
Aftershave: Chiseled Face Santa Paula
Glide: Excellent. Soap was slick between the fingers.
Cushion: Today it was very thick and creamy. Excellent protection.
Latherability: This is a relatively soft soap. Not quite as soft as Soap #773 (yesterday’s victim), but easily scooped. I’d probably call this one a croap as well.
Lather Stability: Seemed to be stable.
Residual Slickness: Very good. I found that I was able to touch up easily with the slickness that remained after rinsing.
Scent Strength: This soap is definitely one of the stronger ones as far as scent goes. It was not overwhelming by any means but I could easily smell it in the container and the scent is apparent as you shave.
Scent Appeal: The closest I can come to describing this scent is “Margarita.” It has both a lime and a vegetal scent that reminds me of tequila. This doesn’t meet the scent’s description exactly, but I enjoyed it.
Post-Shave Feel: Again, very good, but just a touch below my favorites.
Result and Conclusions: Today’s shave was basically a duplicate of yesterday’s. I think both 773 and 777 are very close in quality and performance. I’ve enjoyed both products and will be keeping them both in mind. (Interestingly, both soaps are vegan.) If nothing else, I think I like the scent of today’s soap better than that of yesterday’s. But aside from that, I would be hard pressed to figure out which one was which.
I've run my trades by David and the box will be ready to go out tomorrow. I'll reveal my picks (if you haven't figured them out already) once I've sent the box out.
The box has been sent on to @Blaidth and I'm sad to see it go. I had one last shave with Sample #132, which I've used a few times but have not purchased.
There are a lot of great soaps in the box right now. I have used many of them before, so for the most part I spent my week looking at new (to me) things. But you could spend the entire week with samples and be really happy if you wanted to.
But I am looking forward to both of the soaps I chose from the box. If you haven't guessed already, I chose #764 - Barrister and Mann Roam - and #777 - Sudsy Soapery White Sage and Lime.
I've tried the Sudsy Soapery once before and was really glad that there was a tub of it in the box. I am also very excited by the Roam. My only hesitation was that I already have a tub or two of B&M:
Thanks again to David for running this round and thanks to everyone before me who put in these wonderful soaps to try.
There are a lot of great soaps in the box right now. I have used many of them before, so for the most part I spent my week looking at new (to me) things. But you could spend the entire week with samples and be really happy if you wanted to.
But I am looking forward to both of the soaps I chose from the box. If you haven't guessed already, I chose #764 - Barrister and Mann Roam - and #777 - Sudsy Soapery White Sage and Lime.
I've tried the Sudsy Soapery once before and was really glad that there was a tub of it in the box. I am also very excited by the Roam. My only hesitation was that I already have a tub or two of B&M:
Thanks again to David for running this round and thanks to everyone before me who put in these wonderful soaps to try.
A couple of other things about the box that I just thought of to mention -
There are several pucks of soap that have not been opened yet. I highly recommend cracking open the wrapping and trying them. They're all really good soaps and, in fact, one of them is the soap that I think is probably the best of my collection. I've made sure that there's a place for each of these soaps to be stored.
Also - to make everyone's life easier, I've added a bag of yellow gelato spoons to the box. You can use these spoons to scoop up samples from the tubs and them place the samples in a bowl. I'd appreciate it if you only took one spoon for your turn with the box so that they last for a while.
Bob
There are several pucks of soap that have not been opened yet. I highly recommend cracking open the wrapping and trying them. They're all really good soaps and, in fact, one of them is the soap that I think is probably the best of my collection. I've made sure that there's a place for each of these soaps to be stored.
Also - to make everyone's life easier, I've added a bag of yellow gelato spoons to the box. You can use these spoons to scoop up samples from the tubs and them place the samples in a bowl. I'd appreciate it if you only took one spoon for your turn with the box so that they last for a while.
Bob
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