Any updates? Looking forward to your thoughts.
2nd round Soap Pass-Around
- Thread starter Demaskee
- Start date
Sorry guys! I just got back from my work trip. I also have a box from the Soap Sample Pass-around Box. I need to do a couple of reviews for that and then I will do this box. I will get something posted in a couple to few days. Sorry for the inconvenience but I wasn't expecting two boxes at once.
First world problems....
Don gave me the heads up on both boxes arriving and ask my opinion of what to do.
Sometimes these thing happen. I told him to take his time with both so that he gets to enjoy the boxes he's been waiting this long for. I don't want him to feel like he has to rush through one or both of the passarounds.
Sometimes these thing happen. I told him to take his time with both so that he gets to enjoy the boxes he's been waiting this long for. I don't want him to feel like he has to rush through one or both of the passarounds.
Well guys, sorry for the delay. But I am ready to go on some of these soaps. In the Soap Sample Pass-Around I tried to be objective in my reviews and I am not sure it really works. I am still doing it that way over there for the sake of consistency. But I am adopting a different method for this. I hope Dave @skypsyd and Chad @cvargo don't mind, but I am stealing their method because I think it works for reviews.
There are four tiers in which I will place these soaps. To show where at on the spectrum these soaps fall, a number 1 through 10 will also be assigned. A tier 1 soap at the #1 box will be the absolute best of the best. No faults in my opinion. This will continue to tier 4, #10 which is so bad for whatever reason, that I really have to think about whether or not I want to use it for shower only.
So Brief explanation for the tiers would be: Tier 1 - The very best and a must buy; Tier 2 will exhibit almost all of the properties that a Tier 1 has but might lack one or two qualities...Will likely buy...just not at the moment; Tier 3 might be a solid soap and is suitable for others...just not me...I would probably take it if someone gave it to me, but I likely would never buy it, depends where at in Tier 3 (7 - 8) it falls. And as said before...Tier 4 just really sucks.
So how do I come to this decision? I am basing my grades on Lather, Protection, Scent, and Post Shave Feel.
I know this is all very subjective...but we all like different things for different reasons. Next post I actually have a review.
There are four tiers in which I will place these soaps. To show where at on the spectrum these soaps fall, a number 1 through 10 will also be assigned. A tier 1 soap at the #1 box will be the absolute best of the best. No faults in my opinion. This will continue to tier 4, #10 which is so bad for whatever reason, that I really have to think about whether or not I want to use it for shower only.
So Brief explanation for the tiers would be: Tier 1 - The very best and a must buy; Tier 2 will exhibit almost all of the properties that a Tier 1 has but might lack one or two qualities...Will likely buy...just not at the moment; Tier 3 might be a solid soap and is suitable for others...just not me...I would probably take it if someone gave it to me, but I likely would never buy it, depends where at in Tier 3 (7 - 8) it falls. And as said before...Tier 4 just really sucks.
I know this is all very subjective...but we all like different things for different reasons. Next post I actually have a review.
I hope Dave @skypsyd and Chad @cvargo don't mind, but I am stealing their method because I think it works for reviews.
There are four tiers in which I will place these soaps. To show where at on the spectrum these soaps fall, a number 1 through 10 will also be assigned. A tier 1 soap at the #1 box will be the absolute best of the best. No faults in my opinion. This will continue to tier 4, #10 which is so bad for whatever reason, that I really have to think about whether or not I want to use it for shower only.
So Brief explanation for the tiers would be: Tier 1 - The very best and a must buy; Tier 2 will exhibit almost all of the properties that a Tier 1 has but might lack one or two qualities...Will likely buy...just not at the moment; Tier 3 might be a solid soap and is suitable for others...just not me...I would probably take it if someone gave it to me, but I likely would never buy it, depends where at in Tier 3 (7 - 8) it falls. And as said before...Tier 4 just really sucks.
Hey... that looks familiar. Glad you are using it... it is the best method I could come up with. Always happy for people to use the rating system.
I was glad to see 721 in the box. I am a big fan of this soap maker and I used to own a few soaps from this brand. However, I have never tried this scent.
Pre-Shave: Glycerin
Razor: 1969 Gillette Super Adjustable 109
Blade: Polsilver SI (New Blade)
Soap/cream: 721
Brush: Omega Pro 49
Aftershave1: Thayers Medicated Witch Hazel
Aftershave2: Bain Amour - Deadly Weapon
Lather: It is really easy to build an incredible lather with 721. Not only that, but the type of lather you get from it is one of the richest I have whipped up from a soap. I face lather so getting this rich thick consistency is especially important. I cannot stress enough how great the lather for this soap is.
Protection: I am not going to say that this has the best glide, cushion, and slickness out there, but it excels in all of these categories. I did have a nick on my neck, but I think that had more to do with me than the soap. All in all, this soap provides great protection.
Scent: Normally I don't make a big deal about scent...unless it is something that I absolutely hate...but 721 has a great scent. Not that it is a favorite of mine, but because of the sophistication of it. It has a woody and warm scent, but without being heavy and dark. Just the opposite, the scent is very bright...almost aquatic. I do like this scent very much, but like I said...it's not that I like it so much, but that it is such a complex scent. Out of the tub, it smells great, but it smells even better and stronger when lathering. The scent lasted through the duration of the shave and had I not put any aftershave on, I bet I could smell it on me for a good while.
Post Shave Feel: This has a wonderful post-shave feel. What one would expect from a tallow soap that has some other really good stuff for your skin in it. Excellent in this respect.
Final Thoughts: What makes this soap great is not that it has any one part that is really better than other soaps, but this is one of those that it's sum is greater than it's parts. Isolate one aspect of this soap and sure...there are better. But look at the entirety of this soap, and all of them add up to make this one really great soap. So where do I grade this? I am putting this in Tier 1 and at the #3 Box. I would definitely buy this given the chance. This was a soap that was probably better than the price. I say was, because it has been discontinued.
Anyway...I have something else lined up for tomorrow...hope this helps.
Pre-Shave: Glycerin
Razor: 1969 Gillette Super Adjustable 109
Blade: Polsilver SI (New Blade)
Soap/cream: 721
Brush: Omega Pro 49
Aftershave1: Thayers Medicated Witch Hazel
Aftershave2: Bain Amour - Deadly Weapon
Lather: It is really easy to build an incredible lather with 721. Not only that, but the type of lather you get from it is one of the richest I have whipped up from a soap. I face lather so getting this rich thick consistency is especially important. I cannot stress enough how great the lather for this soap is.
Protection: I am not going to say that this has the best glide, cushion, and slickness out there, but it excels in all of these categories. I did have a nick on my neck, but I think that had more to do with me than the soap. All in all, this soap provides great protection.
Scent: Normally I don't make a big deal about scent...unless it is something that I absolutely hate...but 721 has a great scent. Not that it is a favorite of mine, but because of the sophistication of it. It has a woody and warm scent, but without being heavy and dark. Just the opposite, the scent is very bright...almost aquatic. I do like this scent very much, but like I said...it's not that I like it so much, but that it is such a complex scent. Out of the tub, it smells great, but it smells even better and stronger when lathering. The scent lasted through the duration of the shave and had I not put any aftershave on, I bet I could smell it on me for a good while.
Post Shave Feel: This has a wonderful post-shave feel. What one would expect from a tallow soap that has some other really good stuff for your skin in it. Excellent in this respect.
Final Thoughts: What makes this soap great is not that it has any one part that is really better than other soaps, but this is one of those that it's sum is greater than it's parts. Isolate one aspect of this soap and sure...there are better. But look at the entirety of this soap, and all of them add up to make this one really great soap. So where do I grade this? I am putting this in Tier 1 and at the #3 Box. I would definitely buy this given the chance. This was a soap that was probably better than the price. I say was, because it has been discontinued.
Anyway...I have something else lined up for tomorrow...hope this helps.
I would agree with your assessment. This is a soap that I own in many other scents and I do reach for it regularly. I've finished several tubs of this particular brand and when it got discontinued I actually bought several more and put them aside which is something I try to avoid doing. The lather is what sells me on this one as it's some of the very best I've encountered in any soap. It's not as good as my absolute favorites but it's up there.
Great review.
I should have tried that one, but the scent just wasn't there for me.
I think you can still find this a few places on line but the price has gone up.
I should have tried that one, but the scent just wasn't there for me.
I think you can still find this a few places on line but the price has gone up.
I haven't seen the price go up on that one. Pretty much in the $15 to $18 range where I found it available.
I must have looked in the wrong locations
:blind:I looked at Italian Barber but I didn't check anywhere else.
Yeah, they seem to still have a fair amount.
Excellent review and love the grading system.
Question (and not criticism!) for @dangerousdon @cvargo and others: I'm interested in why you have different subdivisions within your tiers. I use a similar grading system based on whether I'd want to buy a soap again; but I'm wondering what you get out of the ranking within tiers. It's hard enough for me to differentiate as it is - about 80% of the time my initial response to a soap is that I'd probably buy it again. I'm impressed that you can discern that finely and am wondering if I should try harder.
Well for me it is because just that so many different ways to differentiate a soap. I need the extra boxes in my tiers to help me distinguish. A tier one box one means the absolute perfect soap I can't find anything wrong with it. A tier 1 box 2 had something that could be a tiny bit better maybe it's slickness or or scent, but regardless it's still a fantastic soap. Tier 4 box 10 for example is saved for soaps where I despise the soap for reason or another maybe it doesn't lather or the scent is so offensive I refuse to use it, such as Chiseled Face Summer Storm, Stirling Texas on Fire, or Drunken Goat. Those three companies make great soaps but those particular soaps are in my tier 4 box 10 strictly because of scent.
Hope that makes sense, also I didn't take it as criticism.
I adopted this grading system from Chad. It has the the four tiers which really isn't much different than your Buy, might buy, and unlikely. I (or we...I'll let Chad speak for himself) like the fourth tier of basically saying, "no way jose." I like the internal numeral system so that I can basically decide how close in the tier the soap is toward the next tire (up or down). It gives me the ability to say, "that soap was pretty darn good, except for that one thing that keeps me from buying it." To be honest this is a new system for me and I need to kind of figure it out for myself.
I hope this helps!
Thanks Chad. I will criticize you for putting Summer Storm in Tier 4 though! It's one of my favorite scents. 
Yes - thanks!
Thanks Chad. I will criticize you for putting Summer Storm in Tier 4 though! It's one of my favorite scents.
Lol I'm sorry. I was so excited for that scent, twisted off the lid and was LIKE NOPE! I didn't even do a trial lather... I flat out couldn't do it. That soap seems to be a love it or hate it. No real in-between.
Similar threads
