Thanks!
Castle Forbes Lime
- Thread starter Tostig
- Start date
Tried a sample of this cream and it's horrible compared to others like Stirling and Saponificio Varesino.
- Thread starter
- #23
I've used the Trumper and Taylor lime products, and also Stirling lime shave soap and the Sterling lime aftershave. Not the Truefitt or Jagger, though.
Trumper's product is "Limes" and in fact I just used it an hour ago for the first time since buying the CF, to satisfy my curiosity as far as comparing it to CF.
I've always been happy with GFT Limes but now CF has ruined it for me. Compared to CF, the GFT is weak-scented and synthetic. By contrast, the CF smells like LIMES, like you have been transported into a field full of creamy lime trees (or whatever limes grow on). And stronger. GFT limes is not bad as far as scent strength but CF Lime is really potent.
Taylor: I assume you're talking about Lemon and Lime; I don't think Taylor has a pure lime product. I tried it about a year ago and hated it. Very synthetic and weird. Smelled more like avocado to me than lemon and lime. Couldn't get past the artificial chemical scent and threw it out after a week.
Stirling lime soap (and aftershave): I'm a big Stirling fan and I think they do a great job on many different scents. I do like their lime products quite a lot but the CF is much better. Stirling's products are certainly more cost effective, though.
The really big, and noticeable, difference in the CF is that CF does not smell like a soap/cream that's been treated to have a lime scent. It smells like actual limes. Like if you crushed up a hundred limes and added something to them to make them creamy so you could rub them all over your face, that. It has an edible lime quality to it, like you just want to eat the stuff.
The CF produces a thick, creamy, rich later in copious amounts beyond any cream I've used before. Personally, I like some of the GFT products a lot as far as lather-creation, but the CF is better.
Sorry to say it, but it's completely worth the ticket to the dance. I wish it were otherwise, because it really is exorbitantly expensive, but CF Lime is heads and shoulders above other lime scented shave products, imho.
Really? What didn’t you like about it? Just wondering because I might get some...
Just not enough slickness on my skin. I got a lot of razor burn after it.
There more better soaps than this, even Proraso red was better than this crap.
I just looked at my list of soaps and creams tried and agree that it's expensive. But at least from my findings with a sample, it's not overly expensive compared to other top-shelf products. I calculated the cost of Castle Forbes as being about $0.32 a shave (based on the price of $36.00 a tub on Amazon).
Compare this to:
Acqua di Parma Collezione Barbiere Shaving Cream - $0.60/shave
Tallow & Steel soap - $0.44/shave
Grooming Dept Credence (Tallow & Duck) - $0.33/shave
Crown Shaving Co. Shaving Cream - $0.32/shave
Musgo Real Shaving Cream - $0.31/shave
Wholly Kaw soap - $0.29/shave
So it's expensive no doubt. And you can definitely get as good a shave from cheaper products. But it's right in the zone of many other products.
FYI - I calculate the average amount of soap or cream I've used and then calculate pricing off of the price of a full-sized container. That way I can compare both samples and full sized tubs. The median price per shave using the soaps that I've tried is $0.20/shave and the median price per shave using the creams that I've tried is $0.23/shave.
Compare this to:
Acqua di Parma Collezione Barbiere Shaving Cream - $0.60/shave
Tallow & Steel soap - $0.44/shave
Grooming Dept Credence (Tallow & Duck) - $0.33/shave
Crown Shaving Co. Shaving Cream - $0.32/shave
Musgo Real Shaving Cream - $0.31/shave
Wholly Kaw soap - $0.29/shave
So it's expensive no doubt. And you can definitely get as good a shave from cheaper products. But it's right in the zone of many other products.
FYI - I calculate the average amount of soap or cream I've used and then calculate pricing off of the price of a full-sized container. That way I can compare both samples and full sized tubs. The median price per shave using the soaps that I've tried is $0.20/shave and the median price per shave using the creams that I've tried is $0.23/shave.
No problem.
Well I appreciate the heads-up about the slickness, that's important. I'll definitely be getting a sample before buying the tub.
- Thread starter
- #29
I don't find it less (or more) slick than other creams. Seems about the same to me as TOBS etc. to me. I have slicker soaps, but soaps are always slicker than creams. I get no razor burn at all from CF.
Noted. Thank you
Yes shavedash.com offers samples for castle and Forbes
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Thanks so much for the thorough review!
You've convinced me that it's worth trying out, despite the price.
By the way, Trumper does (or did) make a lime shaving soap, but they're much better known for the lemon-lime concoction. The lime soap may presently be found at RoyalShave.
Also, the Edwin Jagger isn't pure lime either, rather, lime and pomegranite.
I dare say, there may be others out there, probably in the commonwealth universe, as it was, at least initially, a peculiarly British taste. Perhaps some small producers in the Caribbees make it for the tourist trade. The West-Indian lime was, after all, the original source, back in the day when the scent only existed in toilet-water form.
Thanks!
Thanks for a very interesting costs analysis.
Regret you don't provide us the amount of product you use per shave, but I suppose it must vary with type and brand.
I can see how one might measure shaving cream, but how ever do you measure how much shaving soap you've consumed per shave?
Now, you've certainly made Castle Forbes appear an attractive investment by comparing it to Acqua di Parma and pricing it at $36. Thanks for that Amazon quote, by the way, as many on-line shaving stockists routinely ask $44 for the same thing, when not on sale.
Nevertheless, 36 dollars is still 36 flippin' dollars! Just wondering how many shoes I'd have to shine to earn that much money...
At any rate, it would appear from all the enthusiastic posts that it must be quite a high-quality product, no doubt worthy of its price. And I do so love limes!
Perhaps it's finally time I dip my toe in the Castle Forbes moat!
....
Black yer boots, Sir?
Both the Lime and Lavender are spectacularly strong and pure scented. I love them both and I find them to be great performers. The scent of both is killer!
What about sandalwood and cedar? Has anyone tried that?
I have not.
- Thread starter
- #38
Not me, sorry. I'm strictly a citrus guy when it comes to shaving and grooming products.
I tried a CF Lime sample a few years ago when I was on a hunt for a nice lime-scented soap or cream. Oddly enough, it was my least favorite, and reminded me of turpentine. My favorite? Old Spice Fresh Lime.
Thanks for the thorough review! I'm a citrus fan so may have to try this one in the future. I currently have Captain's Choice Lime and I'm quite fond of it.
Have not tried Stirling's lime, but I'm with you that TOBS Lemon and Lime is bad. Smelled like cheap dish soap.
