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Thoughts after first shave with MdC

I have read a lot of rave reviews about the MdC and was curious about trying it out. I went out and bought the samples from Maggard for Argumes and Original. Currently trying out the Original so am giving my thoughts on that.

Scent: Different. I could really not associate it with anything recognizable. Not love at first smell nor hate. Just neutral.

Loading brush: Seemed like the quickest soap to load up for me. Was enough for 4 passes with my Sabre.

Shave experience: Solid. One of the best, if not the best. First pass seemed a little less slick than I wanted but the next 3 were top notch.

Post Shave: Could definitely tell that there was nothing there. I generally use AS and lotion anyway so not much lost there but expected more given the cost point.

My plan is to use the samples (both Original and Argumes) for a around 4-5 shaves each (or whatever I get out of them) and get a better idea. I am still not 100% sold if the price justifies the results I have seen but this would be a splurge luxury purchase anyway so does not have to. Main question at that point would be scent. Unsure which one I would like the best.
 
Just received my first two on June 1st. I went all in and bought AGRUMES and FOUGÈRE in the 200ml tubs. I agree with you on first impression of the scents. I didn’t let that form a negative impression of the soap, just acknowledged that they used very natural essential oils and not fragrance oils, which does produce a different scent profile. I chose to attribute this as a mark of quality.

As for the lathering and shave experience. I agree that this stuff lathers extremely well. The slickness was nylon quite as I expected, falling short of Tabac. This has in no way prevented me from having excellent shaves with these soaps.

Post shave, judged by the soap alone is not great. But after a little more contemplation on the post shave feel, I have decided that I gave it less credit than it deserved at first. Using a drying alcohol splash after a shave with MDC I would expect to have left my skin needing some extra help, but I’m finding that’s not the case. My skin is actually soft and feels lightly moisturized, comfortable, not dry or tight at all. Would I change my tune entirely and present myself as the newest MDC fanboy to sing its praises as an elite soap? No way

MDC seems to be one that will last a very long time. In fact I’m thinking I may need to list someone in my will to inherit the stuff. Acknowledging the longevity of the product, and the satisfactory scents, slickness, and ease of lathering, with an acceptable post shave; MDC is a good product for its niche.

This is a soap for someone who enjoys wet shaving and some variety, but wants a product that has value and can be used daily. Not likely to be favorite of someone who likes to get down deep in the rabbit hole of collecting artisan soaps with elite ratings and reviews.

Admittedly, I am down in the artisan rabbit hole and will be focusing on using them up to thin down the stash to a few favorites. But, long term I like the appeal of a Tabac, MDC, SV, MWF etc for variety as they will end up lasting and serve me well for many years to come and hopefully allow me to see the cost savings benefits of this hobby in years to come.
 
Great soap all around. I had a sample of the original but went with Fougere and Rose in the non-sample. I am not into scents but for the price, I wanted to make sure that extra cherry on the purchase was worth it.
 
Just received my first two on June 1st. I went all in and bought AGRUMES and FOUGÈRE in the 200ml tubs. I agree with you on first impression of the scents. I didn’t let that form a negative impression of the soap, just acknowledged that they used very natural essential oils and not fragrance oils, which does produce a different scent profile. I chose to attribute this as a mark of quality.

As for the lathering and shave experience. I agree that this stuff lathers extremely well. The slickness was nylon quite as I expected, falling short of Tabac. This has in no way prevented me from having excellent shaves with these soaps.

Post shave, judged by the soap alone is not great. But after a little more contemplation on the post shave feel, I have decided that I gave it less credit than it deserved at first. Using a drying alcohol splash after a shave with MDC I would expect to have left my skin needing some extra help, but I’m finding that’s not the case. My skin is actually soft and feels lightly moisturized, comfortable, not dry or tight at all. Would I change my tune entirely and present myself as the newest MDC fanboy to sing its praises as an elite soap? No way

MDC seems to be one that will last a very long time. In fact I’m thinking I may need to list someone in my will to inherit the stuff. Acknowledging the longevity of the product, and the satisfactory scents, slickness, and ease of lathering, with an acceptable post shave; MDC is a good product for its niche.

This is a soap for someone who enjoys wet shaving and some variety, but wants a product that has value and can be used daily. Not likely to be favorite of someone who likes to get down deep in the rabbit hole of collecting artisan soaps with elite ratings and reviews.

Admittedly, I am down in the artisan rabbit hole and will be focusing on using them up to thin down the stash to a few favorites. But, long term I like the appeal of a Tabac, MDC, SV, MWF etc for variety as they will end up lasting and serve me well for many years to come and hopefully allow me to see the cost savings benefits of this hobby in years to come.

Thanks for your input.

I think I am down the same rabbit hole as you are. I have bought 2 x Barrister and Mann soaps, 1 Murphy and McNeils and 1 Declaration Grooming soap in the last 3 months. I am also interested in trying some Stirling soaps. Right now I am just trying different soaps to find scents that really appeal to me. I will see how the MDC samples go and then make up my mind.

My big concern with that is definitely scent though. I may have to order the other MDC samples as well since scent is important to me. I can just go out and buy a $20 soap without much concern but if I am going to spend $75 I want to make sure that I am ok with that scent for a few years.
 
Thanks for your input.

I think I am down the same rabbit hole as you are. I have bought 2 x Barrister and Mann soaps, 1 Murphy and McNeils and 1 Declaration Grooming soap in the last 3 months. I am also interested in trying some Stirling soaps. Right now I am just trying different soaps to find scents that really appeal to me. I will see how the MDC samples go and then make up my mind.

My big concern with that is definitely scent though. I may have to order the other MDC samples as well since scent is important to me. I can just go out and buy a $20 soap without much concern but if I am going to spend $75 I want to make sure that I am ok with that scent for a few years.
You can order them, once they resume shipping to the US, from yourshaving, for a decent savings. I’ve picked them up for $45-$54 and got free shipping. It may take a bit longer coming from Spain, but it’s a decent savings and a great vendor.
 
I have read a lot of rave reviews about the MdC and was curious about trying it out. I went out and bought the samples from Maggard for Argumes and Original. Currently trying out the Original so am giving my thoughts on that.

Scent: Different. I could really not associate it with anything recognizable. Not love at first smell nor hate. Just neutral.

Loading brush: Seemed like the quickest soap to load up for me. Was enough for 4 passes with my Sabre.

Shave experience: Solid. One of the best, if not the best. First pass seemed a little less slick than I wanted but the next 3 were top notch.

Post Shave: Could definitely tell that there was nothing there. I generally use AS and lotion anyway so not much lost there but expected more given the cost point.

My plan is to use the samples (both Original and Argumes) for a around 4-5 shaves each (or whatever I get out of them) and get a better idea. I am still not 100% sold if the price justifies the results I have seen but this would be a splurge luxury purchase anyway so does not have to. Main question at that point would be scent. Unsure which one I would like the best.
Curious. I have done two shaves with the MdC Rose and my experience was similar. I ordered four more samples from Maggard’s today. Price on this stuff is a big factor, so everything has to be right.
 
Curious. I have done two shaves with the MdC Rose and my experience was similar. I ordered four more samples from Maggard’s today. Price on this stuff is a big factor, so everything has to be right.

Yeah. For sure. The big thing with me is that I am definitely scent driven. I want to like the scent of the soap and then also be able to find a matching AS to complement the same. That is why I normally just buy the matching soap/AS. Don't believe that is an option with MdC.
You can order them, once they resume shipping to the US, from yourshaving, for a decent savings. I’ve picked them up for $45-$54 and got free shipping. It may take a bit longer coming from Spain, but it’s a decent savings and a great vendor.
Thanks for that. The price point you mentioned definitely seems a lot more palatable than the $70+ one.
 
A sample of original made me order a jar of Rose. After a couple of shaves, I realized that MdC wasn't for me. I like a drier lather and MdC likes lots of water. Fortunately, my son-in-law (who wouldn't have spent the money on MdC) is a wet-shaver and was more than happy to take it off my hands so it didn't go to waste.
 
You can order them, once they resume shipping to the US, from yourshaving, for a decent savings. I’ve picked them up for $45-$54 and got free shipping. It may take a bit longer coming from Spain, but it’s a decent savings and a great vendor.

That's a good tip. Another option for a retailer with really low international shipping is The English Shaving Co plus you get the VAT excluded price to boot.

Depending on which varieties selected, you can save money from ordering from MdC direct IF you order two or more jars. The shipping averages out and you're not paying the markup from a retailer, plus save on the VAT. Final cost closer to $55 per jar for Fougere/Original, a little more for the LEs.
 
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Would some of you folks mind adding how you would explain the scents of the Fougere and Vetyver?

Also, as some who has never used a rose scent before, does the scent work fairly well for guys in the soaps? Also, what kind of aftershaves would you use with a rose scented soap? Don't mean to offend anyone by those questions but I am genuinely curious since I have never had a rose scented .. well .. anything.
 
I have heard much about this brand being spoken of well on forums but the price is a good deal higher than what I am prepared to pay for shaving soap so I have had to give it a pass.i am still interested to hear about how it performs though so thanks for your post.
 
I have heard much about this brand being spoken of well on forums but the price is a good deal higher than what I am prepared to pay for shaving soap so I have had to give it a pass.i am still interested to hear about how it performs though so thanks for your post.
Not to sway you toward this soap, but to at least add it back to your mind for consideration, the cost per shave of this soap is not unreasonable. This soap lasts a very long time. If you compare to most artisan soaps which most will agree last for about 2 to 4 months at roughly $20 a tub. MDC has a decent reputation for last long well beyond twice that time, some report a jar lasting well over a year or more. Spreading the cost of the soap out over just one year, you can see where the soap isn’t all that expensive.

Cost per shave aside, decide for yourself if the soap has the properties and characteristics you seek. If it makes the cut, great. If it falls short, great, disappointment avoided.
 
Not to sway you toward this soap, but to at least add it back to your mind for consideration, the cost per shave of this soap is not unreasonable. This soap lasts a very long time. If you compare to most artisan soaps which most will agree last for about 2 to 4 months at roughly $20 a tub. MDC has a decent reputation for last long well beyond twice that time, some report a jar lasting well over a year or more. Spreading the cost of the soap out over just one year, you can see where the soap isn’t all that expensive.

Cost per shave aside, decide for yourself if the soap has the properties and characteristics you seek. If it makes the cut, great. If it falls short, great, disappointment avoided.

Thanks for your reply. I will keep mdc in mind if it lasts so long. Do you find it as good in lather and slickness as the best artisan soap bases made by barrister and mann, declaration grooming, grooming dept and wholly kaw?
 

Chandu

I Waxed The Badger.
Martin de Candre is one of the best. It's a shaving soap, it's not a pre-shave, soap and balm all in one as many of today's super fatted artisan offerings are. Its a classic shaving some, not some new age creation.

As I have oily skin anyway, I don't need a balm, let alone delivered via my soap. In my opinion, it is an elite SOAP, one of the best for sure. It's not a 3-1 as the artisan soaps are and I applaud it for that. I can find a pre shave if I need on, I can find a balm if I need one, I don't want it included in my soap.

It lasts a very long time too. Much lower cost to run than the $25 Artisan croaps.
 
Thanks for your reply. I will keep mdc in mind if it lasts so long. Do you find it as good in lather and slickness as the best artisan soap bases made by barrister and mann, declaration grooming, grooming dept and wholly kaw?
If your expectations from MDC is to compete with the top artisans, you will be disappointed. @Chandu does a great job in the post above calling out that while all of these products are soaps by name, they are quite different in purpose/formulation.

The better comparison to make would be with other hard or triple milled soaps. I use Tabac as my benchmark. MDC falls short of the performance of Tabac in my experience. I regard Tabac as excellent so I’m notsaying MDC is horrible, just not excellent. I would call it pretty good.
 
If your expectations from MDC is to compete with the top artisans, you will be disappointed. @Chandu does a great job in the post above calling out that while all of these products are soaps by name, they are quite different in purpose/formulation.

The better comparison to make would be with other hard or triple milled soaps. I use Tabac as my benchmark. MDC falls short of the performance of Tabac in my experience. I regard Tabac as excellent so I’m notsaying MDC is horrible, just not excellent. I would call it pretty good.

Ok I think I understand what he meant better now after reading your email. So the better comparisons to mdc would be soaps like MWF and TOBS?
 
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