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Barrister and Mann's new Omnibus base: discussion and reviews

Which brush you use will be a huge factor. I can get a Maggard sample to last 11-14 shaves if I use my 18mm Maggard Timberwolf. A synthetic is a must... preferably a smaller one that isn't crazy dense, but, really, any synthetic will greatly increase efficiency.
The two brushes I use most are an Oumo SHD 26mm Manchuria badger and an Oumo SHD 26mm Motherlode Synthetic. I definitely use less product with the synth and it's enjoyable enough to where I don't mind at all using it as my dedicated Omnibus brush.
 
Thanks, just read over it. I might just call it a christmas gift to myself and use it as a "special occasions" soap and buy some SV to be my daily driver.
That sounds like a great plan! I am really enjoying it, but cost per shave is better not to think about. Enjoy.
 
Once you get a taste for Omnibus, you won’t be able to just use it as a special occasion soap. 😜🤪😎
This Sunday I'm listing a bunch of soaps to sell on BST because between Omni and K2 I just don't want to use anything else... but I promised my girlfriend I would not buy any more soaps without selling or using a tub before hand. I just can't wait that long to get LGC and a few others.
 
I have four omnibus inbound but presently still only have Leviathan in sample size soap and matching splash which I used together for the first time yesterday. I really like the scent but could wish it to be a bit stronger as I had no smell of it lingering through the morning.
 
I really like the scent but could wish it to be a bit stronger as I had no smell of it lingering through the morning.
I never cease to be amazed at how YMMV things are. I find Leviathan (and many others) to be Really Dang Persistent; like all day and most of the night persistent; like almost Too Persistent.

That said I tried Cheshire this morning (nice) and it is merely Somewhat Persistent. :p
 

BradWorld

Dances with Wolfs
I never cease to be amazed at how YMMV things are. I find Leviathan (and many others) to be Really Dang Persistent; like all day and most of the night persistent; like almost Too Persistent.
Me too. Leviathan seems to linger for hours. Especially with the matching balm. Its more of a creamy aftershave than a balm. But it keeps my face feeling luxurious all day.
 
Me too. Leviathan seems to linger for hours. Especially with the matching balm. Its more of a creamy aftershave than a balm. But it keeps my face feeling luxurious all day.
Super! Glad to hear this. I've not been able to properly load a brush from a tub yet as I only have the sample size, which I haven't found easy to load. Or perhaps my sinus was a little plugged that day.
 
Super! Glad to hear this. I've not been able to properly load a brush from a tub yet as I only have the sample size, which I haven't found easy to load. Or perhaps my sinus was a little plugged that day.
Welp, might as well take the deal and get the whole set! :devil:
Just decide if you want the splash or the balm.
 
My advice for anyone who’s on the fence about getting Leviathan: don’t think, just buy. Lol.

I finally got around to using a sample today, and I was blown away. It was probably the best soap I’ve ever used. It was super thirsty and just kept taking the water. Once ready, it reminded me of a Sebum lather. Very low structure, with tons of sheen. Felt gluey when applying to the face. It felt like there was a protective layer in between my face and the lather when I was painting in the enormous amount of water I had to use. Great scent, the coffee started to come out more once I lathered it. I actually like the scent a lot, despite it not being my usual kind of scent. Face lathering Omnibus felt great, and it took a while since the soap is so thirsty. This was absolutely the slickest soap I’ve ever used, the blade glided so nice that it didn’t even feel like I had a blade in my shavette.

For the first time ever, I did not use any post shave products. I normally never do this. My face felt very talc like and dried down, almost a bit more dried than I would like. Now, this is not your Kaizen or Milksteak level of post shave moisturizarion. It is much more dried down but I kind of like it. I absolutely love this base, and it made for an excellent shave.

Oh Barrister and Mann, why do you have to do this to me? I have enough soaps already!🤣
 
Just had my first shave with Omnibus, also my first time using any B&M soap. The soap I bought was Seville. First things first, the scent in incredible. It smells amazing off the puck to me, and I couldn't help stopping for a few seconds every once in a while to just enjoy the scent while I was lathering and shaving.

I used my standard dry brush technique for loading and lathering. 26mm Oumo Motherlode synthetic today to set up a baseline. I ran the knot under some warm water, squeezed out what I could, and strongly shook the brush just once. I then went to the puck (wish I took a picture of the pour) and did 30 swirls with mild-medium pressure. I then painted the dry paste onto my face until I had relatively even coverage. After that I used the Cris Maden technique and painted on water until the lather started to go translucent. After that I splayed the brush to build the lather and added a lot of water a little bit at a time.

I was really impressed that I could not "break" the lather. It just kept drinking it up. After a certain point it started to resemble a very wet marshmallow fluff where the lather would spread really easily but never actually separate or split. This was most noticeable when I gathered up the flowthrough on the brush to move to the top of the knot. I just could not get that last bit to fall off my fingers. It stubbornly stuck to my fingertips in a way that my (defective) Mitchell's, Stirling, and TOBS could never do.

Shaving performance was exceptional. Slickness was amazing (although gun to my head the Fat might be slicker), and it never dried up. Oh and did I mention the scent? It was a little on the runny side which is probably more of an indication of me adding too much water too soon, but like I said earlier the lather stubbornly stuck to my face despite the water in it. I had roughly six days of growth, and I only did two passes (WTG, XTG) and touch ups today. The feather blade in my 6S glided smoothly across my face every time, and the residual slickness made it so easy to do any impromptu buffing.

I squeezed out the excess in the brush and spread it over my face as a postshave to really soak in the qualities everyone raves about. I am pleased to report that my face feels incredible. It's only been about 5 hours since the shave, but so far this postshave feeling is better than what I get out of the balm I normally use. My face feels pleasantly talc-like (I hesitate to use the word "dry" because that has a negative connotation). Sadly the scent is fading, but I can still pick up traces of it. I can't wait to use this soap base again. Job well done by B&M.
 
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Just had my first shave with Omnibus, also my first time using any B&M soap. The soap I bought was Seville. First things first, the scent in incredible. It smells amazing off the puck to me, and I couldn't help stopping for a few seconds every once in a while to just enjoy the scent while I was lathering and shaving.

I used my standard dry brush technique for loading and lathering. 26mm Oumo Motherlode synthetic today to set up a baseline. I ran the knot under some warm water, squeezed out what I could, and strongly shook the brush just once. I then went to the puck (wish I took a picture of the pour) and did 30 swirls with mild-medium pressure. I then painted the dry paste onto my face until I had relatively even coverage. After that I used the Cris Maden technique and painted on water until the lather started to go translucent. After that I splayed the brush to build the lather and added a lot of water a little bit at a time.

I was really impressed that I could not "break" the lather. It just kept drinking it up. After a certain point it started to resemble a very wet marshmallow fluff where the lather would spread really easily but never actually separate or split. This was most noticeable when I gathered up the flowthrough on the brush to move to the top of the knot. I just could not get that last bit to fall off my fingers. It stubbornly stuck to my fingertips in a way that my (defective) Mitchell's, Stirling, and TOBS could never do.

Shaving performance was exceptional. Slickness was amazing (although gun to my head the Fat might be slicker), and it never dried up. Oh and did I mention the scent? It was a little on the runny side which is probably more of an indication of me adding too much water too soon, but like I said earlier the lather stubbornly stuck to my face despite the water in it. I had roughly six days of growth, and I only did two passes (WTG, XTG) and touch ups today. The feather blade in my 6S glided smoothly across my face every time, and the residual slickness made it so easy to do any impromptu buffing.

I squeezed out the excess in the brush and spread it over my face as a postshave to really soak in the qualities everyone raves about. I am pleased to report that my face feels incredible. It's only been about 5 hours since the shave, but so far this postshave feeling is better than what I get out of the balm I normally use. My face feels pleasantly talc-like (I hesitate to use the word "dry" because that has a negative connotation). Sadly the scent is fading, but I can still pick up traces of it. I can't wait to use this soap base again. Job well done by B&M.
Very similar to my first run with Omnibus. I love how it sticks to your face even while loaded with moisture. Then as soon as I shave it off it plops right off my razor.
 
Just had my first shave with Omnibus, also my first time using any B&M soap. The soap I bought was Seville. First things first, the scent in incredible. It smells amazing off the puck to me, and I couldn't help stopping for a few seconds every once in a while to just enjoy the scent while I was lathering and shaving.

I used my standard dry brush technique for loading and lathering. 26mm Oumo Motherlode synthetic today to set up a baseline. I ran the knot under some warm water, squeezed out what I could, and strongly shook the brush just once. I then went to the puck (wish I took a picture of the pour) and did 30 swirls with mild-medium pressure. I then painted the dry paste onto my face until I had relatively even coverage. After that I used the Cris Maden technique and painted on water until the lather started to go translucent. After that I splayed the brush to build the lather and added a lot of water a little bit at a time.

I was really impressed that I could not "break" the lather. It just kept drinking it up. After a certain point it started to resemble a very wet marshmallow fluff where the lather would spread really easily but never actually separate or split. This was most noticeable when I gathered up the flowthrough on the brush to move to the top of the knot. I just could not get that last bit to fall off my fingers. It stubbornly stuck to my fingertips in a way that my (defective) Mitchell's, Stirling, and TOBS could never do.

Shaving performance was exceptional. Slickness was amazing (although gun to my head the Fat might be slicker), and it never dried up. Oh and did I mention the scent? It was a little on the runny side which is probably more of an indication of me adding too much water too soon, but like I said earlier the lather stubbornly stuck to my face despite the water in it. I had roughly six days of growth, and I only did two passes (WTG, XTG) and touch ups today. The feather blade in my 6S glided smoothly across my face every time, and the residual slickness made it so easy to do any impromptu buffing.

I squeezed out the excess in the brush and spread it over my face as a postshave to really soak in the qualities everyone raves about. I am pleased to report that my face feels incredible. It's only been about 5 hours since the shave, but so far this postshave feeling is better than what I get out of the balm I normally use. My face feels pleasantly talc-like (I hesitate to use the word "dry" because that has a negative connotation). Sadly the scent is fading, but I can still pick up traces of it. I can't wait to use this soap base again. Job well done by B&M.
Wow, great write up. I received Leviathan and Melange in the mail yesterday and I used Leviathan today. All I can say is that this is a very different experience of soap for me with a feeling of gooiness even when trying to rinse out the brush. But I used a first time use boar brush so that was more defining of my experience today than the soap. Look forward to getting to know this soap base better as I have two more incoming.
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