Is Mitchell's Wool Fat the best ever shaving soap?
- Thread starter Doc Dan
- Start date
Certainly better in post-shave feel.
Different strokes for different folks.
Nice scent for sure.
- Thread starter
- #146
Today, I used my Rudy Vey brush with the Muhle Silvertip Fiber on the MWF. Man Oh Man! This brush is amazing and makes a great soap even better. The lather was so thick and creamy that I got a fantastic shave with my H. Diamond 1000 straight razor.
That's the brush I use with MWF....no issues getting awesome lather. My Rudy brushes are fantastic all around.
With all the MWF "hard to lather" press out there I've been analyzing my technique that quickly generates piles of great lather from a bone dry Mitchell's puck. To recap the only thing I soak is my 26mm boar brush for a couple of minutes. I place the MWF puck in a round plastic container that is roughly 4.5" wide and 4" tall and whip up a pile of proto lather on the puck for about a minute that quickly blooms and thickens when I shift to face lathering. Typically add water to the brush during face lathering 3 -4 times. Generate more lather than I need for a 2+ pass shave with a fair amount going down the drain unused. First developed this technique with my Williams shave soap for which it also works well.
I started weighing my MWF puck once it is dry the day after using it to shave. Have found that I'm using about 2 grams of soap for each shave based on my past four MWF shaves. That's a lot of soap from a hard triple milled puck. I get 2+ months from a 50 gram puck of Williams or less than 1 gram per shave. Tells me that at least versus Williams that the MWF is easier to use. Also can likely generate plenty of lather from 1 - 1.25 grams. Will play around with loading a bit less and also substituting my softer synthetic brushes and see what the results are.
Bottom line is that with a stiff boar a bone dry MWF puck is not hard to lather - there is no need to bloom the puck. Wondering if much of the "hard to lather" press out there is from shavers used to softer artisan croap like soaps where 10 to 20 seconds of loading is all it takes. Compared to my Proraso Red MWF does take longer to load but that is to be expected with a hard puck.
I started weighing my MWF puck once it is dry the day after using it to shave. Have found that I'm using about 2 grams of soap for each shave based on my past four MWF shaves. That's a lot of soap from a hard triple milled puck. I get 2+ months from a 50 gram puck of Williams or less than 1 gram per shave. Tells me that at least versus Williams that the MWF is easier to use. Also can likely generate plenty of lather from 1 - 1.25 grams. Will play around with loading a bit less and also substituting my softer synthetic brushes and see what the results are.
Bottom line is that with a stiff boar a bone dry MWF puck is not hard to lather - there is no need to bloom the puck. Wondering if much of the "hard to lather" press out there is from shavers used to softer artisan croap like soaps where 10 to 20 seconds of loading is all it takes. Compared to my Proraso Red MWF does take longer to load but that is to be expected with a hard puck.
Curious, how long does it take you to load your MWF versus your softer artisan soaps like those from Grooming Dept? Reading between the lines of your excellent post that you've figured out out to tailor your loading technique to what is best for each soap in your rotation.
- Thread starter
- #150
I load A&E for about 15 to 20 seconds before moving to my bowl. The same for B&M. I load MWF for over a minute, no matter which brush. I always get more lather than I need. Once the bowl is full, I paint my face for a good while to make sure the lather is stable and just the way I want it. I will add the tiniest bit of water to each side of my face and neck if needed.
I face lather for all my soaps (except samples). I think that my MWF time is perhaps -- perhaps? -- a touch longer but until you asked I never thought about it. Certainly not a material difference. I bloom my MWF puck while I shower and I also soak my brush if it is a badger (but not if it is a synthetic, in which case I simply run it under the hot water for a few seconds). I think that before I face lathered, MWF may have taken longer in a bowl than other soaps. In any event, once I'm ready to start, I squeeze out my brush, load it off the puck, and start going back and forth on the face in a painting motion. That's usually a fairly dry start and my goal is get soap onto the face. Once there's a coating of soap (which probably hasn't started to lather yet), I usually add a splash of water. I then keep going back and forth and paint, and add another splash of water, and keep going back and fourth, etc. I go back and forth and add splashes of water until the lather feels correct on the face. Every soap is a bit different and with MWF I go until the lather feels not just lathery but smooth and rich, kind of like a light cream texture. Then I'll add some splaying strokes to the painting strokes to ensure I got deeply in. I think the whole drill take about 2-4 minutes to go from start to finish. But, for me, MWF is really the same approach as really just about any other soap I use. Not sure that helps but it's how it works for me.
Very helpful, thank you. Makes sense and some similarities to my technique except I don't bloom and load longer from the dry puck. For MWF I typically use a boar brush and, as you do with natural hair, soak it prior to use in warm water. Finish all my lather builds by face lathering with repeated additions of water.
Personal preference for the trade off of extra loading time for use of a dry puck. Per my post above will try one of my synthetics and/or less loading time as I'm currently pulling more soap off the puck than needed. Originally developed the method to successfully shave with my Williams pucks where the boar and full minute of loading is needed for a successful lather.
For my other soap, with the exception of Williams, I use my synthetic brushes and just run those under hot water as you do.
@Doc Dan, see your MWF experience is similar to mine. I'm wondering more and more that many who realize poor results from hard soaps like Williams and MWF do so because they try to use them just like a softer artisan soap or croap like Proraso. We talk a lot about varying our shaving techniques for different razors but not that much about doing the same for different soaps or creams. For a hard soap you either load longer, use a bigger or stiffer brush or bloom the puck to soften it prior to shaving.
Could be an interesting survey of MWF users to get to the root of the wide variation in perspectives on MWF. Wonder if those of us who mostly use hard soaps are in the habit of using dry pucks and loading longer while fellow B&Bers, who have a wider menu that includes softer artisan soaps/croaps and get used to a shorter loading time, bloom the soap so they can use their standard process. Leaving out brush loading efficiency due to size/stiffness do shavers who don't bloom and only load for a short time typically fail to generate enough good lather from their MWF?
Best wishes for a wonderful holiday!
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- Thread starter
- #153
I would think so. If MWF isn't loaded enough, there won't be enough soap to make a good lather. Blooming helps with the loading.
There are a number of good techniques for using MWF. Mine doesn't require me to add more water after the first soaking, unless I let the puck dry out. Other methods do require water added. Some people use a damper brush and no added water to the puck, but to me, this is a lot more work to get a good load.
If someone does use this soap like croaps or some of the soft artisan soaps they are not going to get a good lather. Today, using my well used puck, I accidentally got too much lather and it came out of my bowl and all over my hand. I think I loaded too much. Hahaha! I got a great shave, though.
There are a number of good techniques for using MWF. Mine doesn't require me to add more water after the first soaking, unless I let the puck dry out. Other methods do require water added. Some people use a damper brush and no added water to the puck, but to me, this is a lot more work to get a good load.
If someone does use this soap like croaps or some of the soft artisan soaps they are not going to get a good lather. Today, using my well used puck, I accidentally got too much lather and it came out of my bowl and all over my hand. I think I loaded too much. Hahaha! I got a great shave, though.
Little bit of a learning curve for me as far as lathering. (Too much water kills the experience.)
It's up there for me, as far as performance. I love it.
It's up there for me, as far as performance. I love it.
- Thread starter
- #156
My first shave of the New Year, The Fat and a newly sharpened S.K. Colling razor. Fantastic, both are fantastic and together almost too good.
Chandu
I Waxed The Badger.
It does not excel for those with a lanolin sensitivity. Every soap is the best for someone.
After seeing this thread for the past few weeks and not responding, I’ve decided no today.
It’s decent when it works, but it’s just too much of a pain in the proverbial to get right.
I’m well into my middle age so I’ll skip the high maintenance option and go with the more reliable options on offer.
It’s decent when it works, but it’s just too much of a pain in the proverbial to get right.
I’m well into my middle age so I’ll skip the high maintenance option and go with the more reliable options on offer.
It must be the difference in people's water. I have no issues making an abundance of rich lather with MWF with just about 15 secs of soap loading. Others seems to have lots of difficulty getting it to lather. I'm thinking it has to be the water. Hard water is most likely the culprit....makes soaps much harder to lather. My water isn't super soft, but it isn't hard either. I guess I'm fortunate in that regards. All my hards soaps just explode with lather with minimal effort.
I feel for all you that have difficulties with the FAT, it is excellent performing soap. But I get it....use what works and be happy. Not enough time in this life to waste it with soap that won't lather well.
I feel for all you that have difficulties with the FAT, it is excellent performing soap. But I get it....use what works and be happy. Not enough time in this life to waste it with soap that won't lather well.
I’ve heard that people who have hard water have more problems than people with soft water. My water is on the harder side but it seems like the municipal water system has a pretty good filtration system and I don’t have too many problems getting a good lather from MWF
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