So I got a TOBS sampler...

[DEsafetyrazor]

Decided to get the Taylor of Old Bond street shaving cream sampler on Amazon. Here are my initial impressions of the scents in their jars:

Rose: Surprisingly pleasant. Reminds me of those shaved ice deserts with rose water. A bit feminine for me, but I definitely could see using this, though not my "I need to by this" list.

Mr Taylor: Very complex clean soapy/light cologne smell. I liked it

Almond: Marzipan baked treats. Scent is simple and a bit strong for my taste, but delicious

Avocado: Clean soapy scent with cucumbers and no trace of Avocado. My first thought was "weird, but nicely clean"

Jermyn Street: Lightly scented but very nice. This one surprised me and is one of my favorites. I put this in the "soapy" scent category but without "cologne" overtones. Can't put my finger on what this smells like, but I like it.

Coconut: Like the almond I feel this simple and a bit strong. I like coconut and could see using this but I have to admit I was disappointed. Not sure what I was expecting and this *does* smell like coconut. Perhaps with a shave this might change my mind.

Eton College: Another "clean soapy" smell without cologne overtones. I was expecting citrus but didn't detect it. More flowery

Lavender: This one surprised me in that I wasn't expecting to like it. It reminds me of a cross of Lavender and rosemary without being "perfumed". Not as feminine as the rose

Sandalwood: Here it is folks, the legendary scent. It is on the verge of being "old person" while being extremely complex and nice. Reminds me of a barbershop in a good way. There is sandalwood in there but it is not overpowering like Proraso red. I like it and will be interested in trying this as a shave.

St. James: Nice, clean, hard to describe. Not quite soapy or cologne-like. Stronger than Jermyn St.

Grapefruit: Immediately satisfying, straight up grapefruit citrusness. Of all the creams this was the one that spoke to me right off the bat. This isn't a complex scent but I really enjoyed it. I could see myself getting a tub of this!

Cedarwood: Similar to sandalwood in the "verge of old man" yet complex. Reminds me of the scent of a cedar top classical guitar (yes, I smell those). Slightly on the cologne side

Lemon & Lime: This one is weird, smells like lemon mixed with something I can't put my finger on (play dough? patchouli?). I have a tub of it so I'm quite familiar with it and it is an excellent cream. My tub smells a bit better than this sample. I don't detect any lime. I wish this was straight citrus like the grapefruit cream. If I had purchased this sample pack, I probably wouldn't have gotten this one. However, the tub I have is more lemony than this sample.


Based on the initial impressions of the scents *in the jars*, my favorites in order of most to least are

Grapefruit
Jermyn Street
Lavender

I would consider these the "everyday" scents
For a "going to a wedding" scent I would go with
Sandalwood
St James
Mr Taylor
Avocado
Eton College

Least favorites:
lemon & lime (although I actually like this when on the face, so this is a good indication that my initial impressions may change as I use the creams)
almond
coconut
rose
cedar


I'll update as I try the samples.

 

[DEsafetyrazor]

I tried the Avocado cream. Scent is as I initially described. Performance was excellent and the post shave was better than the lemon and lime that I'm familiar with.

 

[GearNoir]

I’ve only ever tried and bought the Sandalwood. TOBS makes dummy proof lathers, they are a great soap for beginners and pros.

Thanks for your reviews!

 

[DEsafetyrazor]

I’ve only ever tried and bought the Sandalwood. TOBS makes dummy proof lathers, they are a great soap for beginners and pros.

Thanks for your reviews!

I agree TOBS are great lathering products. I am a recent convert

I appreciate the feedback.

How would you describe the Sandalwood scent?

 

[GearNoir]

I agree TOBS are great lathering products. I am a recent convert

I appreciate the feedback.

How would you describe the Sandalwood scent?

At this time, AOS Sandalwood is my benchmark scent for sandalwood; it is the soap I started with and TOBS is nothing like it.

That said, TOBS’ version is still a great soap in its own way, as are DR Harris’ and Proraso’s.

To me, TOBS’ version has only a light hint of sandalwood really. It is way more of a bouquet of freshness, powder, and other airy old world barbershop scents.

 

[DEsafetyrazor]

Had my wife do a scent test. She surprised me in that these are her favorites (in no particular order)
Sandalwood
Jermyn Street
Lavender
Eton College
Avocado

She did not like the almond, coconut OR grapefruit as she thought they were too strong.

She thought lemon & lime was just weird. The others were too strong & cologne like.

 

[Mick]

Nice review. Very helpful

 

[DEsafetyrazor]

My child liked the following scents:
Mr Taylor
Almond
Jermyn Street
Rose
Avocado
Cedarwood
St James

so the consensus amongst the three of us is Jermyn Street with close seconds to Sandalwood, Avocado and Lavender.

my child had to wash some of the lemon and lime off her finger and actually liked how her hand smelled, even though she didn't like the scent in the jar.

 

[timetofly]

Thanks for the review! I have been contemplating on getting some samples of the TOBS creams. I only have the Sandalwood (yes I am old). As Chris pointed out they truly are easy to lather. Nothing better than dipping my Stirling Tux into the cream and face lathering. Simply sublime!

 

[The Count]

Try the Peppermint as well. Brilliant for a summer morning shave.

 

[NJDJ]

I don't really use creams anymore, but I use to love the Avocado for its performance (it does seem better than the others) and the Grapefruit for its wonderful scent and good performance. The Avocado in particular is a great performer for the price.

 

[DEsafetyrazor]

Used the Sandalwood. Scent is complex and I *think* I like it. I suspect this scent will grow on me as it has so many layers all of which are pleasant. However, the shave and postshave properties were excellent. I see why this is so highly regarded. Probably will be buying a tub of this

 

[sarimento1]

great report!!
TOBS creams are great!
thanks!

 

[Adam18]

Wonderful review, and excellent descriptions of all the TOBS creams.
This time of year, as a beautiful Spring slowly turns into Summer here in upstate New York, these are
my two favorite creams. The TOBS Avocado, for me and my face, is a big winner. The Trumper's Limes,
again, for me and my face, is better than the TOBS citrus creams. That's why this is such a wonderful hobby.
So many marvelous soaps and creams from which to choose and enjoy.

 

[Doc4]

I am a recent convert

Your avatar is a bit of a hint to that fact.

How would you describe the Sandalwood scent?

"Retired English Colonel".

 

[Bhugo]

I like all of them except sandalwood. It’s the only cream I have not liked the scent of. Peppermint is my favorite with grapefruit a close second. I have not tried Eton, Jeramyn or Taylor. I have only had a sample of the avocado and I wanted to purchase that next.

Great reviews! Thanks.

 

[Mike R]

Thanks for the reviews. After starting with creams, I'd probably go with soaps now if I were forced to choose. But TOBS sandalwood cream is my favorite shaving product of all. And all the TOBS creams I've used have been very good performers. So your comparison of scents is helpful.

 

[DEsafetyrazor]

Update from yesterday's shave: The sandalwood scent, while it died done significantly, actually presented wafts of itself at the end of the day. I haven't experienced that with other soaps or creams

Tried the Lavender today and I really enjoyed the scent quite a bit as well as and performance. Post shave was excellent. The purple color of the cream is a bit much but it has no effect as the lather is white. I would think this would be a more popular cream.

I asked my daughter what she thought without telling her what I used for the shave. She asked, "why are you using the bad ones?" At least she remembered she didn't like it in the jar

 

[DEsafetyrazor]

Used Jermyn Street and Grapefruit and had similar poor results with generating a lather that lasted more than a single pass. This could have been user error, but I have read on here that others have had "unrecoverable dissipating lather" syndrome. Both had excellent scents which died out quickly.

I'm having more and more respect for the Sandalwood and Lavender as they both performed quite well

 

[nelsonic21]

I've used the Peppermint and found it great for a warm day. Recently picked up Grapefruit and it smells great. I picked it up at Maggard's meet and an hour later noticed that the spot on the shelf had 1 tub left while most of the other scents were still full.