The new tallow-free Haslinger Schafmilch: just as amazing!

[Blood donor]

I love my Haslinger Schafmilch tallow version, bring back the tallow version......

Bumping this thread. I agree - the old for me was much better. It was actually my favorite soap, specifically the sandalwood which was incredibly creamy and slick. I bought two more pucks each of sandalwood and sheepsmilk of the new version and felt the shave quality was not the same. Now without as much use, both soaps (moulded into lidded containers) quickly cracked and went extremely dry. I know I can rehydrate them, but my other old tallow puck (only sage now left) has Not dried out or cracked and gives the same old great shaves.

 

[Boar Fighter]

It's always like this... New product in the market, causes euphoria. Early adopters swear it's great, same or even better than the old one. Then with time, the euphoria subsides and the first timid voices start to come out and say "no, the old one was better"...

Suppose you are man of simple taste, that dislikes buying expensive soaps with cologne-like scent, boosted by hype and by the desire of others to mix a cologne to their lather and that you simply enjoy a soap with more simple scent that lathers very easily. And one of the things that have been tested for years that make it work is tallow. Tallow, is a very safe way to make a great soap at cheap price. Think of Arko. Think of Palmolive stick. You may try to emulate its characteristics without tallow, but one thing is certain. The old soap that has been in the market for years and years and always worked, is a certain bet. Haslinger, on my soap container with a screw-in lid, if you don't wash it afterwards, leaves a "goo" in the threads of the lid. That "goo" is slick on its own and it's obvious it comes from the fat.

So, you learn that they are stopping the tallow version. Early adopters swear that the vegan is as good as the old one, if not better? Do you care really if it's any better? Not if you are happy with the old one. But what if they are wrong, taken from the euphoria of the new launch? A local proverb says "Trusting is good, not trusting is better". And in shaving, the only thing you can trust, is your own face and past experience.



All tallow versions, various types. Unless they go rancid (which is a possibility, but i don't really care), statistically speaking, if i use 1 every year, by the time i end the last one, i will be above average male lifespan (i am now 60).

So, is the new one better? Worse? If i had to bet, i would bet that it's worse. But at this point, i simply don't care.

 

[Boar Fighter]

As did I. Probably 3 dozen pucks, maybe more. I just wiped them out of stock of the tallow. I'll never have to wonder if the new base is as good as the old. They're all in vacuum sealed bags waiting for their turn.

I humbly bow before you, sir!

 

[vtmax]

It's always like this... New product in the market, causes euphoria. Early adopters swear it's great, same or even better than the old one. Then with time, the euphoria subsides and the first timid voices start to come out and say "no, the old one was better"...

Suppose you are man of simple taste, that dislikes buying expensive soaps with cologne-like scent, boosted by hype and by the desire of others to mix a cologne to their lather and that you simply enjoy a soap with more simple scent that lathers very easily. And one of the things that have been tested for years that make it work is tallow. Tallow, is a very safe way to make a great soap at cheap price. Think of Arko. Think of Palmolive stick. You may try to emulate its characteristics without tallow, but one thing is certain. The old soap that has been in the market for years and years and always worked, is a certain bet. Haslinger, on my soap container with a screw-in lid, if you don't wash it afterwards, leaves a "goo" in the threads of the lid. That "goo" is slick on its own and it's obvious it comes from the fat.

So, you learn that they are stopping the tallow version. Early adopters swear that the vegan is as good as the old one, if not better? Do you care really if it's any better? Not if you are happy with the old one. But what if they are wrong, taken from the euphoria of the new launch? A local proverb says "Trusting is good, not trusting is better". And in shaving, the only thing you can trust, is your own face and past experience.

View attachment 972268

All tallow versions, various types. Unless they go rancid (which is a possibility, but i don't really care), statistically speaking, if i use 1 every year, by the time i end the last one, i will be above average male lifespan (i am now 60).

So, is the new one better? Worse? If i had to bet, i would bet that it's worse. But at this point, i simply don't care.

Thank you for being honest.

I have used every Haslinger scent over the years, enjoyed my conversations with Andreas Haslinger, but also stocked up on the tallow original. The new soap is clearly inferior in my use. Quite disappointed but hoping the family changes their mind and brings the initial (Schafmilch was created in 2012) soap back to its original glory some day.

 

[BigJ]

It's always like this... New product in the market, causes euphoria. Early adopters swear it's great, same or even better than the old one. Then with time, the euphoria subsides and the first timid voices start to come out and say "no, the old one was better"...

Suppose you are man of simple taste, that dislikes buying expensive soaps with cologne-like scent, boosted by hype and by the desire of others to mix a cologne to their lather and that you simply enjoy a soap with more simple scent that lathers very easily. And one of the things that have been tested for years that make it work is tallow. Tallow, is a very safe way to make a great soap at cheap price. Think of Arko. Think of Palmolive stick. You may try to emulate its characteristics without tallow, but one thing is certain. The old soap that has been in the market for years and years and always worked, is a certain bet. Haslinger, on my soap container with a screw-in lid, if you don't wash it afterwards, leaves a "goo" in the threads of the lid. That "goo" is slick on its own and it's obvious it comes from the fat.

So, you learn that they are stopping the tallow version. Early adopters swear that the vegan is as good as the old one, if not better? Do you care really if it's any better? Not if you are happy with the old one. But what if they are wrong, taken from the euphoria of the new launch? A local proverb says "Trusting is good, not trusting is better". And in shaving, the only thing you can trust, is your own face and past experience.

View attachment 972268

All tallow versions, various types. Unless they go rancid (which is a possibility, but i don't really care), statistically speaking, if i use 1 every year, by the time i end the last one, i will be above average male lifespan (i am now 60).

So, is the new one better? Worse? If i had to bet, i would bet that it's worse. But at this point, i simply don't care.

+2! The voice of experience!!

(I also stocked up on all the tallow Haslinger options!!)

 

[ryinzana]

Have Honig coming this week. This thread has me excited!

 

[Boar Fighter]

Thank you for being honest.

I have used every Haslinger scent over the years, enjoyed my conversations with Andreas Haslinger, but also stocked up on the tallow original. The new soap is clearly inferior in my use. Quite disappointed but hoping the family changes their mind and brings the initial (Schafmilch was created in 2012) soap back to its original glory some day.

+2! The voice of experience!!

(I also stocked up on all the tallow Haslinger options!!)

My view, as can be discerned by my previous post, is based not on trying both soaps, but on speculation. There was nothing wrong with the tallow version. I have been using it since 2011 every year. They simply succumbed to the pressure of various animalist organizations, that promote banning anything coming from animals. This is like a wave that travels through countries. I have seen people asking for non tallow Cella, ban boars, ban badgers, etc. So, there is no technical need to reformulate, it is more a move to "go with the trend that wants everything vegan" thing. So they tried to imitate their own tallow version. IMHO, when you try to imitate something, 95% of the times, you will end up with something inferior. Maybe i am wrong, but i am happy that i don't have to learn if i was right or wrong. Unless they go rancid, i will keep using my tallow soaps.

I am not picky with soaps. I am really not. I don't even find huge differences in the lather between say Haslinger and Lea or TrueFitt and Nivea or Palmolive cream. I can shave with anything. But, Haslinger, has been a staple soap for me, ever since i restarted wetshaving in 2011. I am used to it. I am used even to its fatty residue. My water is very hard and it always lathers easily and performs like a champ. Why should i force myself to change, only because the vegans have been in the path of war in the last years? If it was some other soap, i wouldn't care. But of all the soaps in the shaving world, they had to reformulate the one soap that i have been using every year since day 1?! Maybe i am getting stubborn with age, but i just couldn't accept that.

 

[mozartman]

Bumping this thread. I agree - the old for me was much better. It was actually my favorite soap, specifically the sandalwood which was incredibly creamy and slick. I bought two more pucks each of sandalwood and sheepsmilk of the new version and felt the shave quality was not the same. Now without as much use, both soaps (moulded into lidded containers) quickly cracked and went extremely dry. I know I can rehydrate them, but my other old tallow puck (only sage now left) has Not dried out or cracked and gives the same old great shaves.

While I agree with some of the comments here about the differences between the tallow and non-tallow Haslinger soaps, I felt I should add a contrasting view for purposes of balance. I do find that the new Haslinger, and maybe non-tallow soaps in general, have lather that is not quite as thick or slick as the tallow ones. And the new Haslinger does seem to dry out more quickly. However, I prefer soap that has a slightly less slick or greasy feel and washes off quickly and completely, and also that does not leave a lot of residue on my blade or razor, and in general I prefer the non-tallow soaps both for shaving and bathing / washing purposes.

 

[Bogeyman]

For the lovers of the old tallow one it appears an American artisan has heard the cries of woe:

Schapenmelk Shaving Soap

 

[dundak]

I like the new formulation and don’t see a huge difference. YMMV.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[snowman]

My view, as can be discerned by my previous post, is based not on trying both soaps, but on speculation. There was nothing wrong with the tallow version. I have been using it since 2011 every year. They simply succumbed to the pressure of various animalist organizations, that promote banning anything coming from animals. This is like a wave that travels through countries. I have seen people asking for non tallow Cella, ban boars, ban badgers, etc. So, there is no technical need to reformulate, it is more a move to "go with the trend that wants everything vegan" thing. So they tried to imitate their own tallow version. IMHO, when you try to imitate something, 95% of the times, you will end up with something inferior. Maybe i am wrong, but i am happy that i don't have to learn if i was right or wrong. Unless they go rancid, i will keep using my tallow soaps.
.

Haslinger is one of my favorite shaving soaps and I have a long track record of being rather old-school and preferring hard tallow-based soaps. So of course I stocked up on tallow based Haslinger when I heard of the reformulation. I've not counted in a while but I believe I have 20-30 pucks of tallow based Haslinger on hand. I also have several pucks of the veggie based formula on hand. I 3017'd a puck of the veggie based formula and could discern no difference in shaving performance. I did notice the new formula left less residue in my sink. For me, the new formula is outstanding and I would congratulate the Haslingers on the care and effort they put into this new formula.

I've read the posts since this thread was dusted off and do feel compelled to repost (from post #26) Mr Haslingers email regarding the reformulation. I have a great deal of respect for the Haslingers and I don't believe they are succumbing to any trends.

In Mr Andreas Haslinger's own words:

Yes, we have eliminated tallow from our shaving soaps. I have been working on a new recipe for a long time since I wanted to keep in line with my grandfather's philosophy when he founded the company, of producing plant based cosmetics. The shaving soaps were the only products on our catalog that did not keep up with this philosophy. After much research I succeeded in producing a vegetable based soap that performs just as well as our previous tallow soaps.

Before releasing the newly formulated shaving soaps, we sent blind tests to our biggest distributers with the old tallow soap and the new vegetable soap, and most could not tell the difference. Two preferred the vegetable soap, and only one preferred the tallow soap, but even they wrote, that the difference is very little. All in all, the response was positive.

I am quite proud of this (especially because I got told by some other soap producers, that they tried to copy our soap with just plant based oils, but were never able to succeed), and i hope that my customers will agree that performance has not been jeopardized. I know that tallow is special for shaving soaps but I hope my customers will see that it is possible to achieve the same performance without tallow.
Thank you for using Haslinger!

Best regards,
Andreas Haslinger

 

[Schnitzel52]

I have not had the advantage of using the old version. I have been DE shaving since June 2018.
I am over half way through the new version of Scaffmilch. It is a fantastic shave soap and it will not be my last purchase. Based on the fondness for the old formula it must have been amazing. To me Haslinger is continuing a long and storied tradition of excellence. I look forward to Sandalwood, Marigold, and Coconut.
Are Haslinger’s other products available in the United States?

 

[Boar Fighter]

Haslinger is one of my favorite shaving soaps and I have a long track record of being rather old-school and preferring hard tallow-based soaps. So of course I stocked up on tallow based Haslinger when I heard of the reformulation. I've not counted in a while but I believe I have 20-30 pucks of tallow based Haslinger on hand. I also have several pucks of the veggie based formula on hand. I 3017'd a puck of the veggie based formula and could discern no difference in shaving performance. I did notice the new formula left less residue in my sink. For me, the new formula is outstanding and I would congratulate the Haslingers on the care and effort they put into this new formula.

I've read the posts since this thread was dusted off and do feel compelled to repost (from post #26) Mr Haslingers email regarding the reformulation. I have a great deal of respect for the Haslingers and I don't believe they are succumbing to any trends.

In Mr Andreas Haslinger's own words:

Yes, we have eliminated tallow from our shaving soaps. I have been working on a new recipe for a long time since I wanted to keep in line with my grandfather's philosophy when he founded the company, of producing plant based cosmetics. The shaving soaps were the only products on our catalog that did not keep up with this philosophy. After much research I succeeded in producing a vegetable based soap that performs just as well as our previous tallow soaps.

Before releasing the newly formulated shaving soaps, we sent blind tests to our biggest distributers with the old tallow soap and the new vegetable soap, and most could not tell the difference. Two preferred the vegetable soap, and only one preferred the tallow soap, but even they wrote, that the difference is very little. All in all, the response was positive.

I am quite proud of this (especially because I got told by some other soap producers, that they tried to copy our soap with just plant based oils, but were never able to succeed), and i hope that my customers will agree that performance has not been jeopardized. I know that tallow is special for shaving soaps but I hope my customers will see that it is possible to achieve the same performance without tallow.
Thank you for using Haslinger!

Best regards,
Andreas Haslinger

Thank you, i had read it already (i read the entire thread). And i really hope it's true. But, i wouldn't expect him to say otherwise in any case, so why take chances... I do not say it as an insult. It's just horrible marketing policy for any company, when you make a reformulation or a transition between products, to present your new line as inferior to the old. And i am not saying that it is inferior, as i can only speculate, i am just saying, that it's normal business to speak well of your new product.

 

[Bogeyman]

Thank you, i had read it already (i read the entire thread). And i really hope it's true. But, i wouldn't expect him to say otherwise in any case, so why take chances... I do not say it as an insult. It's just horrible marketing policy for any company, when you make a reformulation or a transition between products, to present your new line as inferior to the old. And i am not saying that it is inferior, as i can only speculate, i am just saying, that it's normal business to speak well of your new product.

Truth be told, I'd wager good money animal rights activism is the "rat" in the woodpile here causing this.

 

[Boar Fighter]

Truth be told, I'd wager good money animal rights activism is the "rat" in the woodpile here causing this.

Me too, because we are neighbors with Austria and the "ban anything from animals" movement has been on the rise here in the past decade, achieving new heights and i wouldn't be surprised if the same is happening in Austria too. 10,15 years ago, i don't recall reading people asking to ban boars or badgers. Now i have. There is also an ever increasing number of youngsters i suppose, where in Amazon reviews, you read about "being vegan" or "cruelty free" as being an advantage of a soap or a brush. It's probably the rising trend and will become more relevant as time goes by and we older folk migrate to "permanent retirement".

 

[Blood donor]

Thank you, i had read it already (i read the entire thread). And i really hope it's true. But, i wouldn't expect him to say otherwise in any case, so why take chances... I do not say it as an insult. It's just horrible marketing policy for any company, when you make a reformulation or a transition between products, to present your new line as inferior to the old. And i am not saying that it is inferior, as i can only speculate, i am just saying, that it's normal business to speak well of your new product.

Personally I admire the honesty from the company, and the clear symbol on their homepage. Sadly for me the product is now inferior however, and has been relegated to showersoap. I recall I ground one new puck on top of 3/4 of an old one in a container, so now will be burrowing down to get at the old stuff. Yes the sandalwood was that good for me!

 

[Boar Fighter]

Personally I admire the honesty from the company, and the clear symbol on their homepage. Sadly for me the product is now inferior however, and has been relegated to showersoap. I recall I ground one new puck on top of 3/4 of an old one in a container, so now will be burrowing down to get at the old stuff. Yes the sandalwood was that good for me!

Shower soap, eh? Sorry to hear that... The sandalwood and the honey were the only ones (i think), that i never bought. However, this has more to do with the scent. I like them all.

 

[steelhead52]

I'm not saying Mr. Andreas is just selling a sales pitch to comply with social pressures to go vegan. But if plant based was his grandfather's principle, then why has the shaving soap been tallow from the beginning?

I used the vegan Sheepsmilk version this morning to celebrate a plateau of 1700 consecutive BBS shaves. I so wanted this shave to be perfect experience. My observations after using this for awhile is that I can still get an irritation free BBS shave with this soap, but the "magic" is gone. It's still a very good soap but it does dry out faster, it is not as slick or protective. Actually initial slickness is very good but residual slickness is not nearly as good. It allows close efficient strokes initially but makes the buffing I like to do to achieve BBS more difficult. Post shave is good but no longer great. It does rinse cleaner and easier but I really miss that super creamy feeling of the tallow version. To me, this soap now falls into the L'Occitane Cade, Soap Commander category. Still a very good soap but no longer top tier for me. I really wish Mr. Andreas would reconsider. With so many other options, and with the stock of tallow Haslinger I have, I will not be buying vegan Haslinger in the future.

 

[Boar Fighter]

I'm not saying Mr. Andreas is just selling a sales pitch to comply with social pressures to go vegan. But if plant based was his grandfather's principle, then why has the shaving soap been tallow from the beginning?

That's a very poignant question! It's not like glycerin based soaps were a top secret and they learned about it 1 year ago.

I used the vegan Sheepsmilk version this morning to celebrate a plateau of 1700 consecutive BBS shaves. I so wanted this shave to be perfect experience. My observations after using this for awhile is that I can still get an irritation free BBS shave with this soap, but the "magic" is gone. It's still a very good soap but it does dry out faster, it is not as slick or protective. Actually initial slickness is very good but residual slickness is not nearly as good. It allows close efficient strokes initially but makes the buffing I like to do to achieve BBS more difficult. Post shave is good but no longer great. It does rinse cleaner and easier but I really miss that super creamy feeling of the tallow version. To me, this soap now falls into the L'Occitane Cade, Soap Commander category. Still a very good soap but no longer top tier for me. I really wish Mr. Andreas would reconsider. With so many other options, and with the stock of tallow Haslinger I have, I will not be buying vegan Haslinger in the future.

Thanks for the very detailed summary of your experience.

 

[naughtilus]

I have been working on a new recipe for a long time since I wanted to keep in line with my grandfather's philosophy when he founded the company, of producing plant based cosmetics.

^ This doesn't imply this:

I have been working on a new recipe for a long time since I wanted to keep in line with my grandfather's philosophy when he founded the company, of producing exclusively plant based cosmetics.