MARTIN DE CANDRE - UH, IT'S ALRIGHT, BUT....

[Bbb34]

That's wishful thinking, especially for DR Harris. A hard milled soap like DRH or Tabac probably has as much actual soap in it than the 250gramme MdeC.

For what it's worth, as someone who has and likes both, especially Almond scent, I go through D.R. Harris a lot faster than I do though MDC, and price per gram is not "that" far off. 200 grams of D.R. Harris is $56 Canadian where MDC is apx. $66. In my experience D.R. Harris needs a lot longer to load than MDC does.

Tabac (which I also like) I don't consume as fast as D.R. Harris and is indeed a bit less (about $40 CAD for 200 gr).

I haven't done exact measurements, so no, I would not bet big money on this.

 

[Bbb34]

I am now spoiled with such nice post shave from newer soaps, that it's no longer easy for me to appreciate my old ones, MdC included.

Give us some names so we can be spoiled too.

As I said to @BrotherDerekB I've tried quite a few artisans and am always curious to try more. Of course my experience might not match yours as we all have different skin and needs, but I'm always curious to hear what do others find better than what I consider some of top performing products.

 

[naughtilus]

200 grams of D.R. Harris is $56 Canadian

Seems high. Are you referring to the refills or bowl included?

 

[Bbb34]

Seems high. Are you referring to the refills or bowl included?

Nah, I'm sure it's fairly accurate

$25-$28.30 CAD for 100 grams refill - since I don't know what I'm allowed to link to, you can google, quick search will confirm it. Bowl included is around $50+ for 100 grams in Canada

 

[naughtilus]

Nah, I'm sure it's fairly accurate

$25-$28.30 CAD for 100 grams refill - since I don't know what I'm allowed to link to, you can google, quick search will confirm it. Bowl included is around $50+ for 100 grams in Canada

That's on the steep side. I paid $13 US ($17 CAD) for mine from Connaught, but other shops in Europe have similar prices.

 

[Bbb34]

That's on the steep side. I paid $13 US ($17 CAD) for mine from Connaught, but other shops in Europe have similar prices.

Right, of course it can be found cheaper if I get it from US, or somewhere else online, but then person either needs to deal with higher shipping cost, or certain amount spent to get free shipping, or customs/duty and what not.

My point was more along the lines, yes MDC does shock you with initial price (and especially if you're ordering directly from them, shipping cost from France rubs a bit of salt in that wound - been there).

However when you consider that most artisans are around $40-60 CAD (real world prices in Canadian stores and online stores) for 200 grams (Stirling - which I also like) being on a cheaper end of the spectrum due to more soap in the tub (5.8 oz. vs. 4 for most artisans) MDC, while still not "bargain" is not exactly "obscenely" priced either.

 

[MrSmith83]

Yeh I stocked up on tabac at £4 /100grammes, MdeC is obviously more competitive is certain shipping circumstances.

 

[Sabin]

For example, Haslinger (tallow formula), lasted for 160 shaves for me. However, MdC lasted 540 shaves

For me a long lasting soap is not something I'm looking for. I like variety, so 540 shaves with the same soap is boring for me, no matter how good it is..

 

[HereticHermit]

I don't have much to add into what many other experienced users have opined on MDC base. I got couple of samples from shavedash and got underwhelming shaves. I really hoped to like Fougere but scent was too weak for my liking. MDC loads quickly but it performs just about OK in terms of lather quality and post shave feel. I do not mind that it doesn't have great post shave feel as I live in India; as such I am not after a greasy post face feel. However the lather is just not doing it for me. It is neither slick enough nor dense enough to for me to justify a premium price tag it carries as a package.
In terms of overall lather quality and slickness MWF can simply run circles around MDC. Once I run through with MDC samples I will be looking elsewhere to try new soaps and scents.

 

[Norman Gunston]

Nearly all my soaps are tallow-based, but I have MdC Fougère and it stacks up very well against the my best Tallow soaps. I also dig MdC's earthy medicinal take on the fougère scent. I agree that it is relatively expensive, but you do get 200g, and it lasts a very long time. I've been impressed enough by the Fougère to recently order the Rose, which I look forward to trying very soon.

 

[Demaratus]

For what it's worth, as someone who has and likes both, especially Almond scent, I go through D.R. Harris a lot faster than I do though MDC, and price per gram is not "that" far off. 200 grams of D.R. Harris is $56 Canadian where MDC is apx. $66. In my experience D.R. Harris needs a lot longer to load than MDC does.

Tabac (which I also like) I don't consume as fast as D.R. Harris and is indeed a bit less (about $40 CAD for 200 gr).

I haven't done exact measurements, so no, I would not bet big money on this.

It’s within 10-15% even without the experiment being completed. The point being everyone gets sticker shock over 60 bucks, but it’s half that or less when you consider longevity. And certainly less pricey than creams like TOBS.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Steinmetzify]

Just ordered the Rose; I’m halfway between expecting greatness and being disappointed.

I’m a daily shaver and have a ton of soaps, and most of them are really good regarding post shave feel and scents.

If this doesn’t work for me I’ll PIF it.

 

[MrSmith83]

Just ordered the Rose; I’m halfway between expecting greatness and being disappointed.

I’m a daily shaver and have a ton of soaps, and most of them are really good regarding post shave feel and scents.

If this doesn’t work for me I’ll PIF it.

Expect a very good soap yachts quite expensive and you'll be happy. Expect the clouds to part or something significantly better than other good soaps and you'll be disappointed. Enjoy.

Cheers

 

[MrSmith83]

*That's quite expensive.

It's not quite as costly as a yacht.

(Yet).

Ps when will we see the first 100USD soap? A new artisan or MdeC after a couple of more price hikes?

 

[Steinmetzify]

Expect a very good soap yachts quite expensive and you'll be happy. Expect the clouds to part or something significantly better than other good soaps and you'll be disappointed. Enjoy.

Cheers

No worries man, not expecting anything other than a good soap, just wondering how it’ll compare to my favorites is all.

 

[Bbb34]

No worries man, not expecting anything other than a good soap, just wondering how it’ll compare to my favorites is all.

@MrSmith83 got it right in my opinion, expect good soap that's not exactly a bargain.
My only advice, it loads super easy, but I'd still load it generously (and add water as you go) for the first few shaves anyway.

Oh, and do report back after few shaves, good or bad, it's always interesting to hear how others are finding it.

I've tried too many to list different soaps and have a few currently that I quite like (Tabac/MWF/T&H cream/Castle Forbes/Ach Brito/D.R. Harris/PdP...etc) but recently have a hard time picking anything other than MDC.

 

[It's Hedley]

I recently picked up MdC Agrumes and MdC Fougere when in Paris and have spent the past two weeks using them exclusively. At first I was not getting the ideal lather, leaving my face with a dry feeling after each pass. It lacked slickness. I then started increasing the water content when creating the lather (I bowl lather) and the results have been excellent. It is like most soaps in that it can take a few turns to find the sweet spot. Both scents I enjoy equally. Very fresh and natural. I don't get any synthetic, off putting smells.

As for expense, they are not cheap initially, but I can see the long term value being similar to most soaps in cost per shave. They are hard soaps and 200g is a lot of soap. They also recommend leaving the lid off to further dry the soap which I would imagine makes it last even longer. Time will tell.

I spent three weeks on vacation (Morocco, Paris, Amsterdam) and the only thing I returned with were these two jars of MdC. For me, this adds to enjoyment of having these soaps. I left home wanting to find the store Planete Rasoir in Paris with the intention of buying my first MdC soaps, so mission accomplished.

 

[kingfisher]

Most overrated soap in the history of classic wetshaving, IMO.

Lather is nothing exceptional. It is actually rather drying to the skin.

Scent of the original is not good. A very medicinal lavender with a benzoin background that reminds this doctor of the dark days of carving up cadavers in Anatomy Lab. Yuck!

 

[Bbb34]

Most overrated soap in the history of classic wetshaving, IMO.

Lather is nothing exceptional. It is actually rather drying to the skin.

Scent of the original is not good. A very medicinal lavender with a benzoin background that reminds this doctor of the dark days of carving up cadavers in Anatomy Lab. Yuck!

Ha, I'm imagining someone being on the fence about trying MDC (original) because of the high cost, coming here to get informed before making a decision and reading this post... ouch.

Lucky for me I ordered my "original" last week after @dfoulk and @Demaratus convinced me how great the scent was. (and more important different from their Fougere) LOL

Pretty much any product on this forum goes through the same cycle, from "best ever" to "worst ever", always amusing to see.

 

[It's Hedley]

Ha, I'm imagining someone being on the fence about trying MDC (original) because of the high cost, coming here to get informed before making a decision and reading this post... ouch.

Lucky for me I ordered my "original" last week after @dfoulk and @Demaratus convinced me how great the scent was. (and more important different from their Fougere) LOL

Pretty much any product on this forum goes through the same cycle, from "best ever" to "worst ever", always amusing to see.

You have to take into account that the “worst ever” was the opinion of a “doctor”. Never met a doctor who didn’t have an over opinionated view blah blah blah... no offense to the good doctor or medical professionals intended.

I think you will enjoy MdC for what it is, a good soap and hope that it doesn’t over exceed your expectations or you might not “ever” want to try another soap.