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New, non-tallow Tabac reviews go in here

Fred D

Member of The Illiterati
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In rank ordering my senses top to bottom, smell comes in at #5, common sense #6. So take this with a grain of salt. When unwrapping the new "original," I was hit with a chemical smell reminiscent of cheap dish soap. But it dissipated quickly. At the end of the shave, I took one more big whiff, and the chemical smell was gone, only a light soapy smell remained.

My initial reaction was, "Oh no, they've messed with my go-to soap, and I'm going to hate this." But by shave's end I concluded the new scent will be less polarizing because it's neutral... or perhaps a better word is "common." It's still a good puck, but I'm now more likely to branch out and try other soaps.
Thank you for your concise review.
 
So, I've not tried either formulation of Tabac, thus have no skin in this game. Anyone care to send me samples of both? I promise to post a review in this thread, lol.
 
Preliminary thoughts after my first shave with the new non-tallow Tabac:

I'll be honest, I went into this kinda hoping I'd dislike the soap, but that didn't happen. New Tabac performed nicely. Slick (with respectable residual slickness), good protection, stayed hydrated through my shave. Post-shave feel was in line with what I'm used to.

This past year I have mostly stuck with just a handful of soaps (SV, tallow-based Haslinger, B&M Reserve) for consistency's sake while getting to know other gear. This new Tabac formulation didn't leave me feeling like I was missing anything performance-wise. I think that says something given the company in question. Compared to the real Tabac (I stand by that term), my initial impressions after a test lather (earlier post above) still hold: it's a distinct product. If you're looking for something that looks, feels and smells like Tabac, you may be disappointed because I don't think you'll find that here. That said, this soap is probably worth a look on its own merits.

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FarmerTan

"Self appointed king of Arkoland"
Preliminary thoughts after my first shave with the new non-tallow Tabac:

I'll be honest, I went into this kinda hoping I'd dislike the soap, but that didn't happen. New Tabac performed nicely. Slick (with respectable residual slickness), good protection, stayed hydrated through my shave. Post-shave feel was in line with what I'm used to.

This past year I have mostly stuck with just a handful of soaps (SV, tallow-based Haslinger, B&M Reserve) for consistency's sake while getting to know other gear. This new Tabac formulation didn't leave me feeling like I was missing anything performance-wise. I think that says something given the company in question. Compared to the real Tabac (I stand by that term), my initial impressions after a test lather (earlier post above) still hold: it's a distinct product. If you're looking for something that looks, feels and smells like Tabac, you may be disappointed because I don't think you'll find that here. That said, this soap is probably worth a look on its own merits.

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As much as I like the smell of my Grandma's purse and funeral homes, I will have to try this new original formula. Thanks for the EXCELLENT review my friend!
 
The water is so hard in Arizona that if I spritz my black ark with tap water it leaves limescale on the stone, so I use distilled water to hone with. I have a lot of trouble with some soaps, but tallow based soaps like Tabac, Wholly Kaw and Fine Accoutrements pucks work just fine with the hard water. There are plenty of soaps that do not (Mitchell's wool fat and Geo F. Trumpers to name a couple).

I figure why mess with a proven recipe so I went all in and purchased ten backup pucks from the Razor Emporium. I honestly can say that I get a better closer shave with the tallow based soaps. I do not know exactly why.
 
I wonder if we will ever see a comparison of the performance of the two soap versions in this thread.

Good question. OP had a great idea.

I never cease to be amazed by the lack of consideration and class, which is demonstrated increasingly on this forum. I remember when most members conducted themselves as gentlemen. It seems as if the B&B of ten years ago was a far more gentlemanly place.
 
Received my two orders today. The Amazon puck is the new formulation, and the half price bowl from West Coast Shaving is the original formula.
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You will see right away the new formula is much lighter than the original. Scent strength right off the puck is stronger on the new, but it lacks the Aunt Elsie's purse scent. The new scent is not as complex, lighter, with a tinge of something medicinal.
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The lather was very light, dry, and airy. I added a good amount of water to hydrate, but it never reached the creaminess of real Tabac. Scent level decreased dramatically when lathered.

For me, the joy of Tabac is the scent. I sincerely hoped the new formulation would match, but it does not come close.

As to performance, the new falls short as well. I have always found original Tabac feels dry by the end of a pass. The new accelerates the drying effect.

I have only been into traditional shaving for nine months, and had never heard of Tabac until learning about it here. I am glad to have an extra puck of the real Tabac. It will last me a long time as there are many excellent soaps in this world.
Thank you for this review! You have saved me from wasting money on new formula Tabac after I use my tallow Tabac stockpile.
 
The water is so hard in Arizona that if I spritz my black ark with tap water it leaves limescale on the stone, so I use distilled water to hone with. I have a lot of trouble with some soaps, but tallow based soaps like Tabac, Wholly Kaw and Fine Accoutrements pucks work just fine with the hard water. There are plenty of soaps that do not (Mitchell's wool fat and Geo F. Trumpers to name a couple).

I figure why mess with a proven recipe so I went all in and purchased ten backup pucks from the Razor Emporium. I honestly can say that I get a better closer shave with the tallow based soaps. I do not know exactly why.

For whatever it's worth, the water hardness where I live is comparable to Arizona. You're probably sitting on enough tallow Tabac that it'll never be an issue, but for others out there with similar concerns, my own early experience is that the new formulation stands up well to hard water.
 
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