DR Harris review - Windsor scent
- Thread starter DEdestroyer77
- Start date
I got a puck of DR Harris Arlington at Christmas, and I agree...its average at best. Similar to Palmolive or LaToja. Then again I think Tabac and Haslinger are average as well, so.....
Now that I've had a change to use Declaration Grooming, Sudsy Soapery, B&M Reserve and will be shaving with Tallow & Steel in the day or two, I'll be interested to see how my Arlington compares. The only two times I've used it I recall having some pretty good shaves. Good thing you didn't purchase it outright before tossing. It's not the cheapest soap out there by any means.
Seems like a nice honest review. Do you work for DR Harris or something?
Wow, D.R. Harris soaps have been reformuated? Well, I guess that it may have been inevitable given the reformulation of the rest of the upper crust English soaps.
I can't speak to the current formulation but the cake produced circa ten years ago and older was fantastic.
Chris
I can't speak to the current formulation but the cake produced circa ten years ago and older was fantastic.
Chris
I had no idea that DR Harris has been reformulated. However, I enjoy the old formula and especially like the scents. That said, I agree that there are many others that perform as well or better. I have 75 different brands currently in what my wife affectionately calls my soap garage and I have DR Harris rated 35th. I guess that makes it pretty average in performance for me. Since I probably could be satisfied using DR Harris everyday, it just says how many good soaps are available these days.
steelhead52, even though this threat is about DR Harris, may I please ask what your top 3 out of 75 brands are? Thanks!
And someone said Haslingers and Tabac were only average! Just goes to show how we all have our preferences and what I think is the best, someone else doesn't. Oh yeah, to me DR Harris is top shelf! And I would rate Cella alongside Tabac and Haslingers. I just can't imagine anything being better, not saying there aren't but these soaps are as good as I'll ever need.
I believe all opinions are welcome here, and all are equally valid. Here's mine regarding D.R. Harris Windsor: It is a fantastic shaving soap with a classy, refined masculine scent. I have had many fine shaves with D.R. Harris soaps and they rank with the best out there, including all of the outstanding artisan soaps that have become wildly popular (and rightfully so) more recently.
I may be in the minority here, but I can honestly say that I've never used a shaving soap or cream that was so bad that I could not get a good shave from it, or that I found to be sub-standard in any way. I believe we are living in a time where there are an abundance of outstanding shaving products from which to choose, and I have yet to experience a poor one. I have probably used somewhere between 50 and 100 soaps and creams, and while I certainly have my favorites, there honestly isn't much difference between the best and the worst. It all comes down to a matter of preference, and that's fine. I've been a member here for over 9 years now, and here's what I've noticed; In the quest to discover, own, and experience the best, what is considered the best today will not be considered such in a few months, or a year, or a few years; yet it will still be every bit as good as it ever was (in most cases). In my time here, I've seen the consensus change over and over; a new product is introduced, gets incredible hype and reviews, only to be replaced with the next newer and better one.
Like I said, all opinions are welcome and valid, and the soap making craft undoubtedly benefits from increased interest, experimentation, and technology, but I still find many of the old favorites to be every bit as good as they ever were, and every bit as good as most of the fantastic new artisan soaps now available.
I may be in the minority here, but I can honestly say that I've never used a shaving soap or cream that was so bad that I could not get a good shave from it, or that I found to be sub-standard in any way. I believe we are living in a time where there are an abundance of outstanding shaving products from which to choose, and I have yet to experience a poor one. I have probably used somewhere between 50 and 100 soaps and creams, and while I certainly have my favorites, there honestly isn't much difference between the best and the worst. It all comes down to a matter of preference, and that's fine. I've been a member here for over 9 years now, and here's what I've noticed; In the quest to discover, own, and experience the best, what is considered the best today will not be considered such in a few months, or a year, or a few years; yet it will still be every bit as good as it ever was (in most cases). In my time here, I've seen the consensus change over and over; a new product is introduced, gets incredible hype and reviews, only to be replaced with the next newer and better one.
Like I said, all opinions are welcome and valid, and the soap making craft undoubtedly benefits from increased interest, experimentation, and technology, but I still find many of the old favorites to be every bit as good as they ever were, and every bit as good as most of the fantastic new artisan soaps now available.
Burn the heretic!
(okay, I know you aren't a rodent, but for some strange reason we don't have an angry mob emoji)
But seriously, if those are "average" soaps, then what do you consider "excellent?"
Actually here are my current top 10. I like the first two the best and there is very little differentiation between the rest. All are excellent. There are many in my next 25 that I could easily be satisfied with if that was all that was available. In fact, I agree with MrMoJoe that most soaps are really pretty good. Of my 75 different brands, there are only 3 I wish I would not have purchased and a few others where I feel the money could have been better spent. But my current top 10 always causes me to really look forward to the next day's shaving experience.
Soaps & Creams Current Overall Ranking
Grooming Dept 1
Tallow + Steel 2
Wholly Kaw - Tallow w/Donkey Milk 3
Martin de Candre 4
Barrister & Mann - Reserve 5
Declaration Grooming 6
Turtleship Shave Co. 7
Pannacrema - Nuavia 8
Sudsy Soapery 9
XPEC - Original Shaving Cream 10
After reading this I can't help but think "I could have used that soap" I've used arlington before and worked great for me.
steelhead52, thank you very much, your first three are the ones everybody talks about, there is got to be something about them that they keep being mentioned. I'm going to buy one of these three!
Man we love spending each other's money. I hope you really enjoy which ever one you end up trying.
Back to DR Harris for a second. A while ago I purchased a box of each scent on the Bay for $6 a piece as a lot. I will probably never get a better buy for a combo of price and performance. That is enough soap to last me almost 2 years for $36 of nice shaves.
Agreed we live in the golden age of shaving soap. To be fair even though I grade out DR Harris as average, I could use it every day and be satisfied. the difference between average and the top soaps is really only about 10% or so anyway.
That might be the most astute observation I've read on this forum in a long time. I've always considered D.R. Harris soaps as 'top shelf', but there may really only be about a 10% difference in the quality of shaving soaps, at least with most shaving soaps. I never get a bad shave from any of the soaps I own. I would however put Haslingers & Tabac at the top of the list and D.R. Harris possibly below them, but only slightly in my opinion.
Thanks for the honest review. I know you have high standards - there's nothing wrong with that. When you've used excellent soaps, it's hard to settle for less. 
It's good to read a review like this, as I've tried some highly praised soaps and was disappointed also.
It's good to read a review like this, as I've tried some highly praised soaps and was disappointed also.
Wow! Sir, what are your 'Above Average' soaps??
DR Harris is not a favorite, but it is perfectly serviceable for me. That is, the lather is slick and stable, the scent is pleasant and the post-shave skin conditioning is what I consider neutral. I do have better soaps in rotation, but I have tried several soaps that aren't as good as DRH. In my book, DRH sets the standard for the minimum requirements I need for a nice shave. The older formula with lanolin adds a nice post-shave moisturizing touch, it's a shame it was removed.
Declaration Grooming
Grooming Dept
Tallow + Steel
Sudsy Soapery
B&M Reserve
Pannacrema
Wholly Kaw
SV
I could go on....
