As noted in the opening post, this is on the lower end of the fine grooming supply creams as far as price goes. An updated list of prices:
Trumpers: $13.30 + $10.40 shipping to CONUS = $23.70 (74g)
Truefitt & Hill: $21.00 + $4.50 shipping to CONUS = $25.50 (75g)
Taylor's: $9.30 + $7.70 shipping to CONUS = $17.00 (75ml)
Crabtree & Evelyn: $15.00 + $4.20 shipping to CONUS = $19.20 (75g)
So far, the C&E is looking like a rather good value.
The quality of this product is what you'd expect from Crabtree & Evelyn. I feel as though this category is redundant, though, as it represents all of the underlying categories. That being said, I have given it a 10, as that is nearest the average score of the below criteria.
I own many products from the Nomad line: Deodorant, shaving soap, shaving cream, after shave, and bar soap. Clearly I like the scent. Though the nomad scent seems to vary from product to produce, the hard soap and soft soap seem to be identical with respect to fragrance. For those of you who do not know what Nomad smells like, it smells like grass. Not "I just mowed the lawn and am now covered in clippings" grass, but a much stouter, darker grass note, with some clear wooden notes on the low end. The scent is simple, timeless, and manly.
Latherability is where this cream dominates. The usual amount of soft soap is enough to produce about 20% more lather than an identical amount of Trumper's cream, and it does it in half the time. It seems to be less touchy about water mixture than other creams, that is to say, it will accept a spectrum of water to cream ratios and still be perfectly usable. I bowl lathered this cream using a C&E Super Badger Brush, 22mm knot.
This lather performs. It is slick and protective. It doesn't dry out between passes, it lubricates like uberlather, and most importantly, it allows for a very close shave. Something in their mixture seems to do an especially good job of softening facial hair, because it took me one less pass than I usually take to finish my shave. However, there is slight room for improvement, as the lather will deflate if it is left on the face for too long, more so than other creams.
Though others claim that the calming and moisturizing properties of the Nomad cream are overstated, I kindly disagree. After most shaves, before my cold rinse, my face feels stiff and unpleasant to the touch (not as felt by my fingers, but as my face feels my fingers). The calming effect of Nomad is quite nice, and leaves your skin feeling fresh and clean. Moisturization was good, as my face did not feel dry and flaky before applying toner and aftershave.
I love the Nomad packaging. Their boxes are very classy, the tubes are well decorated and have an interesting cap, and they always include a nifty little tube key with the soft soap. What is there not to like?
Trumpers: $13.30 + $10.40 shipping to CONUS = $23.70 (74g)
Truefitt & Hill: $21.00 + $4.50 shipping to CONUS = $25.50 (75g)
Taylor's: $9.30 + $7.70 shipping to CONUS = $17.00 (75ml)
Crabtree & Evelyn: $15.00 + $4.20 shipping to CONUS = $19.20 (75g)
So far, the C&E is looking like a rather good value.
The quality of this product is what you'd expect from Crabtree & Evelyn. I feel as though this category is redundant, though, as it represents all of the underlying categories. That being said, I have given it a 10, as that is nearest the average score of the below criteria.
I own many products from the Nomad line: Deodorant, shaving soap, shaving cream, after shave, and bar soap. Clearly I like the scent. Though the nomad scent seems to vary from product to produce, the hard soap and soft soap seem to be identical with respect to fragrance. For those of you who do not know what Nomad smells like, it smells like grass. Not "I just mowed the lawn and am now covered in clippings" grass, but a much stouter, darker grass note, with some clear wooden notes on the low end. The scent is simple, timeless, and manly.
Latherability is where this cream dominates. The usual amount of soft soap is enough to produce about 20% more lather than an identical amount of Trumper's cream, and it does it in half the time. It seems to be less touchy about water mixture than other creams, that is to say, it will accept a spectrum of water to cream ratios and still be perfectly usable. I bowl lathered this cream using a C&E Super Badger Brush, 22mm knot.
This lather performs. It is slick and protective. It doesn't dry out between passes, it lubricates like uberlather, and most importantly, it allows for a very close shave. Something in their mixture seems to do an especially good job of softening facial hair, because it took me one less pass than I usually take to finish my shave. However, there is slight room for improvement, as the lather will deflate if it is left on the face for too long, more so than other creams.
Though others claim that the calming and moisturizing properties of the Nomad cream are overstated, I kindly disagree. After most shaves, before my cold rinse, my face feels stiff and unpleasant to the touch (not as felt by my fingers, but as my face feels my fingers). The calming effect of Nomad is quite nice, and leaves your skin feeling fresh and clean. Moisturization was good, as my face did not feel dry and flaky before applying toner and aftershave.
I love the Nomad packaging. Their boxes are very classy, the tubes are well decorated and have an interesting cap, and they always include a nifty little tube key with the soft soap. What is there not to like?