Item Description
Yes, this is the stuff that caused the (minor) set-to here at B&B. Curious about it I obtained some and gave it a fair shake following the very specific instructions that come with it. The razor was a Cobra Classic with a Feather Professional blade. The blade has a few miles on it (shave #8 or so), but still works and gives a BBS, comfortable shave with a good cream like Speick or a soap like MWF, Harris or similar.
I gave it good marks on price. Hey, it's $7 for 8oz. That is a very good price for a shave product of any quality at all. And yes, this is good stuff. The box claims 200 shaves based on recommended usage. I have also heard the maker here say 160 shaves. So for the price of lunch you get about 6 months of shaves. Hard to beat.
Edit - the maker has been in contact with me and tells me that due to a snafu with the bottle vendor, the correct number of pumps is 160, not 200. The insert that comes with the soap states 200, but that was printed before the bottle size screwup. In either case the price is nowhere near unreasonable.
The soap comes in an amber bottle with a pump dispenser. You are supposed to wet your face with the hottest water you can stand, and apply two pumps, rubbing it into your beard. Then one more followed by a little hot water. This I did. It's a little scary since there is nothing but s shine on your face. The soap is quite thin - it's not a cream at all. Not even liquid hand soap consistency. And for those of you looking for gobs of lather, no way. This stuff is not intended to lather and no way will you make it lather. No brush used here, and very little prep.
The scent is really good. I got a strong citrus note from it. It's not overpowering at all. Mainly a nice clean scent that doesn't linger.
OK, how does it work? I found the shave to be on par with a reasonable cream. It's not up there with creams like Trumpers, Fraser or Speick in terms of smooth glide, but the shave was quite comfortable and easy, with no irritation. The instructions say you do not have to reapply between passes. This is true. You finish your first pass, get your hand wet with hot water and rub your face again. This allows you to find what you missed and re-lubes your face. There is plenty of soap left on your face, so you really don't have to add more. I was able to do my usual two passes with some buffing, and could have done a third. In fact my biggest gripe with this stuff is that it's hard to get it all off your face. You have to rinse quite a bit before it all comes away. My face felt a little tighter than I am used to following, say, a Speick cream shave. Most soaps (except IK or Harris) leave me that way. So nothing unusual there.
This product is clearly aimed at people with are not shave connoisseurs, always looking for that perfect lather and the sensual joy of a shave. It is a HUGE improvement for anyone using canned foam, and especially mass market cartridge razor users. It would also be a fantastic travel companion. You don't need to take your brush, soap dish and what-have-you. Just slather this on and go to town. You will get a good shave with a minimum of fuss.
The website claims it's all natural, and a look at the ingredients list affirms this. The maker is a member here and has been very willing to put his product in the rather harsh spotlight, and I have to tell you it comes out looking very good indeed. Is it for you? Maybe. You really do need to give it a shot. It is very definitely worth every penny you pay, and I think it will stay in my rotation. It won't take the place of my beloved high end creams and soaps. But it is as good as many and better than most products, and has a place on my shelf.
Thanks to Old Post Road for sticking with it (and us)! You have a winner here.
I gave it good marks on price. Hey, it's $7 for 8oz. That is a very good price for a shave product of any quality at all. And yes, this is good stuff. The box claims 200 shaves based on recommended usage. I have also heard the maker here say 160 shaves. So for the price of lunch you get about 6 months of shaves. Hard to beat.
Edit - the maker has been in contact with me and tells me that due to a snafu with the bottle vendor, the correct number of pumps is 160, not 200. The insert that comes with the soap states 200, but that was printed before the bottle size screwup. In either case the price is nowhere near unreasonable.
The soap comes in an amber bottle with a pump dispenser. You are supposed to wet your face with the hottest water you can stand, and apply two pumps, rubbing it into your beard. Then one more followed by a little hot water. This I did. It's a little scary since there is nothing but s shine on your face. The soap is quite thin - it's not a cream at all. Not even liquid hand soap consistency. And for those of you looking for gobs of lather, no way. This stuff is not intended to lather and no way will you make it lather. No brush used here, and very little prep.
The scent is really good. I got a strong citrus note from it. It's not overpowering at all. Mainly a nice clean scent that doesn't linger.
OK, how does it work? I found the shave to be on par with a reasonable cream. It's not up there with creams like Trumpers, Fraser or Speick in terms of smooth glide, but the shave was quite comfortable and easy, with no irritation. The instructions say you do not have to reapply between passes. This is true. You finish your first pass, get your hand wet with hot water and rub your face again. This allows you to find what you missed and re-lubes your face. There is plenty of soap left on your face, so you really don't have to add more. I was able to do my usual two passes with some buffing, and could have done a third. In fact my biggest gripe with this stuff is that it's hard to get it all off your face. You have to rinse quite a bit before it all comes away. My face felt a little tighter than I am used to following, say, a Speick cream shave. Most soaps (except IK or Harris) leave me that way. So nothing unusual there.
This product is clearly aimed at people with are not shave connoisseurs, always looking for that perfect lather and the sensual joy of a shave. It is a HUGE improvement for anyone using canned foam, and especially mass market cartridge razor users. It would also be a fantastic travel companion. You don't need to take your brush, soap dish and what-have-you. Just slather this on and go to town. You will get a good shave with a minimum of fuss.
The website claims it's all natural, and a look at the ingredients list affirms this. The maker is a member here and has been very willing to put his product in the rather harsh spotlight, and I have to tell you it comes out looking very good indeed. Is it for you? Maybe. You really do need to give it a shot. It is very definitely worth every penny you pay, and I think it will stay in my rotation. It won't take the place of my beloved high end creams and soaps. But it is as good as many and better than most products, and has a place on my shelf.
Thanks to Old Post Road for sticking with it (and us)! You have a winner here.
