Tabac Shave Soap

Everything but the scent, which is a matter of taste, is topnotch. You must try it!

Anyone know where I can pick up Tabac in Palm Springs? It isn't available in Vancouver, and I'm heading there tomorrow for a holiday and would like to buy some...

Thanks,
Adam

Most have come to regard Tabac as the Gold Standard of shaving soaps. What's not to like? It lathers really easily and has a delightful scent. Well I'll get into that

For reference, I'm very stingy with my numbers in ratings feeling that 10s are reserved for the top 1% of products and 5s are for middle of the road products. I've given products that I really like a 78%, which I consider to be a nice score. I try to avoid hyperbole, but I know I'm not perfect in that regard either. With that frame of reference, let's begin

Price: With the ceramic bowl,and a hard milled Tallow soap at the prices you can get this for, you have to give this a 9

Quality: It's very good. The aforementioned bowl, the longevity, and the packaging give it a lot of positive points. However, because of what I see just a little above average efficacy and below average moisturizing, I have to bring the quality down a couple of pegs - 7

Scent: This is my favorite thing about the Tabac soap. It's a delightful, if polarizing for some unknown reason, scent that literally has guys going midday to their brush to catch a waft of it... I quite like it, but because of how some find it unbearable, I have to take off a couple of points - 8

Lather: This is an easy to lather soap that literally yields ideal LOOKING lather. This soap lathers up as well as any product on the market. - 10

Efficacy: Here's where the rubber meets the road with a soap. While the lather looks great, it doesn't seem to perform nearly as well as most products that I have tried. I've had more shaves with razor burn and irritation with this product (combined with proven straight razors proven to be in good shape), than anything else that I've kept. On top of that, it leaves a weird slimy residue on my face that I have to take a towel and scrub to remove. This has not ever been a part of any of my best shaves, but it's more than passable. - 6

Moisturizing: I find this soap to be less moisturizing than everything in my den including VDH with one exception: Williams, which I find to be pretty much the same. It's not as bad as some other products that I've tried, but it's not moisturizing by any stretch to my skin. - 4

Conclusion: This is a good soap that looks great but merely performs a little better than average. It's good, but it's not great in my opinion. However, I don't use any products that are worse than Tabac. So, I guess that means that Tabac is the benchmark that all soaps have to meet for me to keep them in my rotation, but I would never consider it the Gold Standard by any stretch.

I hope this helps someone

IMHO Tabac sets the standard for shaving soaps to meet.

Easy to generate a great lather. Price isn't too bad considering the 4.4oz size of the puck.

I'm a relative newbie to the wet shaving scene and Tabac really changed what I thought. Was using Williams, while not horrible, it's not even in the same league.

Enjoy!

As a beginner I don't really have experience with other soaps to make comparisons, but I can say I was really pleased with Tabac.
-Price: at $17 w/ a bowl very value conscious
-Quality: from what I can perceive it is well worth the price with hefty packaging as mentioned before, and also a sturdy ceramic bowl to go along with it.
-Scent: I've read some threads that say it smells terrible, like stale smoke, etc. I think it smells great however, like those fancy hotel soaps
-Lather: even as a beginner it was very easy for me to produce an effective amount of lather in a short span of time
-Efficacy: ehh who knows what that means anyway...
-Moisturizing: recieved a 9 because while it did lubricate nicely i did have a few razor skips which were probably due to some technique fault of mine.

This stuff is great in every way. I just recently started shaving with a DE and a straight razor, and have since had the opportunity to use AOS, Castle Forbes, Proraso, Taylor's Avocado, and Tabac. The only other soap I've used is Spanish Fig and Nutmeg from The Bath House, and though that one lathers well, it cannot compare with Tabac. I really like the scent, the soap is relatively inexpensive, and my face feels better after shaving with Tabac than it does with any other soap or cream.

My first shave with TABAC this morning was awesome!!
The lather this soap creates is excellent. My wife walked into the bathroom and said the smell was clean and fresh.
The razor glides across my face and head- 2 passess each. I didn't want it to end. Everything else will take a back seat for the next few days. I LOVE this stuff!!!

Thanks B&B for all the info and reviews.

This is it, its the soap

My first use of Tabac today, via shave stick purchased from West Coast. The lather generated from the stick is unbelievable! I have been using creams exclusively till now (Taylor Avocado and Proraso). The thick cushion and glide afforded by this soap was amazing and way superior to the creams I have been using. Closest shave to date.

Not much more to say. I am constantly trying different soaps, but always come back to Tabac. Great scent, and I know I will get a comfortable shave every time.

I waited a month for my puck to arrive in its porcelain bowl - and now that it's here I have all but scrapped my rotation.

This soap is pretty much the top of the mountain in terms of quality. Consistent, exceptional lathering and a pretty good scent. The price of a refill isn't terrible, but from what I've heard about how long it lasts I won't be needing more for quite a while.

I've been fortunate to have been quit smoking for 10 years. The down side is that some full bodied scents actually hurt my sinuses. This product fits that category. For me the smell is akin to industrial anti-bacterial hand soap. That aside the lather is nice and firm, but takes quite a bit of work to achieve. However, the protection is not as good as several other products I've used. All-in-all, this has been a fairly expensive product evaluation for me.

This should be one any newbie tries. When I got TABAC I loved it. Some hate it. Reminds me of a barber's shop mixed with a hint of granddad's pipe smoke. It lather's easily and you don't need much. I like the scent so much I already ordered the aftershave lotion!

$14 for a nice size soap and a retro-looking (not my cup of tea) ceramic dish is a very nice deal. It produced lather very easily, and what was produced was outstanding, both slick and tons of cushion. Not the biggest fan of the scent, but it is growing on me a little. If you are a fan of soaps, or even if you aren't, its definitely worth a shot.

Unlike most of the reviewers in this thread, I find Tabac's scent completely offensive. It is VERY strong and smells like the old lady that doesn't know when to stop putting on perfume.
The quality of the soap is very good and it lathers well. Produces a good shave and not a bad buy when you consider that your getting the ceramic bowl as well. If this soap smelled halfway pleasant it would be the tops but I just can't make it through a shave with that awful smell.

One of the better soaps I have tried. Love the scent!

I had the moisturizing rated as a 7 before, but I have to change that to a 1. After trying a lot of soaps I have realized that none of them are moisturizing - even MWF. Some leave my face feeling better than others, but they are all drying. This doesn't prevent me from using the soap - it's too good. I just use a moisturizer when I'm done and all is well.

Gotta love Tabac. I for one LOVE the scent of Tabac. In fact Im pretty sure thats my favorite aspect of this soap. The soap lasts quite a while and produces a great lather. However i dont find the quality of this soap much better than williams mug soap, and this is obviously 15x the price, so I had to take away points for price. Still a great soap if you dont mind spending the $$$$!

I have been shaving with a safety razor for more than a half year now. I have used badgerandblade as a help for finding products and understanding prep and other things concerning a great DE shave. I bought tabac while I was in London at a Boots Pharmacy, it costed me 13 pounds, and I also bought the Tabac aftershave Lotion 68%, it costed me 18 pounds for 150 ml. After I have used both products I think they are fairly priced. The soap has a fantastic consistency, smooth thick creamy foam, that does not disappear after you applied it to your face. It moisturizes like no other soap I have tried, maybe it is because it is talg based, as I have seen many others have talked about on the forum. Regarding efficacy, I cannot put my finger on have this product is so different than other soaps I have tried, it simply at times does not feel like your pulling a sharp feather blade over your skin, and it protects the skin while your shaving, which is the most important! The scent is very masculine but still neutral and sofisticated and asthetic. It lingers on me while I am sitting writing this review, and damn it is wonderfull Speaking of the whole soap, I am so blown away by this product I almost get tears in my eyes, no just kidding But try it you probarbly will not regret it!!

Best regards Michael from Denmark

Perfection, my number one... when you consider that this stuff costs 50 % less than for example L'occitane soap (my second favorite), and it's better, there is nothing much to say... i won't go on about the lather and everything else, because no words can describe, you just have to try it...

There are very few products in the wetshaving world that come more highly recommended than this soap, and after a year or so I finally got around to ordering some. I've been using it for about two months now, and think I've gotten enough experience with the stuff to form an opinion.

Firstly, the packaging is amazing for a soap at this price point. The ceramic bowl is solid, and the lid fits loosely enough to allow moisture to escape, preserving the soap's longevity.

As far as performance goes, this stuff is amazing. It lathers easily and is incredibly forgiving. It feels great going on your face and provides a very slick and cushioning lather leading to great shaves.

My only problem with it is a point of great contention; the smell. While I don't find it as offensive as some do, I certainly can't say that I enjoy it. It's very powdery, and reminds me quite a bit of my grandmother's purse, which is a fine smell on its own, but not necessarily what I'm looking for in a shave soap.

Overall, Tabac is a fine product that I would recommend to anyone looking for a good soap. It's an amazing value and if you can enjoy or at least overlook the scent, it will certainly have a recurring role in your rotation.