So I broke down and bought this soap though I am not up to 9 soaps/creams in my den which is driving me insane. However, the scent is described as a Barbasol clone, and I LOVE that fragrance.
My first impression - for a soap that costs $25 plus shipping, in my opinion the packaging is woeful. It is a white plastic container that leaves enough room for any size brush. However, the quality of the container is lacking. It is a bit chintzy feeling, and does not screw on or off smooth. In fact, the hangups in removing and/or attaching the screw top are actually bothersome to me at times. While some may think this is picayune, for a soap at this price point, the container does not reflect the price tag and does not convey quality. Instead, it conveys a sense of cutting a corner to make a few extra dollars. There are better containers out there. Many of the fine artisans that are part of this community use said containers. Say what you will, but to me appearances matter. If you are going to charge a premium price, you must deliver a premium product in all respects.
My second impression - upon opening the container, you can see the unevenness -- peaks, valleys, and "rough terrain" -- of a hot-poured soap (a look I happen to like). The fragrance is also released, and to me it is divine! It is certainly a barbershop smell, and one of the best barbershop smells my nose has had the pleasure of sniffing. I will have to partake in a couple of more shaves with the soap to really get a good sense of the layers and notes - and this morning my children (5 and 3) seemed to have forgotten we have a whole other bathroom in our home that is adjacent to their rooms, and "barging" in to my bathroom whilst shaving, demanding tissues, "daddy's" toothpaste, who I was driving today, where we would go when later today, for me to lather them up and shave them and many other questions and requests related to Disney/Marvel characters. I'm not complaining by any means. However, I really need to dig in concentration-wise when I'm unleashing the schnoz on a new soap, cream or fragrance (or food item) for a thorough vetting.
The shave - the shave was undertaken with my EJ razor with a Personna Med Prep (made in USA) blade on the second shave. Prep, as it always does for me, consisted of exiting the piping hot shower, having scrubbed my face and head with a "retired" shaving soap, and walking over to the sink. I went at the soap with my Omega 49 (in red) that had been soaking whilst I showered. Note that here in the Syracuse, NY area, we have pretty hard water. The soap easily clung to the brush, only about a month old having retired my previous Omega 49 after 5 years of impeccable service. Building a lather was quite easy and the water-soap-ratio seemed to be a bit less than I have found with other artisan soaps. I swirled the brush around my face (and eventually head), infusing piping hot water into the brush as needed. The fragrance of the soap filled the bathroom. I must say it was quite pleasing, even if not an exact match to Barbasol. I actually have a can of Barbasol which I will use to compare when I have an opportunity.
After lathering, the razor glided down my face with ease on the first pass, mowing down my growth. The second pass was just as effortless. The third pass, against the grain, was also a treat, with very little resistance or drag. After using my Nivea Sensitive cooling balm, I was left with a DFS/BBS shave and zero irritation. The fragrance of the soap hung around on my skin, and at this time, three hours after my shave, I am still getting little whiffs of the soap. It also paired very with Creed GIT that I applied to neck and chest before pulling on my undershirt. The two fragrances compliment each other nicely.
Overall, a top level soap. If i was not specifically looking for a Barbasol scent, I am not sure I would have purchased this soap. It is not inexpensive, and I am thoroughly disappointed in the packaging. However, the performance is there, and this will certainly be a soap that I use until it is finished. For me, this is a good measuring stick as I am not a man who hangs on to shaving items about which I feel only so-so. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts and often beyond our control, disappointment, setback, blunder, displeasure is something that we deal with daily. I will not allow those demons to creep into my den. If I feel a product is sub-par, it is banished. It may go to shower duty, it may go to the BST, or even the trash. It will NOT, however, sully my den. Despite the letdown of packaging, PAA CaD (CK6 formula) will remain.
I hope everyone has a nice day!
CDT.
My first impression - for a soap that costs $25 plus shipping, in my opinion the packaging is woeful. It is a white plastic container that leaves enough room for any size brush. However, the quality of the container is lacking. It is a bit chintzy feeling, and does not screw on or off smooth. In fact, the hangups in removing and/or attaching the screw top are actually bothersome to me at times. While some may think this is picayune, for a soap at this price point, the container does not reflect the price tag and does not convey quality. Instead, it conveys a sense of cutting a corner to make a few extra dollars. There are better containers out there. Many of the fine artisans that are part of this community use said containers. Say what you will, but to me appearances matter. If you are going to charge a premium price, you must deliver a premium product in all respects.
My second impression - upon opening the container, you can see the unevenness -- peaks, valleys, and "rough terrain" -- of a hot-poured soap (a look I happen to like). The fragrance is also released, and to me it is divine! It is certainly a barbershop smell, and one of the best barbershop smells my nose has had the pleasure of sniffing. I will have to partake in a couple of more shaves with the soap to really get a good sense of the layers and notes - and this morning my children (5 and 3) seemed to have forgotten we have a whole other bathroom in our home that is adjacent to their rooms, and "barging" in to my bathroom whilst shaving, demanding tissues, "daddy's" toothpaste, who I was driving today, where we would go when later today, for me to lather them up and shave them and many other questions and requests related to Disney/Marvel characters. I'm not complaining by any means. However, I really need to dig in concentration-wise when I'm unleashing the schnoz on a new soap, cream or fragrance (or food item) for a thorough vetting.
The shave - the shave was undertaken with my EJ razor with a Personna Med Prep (made in USA) blade on the second shave. Prep, as it always does for me, consisted of exiting the piping hot shower, having scrubbed my face and head with a "retired" shaving soap, and walking over to the sink. I went at the soap with my Omega 49 (in red) that had been soaking whilst I showered. Note that here in the Syracuse, NY area, we have pretty hard water. The soap easily clung to the brush, only about a month old having retired my previous Omega 49 after 5 years of impeccable service. Building a lather was quite easy and the water-soap-ratio seemed to be a bit less than I have found with other artisan soaps. I swirled the brush around my face (and eventually head), infusing piping hot water into the brush as needed. The fragrance of the soap filled the bathroom. I must say it was quite pleasing, even if not an exact match to Barbasol. I actually have a can of Barbasol which I will use to compare when I have an opportunity.
After lathering, the razor glided down my face with ease on the first pass, mowing down my growth. The second pass was just as effortless. The third pass, against the grain, was also a treat, with very little resistance or drag. After using my Nivea Sensitive cooling balm, I was left with a DFS/BBS shave and zero irritation. The fragrance of the soap hung around on my skin, and at this time, three hours after my shave, I am still getting little whiffs of the soap. It also paired very with Creed GIT that I applied to neck and chest before pulling on my undershirt. The two fragrances compliment each other nicely.
Overall, a top level soap. If i was not specifically looking for a Barbasol scent, I am not sure I would have purchased this soap. It is not inexpensive, and I am thoroughly disappointed in the packaging. However, the performance is there, and this will certainly be a soap that I use until it is finished. For me, this is a good measuring stick as I am not a man who hangs on to shaving items about which I feel only so-so. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts and often beyond our control, disappointment, setback, blunder, displeasure is something that we deal with daily. I will not allow those demons to creep into my den. If I feel a product is sub-par, it is banished. It may go to shower duty, it may go to the BST, or even the trash. It will NOT, however, sully my den. Despite the letdown of packaging, PAA CaD (CK6 formula) will remain.
I hope everyone has a nice day!
CDT.
