It's been a couple weeks, I think, since I've seen any chatter about experiences with Pen's newer formulated soap. I thought I'd see if there is anybody else out there who would write about their experience with either the Blenheim Bouquet or the English Fern (I'm assuming they perform the same). What's it like? How does it compare to other soaps you've tried?
Any additional reviews on Pen's newer formulation?
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I was given some Pens EF for X-Mas, and I also have Pens BB. Both are the new formulas.
The Pens BB is an excellent product. Easy to lather, great scent, close shave, etc.
The Pens EF...save your money. Scent is like something from a cleaning product, thin lather that dries fast, and harder to lather than BB.
Tabac beats them both, as does Cella & Speick.
Neither of the Pens products are worth the money IMO. Buy two DRH and 1 T & H for what you pay for 1 Pens.
The Pens BB is an excellent product. Easy to lather, great scent, close shave, etc.
The Pens EF...save your money. Scent is like something from a cleaning product, thin lather that dries fast, and harder to lather than BB.
Tabac beats them both, as does Cella & Speick.
Neither of the Pens products are worth the money IMO. Buy two DRH and 1 T & H for what you pay for 1 Pens.
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Both seen the same to me. Every bit as easy as the other to lather. They are surely overpriced, but these are scents that you either love or hate and if you love them you can't find an substitute with a different line such asyou can with lavender soaps, almond soaps, lime soaps etc... They perform well enough, but again other soaps are maybe more attractive because of the value. BTW, Zepher, what two DRH and 1 T&H can you buy for $30? You are comparing refills with the Pens bowl vs. refill to refill.
I have new formulation BB and tallow first EF. Both are decent lather producers in my hands and both have understated refined scents. Truthfully, I like them both. I can't see a huge difference in performance, but perhaps the EF is a tad bit thicker (I might be biased, though).
Are they worth the big bucks?? If you are completely objective, probably not, but somehow, the whole experience of the Penhaligon's SS is transporting to me. The elegant box, the streamlined but refined wooden bowl, and the upper class scent. Yes, this may all be in my head, but when I like to treat myself, I reach for the Pen's.
Are they worth the big bucks?? If you are completely objective, probably not, but somehow, the whole experience of the Penhaligon's SS is transporting to me. The elegant box, the streamlined but refined wooden bowl, and the upper class scent. Yes, this may all be in my head, but when I like to treat myself, I reach for the Pen's.
When you say that, I mean, you mean...are you saying...well...I mean, do you think, really, what, when you say Speick is better, you mean that...
I have both new formulations EF and BB. I've not tried the old versions, but I've tried many other soaps, tallow or otherwise. I love both scents. At first I liked the EF more, but the BB has quickly been to one I sniff at the most. I used EF today though, lol. To me they both perform identically - as they should, since the only difference is the scent (and I doubt a tiny amount of coloration is going to make a difference). Are they worth it, in terms of value or price vs. performance? No. But where else are you going to find these two scents? Both are sublime and as ctakim says, they transport you.
The lather they produce is good. Not stellar, or top shelf or (insert hyperbole here). They don't "literally explode with lather after two swirls", or any other exuberant fanboyism. It is adequately slick, cushioning, lasts for the whole shave, and leaves your skin feeling great after the shave. Both are easy to work up. I find no fault with efficacy or performance.
Brass tacks now...for the money they cost, this really should be a best in class product, but we all know that things just don't work that way. You are paying for prestige, exclusivity, and cache. They are the "Bentley with 26" rims" of shaving soap. I still love them though, lol.
Tacks, part 2: If you were doing a blind sampling and worked them up and shaved with them alongside DR Harris, Trumpers (tallow formulation), Prairie Creations, C&S, SCS, and Tabac (all soaps in my rotation, and I'm not differentiating between scents..I have 8 SCS soaps, all identical in performance. Arlington and Marlborough are the same, etc...), and were to give them an overall score based on workability/density of lather or cushion/slickness/creaminess, and how your skin feels afterwards, while NOT taking the scents into account, I would rank them thusly:
Trumper's with tallow - 10
Tabac - 9.5
C&S #88 & DR Harris (tie) - 9
SCS & Penhaligon's new formulation (tie)- 8.5
Prairie - 8
That's averaged out, but in each category, each soap has strong and weak points. I'm not going to compare each aspect of them, but I will say that all are excellent soaps and would have no hesitation using any of them. I reach for the SCS and Tabac most often, the English boys quite often, and the PC the least often though. If you wanted to take value versus performance into account, it would go this way:
SCS - 10
Tabac - 9.5
DR Harris - 9
PC - 8.5
C&S #88 - 7
Penhaligon's - 4
Trumper's tallow - N/A (have not tried the new formulation, and the tallow was a PIF, so I can't rank it here)
The lather they produce is good. Not stellar, or top shelf or (insert hyperbole here). They don't "literally explode with lather after two swirls", or any other exuberant fanboyism. It is adequately slick, cushioning, lasts for the whole shave, and leaves your skin feeling great after the shave. Both are easy to work up. I find no fault with efficacy or performance.
Brass tacks now...for the money they cost, this really should be a best in class product, but we all know that things just don't work that way. You are paying for prestige, exclusivity, and cache. They are the "Bentley with 26" rims" of shaving soap. I still love them though, lol.
Tacks, part 2: If you were doing a blind sampling and worked them up and shaved with them alongside DR Harris, Trumpers (tallow formulation), Prairie Creations, C&S, SCS, and Tabac (all soaps in my rotation, and I'm not differentiating between scents..I have 8 SCS soaps, all identical in performance. Arlington and Marlborough are the same, etc...), and were to give them an overall score based on workability/density of lather or cushion/slickness/creaminess, and how your skin feels afterwards, while NOT taking the scents into account, I would rank them thusly:
Trumper's with tallow - 10
Tabac - 9.5
C&S #88 & DR Harris (tie) - 9
SCS & Penhaligon's new formulation (tie)- 8.5
Prairie - 8
That's averaged out, but in each category, each soap has strong and weak points. I'm not going to compare each aspect of them, but I will say that all are excellent soaps and would have no hesitation using any of them. I reach for the SCS and Tabac most often, the English boys quite often, and the PC the least often though. If you wanted to take value versus performance into account, it would go this way:
SCS - 10
Tabac - 9.5
DR Harris - 9
PC - 8.5
C&S #88 - 7
Penhaligon's - 4
Trumper's tallow - N/A (have not tried the new formulation, and the tallow was a PIF, so I can't rank it here)
The old formulation Pens was considered a best in class product; the lather it generated was said to be unlike any other. They have slipped pretty far down the quality scale, if you are now just simply paying for the exclusivity of the brand name, and the performance is equal to soaps that are available for half the cost.
Yup, you could get two DR Harris refills and an SCS soap for ONE Pen's refill.
I have it. I say avoid it. You can get better soaps for a LOT less money.
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Hmm ... Thank you to all for your input! It seems that the reviews are still fairly mixed. One saying it's no good at all (markb) and another one saying almost on par with the old stuff (ctakim). But the predominant thing I'm getting is that they're not necessarily bad soaps, and actually good enough, but completely overpriced and better soaps can be had for much, much less (goldenmonkey, zepher, tweedcab).
Anybody else want to chime in with their experiences?
Anybody else want to chime in with their experiences?
BDP,
You summed it up. It's like this If you want to try these SCENTS then there is nothing else to even remotely compare them to and you need to buy THESE soaps to see if you will like the scent, but regarding performance there are MANY other soaps that will give you the same and better performance for a LOT less money. I think the real question here that you should be considering is are you interested in the scent or not. In a nutshell there is not a lot more to comment on. YMMV
You summed it up. It's like this If you want to try these SCENTS then there is nothing else to even remotely compare them to and you need to buy THESE soaps to see if you will like the scent, but regarding performance there are MANY other soaps that will give you the same and better performance for a LOT less money. I think the real question here that you should be considering is are you interested in the scent or not. In a nutshell there is not a lot more to comment on. YMMV
Interesting to hear...I was once (before the 2010 sabbatical) debating a purchase of the new formulation...think I'll stick with the Edt!
As if you needed any reason to feed your SSAD, but I would like to point out, you can buy and expensive Penhaligon soap, try it once or twice and if you decide it was not worth it, sell it on the BST for nearly the same price. As you know I would keep it, but with the BST the value of these top line shaving items remain a decent investment. So hey you have nearly nothing to lose!!
I actually like the new formulations of EF and BB in that they seem to have the most robust lather, meaning that the lather on the fifth pass is almost the same as on the first, which is much better than any other soap I'vie used (including the original formulation EF). On the other hand, for the first pass I prefer the lather from TOBS lavender to either the new or old formulation EF. I don't think lather is everything, though. The performance of the shaving oils has proven that lather of any kind is not essential for a good shave. If you disregard the lesser lather of the new compared to the old formulation (lesser in terms of volume, but not necessarily less in terms of the density of the lather), it's possible to appreciate that the new is not lesser in other aspects, especially in lubrication and in moisturizing. The Penhaligon's soaps are not good values, though. I think the TOBS lavender is a much better value, as well as are T and H and L'Occitane. I do think the Penhaligon's BB cream is the best cream I've used, but I'm not convinced that their soaps, old or new formulation, are the best soaps out there.
Guys, I need your help here.
I have the Pen's BB new soap and it seems that the soap is alergic to either my water or my brushes
I can't lather it. I get a airy and foamy lather if I use some more water than I think it needs, or if I don't use water, the lather doesn't show up.
What a heck is going on? I've used lots of soaps without problems, even the temperamental MWF...
Could it be that the brush isn't loaded enough? Can this soap, being new, be too hard for loading into the brush?
I might try soaking it for a bit.
I have the Pen's BB new soap and it seems that the soap is alergic to either my water or my brushes
I can't lather it. I get a airy and foamy lather if I use some more water than I think it needs, or if I don't use water, the lather doesn't show up.
What a heck is going on? I've used lots of soaps without problems, even the temperamental MWF...
Could it be that the brush isn't loaded enough? Can this soap, being new, be too hard for loading into the brush?
I might try soaking it for a bit.
Looks like your option is to spend just about a hundred bucks, give or take a bit, and try them out for yourself. The new Pen's stuff is clearly overpriced. You can find scores of other cheaper and better products that perform equally well, it's the name and the fragrance that you are paying way too much money for. If I was going to drop that kind of bread on some soap, I'd go for the C&S with tallow, either 88 or Oxford & Cambridge, refills costing around $35 or so apiece, and get my money's worth. Just my opinion.
Well, I had one of the worst shaves I have had in a long time the other day with the EF, and I think it WAS down to the lather. It was slick enough, but had no real cushion and protection. I didn't get cuts or weepers, but just all-over irritation. Smelled great, but man did that shave suck. I'm actually going to bring its scores down across the board from what I said earlier, lol...I've used both BB and EF a few times each now, and at best I've gotten decent shaves.
Leon, I soaked the brush while I was showering, then shook it out really well and loaded it on the puck (I actually have milled mine into bowls, so technically it isn't a puck any longer, lol) for about 40 seconds or so. I then built the lather in the bowl, adding a little water at a time. It takes a long time for this soap to actually lather up, I have noticed...and when it does it isn't all that dense. Is this the nly soap you're having a hard time with? If so, it's probably the soap and not your brushes or water.
Leon, I soaked the brush while I was showering, then shook it out really well and loaded it on the puck (I actually have milled mine into bowls, so technically it isn't a puck any longer, lol) for about 40 seconds or so. I then built the lather in the bowl, adding a little water at a time. It takes a long time for this soap to actually lather up, I have noticed...and when it does it isn't all that dense. Is this the nly soap you're having a hard time with? If so, it's probably the soap and not your brushes or water.
Yeah, I might try a shorter loft to dig into the soap surface and loading for more time. I also might try to spend more time building the lather on the face.
By the way, I was face lathering. Then, I quit using it, grabbed a stick of Speick and in 20 seconds I got ultra creamy thick Speick lather all over my face, the differences between the two soaps were horrifying.
By the way, I was face lathering. Then, I quit using it, grabbed a stick of Speick and in 20 seconds I got ultra creamy thick Speick lather all over my face, the differences between the two soaps were horrifying.
Guys, I need your help here.
I have the Pen's BB new soap and it seems that the soap is alergic to either my water or my brushes
I can't lather it. I get a airy and foamy lather if I use some more water than I think it needs, or if I don't use water, the lather doesn't show up.
What a heck is going on? I've used lots of soaps without problems, even the temperamental MWF...
Could it be that the brush isn't loaded enough? Can this soap, being new, be too hard for loading into the brush?
I might try soaking it for a bit.
Your experience seems reminiscent of the whole "Floris reformulation" fiasco ...
Thank you drumana for your comment, it is nice to hear that others have made the same experience with this soap. Now I do not have to go around feeling like a complete idiot for not being able to create a decent lather from this soap. I bought it because I love the scent, I will stick with the EdT in future. Yesterday, I looked around the internet for information about this "no tallow" phenomenon and found the following link which I found interesting: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200506/cmselect/cmenvaud/1452/1452we24.htm My interpretation of this material is that the price of tallow is increasing due to use in the biofuel sector and the price of glycerin has fallen sharply. Maybe I am pessimistic but if I were a soap manufacturer with a reputation I would indeed be tempted to cut tallow, add glycerin, claim to have made an improved formulation, raise prices and make a huge profit. Hopefully this thread can prevent others from being conned out of their money.
Back in the day Floris and Pens had their soap made by the same folks ... maybe they just can't manage a veggie soap to save their lives.
I Had never tried either one of Penn's EFs new or old. "Old" mostly, totally because of the price and "new" the same, price. After much consideration I decided to acquire some of the "old" stuff just based upon everything I had heard.
I won't go into a lot of detail but my quest to acquire EF ended up in a PIF to me of "old" EF.
I still haven't tried the new EF, (and most likely) won't. But the "old" is the FINEST shaving experience I have had to date.
THANKS AGAIN JIM - B&B user name Milkbone
I won't go into a lot of detail but my quest to acquire EF ended up in a PIF to me of "old" EF.
I still haven't tried the new EF, (and most likely) won't. But the "old" is the FINEST shaving experience I have had to date.
THANKS AGAIN JIM - B&B user name Milkbone
