B&M, mikes and cella

[Madderra]

Like most here I have a lot of soaps and keep buying them. I want to try cella but I think B&M is so good I don't want to buy cella and find it lacking.

Can someone who has used B&M or mikes(they are simaler) and who loves their lather tell me if cella is as good?

 

[bmilcs]

Ill second this. If you love Barrister and Mann, like I do, you will not be disappointed by the following: mikes, Tabac and the Fat. I've read that a lot of people prefer cella to tabac - however, I feel that scent is stressed far too often and hard.

I plan on picking some up soon regardless.

 

[bmilcs]

If you don't have Tabac, I can't recommend it enough. It is truly shaving soap perfection.

If you nurse the Fat, it is also just as good. I plan on buying Cella soon - not sure if I should get the brick or puck tho.

 

[DaveyT]

Hi. I have used both. I LOVE Cella. It is easy to lather, slick, and provides a great cushion. The smell of Cella is pleasant to me. It is definitely not overpowering. I also enjoy B&M, but find Cella to be easier on my skin. Go ahead and grab a tub of Cella. You will not be disappointed!

 

[Acmemfg]

Cella is one of the best out there. I have used Mike's (Barbershop) and for me, Cella proved to be superior hands down. Never tried the B&M.

 

[Cobra0369]

You could lather Cella with a dirty sock. It's that good. Almost impossible to screw up. My top soap right now.

 

[bmilcs]

So grab the brick?

 

[bmilcs]

I really want that cool container it comes in. Is it big enough to lather to load in with a bigger brush or no?

 

[Tim_McD]

The reason that soaps like Cella have been around since 1899 is that they are that good. They have retained enough customers and market share to remain in production, despite the adoption of canned goo by the bulk of men.

It is a great product; easy to lather, very slick and protective and it has a great post-shave feel. The pleasant almond / marzipan / maraschino cherry (point of reference differs amongst different people) is a bonus.

A red tub can be had for $13 shipped if you have Amazon Prime, less if you hit some other vendors and can finagle free shipping.

Low risk & High reward

 

[bassopotamus]

I use all three. Cella was my favorite for years, but I seem to get less irritation from Mikes and B&M. Cella does lather the easiest of the three.

 

[athair]

I love Mike's, haven't tried B&M. I'm not a fan of Cella. It does lather great and performs well though. I just hate the powdery almost floral notes in the scent. However I don't use any AS, and with Mike's I don't need it at all, but with Cella I did sometimes. I would guess it's the lanolin content.
Having said that, I do have Vitos extra super in my soap rotation. It's very similar to Cella but the scent is only almond. And if it wasn't for the scent I'd probably be using Cella still.

 

[wagstaff]

Least irritation from Mike's, for me. Most tricky to lather (I don't find it hard to lather, at least now, but the others are both nearly "automatic", fast lathering).

 

[Rockminer]

I wouldn't buy the Cella, in the container, solely for it's cool factor. It's rather small and doesn't work as well as my Mike's. It's not impossible to use but my next Cella purchase will be the kilo smashed into a bigger container. YMMV

Here's my dry whipped dog 24mm brush in the Cella container and a comparison to the Mike's tin.

 

[BrianC]

I have TABAC, Cella, Mike's and Da Fat.

TABAC almost lathers itself. About 20 swirls from my brush and it produces enough lather for 3 passes and touch ups. My Favorite soap.

Cella, the scent is a little too sweet for my liking however, it also lathers easy and is a solid performer as well.

Mike's scents are strong and very noticeable (which I like, I have 4 different ones) but is the hardest to lather.

MWF, what needs to be said about this that hasn't been said. It's a soap that everyone should have.


IMO, I don't think you can go wrong with any of them but Mike's is by far the hardest to work with. Next on my list is Stirling Soaps. Rod has recieved a lot of praise for his quality service lately.

 

[Jayk]

I haven't tried B&M, but I plan to get some when I go through a few products. With regard to Cella and mikes, I use and love them both. I find them both quite easy to work with, but mikes takes just a bit longer. Instead of the red tub of Cella, I'd recommend picking up a sample cut from the block from a vender such as Italianbarber. The tub is a bit bigger and easier to lather in. Plus It is a square chunk, so you can move it to another container if you wish.

 

[Madderra]

Wow thanks so much guys. I'm going to go ahead and order today.

 

[Lifes a Peach]

Just started using the Fat and love it and a cousin just gave me half of his Cella. I tried it a few days ago and was very impressed.

 

[rxonmymind]

Mikes is great once you figure it out. Just shaved with it. This will always be in my rotation.

 

[bmilcs]

A brick of Cella it is! I'm going to have to order my storage containers sooner than expected

 

[Acmemfg]

I really want that cool container it comes in. Is it big enough to lather to load in with a bigger brush or no?

I saw this thread earlier....to answer the question as stated above-Yes. I just finished up using my little red tub of Cella to load up the 'ol Omega Pro 49. All went well without a hitch of any sort.