I've used Stirling soaps for straight razor shaves. IMO that's where soaps show their quality. Stirling has performed as well as any.
B&M vs Stirling
- Thread starter gablett
- Start date
They are both fantastic ! Stirling and B & M (along with Ariana & Evans) are my favorite soap brands.
But I cannot pick a favorite, as they are all wonderful soaps, with awesome slickness, cushion. glide, and feel.
It's like asking ..... what's the better wine ? ---- Burgundy or Bordeaux ? Burgundy
Who's the better tenor sax player --- Sonny Rollins or John Coltrane ? Coltrane
Who's the better Impressionist painter ? --- Renoir or Monet ? Renoir
Who's the better author ? Mark Twain or Ernest Hemingway ? Mark Twain!!!!!!
Who's the better guitarist ? Jimmy Page or Eric Clapton ? Eric Clapton
Etc., etc., etc.
You get my drift ..... some questions simply cannot be answered.
Both Stirling and Barrister & Mann are top shelf soaps. Happy Shaving !
There is no question that can't be answered. There are, however, some questions that will always result in an argument.
Vi or Emacs?
Red or Blue?
Ice cream in a cone or in a bowl?
Britney or Madonna?
Etc......
I agree with you on Stirling vs. B&M. I have (and enjoy) both, although Will is slowly moving upmarket out of my price range.
Well, that was easy.
I can eat that any day.. Too bad my skin reacts to it.
I find B&M to be a better performer for me and my water, and altogether I like the scents a lot better.
For me I dig on weirder things for shaving and I’m constantly amazed at the accords Will can come up with.
Diamond, Petrichor, Nocturne, East Egg, Vespers, and Behold the Whatsis are some of my favorite scents in shaving.
Stirling is a great soap, but for me scents are a huge part of it and B&M shines more brightly than almost anyone in that regard to me.
I’d think B&M would be a natural step either up or across for someone newer to wetshaving just getting interested in other scents and bases.
If you’re more of a traditional guy they have those types of scents and if you want some weirder stuff they have that too.
As far as Declaration Grooming, their Milksteak vase is top tier for me, along with Zingari Man’s Sego base and the Murphy & McNeil Kodiak base. You can’t go wrong with DG.
For me I dig on weirder things for shaving and I’m constantly amazed at the accords Will can come up with.
Diamond, Petrichor, Nocturne, East Egg, Vespers, and Behold the Whatsis are some of my favorite scents in shaving.
Stirling is a great soap, but for me scents are a huge part of it and B&M shines more brightly than almost anyone in that regard to me.
I’d think B&M would be a natural step either up or across for someone newer to wetshaving just getting interested in other scents and bases.
If you’re more of a traditional guy they have those types of scents and if you want some weirder stuff they have that too.
As far as Declaration Grooming, their Milksteak vase is top tier for me, along with Zingari Man’s Sego base and the Murphy & McNeil Kodiak base. You can’t go wrong with DG.
- Thread starter
- #48
This is 100% all your fault!!
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Glad to help anytime... Nice Haul....!
This is 100% all your fault!!
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- Thread starter
- #50
I now understand why people say b&m is complex and indescribable. They are correct. Very unique. I’m not sure how to describe any of them. I really want to try petrichor because I live in the Midwest and love the smell after a spring rain.
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Arghhh. So many soaps and I only shave once a day!
Striling
I've got nothing but love for Stirling, but if I had to choose one over the other (thank God I don't!), I would pick B&M. Their excelsior base is the best I have used, and most of his scents are a cut above.
Leviathan would be a bad place to start, in my opinion. The scent is extremely polarizing.
Seville and Cheshire are fairly safe. LeGrand Chypre is fantastic. Enjoy.
I am a huge m&m fan. To me, Cheshire has something in it that reminds me of the scent I get when I first open up one of those giant bags of plain m&m's. I don't know why it should smell like that. There is nothing in the scent notes that would suggest it should, but it definitely does. And LGC has a little bit of a coca-cola scent to it, at least to my nose.
Seville and Cheshire are fairly safe. LeGrand Chypre is fantastic. Enjoy.
I am a huge m&m fan. To me, Cheshire has something in it that reminds me of the scent I get when I first open up one of those giant bags of plain m&m's. I don't know why it should smell like that. There is nothing in the scent notes that would suggest it should, but it definitely does. And LGC has a little bit of a coca-cola scent to it, at least to my nose.
- Thread starter
- #55
It’s funny that seems to be the case with a lot of what people say about B&M is that it’s different to different people and I think that’s the cool thing. It’s definitely to a different level. Not taking anything away from stirling cuz it’s great soap. But B&M seems like and adventure.
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Is the price difference between these two brands really an issue? How much shaving soap can any of us use in the space of a year? I tend to think that the difference in cost would be negligible for most if not all of us, including those with hard water (which requires more product).
I don't think it's an issue but more of a difference. Stirling gives more product for less money. It's just what it is. B&M has more unique scents and different performance/ingredients but a bit pricier. If you value those things, go for B&M.
Personally, I haven't tried a lot of B&M but I have plenty of Stirling and love it for what it is. I'll recommend Stirling because I've had good experiences with them.
Of course price difference is a factor. How much good product can you offer for less $? Both are good, but everything factored in, I'd go for Stirling.How much are they per ounce anyway... $4.7 (on average) vs $2.4? That's a big difference.
it really depends on what youre looking for. price, quantity goes to stirling. quality, and scentwise goes to b&m. but by no means is stirling lacking in the quality department. cant go wrong with either imo
I had this very discussion with myself a few months ago. The slight perceived difference in BM quality was not nearly enough to offset the cost /quantity bump for Stirling and Murphy and McNeil. Also, it seemed BM excelcier tended to burn through more product faster than the other 2 soap brands.
