Curious how anyone can quantify slickness. Most of the well known artisan soap bases are very slick. I'm not sure i could tell the difference between one or the other. Everyone makes different lathers so that would add even more unknowns to the measurement. Thing about omnibus is that you can add quite a bit of water without the lather breaking down so one can get it extremely slick acting due to the water content. That's really where omnibus shines- along with post shave. Slickness is important and many of the known bases can achieve very high marks. Is there a difference in slickness worth mentioning between DG soap and omnibus? I doubt it.
Barrister and Mann's new Omnibus base: discussion and reviews
- Thread starter SterFry
- Start date
I think you are on to something there, but I think there are two components, slickness from the ingredients and slickness from water retention. I still maintain that Sego base is the slickest thing I have used, it's actually too slick! I can't grip my skin to stretch and it is much harder to rinse off, but obviously has ridiculous residual slickness. I actually think Omnibus has the optimum amount of slickness, but I don't think it is all from the water retention. It rinses off really well, which I love, but has some residual slickness if only a little water is applied(spray bottle in my case). I concede that the ingredients may actually play a passive role by somehow holding the water, creating the slickness. But I don't think that's right because water itself isn't that slick, a good base makes your face slippery not just slick if that makes any sense. I like DG's base myself, but I consider them different, but equal mostly. The fact that Will made this without lanolin is also impressive.
I used Omnibus this morning and I have coincidently been thinking about how much different the experience is using a synthetic brush. I previously thought I had overcome this with technique, but the synthetic simply makes a better Omnibus lather. I even made a really thick lather this time, instead of dripping wet, and was amazed at the performance. Enough that I was actually trying to quantify my experience. I also don't have a glossy face this time and have no explanation what could have changed.
I used Omnibus this morning and I have coincidently been thinking about how much different the experience is using a synthetic brush. I previously thought I had overcome this with technique, but the synthetic simply makes a better Omnibus lather. I even made a really thick lather this time, instead of dripping wet, and was amazed at the performance. Enough that I was actually trying to quantify my experience. I also don't have a glossy face this time and have no explanation what could have changed.
Last edited:
I don’t know if I can quantify slickness, but I can compare it between soaps. I base it on both the feel of the initial pass and how easily I can go over that area again without applying more soap.
You make an excellent point about adding more water to Omnibus, and I thought of that when I said one or two others had more slickness. I don't like when a soap gets over-hydryated, because I'm usually needing to go to work and don't want to redo my lather, so I tend to err on the side of less water. I'll try adding more water to Omnibus and see what happens!
I concur. He is a gentleman of highest regard.
Although I've more boar and badger brushes in my den, the truth is that synthetic brushes expose the true performance of a soap base. It's really hard to mess things up with a synthetic brush.
On the other hand, I really much prefer the vegan version to the Sego one.
I would say the best way I have found for bowl lathering. Spread it in the bowl thin with finger, spoon or spatula. Let it dry out overnight. Soak brush, ring out. Start in bowl clockwise then counterclockwise, add water slowly. Amazing lather… also found this works great for GD Mallard bases. This way, you can control more variables. I only use badger brushes with Omnibus and GD Mallard.
I used omnibus today with a badger. I spread a very generous amount in the bottom of the bowl and started with a damp brush, which makes a very thick goo. Added water slowly but kept it pretty gooey on the face and then spritzed water over the lather on my face before shaving. Worked very good and provided great protection for a shave with a big gap razor.
With all due respect, all this is not necessary.
This part I agree with: "...I used omnibus today with a badger. I spread a very generous amount in the bottom of the bowl and started with a damp brush, which makes a very thick goo. Added water slowly..."
As for me, I spread a thick layer of soap in my copper lathering bowl and gently work a little water into the top of the soap using the tips of my fingers. The heat-conducting copper bowl then gets floated in a sink of warm water warming the entire system while I shower. While showering, I soak my brush for a few minutes in warm water. After finishing my shower, I wring out the brush then bowl lather, adding water very slowly, a few drops at a time. This allows me to carefully adjust the lather sheen and consistency. I use this method for all the soaps in my extensive collection. This includes Omnibus, Grooming Dept and all others. I bowl lather using badger and boar.
The rest of the steps mentioned by the posters quoted above may be beneficial, I don't know. They certainly aren't necessary IMHO. That said, we are all different and what works for me may not work for them.
Omnibus is easy enough to lather, I doubt anyone would disagree who has used the base for a while.
Mo has some pretty specific steps mentioned for best lathers of GD, which I put in a different, more difficult category to lather. What I said above should be congruent with what he has recommended.
Key to omnibus - it’s thirsty soap but don’t start out with a lot of water, just add slowly until you reach the right consistency.
I find Omnibus to be easy to over hydrate. More so than most other soaps. Especially with a badger that can hold and release a lot of water during a face lather. This is why synths work so well for omnibus. They only release the water that is apparent on the surface of the fibers, and don’t hide huge amounts of water like a badger. So omnibus takes a goodly amount of water, yes. But it’s a short walk between not enough and too much. I find it very unforgiving in that regard. Still my favorite base of all time.
I agree, I tend to use my 20 and 24mm bulbs but that is why I squeeze out the water before I start to lather. The good news from my perspective, I can always take a finger scoop of it and add more if I have too much water and it’s not that expensive for what it is. Still, it is by far my favorite B&M base and a top 4 base for me with Ethos, GD Mallard, WK and Omnibus where WK and Omnibus are close to a tie. Base aside, I tend to like Ethos and B&M scents the best. Been using Vespers and Smoking Bishop the past week, waiting for Atomic Holiday to release!
Literally my travel kit for the past week. I don’t have a synthetic currently but if I did it would be a Mühle knot on a Rudy Vey handle.
Agree. Easy fix is to just add more soap. And yes, I don’t ever worry about conservation of soap for financial reasons. I just use as much as I want, and most times too much. I enjoy an ample volume of lather. And if it’s a couple more cents per shave, I’m not going to sweat it. I have so much soap right now, it’s actually better for me to lather it up and use it. I am in the midst of preparing for a nomad lifestyle and have been downsizing. So the faster I use up some soaps the better.
Nice bowl! Where did you get it?
Hammered Copper Shave Dish - Etsy
This Shaving Brushes & Cups item by WestfieldSupplyCo has 384 favorites from Etsy shoppers. Ships from Palos Verdes Peninsula, CA. Listed on Oct 10, 2023
It is small but great for travel.
So my good men... After a lot of thinking (and searching) I realized there is no club/group/brotherhood for this awesome brand we so enjoy, Barrister & Mann. Therefore I have created one for us all.
If you're interested, please become a member of The Brilliant Chambers of Barrister & Mann.
If you're interested, please become a member of The Brilliant Chambers of Barrister & Mann.
I am by no means a regular synth user. On 2 weeks travel, I took a RazoRock Bruce.
It worked very well for me.
I am a bit embarrassed, I gave away my only synthetic T2 Simpson with a razor. I only have 1 Manchurian, 1 Brad Sears and the rest Shavemac’s.
Well, if you don't mind me asking, why did you give it away?
At the end is the day synthetic fiber brushes are generally a lot more affordable than other types so maybe consider a less costly replacement. I wouldn't mind helping provide some suggestions to help you narrow down a suitable candidate. Just sayin.
I like the scrub of a badger or boar. I also couldn’t get some Grooming Dept bases to lather well with it. Some people complain about GD being hard to lather, but the Mallard and Kairos bases I would rate just below Ethos. So my personal ranking of bases for my skin are Ethos, GD Mallard, Kairos and Omnibus. Omnibus is great, I like it and use it a lot… but if s brush doesn’t do well lathering GD for me, I keep the soap not the brush.
Think of it like the Godfather… leave the gun, take the cannoli.
