I received a puck of Barrister & Mann Seville as part of a Father's Day gift this morning. I took it for a run and thought I'd share my first impressions with the group.
First of all, this in the only Barrister & Mann product I've tried, so I have nothing to compare it to in the rest of their line.
Setup: Merkur 39C Long Handle slant, fresh Shark blade, Omega 49 boar allowed to soak while I showered
Prep: Nothing more than a good scrub with soap and wash rag while in the shower. No pre oil, Proraso pre shave, etc. was used
Latherability: Super easy to load the brush. About 30 sec swirl produced a thick face lather. I revisited the puck for about 10 sec re-load for the third pass. I had plenty of lather left in the brush that I was able to squeeze out during clean up. Sorry, but I didn't think to take any pics until after the fact
Lather Quality: Plenty of glide and cushion. I would say this is very similar to Mike's, but I would give the edge to Mike's.
Scent: We have a home run here! My current barber, and others I have been to in the past, always have a spray bottle of some sort of splash. They hit the back of your neck and around the ears with this unlabeled concoction to close out your haircut. To me, the Seville smelled exactly like that stuff! This is something I've always enjoyed about barber shop cuts and I think this soap hits that scent perfectly (YMMV of course).
Close:I finished off my shave with some Irisch Moos AS splash. I think it paired very nicely with the Seville. It passed the true test when my daughter hit me with the "Daddy you smell nice".
Overall, I am pleased with this soap based on a single run/first impression. It produced a DFS without nicks or irritation. So far, it is a soap that I will have no problem keeping until it is used up. I'm still on the fence as to whether I will replace it or try others in their line when it is gone. Since it is of a similar price point to Mike's and I feel Mike's does produce a better lather (at least after one run), I'm unsure if it has the ability to knock Mike's from my den/rotation. However, I would definitely recommend this soap as one to try.
First of all, this in the only Barrister & Mann product I've tried, so I have nothing to compare it to in the rest of their line.
Setup: Merkur 39C Long Handle slant, fresh Shark blade, Omega 49 boar allowed to soak while I showered
Prep: Nothing more than a good scrub with soap and wash rag while in the shower. No pre oil, Proraso pre shave, etc. was used
Latherability: Super easy to load the brush. About 30 sec swirl produced a thick face lather. I revisited the puck for about 10 sec re-load for the third pass. I had plenty of lather left in the brush that I was able to squeeze out during clean up. Sorry, but I didn't think to take any pics until after the fact
Lather Quality: Plenty of glide and cushion. I would say this is very similar to Mike's, but I would give the edge to Mike's.
Scent: We have a home run here! My current barber, and others I have been to in the past, always have a spray bottle of some sort of splash. They hit the back of your neck and around the ears with this unlabeled concoction to close out your haircut. To me, the Seville smelled exactly like that stuff! This is something I've always enjoyed about barber shop cuts and I think this soap hits that scent perfectly (YMMV of course).
Close:I finished off my shave with some Irisch Moos AS splash. I think it paired very nicely with the Seville. It passed the true test when my daughter hit me with the "Daddy you smell nice".
Overall, I am pleased with this soap based on a single run/first impression. It produced a DFS without nicks or irritation. So far, it is a soap that I will have no problem keeping until it is used up. I'm still on the fence as to whether I will replace it or try others in their line when it is gone. Since it is of a similar price point to Mike's and I feel Mike's does produce a better lather (at least after one run), I'm unsure if it has the ability to knock Mike's from my den/rotation. However, I would definitely recommend this soap as one to try.
