Batting .333

[Vespasian]

Well, one out of three new soaps isn't too bad, I guess, but I should really stop buying stuff. After my latest restraint, I bought three new (to me) soaps. Two were very disappointing, one was excellent.

Good news first. D. R. Harris Arlington Shave Stick. Nice, if faint, classic cologne fragrance. I'm a bowl-latherer, so it took me two tries to get face lathering down. Excellent performance, thick and slick. I'll keep bowl lathering, but this is perfect for travel.

Disappointing. Phoenix Neroli. First of, no authentic neroli aroma at all. Smells just like grandma's Cashmere Bouquet soap. I know neroli; one of my three favorite soaps ever is St. Charles Shave Neroli, authentic as can be. This soft soap comes in a shallow, very wide tin I found difficult to load from. The lather was mingy every time I used it, and I never got past the strong, unappealing aroma.

Also a loser, for me. Colannino's Sicilian Super-creamed Original Shave Soap. The aroma is described as almond and bitter orange, but all I get is almond. And there are lots of Italian almond soaps that are much better. The very thick cream is very difficult to mount into a good lather, whether I tried to load from the small jar or if I put a dollop into my warm bowl.

I'm signed up for the November restraint, and I hope I don't "discover" any more soaps I have to try on Dec. 1. Enough is more than enough. As I look through my piles of soaps and creams, I see about 10 or 12 keepers. I think I'm done.

 

[kansaskyle]

Looks like you have some stuff to trade, sell, and/or PIF.

I find experimenting with different gear is fun, but it can get discouraging when you find some duds along the way.

 

[TexLaw]

Congratulations on discovering Arlington. That is one of my favorite scents, and it's a great performing soap to boot!

As for the others, thanks for the notes on them. I've not tried either, and I now doubt I will.

 

[Haggises]

My goal these days is less branching out and knowing what I like.
When I do branch out, it's most often not as good as my favorite Mystic Water. Even then, I tried three MW samples in Spring and found none of them overly appealing.
I still have to try some of the classics. Figure I have 20-40 years of shaving left in me, I'll get there eventually.

 

[steelhead52]

I totally agree with the OP on the PA Neroli about both scent and performance. Very disappointing. However, on the Colannino's Sicilian Super-creamed Original Shave Soap, I actually got really nice lather. I like the scent but its not my favorite almond. Still, it is fairly easy to lather and was slick and protective, with no weepers with a four pass shave. Its not in my top 10, but for the price, I really like it. In consistency, it is somewhat between a traditional cream and a croap so it takes a little longer to lather. I found that a boar or a stiffer badger work well with it.

 

[Vespasian]

I did a PIF recently, but I can see another one in my future.

I'll give the Colannino's another try. I really had trouble getting it to lather, usually not my problem. I'll try my boar brush. Thanks for the tip.

Last two shaves have been with Le Pere Lucien Rose Pushkar, better and better. What a wonderful soap. I start to build a lather in my bowl, and whoosh, tons of the best lather imaginable.