I know, there's a hundred threads on here. Did the search. Here's my take:
I had a puck in my cabinet for about 20 years. Bought the bowl, too. The bowl was used for other stuff over the years and I was "saving" the puck for a special occasion. That never came, so I opened it about 5 months ago. The subtle scent was still there (I love it), and even with hard well water, it worked wonderfully. I don't use it everyday and have not experienced any cracking. I think the key to my good success is storing it in an Anchor Hocking bowl with a tight fitting rubber lid. I never added water to the puck overnight, never bloomed the puck, didn't do a single thing different than my other soaps and I started wet shaving in 1993 when I went to college and my Mom gave me a blue Lady Gillette because she told me the blades were cheaper than the Trac II carts I had been using. I hit it initially with a very wet brush, never cleaned out the left-over lather, and just stick the air-tight lid on it after shaving. The puck has expanded, but the bowl is pretty big and it didn't expand all the way. Boar brushes, my one Badger and numerous synthetics (probably the best for this soap) have all lathered it perfectly. It won't beat Tabac for my favorite soap, but it is definitely in the top 5. I guess I'm old school.
Yeah, it looks a little bit rough, but I think this is the key to making it work. Don't let it dry out and leave the leftover lather in there to keep it hydrated. Forget the fancy bowl with the loose lid. Use it for something else.
I had a puck in my cabinet for about 20 years. Bought the bowl, too. The bowl was used for other stuff over the years and I was "saving" the puck for a special occasion. That never came, so I opened it about 5 months ago. The subtle scent was still there (I love it), and even with hard well water, it worked wonderfully. I don't use it everyday and have not experienced any cracking. I think the key to my good success is storing it in an Anchor Hocking bowl with a tight fitting rubber lid. I never added water to the puck overnight, never bloomed the puck, didn't do a single thing different than my other soaps and I started wet shaving in 1993 when I went to college and my Mom gave me a blue Lady Gillette because she told me the blades were cheaper than the Trac II carts I had been using. I hit it initially with a very wet brush, never cleaned out the left-over lather, and just stick the air-tight lid on it after shaving. The puck has expanded, but the bowl is pretty big and it didn't expand all the way. Boar brushes, my one Badger and numerous synthetics (probably the best for this soap) have all lathered it perfectly. It won't beat Tabac for my favorite soap, but it is definitely in the top 5. I guess I'm old school.
Yeah, it looks a little bit rough, but I think this is the key to making it work. Don't let it dry out and leave the leftover lather in there to keep it hydrated. Forget the fancy bowl with the loose lid. Use it for something else.
