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Colonel Conk Bay Rum Review

I owe this review to @Colonel Conk. I had stated in a previous thread I had his products on the way in a sampler pack. They have finally arrived and I have finally gotten to the first of the four pucks of this product I have received.

Due to the puck looking like it belongs in a mug I put it in the place of honor, my SS Green Beans Coffee Cup of Joe for a Joe coffee mug. Products used during the shower and shave were as follows;
  1. Pearl Glycerin Bath Soap
  2. The Body Shop Tea Tree Face Scrub
  3. Puck of Colonel Conk Bay Rum
  4. Q-Shave scuttle
  5. Omega 49 Professional Boar Brush
  6. Rockwell 6S on R4
  7. Brand new Persona Platinum Chrome
  8. Gentleman Jon’s Alum Block
  9. Gillette Storm Force Middle East Version
Of course with everything I do in my life I have a process. I do not deviate from the process. I am a jerk like that. The following process is what I used for my SOTD with the Colonel Conk Bay Rum puck;
  1. While I brushed my teeth I made sure the scuttle ran under the hot water
  2. I filled the water hollow and the lathering bowl portion of scuttle with hot water
  3. Filled mug with hot water
  4. Rinsed brush with hot water
  5. Placed brush in mug with soaking puck
  6. Took shower
  7. Dumped scuttle water from both water hollow and lathering bowl area
  8. Refilled water hollow with fresh hot water
  9. Took out brush and rung out excess water
  10. Used bloom water to scrub my face
  11. Used damp, not wet, brush to gather soap to make cream in the bristles
  12. Took damp loaded brush to the scuttle lathering bowl
  13. Started working the newly made cream in the bowl
  14. Added hot water via finger tips until desired lather is produced
  15. Lather
  16. Pass 1
  17. Lather
  18. Pass II
  19. Lather
  20. Pass III
  21. Check for pick ups (None Needed)
  22. Scrub face with leftover lather
  23. Rinse
  24. Apply Alum
  25. Rinse
  26. Dry off
  27. Apply Aftershave
Now for my thoughts. Just a heads up. Due to my process of bowl lathering unless the soap/cream is just horrible I always get a great lather. It takes longer, but the control of how much water is used really helps dial in the lather just right. Some soaps take longer than others. So it is hard for me to find a soap I dislike.
  1. Time to Lather
    1. Longer than most soaps that I have tried
    2. Not as long as Williams Mug Soap
  2. Quality of Lather
    1. Great quality
  3. Cushion
    1. Good Cushion
  4. Slickness
    1. Whilst lathered
      1. Fantastic
    2. After Pass (Bare Wet Skin)
      1. Easily dried out
        1. Once moistened again nice slickness
  5. Scent
    1. Nice Bay Rum Scent
    2. Not as strong as other brands
  6. Rinse
    1. Average ability to rinse clean
  7. Post Shave
    1. Average
      1. Not drying
      2. Not moisturizing
For the price per puck with Colonel Conk products, it punches above its weight. Is it a fine tuned Artisan soap you will pay three times the price for? Not at all. However, with most Artisan soaps I find with my lathering method that the price for what I pay is for the quickness I can make a lather, the scent profile, and scent strength.

I do believe the residual slickness and the drying out is due to my environment and the nature of glycerin based soaps. This is not at all a knock on Colonel Conk.

I will be buying more for storage purposes. This, like Williams, Colgate (Vintage), Old Spice (Vintage), Arko, Derby, and most other hard soaps it is what I refer to as a “Forever” soap. As long as you store it properly you can come to it years after purchase and use it like it was brand new. Due to my lifestyle and future plans I need to get as many “Forever” soaps as I can while I can. Colonel Conk will be high on my list of stocking up for my pantry.
 
Wonderful review @BigD!

I’ve had a puck of amber sitting in the case for quite some time. Makes me want to try it out. Sounds like a good value soap!
 
Wonderful review @BigD!

I’ve had a puck of amber sitting in the case for quite some time. Makes me want to try it out. Sounds like a good value soap!
I find it is. If you're expecting fireworks and ten years magically taken off your face you'll be disappointed. If you know what it is and what it is supposed to do you will be very happy.
 

rockviper

I got moves like Jagger
Col Conk soap is often an overlooked product. Why? IMO it is simply because :
- they have been around a while and are not the new kid on the block (their longevity is a good thing in my book),
- their soaps are glycerin based (glycerin soaps are probably THE slickest)
- they only have a few scents (which are great!), although their new line adds to this
- their packaging is simple (I shave with the soap, not the packaging)

More people should try Col Conk.
 
I have some, still in a container, that came with a small lot I bought for some of the other contents, but I'm not familiar with how a glycerin-based soap works best. My go-to approach is to bloom soap, especially when I don't know what the base is.
IMG_5778.jpg


I don't know how old this is, but the price-tag says $3.25.
 

rockviper

I got moves like Jagger
Just load and make lather like you normally do, David. If you want to see what slickness means, after your first pass, just wet your hand and rub it on your face. You can easily shave right after that without even relathering (but where's the fun in that?).
 
@REV579
Not going to lie. I bloom all my soaps, including my Glycerin soaps. Made a great lather with it and every soap I've bloomed.
 
Good to know. Is blooming soap ever bad? I have read that some soap can "rot" from the inside-out(bottom of the mug to the top). Is this only tallow soaps?
 

rockviper

I got moves like Jagger
Only if you leave it wet and then store it away for a while (goopy things like to grow in water in the dark cool places). If your using the soap daily, it's not an issue; I've been blooming soaps on and off for almost 40 years. If you have a rotation, leave the lid off to let it dry out for a day before storing it.
 
Good to know. Is blooming soap ever bad? I have read that some soap can "rot" from the inside-out(bottom of the mug to the top). Is this only tallow soaps?
I haven't had a problem. I've heard stories of people keeping their pucks soaking 24/7 unless they are actually shaving. I can see you having issues if you don't use the puck often enough or don't let it dry between long uses.
 
Good to know. Is blooming soap ever bad? I have read that some soap can "rot" from the inside-out(bottom of the mug to the top). Is this only tallow soaps?
Any soap that moisturizes well can go rancid. I don't find that blooming, by adding drops of water to the surface, causes any issues, some people submerge the entire puck, which is over doing it IMO.

Glycerin soaps can be hard to get a stable lather from. But they are slick! Which is people suggest them for both pre-shave and super-lather, some results with slightly different paths.
 
Any suggestions on getting the most out of the soap? It took me a while to work out the sweet-spot with my regulars. I'm always open to a primer.
Follow what I did in my write up. The idea is to control the amount of water the best you can while creating the lather.
 
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