DG vs. WK vs. GD: Is one Better than the others?

[SonofdavidS]

Right now, those are my 3 best soaps.

I can’t really say one is better than the other because each is so good(aside from shipping issues).

Do any of you have a preference between these 3? Which do you think has the best slickness, scent, post shave, cushion etc?

My favorite scent from all these right now is Grooming Department Sandalwood Fig Musk. It reminds me a lot of egg nog.

 

[TacticalPanda]

GD and WK are above DG to me. Grooming Dept may have slightly better slickness and post shave, so I'll give it to Grooming Dept as #1, with Wholly Kaw as a close #2, followed by Declaration Grooming.

 

[SonofdavidS]

Also, if your best soap is something else, what is it?

 

[Newmania]

GD slickest. WK best post shave. DG Bandwagon my favorite scent.

 

[Racquet]

Splitting hairs, I know some soaps are better in certain aspects than
others but I get a nice shave with most of my soaps. Anything from
GD, WK to RR or PAA

 

[SoullessSingularity]

It depends what you want in a soap. For me, WK is basically not on my radar (it’s main benefit is post shave, which is irrelevant to me as a leg shaver) while DG is at the top. I’m still dialing in the Lather of GD, so the jury’s out .

 

[Badger in the Sun]

To me, all three are elite performers. It's just a matter of finding the scents you like best. Of the three, I've found that DG soaps are the most appealing to my nose, although I've tried only two GD soaps.

 

[Nick Weepers]

It depends what you want in a soap. For me, WK is basically not on my radar (it’s main benefit is post shave, which is irrelevant to me as a leg shaver) while DG is at the top. I’m still dialing in the Lather of GD, so the jury’s out .

Why is post shave unimportant for leg shaving? Wouldn’t it still be a benefit or do you follow up with a moisturizer anyway?

I’ve got no complaints with the performance of WK, DG, SV, Barrister’s Reserve, Eufros, Lisa’s, Mike’s, Talbot, Mammoth or Turtleship so long as it’s a scent I enjoy. I’ve got some GD on the way and I can’t see it separating it’s self from that group.

 

[SHAVEWIZARD420]

Grooming Dept would be my first choice. They have offered several formulas and all have been supurb, although some tubs dont last as long as others.

WK has a incredible formula and would be my 2nd pick. Scents can be hit or miss, but have found a few that are right in my wheelhouse (KoO, Project Leather, Chypre Rose Concerto) and others i was not so impressed with.

DG is not a bad soap base, but dont think it is quite at the level of the other 2. Favorite scent is YRP (AMAZING). Others i didnt care for as much as with any artisan. Have not tried their new Icarus base yet so this is my opinion on the original base.

 

[SoullessSingularity]

Why is post shave unimportant for leg shaving? Wouldn’t it still be a benefit or do you follow up with a moisturizer anyway?

I’ve got no complaints with the performance of WK, DG, SV, Barrister’s Reserve, Eufros, Lisa’s, Mike’s, Talbot, Mammoth or Turtleship so long as it’s a scent I enjoy. I’ve got some GD on the way and I can’t see it separating it’s self from that group.

It is prudent to follow up with moisturizer anyways. Usually, the moisturizer is fairly intense because one can afford a very intense moisturizer on legs with little fear of breaking out/affecting pores/etc. In short, post shave isn’t worth that much if you’re just going to follow it up with a moisturizer much more than a post shave could ever accomplish anyways. This post shave moisturizer also helps prevent ingrown hairs and facilitates in exfoliation and healing.

 

[pork]

I like GD and WK most. I can’t say one is better than the other.

I like DG, but not as much as the other two except for the scent department, which I prefer DG to the other two. But performance trumps scent for me, so I have more GD and WK soaps.

 

[Rrose Sélavy]

"DG vs. WK vs. GD: Is one Better than the others?"

No.

 

[shevek]

For me it would be 1. WK, 2. GD, 3. DG. WK has both an incredible base and multiple scents that I have really enjoyed. Fougere Bouquet, Monaco Royale, King of Oud, and Pasha's Pride have all been great. GD has a great base(s) as well but the scents I have tried have ranged from pretty good (After the fire, Chypre Conifere) to eh (Voyage, Wonderland), to really offensive (Amber and Oud). I didn't care for either the scents or base from DG.

 

[Jopete]

I finally got to try WK last week and today also tried DG for the first time. I also have a tub of DIA from GD which is the only vegan base among the 3 that is mentioned.
I haven’t used DIA in months and have only used WK and DG once so I haven’t really dialed in the soaps mentioned.
At this time I like WK the best, it was slick just like the other soaps but what stood out for me was my chin and neck had no irritation and applying an after shave with alcohol right after felt great.
I usually feel a little sting when I use an alcohol based after shave, it was also easy and quick making a lather.
The DG I used today was “after the rain “, scent was good but performance is what I look for first, it needed more water compared to WK and also took longer to make a lather. I did a 2 pass plus touch up for DFS and had a little sting after applying aftershave and using RR single edge satin Hawk for this shave. I used a RR Game Changer.84 when I shaved with the WK last week so it could be the slickness and protective qualities of the soap that provided a great shave or the razor I used and most likely the combination of both.

So to summarize WK is my first pick and I need to shave with the DIA from GD next to see which I prefer between DG and GD.

I think a lot of people would add B&M reserve and Tallow and Steel among this list of artisans, I haven’t tried Tallow and Steel yet but among other 4 soaps I find them all to be better than average in performance WK so far being my favorite among these top artisans, how would you guys rate Tallow and Steel among these?

 

[pwill112]

I use all three but am very selective in scent selection so I have 7 pucks total. I let their current scents dictate purchases.

 

[Russrat]

Currently, my top 5 would be:

1) GD;
2) B&M Reserve;
3) Pannacrema;
4) PAA CK-6;
5) SV 4.3 and T&S, toss-up

In candor, DG, WK and Stirling soaps were all great performers and would be top-tier soaps for me, but my face just doesn’t get along with Lanolin.

 

[les24preludes]

Currently, my top 5 would be:
1) GD;
2) B&M Reserve;
3) Pannacrema;
4) PAA CK-6;
5) SV 4.3 and T&S, toss-up

Nice to see Pannacrema up there. One of my top favourites, though it gets mentioned less in the USA because of import costs. They had a wide range previously, and I particularly like San Francesco, Vetiver and Nostalgia. Great lather and post-shave feel.

 

[vtmax]

Clearly this creates some emotions as shown in all caps above. And yes, it is just soap.

I have all three in the den. They are probably the best three made today. Just fabulous soaps.

The new/just released GroomingDept (not the earlier DIA mentioned above) in shave performance and post shave skin care tops DG and WK...for me. The newer GroomingDept soaps are the best I’ve used.

 

[Jopete]

My favorite is Pannacrema Nuavia, it is somewhat costly but I don’t need much to create enough lather for a 3 pass shave and it’s easy to get it dialed in, it is also slick and offers great protection along with the unique scents and the ceramic container.

I have only tried the Blu and Verde and prefer the scent of Blu. The base is simple yet it performs great for me, I have tried soaps with similar ingredients but just doesn’t perform like Nuavia.
A good performing soap isn’t just about ingredients but the formula and how it’s made really plays a big factor.
I have always wondered how and what equipment they use to make the soap perform better than the others with similar ingredients or with additional oils, butters etc.
I’m guessing making a large batch of soap would turn out different compared to a small batch with the same ratio of ingredients made in a crockpot as compared to a larger cooker designed to make soap that mixes the ingredients evenly and the right amount of heat is used.
I’ve seen a video on YouTube from a soap maker that was using this method, I just don’t remember which one.

Anyways I’ve yet to try the new GD base as well as the tallow based which I’m sure is excellent.

 

[Bad Badger]

Grooming Dept is the clear winner for me. In fact, I have zero interest in buying anything else now.

Wholly Kaw is a solid second... but I dislike most of the scents.

DG is very good, but a distant 3rd.