Valobra and Tabac are my current favorites. But I usually use Williams pucks or Nivea cream rather than the sticks.
Favorite Shave Stick??
- Thread starter poppi
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Valobra is soapy, dusty, a little musty, spicy and smells both exquisite and expensive to me. It smells like what I would imagine a bathroom in a castle smells like, Dracula's in particular, I don't know why..... Some hate the clay/tallow undertone but I don't mind it, it's very earthy and round. It's very expensive however and I think Palmolive is a better performer but whenever the Valobra comes out, my incisors start to look a bit odd.....
Irisch Moos, Speick and Arko
I really like the Arko stick for the great lather, love the fresh citrus scent and the price is very inexpensive. But instead of using it as a stick, I press it into my bowl so i can puck lather. Bought the box of 12 so i'm sure not to run out any time soon.
Just finished a stick. Great lather, and a nice scent, unlike the Tabac counterpart. Have two Wilkinson Sword
sticks, with equally great lather, to work on before I start on the other Irisch Moos, purchased on German eBay
for less than what it sold for here when still in production.
Agree that it’s great soap. I find the scent of Barrister Reserve Fern to be quite similar to Sir Irisch Moos, although apparently the Barrister scent was a tribute to the legendary Houbigant Fougère Royale. Maybe they were both intended as tributes. In any respect, I think both modern iterations are great.
Just had my first shave with Mystic Waters Brown Windsor this morning. I gotta say, this is a fantastic soap! La Toja or Tabac was probably my best shave stick I've used, but MW shave stick produced a creamy and Elmer's Glue type consistency that translated into a super slick lather once I added enough water. I've heard about MW being a bit difficult to lather, but also that it is the most slick and best post-shave out there. At this point I can't say for sure after one shave, although it's definitely looking that may be the case for me already. My face is feeling smooth and hydrated, which I wasn't sure would to the level I expect since I didn't use my usual GD pre-shave. Finished off the shave with CL YRP and Lisa's Natural aftershave balm
As far as the Brown Windsor scent goes, I purchased just on the scent description alone. I don't love the scent but it may grow on me over time. When I smell it all I can think of is turmeric. My top five shave sticks would be MW by a long shot, Tabac, La Toja, Speick and Arko. The most amazing thing to me is that MW has been around for a while and flies under the radar for most people but already looks to perform at a level of the top artisans we see mentioned on a daily basis. Highly recommend people give MW a consideration.
As far as the Brown Windsor scent goes, I purchased just on the scent description alone. I don't love the scent but it may grow on me over time. When I smell it all I can think of is turmeric. My top five shave sticks would be MW by a long shot, Tabac, La Toja, Speick and Arko. The most amazing thing to me is that MW has been around for a while and flies under the radar for most people but already looks to perform at a level of the top artisans we see mentioned on a daily basis. Highly recommend people give MW a consideration.
Palmolive for me. It has a clean scent that I enjoy. Derby is close second but the scent is a bit more off-putting. Still decent.
3 buck palmolive is pretty excellent
Arko, it just works great every time.
Found Kells due to this forum, years ago: great shaves and choices with aloe.
Just tried my first shave stick today and it was La Toja. Really enjoyed the shave!
Arko , Palmolive, and La Toja
Mystic Water performs outstandingly. Leaves a great aftershave feeling. And the scents are just fantastic. Their Bay Rum I think is the best of any. These soaps are top performers and they don't get the attention they deserve.
EclipseRedRing
I smell like a Christmas pudding
Tabac for me, I just love that dispenser. In fairness I have not tried many.
I finally grated my shave stick haul I got from Spain this summer .
La Toja and LEA.
Also grated some Palmolive . I haven’t tested the la Toja or Lea yet. But I love the Palmolive and almost finished my previous “grating” of Palmolive.
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La Toja and LEA.
Also grated some Palmolive . I haven’t tested the la Toja or Lea yet. But I love the Palmolive and almost finished my previous “grating” of Palmolive.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Valobra and Speick. Valobra has gotten very expensive compared to few years ago, though.
I tried combining leftover stubs of Speick and Valobra once, aka "Spalobra". It worked really well. The scent I will leave to your imagination. Perhaps a BMW engineer shaving in the bathroom of an old castle?
It can also be nice to combine Speick stick with Speick cream. Followed by Speick AS splash.
I tried combining leftover stubs of Speick and Valobra once, aka "Spalobra". It worked really well. The scent I will leave to your imagination. Perhaps a BMW engineer shaving in the bathroom of an old castle?
It can also be nice to combine Speick stick with Speick cream. Followed by Speick AS splash.
I make my own and use pretty much only when travelling. I buy empty stick containers from West Coast Shaving, then pack them with a favorite soft soap that's running low. I'm too cheap to throw any soap out that still works, so this is a great way to eek out the last few uses. I reuse stick containers as they run low.
