I don't know what the odds are, but both of my last two orders were messed up and instead of creams I got a Speick stick with the first and a LaToja with the second. I may be 90% cream in use, but I'm glad these accidentally found me!
Favorite soap finds of the year.
- Thread starter dfoulk
- Start date
One of my favorite finds this year has been Wickham Soap Co. 1912 Russian Leather, great lather and protection, amazing scent also...
- Thread starter
- #103
Thank you Dfoulk for your insights - I have actually the old and the new version of Stirling, I use the old version in the winter and the new version in the summer - true that the old version leave a kind of grassy layer on the face that I appreciate during very cold weather actually.
I had a pretty conservative top 10 list until I start to read about your post - I'm waiting for Sudsy shaving soaps (stacked in Chicago for 1 week already as far as the tracking wants to let me know ...) I have also ordered the new version vol.2 of Dr Jon's ( I did like the former version) and I have a PannaCrema on its way from Spain
I have a good collection of shaving soaps already and I really wonder what you have in your top 10 rotation ?
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I've been looking for next level soaps and I've found several so far. It's easy to find an excellent soap as there are tons of them out there but it's hard to find those top tier outstanding ones. I find myself using soaps from PannaCrema or Sudsy Soapery most days and then switching it up here and there to include a particular scent that I'm fond of or an old favorite.
Outstanding
1. PannaCrema Nuavia - the very best soap I've tried but it's expensive.
2. Sudsy Soapery - my second favorite and very reasonably priced.
3. PannaCrema Pure2O - a lot of the same properties as Nuavia but more difficult to lather, maybe even slightly slicker.
4. Midnight & Two - this one is another outstanding soap but unfortunately it's a bit costly coming from Canada. I haven't bought it yet but I'll likely pick up a tub of Province (lavender) at some point. The matching after shave balms are excellent as well.
Excellent and really close to my top level but not quite there.
Dr. Jon's new formula - if this were a bit slicker it would be in my top tier. The old softer formula is nice but the new formula is much more impressive.
Obsessive Soap Perfectionist - another great soap that almost makes my top level but not quite. I could easily use and enjoy this soap.
Cold River Soap Works (new V2 and Olivia Formulas) - impressive and almost there but more slickness is needed for my top level. An excellent choice and the scents are great.
I'm supposed to be trying Tallow & Steel soon (this Tuesday) which I have high expectations for. Phoenix and Beau is getting great recommendations as well but I haven't tried it myself yet (I want to). So those two are on my radar and could be top level candidates but time will tell.
I have a lot more that I really like for example:
WSP Formula T
Martin de Candre
Strop Shoppe SE w/tallow - not longer avail
Le Pere Lucien - another great French soap that I enjoy
AOS old tallow formula soap made by Valobra
RazoRock Mudder Focker - this one is made with mud and is in my opinion RazoRock's best offering
I have a lot more soaps in my rotation than this and I do reach for others here and there.
Thank you very much for your long answer - really appreciated
I've been away in Netherlands the whole week and so busy...
It's really impressive to see American but also European shaving soaps artisans are reaching such a level of quality
I had a good inspiration for new soaps orders - LOL - I have received my Sudsy Soapery order yesterday and could shave with the twice mint version in the morning - awesome, a thick lather bringing so much to the skin - looks like you feel it just after being applied!!!
Here is my top 10 list being really challenged ....
1) Mystic Water New formulation - still need a good quality water
2) Barrister & Mann - all scents
3) Strop Shoppe - I keep all of them - so precious
4) Jabonman - a Spanish artisan - I love his scents
5) Mike's natural shaving soap - I love the lavender version
6) Fitjar - a Norwegian maker, stopped her activity but still you can order by email to her - I have no better neroli in all my soaps ...
7) LPL - the last tallow version is really something
8) WSP Formula T - old version as well
9) La savonerie du moulin - 40% donkey milk - awesome in the winter
10) Stirling of course
But I enjoy many others time to time
- Pre de Provence
- Tiki
- New formula Razorock - incredible
- Fine accoutrement - orange noir - crazy
- Halsinger - so cheap and so good
- Tabac - I love the smell
- Martin de candre Fougere - no better Fougere tested so far
I have tried recently Phoenix and Beau but I did not like it
Sudsy Soapery will come into my top 10 and I am waiting for Dr Jon's new version - I am also on the way to buy L&L with bison tallow.
PannaCrema Pure2O is on its way
We are all getting crazy but it is so good
Have a great great weekend and great shave
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My current top 10 is below. Sudsy Soapery is the only recently new artisan to break into my top ten. I thought I would like Nuavia more than MdC but I haven't. It is definitely top tier in all respects. I just think that MdC is the most pure best performing product I have tried. I love both the Blu and Verde scents of Nuavia. I just don't get a better shave with it than MdC. I truly will miss Strop Shoppe when my supply is exhausted. I am currently breaking in a container of L&L Tallow that I also really like but its too early to tell where it will fit in my rotation. I love a host of other soaps such as Cade, PdP, SV, LPL, Mikes, CRSW.....that all make into my rotation occasionally but not my top 10.
| Martin de Candre |
| Pannacrema - Nuavia |
| Valobra |
| Strop Shoppe SE |
| Barrister & Mann |
| Soap Commander |
| Sudsy Soapery |
| Tabac |
| Razorock MF |
| Reef Point - Fougere Santal |
Thank you for your Top ten steelhead - I am also waiting for a couple L&L in transit to Europe now.
The only one I have not in my list is Valobra - which version / scent do you use ?
The only one I have not in my list is Valobra - which version / scent do you use ?
I got some Haslinger Honig in a trade, and after one shave yesterday I am mighty impressed.
It may well make my top tier.
It may well make my top tier.
I am currently using the Fougere and the Pachouli and I have the Cologne on the shelf. Really great performers. I really love all the Valobra made soaps.
- Thread starter
- #109
Dan,
First off, thank you for your generous offer to send some soap samples my way, but I have already tried them so it's not necessary. I bought Felice Aromatica and Dolomite right when they came out and gave them some initial praise. I think I was one of the first here to try them and they still have a place in my shave den. I've since been sent samples of about six of the other scents and several of the aftershaves by another good friend here so at this point I've tried about the entire line. My preference scent wise is for Felice Aromatica. I really do enjoy that scent quite a bit and I'd probably replace it if I even finished this puck. As far as performance goes I consider them to be excellent soaps.
I did give them some praise and a really high ranking in my shave den before I found some others I prefer. I still do like them quite a bit and enjoy using them on occasion. I don't have any complaints about the soaps as they do everything perfectly but I just have others that I prefer and choose over them. Other positives are that the pucks are large and that it's a harder soap making them last a very long time. So, while the initial cost may seem high they are actually priced nicely when you look at it from a cost per shave basis. I don't take cost into consideration when judging a soap but it's worth noting with this one because there's some value there.
Overall, they are a soap I'd rank very high but not as high as PannaCrema and Sudsy Soapery. For me, they are right there toward the top of that next level down with some other really excellent soaps. It's kinda like MdC for me. I have it and enjoy using it, at one point I even posted quite a bit of positive talk about it, but I don't praise it a lot anymore. Still, a really great soap though so I understand all of the love it gets here.
+1 on Phoenix & Beau Citra Royale, scent and performance wise it is Great, also got the Spitfire, Who would not get a Shaving Soap named Spitfire ?? Looking forward to the new releases Star Noir and Baskerville
Update to my earlier post praising Jeeves of Hudson Street and Fine soaps..
...I Coloniali....wow! Great stuff, but alas...discontinued. I was able to grab a refill, though...
...I Coloniali....wow! Great stuff, but alas...discontinued. I was able to grab a refill, though...
Will Baskerville smell like wet dog?
Hope Not ! From makers site : 'Baskerville': Birch, labdanum, cedarwood, franckincense, tonka bean
RR Dead Sea
- Thread starter
- #115
This one sounded interesting to me from what I've read about it. Please give us a short review whenever you have a moment.
Just tried Tallow & Steel rain forest. It is a great soap. Thick, slick, and protective lather. Scent is great. I will be buying more.
I really don't know how to describe the scent. It smells familiar, but I don't know why. It is pleasant though and it does not smell like marijuana. The scent gets stronger when you lather it.
Maybe a 10 second load is all that is necessary. That will be plenty for more than 3 passes if you are so inclined. It is very thick right off the bat. It lathers very easily. It will let you add quite a bit of water if you wish, which I do and it is very slick. Definitely slicker than other RR soaps I have tried.
In short, it smells nice, it lathers easily, it is thick and cushiony and very slick. All the things I want in a soap. And the jar is huge. It will take a very long time to finish a jar of this soap.
I started wet shaving last year and bought lots of different products but this year my favorite artisan finds would have to be Jeeves of Hudson St, Mason Boutique, Tiki Bar, and Catie's Bubbles, and my favorite commercial soap find of the year is La Toja. I had high expectations of all the artisan soaps which they met or exceeded, but the La Toja stick was a big surprise, definitely in my top three favorite commercial soaps.
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Catie's Bubbles is a go to soap for me. It is fantastic.
- Thread starter
- #120
Thanks for the review, I'm really tempted to buy this one blind but I hate doing that as I'm often disappointed when I do and stuck with another soap I don't use. I'm interested in it though as my Wife brought some Ahava lotions and creams back from Isreal when she went and they have the dead sea salt in them as well. I've since found that Ahava can be purchased at Ulta, which is a plus as she's gone through what she brought back and more. Anyway the stuff is outstanding (something to buy for your wife) which has me wondering if this soap is going to have some of the same attributes.
Have you tried Sudsy Soapery or one of the ultra slick highly moisturizing soaps like PannaCrema Nuavia or Midnight and Two? If so how does this soap compare to those? Or maybe what is another soap that this soap is similar to?
