GFT Almond after three full passes.
It is no secret that I like George F Trumper shaving creams. They are among the best. I'll cut to the chase for the impatient and say that this cream simply smells wonderful. It is an amaretto scent like Cella red, but not as strong and slightly more nutty. It smells like some almond amaretto cookies, but it isn't very sweet. It is a light scent and doesn't shout in your face, so to speak. This could easily be a daily driver and save the stronger scents for the weekends.
As for performance, it is as slick as anything I have used by A&E, B&M, MdC, and others. It is so slick that my Parker PTW replaceable blade straigtht razor glided down and across my face like it was on ice. The protection was there, too. I had zero irritation, no cuts, no weepers.
The after shave was interesting because the soap is so slick it was hard to wash off. My face was not dry feeling, nor was it oily. It felt nicely hydrated.
My overall impression was very good and happy.
Price wise, this soap is at the top of what I am willing to spend for shaving soap at $23.00, but a little goes a long way.
My rating:
Smell 9.75/10
Lather 10/10
Slickness 10/10
Residual 10/10
Price 8/10
Overall: 9.55/10
Now for a few details. This shaving cream is very white in color and has a bit of a sheen to it. The lather is very white, also. I used a Rudy Vey Ocean Mist brush with a 25mm Mühle Silvertip Fiber knot. I wet the brush and shook it out, then I dipped just the tips into the cream and picked up a small amount. One has to be careful or too much will be got. Then, I face lathered. Immediately, which is usual for Trumper, a rich, thick lather formed. It was not frothy or bubbly, but very rich and creamy. Even adding water the later was still rich. I used a Parker PTW replaceable blade straight razor with a Nacet blade. At the first down stroke, starting on the left side, the razor simply glided through my beard, something a great many soaps can't accomplish. The soap has a lot of protection and is very slick, as slick as anything I've used. Many soaps just don't stand up to a straight razor. I had this one within easy reach, which is why I chose it. Tomorrow I will use a regular straight razor, but past experience with Trumper let's me know it will be the same.
I made three complete passes, WTG, ATG, and XTG (two ways in spots). I ended up with a near BBS shave. I could easily have gotten that, but I simply didn't want to do more touch up. The soap is so slick that it protects even when not visible. This also becomes apparent when trying to rinse it off as the face is still feeling slick after several rinses.
This is a great soap. I'm glad I finally bought the Almond and found it to my liking.
