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Geo F Trumper Almond

Trumper Almond.jpg

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.
 

brucered

System Generated
Cream or Soap, you are using both terms in your review?

I assume cream, which GFT Creams are amazing. I haven't heard many good things about the soap.
 
Ok then.

I thougth GFT sold a Soap & Cream that were packaged differently and had different container consistencies.

My mistake.
The cream is just a softer soap. That's basically it. Their soaps are triple milled to get all of the moisture out and work best letting the puck soak overnight in the container submerged in water. The next morning, the soap will have swelled to fill the container and be much softer and easier to use. The creams are simply soft soaps with the water still in it. A little dab is all that's needed.
 
GFT changed soap formulas well over a decade ago. They went from pretty damn good to garbage. Been covered on this forum a long time ago.

It used to be that the creams used the same base as almost every other Creighton's cream. That base is basically foolproof and has always worked really well.

The formulas of these creams have never been anything like that hard soaps, BTW. You can look at the ingredients lists and see that plain as day. Totally different product though if you are defining "soap" broadly as fat/oil + lye + scent then I guess it's technically a "soap".

My hunch is that the reason I see a lot of newer members on forums and sites use "soap/cream" interchangeably is because they got into the hobby with "croap" type soft soaps and don't know there is a distinct difference between a milled hard soap and a soft cream.

I have a recent jar of GFT lime cream and it is fine, same as any other good UK cream in terms of performance.

My 2 cents.
 
Well, thanks for that. I do know the difference. As I said earlier, a hard milled soap has the water taken out. A cream has more water and moisture, basically. A cream is still a soap and has soap ingredients. Some may or may not have extra things added.

As for their change making the soap crap, I disagree wholeheartedly. I find Trumper's soaps and creams to be very good performers, which cannot be said for most who have changed over the last few years. You make a mistake in thinking that newer to this forum means newer to shaving. Those two things are not identical.

I'm okay with you not liking Trumper. You need to be okay with those of us who do like Trumper.
 
Ok then.

I thougth GFT sold a Soap & Cream that were packaged differently and had different container consistencies.

My mistake.
It's not really a mistake, they are two different products...just like crude oil and petroleum...petroleum is produced from crude oil so can you really call a liter of unleaded oil?

Shaving cream and shaving soap are two different products that serve the same purpose of lubricating the skin and hair during shaving. Shaving cream is often thick, feels a bit like lotion or conditioner that you might use on your hair, and often has moisturizing properties. Shaving cream is made without harsh chemicals like alcohol and is designed to help condition the skin, soften the hair to make cutting easier, and help to ease the path of the razor over the skin. Shaving soap, on the other hand, is a hard soap that is lathered with a brush and water to create a rich, creamy lather that can be applied to the face. Shaving soap is often preferred by traditional wet shavers because it provides a more luxurious and satisfying shaving experience.

In summary, shaving cream and shaving soap are two different products that can be used interchangeably. However, they have different textures, compositions, and lathering processes that affect the overall shaving experience.

I thought I would add another point of view to this quandary.😂🤣
 

brucered

System Generated
It's not really a mistake, they are two different products...just like crude oil and petroleum...petroleum is produced from crude oil so can you really call a liter of unleaded oil?

Shaving cream and shaving soap are two different products that serve the same purpose of lubricating the skin and hair during shaving. Shaving cream is often thick, feels a bit like lotion or conditioner that you might use on your hair, and often has moisturizing properties. Shaving cream is made without harsh chemicals like alcohol and is designed to help condition the skin, soften the hair to make cutting easier, and help to ease the path of the razor over the skin. Shaving soap, on the other hand, is a hard soap that is lathered with a brush and water to create a rich, creamy lather that can be applied to the face. Shaving soap is often preferred by traditional wet shavers because it provides a more luxurious and satisfying shaving experience.

In summary, shaving cream and shaving soap are two different products that can be used interchangeably. However, they have different textures, compositions, and lathering processes that affect the overall shaving experience.

I thought I would add another point of view to this quandary.😂🤣
I know that the differences are. I know how and when to describe them as soap or cream. I know when to use either the soap or cream subforum. I know the product being reviewed above is the product sold as a cream and not a soap.

I'm all good.
 
I used soaps for years.... A&E, B&M, Fine, Stirling, etc and enjoyed them. Then I tried a couple of the Trumper creams and have never gone back to the soaps. I now have at least 25 tubs (GFT, T&H, D R Harris, Salter and TOBS). I know that it is crazy to have that many but I enjoy all of them. I can tell you it drives my wife crazy. To me they are just as rich and creamy as any of those soaps and I look forward to shaving every morning.
 
I used soaps for years.... A&E, B&M, Fine, Stirling, etc and enjoyed them. Then I tried a couple of the Trumper creams and have never gone back to the soaps. I now have at least 25 tubs (GFT, T&H, D R Harris, Salter and TOBS). I know that it is crazy to have that many but I enjoy all of them. I can tell you it drives my wife crazy. To me they are just as rich and creamy as any of those soaps and I look forward to shaving every morning.
What are some of your favorites of the bunch?
Maggards has samples of GFT, DR Harris & TOBS, I’d like to order some to try.
 
Geo F Trumper GFT, D R Harris Arlington and Windsor and TOBS Mr Taylor's are three that come to mind. But.... I have so many that i enjoy.... hard to say what are the favorites. Castle Forbes 1455 is what i used today. Castle Forbes has what I call "loud" scents which I do not care for. The 1455 not so much. The London creams are more subtle.
 
I have never cared for the scent of Cella Red. As a result, I have always avoided any of the other Almond soaps or creams. Does the Geo f Trumper Almond or the TOBS Almond creams avoid the sweet cherry note as in Cella Red?
 
Thanks Doc Dan. I considered you the expert on the subject...... I think I will try the Trumper almond although I
certainly do not need anymore creams.
 
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