Grooming Dept club

[RayClem]

I was also fortunate that Mo asked that I test Fortis 1 - 31. Mo's goal was to provide an option to those who are less concerned about the typical GD post shave feel and the usual complexity of his scents which have been polarizing. Have used for 6 shaves with both my mildest and most aggressive set ups and per his request did not use his Pre- Shave or Post Shave serum. It is a thirsty little bugger and provides a cushioned and slick platform that is better than most. If you are familiar with Mo's approach to creating his bases he will continue to tweak the formula. I, however, prefer the post shave feel of Mo's current bases. I do look forward to his interpretation of a less complex scent. I am hesitant to call it GD Lite and at the expected $15 price point it will be a fantastic alternative and a worthy addition to any den.

For me, post-shave feel and fragrance is a huge part of the shaving experience. I have sensitive skin and like having a soap that leaves my skin feeling well nourished. Likewise, I love great, complex fragrances. However, I realize that some of the ingredients that provide that feeling and aroma may be expensive.

My after-shave splash is usually generic witch hazel as aftershaves and colognes have too much alcohol and burn my face. Thus, I like getting my fragrance from my shave soap.

One of the things I appreciated about the older GD formulation was the outstanding post-shave and use of essential oils. I realize, however, that some people find the soaps that I love to be too "greasy". Although I will probably not seek out the Fortis soaps, I am glad others who do not need or desire the post-shave feel will have a less expensive option.

 

[jaxstar]

Is there a drop on Oct12?

 

[RayClem]

Is there a drop on Oct12?

According to the web site, that is the plan.

 

[muzichead]

I've been using Fortis for over a week now and it's been great so I decided to try my original GD soap today the difference was minimal . the Fortis being harder took a few more laps around the puck to load and is quite thirsty but performs close to the original. I like the original best but Fortis is in my top tier

It is a thirsty little bugger and provides a cushioned and slick platform that is better than most.

Although I'm only 4 shaves in with my sample and it has lathered better in the last 2 times I used it, I am still baffled by everyone saying how slick it is. There is plenty of cushion but really lacking on the slickness!! The best way I can describe the feel when I rinse my face between passes is almost tacky or sticky feel whereas between passes with any of my Stirling soaps, It still has a residual slickness that if I needed to just clean up a spot it would still have the slickness to do it. If I tried to run the razor on my face after rinsing the Foris between passes the razor would skip and drag. I just don't get it... If this performs even close to his regular formula I think I'd be at even more of a loss!! I'm not ready to give up just yet but my optimism has slightly slipped a bit this week...

 

[mrlandpirate]

muzichead
I can blade buff all i want but I don't rinse my face between passes I feel my face if I missed a spot I'll go back and pick it up there's slickness left. Are you saying Stirling is slick after you rinse ?

 

[CincyDawg]

According to the web site, that is the plan.

I believe it’s Oct 22.

 

[RayClem]

Although I'm only 4 shaves in with my sample and it has lathered better in the last 2 times I used it, I am still baffled by everyone saying how slick it is. There is plenty of cushion but really lacking on the slickness!! The best way I can describe the feel when I rinse my face between passes is almost tacky or sticky feel whereas between passes with any of my Stirling soaps, It still has a residual slickness that if I needed to just clean up a spot it would still have the slickness to do it. If I tried to run the razor on my face after rinsing the Foris between passes the razor would skip and drag. I just don't get it... If this performs even close to his regular formula I think I'd be at even more of a loss!! I'm not ready to give up just yet but my optimism has slightly slipped a bit this week...

Normally, I find that any soaps are slick. However, when it comes to residual slickness, I find a correlation between residual slickness and post-shave feel. I believe the same ingredients that seem to give a great post-shave feel also contribute to residual slickness.

 

[RayClem]

I believe it’s Oct 22.

I had looked at the web site, but I failed to double-check before responding. My bad!

 

[ryinzana]

Hey all,

Was also among the lucky to get a sneak peak at Fortis. Mo sent me about a half a puck to try out. With about a weeks worth of use under my belt, I wanted to post my thoughts.

At the expected price-point ($15 for a 5 oz. tub), I'd say this will be one of (if not the best) bang for your buck soaps on the market. I found it incredibly easy to load and dial in. I wouldn't say the soap is thirsty, but it definitely handles a good amount of water without breaking down. The resulting lather has a very nice sheen to it and has a yogurt consistency. The initial/residual slickness is elite. Post shave feel is also very good. I've tested the post-shave properties by skipping my normal post-shave routine. Haven't had any issues. I find that it leaves my face feeling very soft/moisturized. Have not experienced any irritation.

For comparison, I'd say this is close in performance to offerings I've tried from Murphy & McNeil, Declaration Grooming Icarus, and Barrister and Mann Reserve. This is great company to be in, especially considering the price!

I asked for an ingredient list, which Mo was kind enough to provide:

Fortis Formula: Water - Stearic Acid - Beef Tallow - Glycerin - Castor Oil - Potassium Hydroxide - Shea Butter - Avocado Oil - Sodium Hydroxide - Fragrance - Lanolin - Coconut Oil - Marshmallow Extract - Colloidal Oatmeal - Chamomile Extract - Sodium Gluconate - Aloe Vera Extract - Sodium Lactate.

Very clean list, which includes many nourishing/moisturizing ingredients. There will be 4 initial scent offerings including two that have already been revealed, "Incense and Oud" and "Spa." Looking at an early October release. Thanks for reading, all!

 

[Graydog]

This is a review I posted up elsewhere and thought I'd share it here also...

I would like to first say that Mo contacted me via PM to see if I would be interested in trying this because he'd seen posts I'd made on another forum about his soaps and knows I am an exclusive Stirling user and have never tried any on his soaps and I'm sure most here have seen some of the said posts and maybe even commented on them. Anyway, I received a sample of Fortis 1.31 unscented in the mail yesterday from Mo along with a sample of his pre-shave to test for him and will be posting some comments over the next couple shaves. I shave every other day so this will probably take a little time but I at least wanted to get the 1st shave posted today as its just a few hours after the shave...Upon opening the soap after unpacking it I felt it had a distinctive scent but couldn't quite grasp what it was until this morning's shave. What I got from the puck, both dry and wet, was a faint scent of lard or cooking oil but wasn't off putting in any way and soldiered on with my shave...

I'll point out that Mo's suggestion for the test was to use only the soap and nothing else, pre or post shave ,so what you see in the pic was the only thing used... The only things different that I normally use for my shaves would include a quick use of the Alum bar after final rinse and then after shave to finish off the shave after cleaning up my brush and razor to get them ready for the next shave. As far as prep pre-shave, I normally only splash my face with warm-hot water for a moment or two to wet my face prior to face lathering. I tried pre-shaves in the past and found just like a shower pre-shave, they did nothing special for me at all and made no difference in the quality or comfort of my shave!!

The tools used for today's shave was my 26mm DC Shaving / TurnNShave Quartermoon brush and my Ti95DC OC/SB loaded with a Shark SC (5th shave).

All brush prep and loading of the soap was exactly the same as I'd do every shave with one of my Stirling soaps so as to keep it very routine and similar. In prepping my brush I splay the brush in the sink under water and then I gently grasp the knot in my left hand and push the knot while turning it in a wringing motion with my right hand to get most of the water released form the knot and leaving it damp to start loading. I then moved to the tub and swirled the brush for about 20-30 seconds and then proceeded to face lather.

The Fortis may have loaded a little easier than my Stirling and created maybe a little denser lather and there was certainly enough lather for more passes than I ever do each shave, but for the 1st pass the thing that stood out the most was it wasn't quite as slick as I'm used to and as I shaved and removed the lather my face felt almost tacky where with Stirling, there was still some residual slickness left behind. I would maybe define the tackiness as more of what you would feel after washing your face with a bar of soap and the feel after you rinsed the soap off where it just feels fresh and clean. This wasn't a problem on the 1st pass WTG with the OC side, N/S on both face and neck, but where it was pronounced was on the 2nd pass with the SB side of the Ti95DC. The 2nd pass ATG is a Goatee to ear on my face and from R/L across my neck. There may have been a little drag but it was almost too minor to matter really, but thought I'd mention it anyway. Maybe the water / soap ratio was off a little as it was the very 1st time I'd lathered the Fortis... I'd say the weirdest part of the shave was not using my Alum bar and aftershave as that is just a normal part of my ritual every time I shave but I wanted to stick to what Mo suggested in our PM's earlier.

My overall 1st impression of the Fortis is very positive and the shave itself yielded a 2 pass BBS just the same as with using Stirling but the biggest difference is my skin, though soft, has an earlier oiliness to it just 5 hrs later. I have very oily skin to begin with but it isn't usually noticeable until later in the day or early evening almost 10-12 hrs later when utilizing my usual full routine. Do keep in mind this is all just thoughts after only my 1st go with Fortis and I still have quite a few shaves ahead and things could certainly change down the line.

I'd like to thank Mo for the opportunity to test his products and hope my experience can help him in development of this product...

Thanks for the nice review.
Nice Razor

 

[kingfisher]

That ingredients list looks great. The soap may be cheaper than his usual offerings, but it still has some wonderful ingredients in it. Colloidal oatmeal is an ingredient that sticks out. Haven't seen many shave soaps with that in them. Generally speaking, colloidal oatmeal tends to soothe skin, especially dry skin, and it also functions as a humectant, sort of like glycerin. Interesting addition.

 

[mrlandpirate]

. Colloidal oatmeal is an ingredient that sticks out. Haven't seen many shave soaps with that in them. Generally speaking, colloidal oatmeal tends to soothe skin, especially dry skin, and it also functions as a humectant, sort of like glycerin. Interesting addition.

Thanks for the info that must be why my old dry skin feels so good when I use it

 

[ryinzana]

That ingredients list looks great. The soap may be cheaper than his usual offerings, but it still has some wonderful ingredients in it. Colloidal oatmeal is an ingredient that sticks out. Haven't seen many shave soaps with that in them. Generally speaking, colloidal oatmeal tends to soothe skin, especially dry skin, and it also functions as a humectant, sort of like glycerin. Interesting addition.

That coupled with the Aloe Vera and Camomile stood out to me as well. I think these ingredients contribute to the soothing post shave feel.

 

[Rhody]

Great read thanks for the product test reviews. Ill be interested to see how this shakes out. I wouldn't necessarily be motivated to switch to the new base but the price point will probably get me in eventually

 

[evnpar]

Have you gentlemen used M&M and/or Dragonsbeard?

From what I've read here and there these two products seem to some guys comparable to GD. I'd be interested to know if your comments apply to these two soaps?

Thanks and happy shaves,

Jim

I'm just now responding to your question, as I wanted to try M&M soaps to compare with GD soaps. I've been using M&M tallow soaps to compare to GD Lusso (tallow), and M&M Aon (tallow and duck fat) to GD Mallard (duck fat) soaps. In terms of post shave feel, I found M&M to be only a little above mediocre, and GD continues to be the star in that department, IMO. I also found M&M soaps lacking in the slickness I like for using a straight razor, whereas GD is one of the slickest soaps I've ever used. I do feel that the slickness of M&M soaps would have been more than adequate had I been using a DE or SE. Both soaps are easy to lather and hold on to a good deal of water. Where M&M shines is in their scents. Some of my favorite frags, and those I use most frequently, are Creed Aventus, Green Irish Tweed, Silver Mountain Water, and Viking, and each has a corresponding M&M soap with a similar scent. While my go to soap has been GD, I don't find Mo's scents anything to write home about. Fortunately many of his scents are on the light side, and will pair with nearly any cologne. If I continue to use the above M&M soaps, it will be only when I'm using one of the above frags, but I doubt that I'll purchase another as the performance isn't quite there for me. Even GD's latest vegan base outperforms M&M in slickness and post-shave feel. One advantage M&M has is in terms of marketing and availability, as one can decide about ordering a product after trying samples, and most soaps are readily available. M&M also seems to provide excellent customer service. However, in over 55 years of wet shaving, GD soaps are the only ones that have actually improved my skin condition with regular use, and that combined with their slickness is good enough for me to give them my highest rating.

 

[Charlie R]

Grooming Dept is probably my number one right now, you would be hard pressed to come up with a more forgiving shave with a better post shave feel. I have some great soaps that I haven’t touched in months actually. Just order his next offer lol

 

[jaxstar]

Hi- has anyone tried the Sandalwood Nobile soap. I think Mo has created a great scent here. It is by far the closest to true sandalwood in shaving soaps/creams. I absolutely love the scent.

 

[mrlandpirate]

I agree great soap and scent

 

[A. Feitar]

It is a great scent. I enjoy the Oud/agarwood in it.

 

[jaxstar]

I already regret not getting a backup. I hope he brings the fragrance back soon. He told me he's also planning to make a edp of this fragrance at some point. Can't wait for it.