Help selecting final soap/cream.

[wisemenofgotham]

Hello,

I appreciate all the information that I've learned from this forum. I've read and searched throughout this forum, looking for my perfect set up. After buying/sampling/selling many items, I'm satisfied with the following:

Brush: Simpson Chubby 2 in Best, Semogue 830
Razor: Merkur 39C Slant (Feather blades), 5/8 Custom Straight Razor
Creams/Soaps: AK 1869 (tub), CF Lime

I've owned/sampled/sold several of the forum favorites, including Razorock XXX, AdP, MWF, DR Harris Arlington soap, AOS, TOBS, GFT, Cella, Proraso, etc. I'm very content with just using my AK 1869, but it seems hard to find in the tub so I'm hesitant to use it daily. Castle Forbes Lime is a lather bomb and a very refreshing scent. However, I'm looking for a third and final item to add for the sake of variety, but I don't want a huge collection of soaps/creams that I barely use. Therefore I have two concerns:

- How long can a shaving cream last in storage? Do soaps have a better shelf life?
- What do you recommend for my last soap/cream?

At the moment, I think that Castle Forbes Lavender is the missing component (or DR Harris Lavender), but I'm open to all suggestions. I find that I like most scents, expect sandalwood, eucalyptus and menthol. I'm indifferent towards soaps and creams. Thank you for the help.

 

[Mick]

If you get near a shop that carries Crabtree & Evelyn products take a sniff of Nomad soap and see if you like it. Decent lathering products but the scent is very nice (to my nose anyway). It might be a little too pedestrian for you but it is worth a sniff anyway

 

[musicman1951]

AK 1869 is great stuff! You certainly can't go wrong with CF Lavender -my #1 cream. But for the sake of variety I'd suggest Simpson's cream. Wonderful stuff and much softer consistency than your other two. Ultimate Comfort is, IMHO, very similar.

I tried a sampler set from Queen Charlotte Soaps and found their cream to be very nice - and some scents are priced very low. I did have some burning with a couple of the scents, but I believe they are worth a try for anyone. Nice sized samples as well.

 

[NCJack]

No experience with their lavender, but Art of Shaving sandalwood is my favorite: great lather with comparatively little product

 

[IMightBeWrong]

I'm a total newb still, but I just got a container of AOS Sandalwood for the first time and just to test it out I scraped a TINY bit off of the seal when I opened it to take a whiff (maybe 1/4th of an almond sized bit) and whipped it up on my hand with my brush to what seemed to me to be plenty for 2 or 3 passes. I'd bet it could last a year no problem, maybe two, shaving every day like that. It also felt very slick. I can't wait to actually shave with it.

 

[SEnSE]

Martin

 

[Lexbomb]

What about McD? Love the stuff and insane lather.

 

[bosseb]

- How long can a shaving cream last in storage? Do soaps have a better shelf life?
- What do you recommend for my last soap/cream?

Soaps are considered to have almost eternal shelf life, but they do lose their scent after some time.
For your last soap I would recommend a DR Harris Lavender soap (I am using all Harris soaps in my rotation). The quality of the soap is on par with the Arlington, but the scent is from heaven but more subdued than in the creams!
As I see that you are using topend products I do have an alternative more in line with the minimalistic tradition: a shavestick preferably in combination with your existing cream. I personally superlather with Vitos green as a stick and Prorasos new red and blue creams (as you might have guessed i'm not on the minimalistic path to shaving nirvana!) Of course any mild scented stick would work. I use several of them but I would recommend the Valobra stick. This is the same soap as in AoS and several other highend soaps and it works well on its own also. Your brushes would be a very nice match to the Valobra stick!
Just my 2 cents...
Bosse

 

[Mad Man]

You NEED a stick.

Irisch Moos (discontinued but stock still floating around the net), Palmolive (Euro) or, if you like the refreshing scent of the CF Lime can I dare to suggest (dare! dare!)....

Arko?

 

[hookem11]

I don't think you could go wrong with Castle Forbes Lavender, especially since you already use and like the CF Lime

 

[gash]

I believe that AK 1869 (tub) is being reformulated. I think that RazoRock's Karite line has a similar formula, though, and I find its lather slicker than AK 1869's. I also think the RazoRock's lather knocks the socks off Castle Forbes' (slicker and much creamier). I use straight razors exclusively, and RazoRock Karite is one of my favorites. The RazoRock Karite King Louis is a lavender scent that's pretty natural. I love the stuff.

 

[wisemenofgotham]

Thank you for the suggestions. I forgot to mention that I have a LEA stick (new version) that I use to increase the lather at times. My only experience with Razorock was the XXX version, which reminded me of Acqua di Parma. However in my opinion, both fell short to the overall performance and scent combo of my Acca Kappa 1869. I thought to try out the R-160 but didn't want two almond scents. I really enjoyed Cella and MWF, but found it difficult to get lather in a short amount of time.

I didn't know about the Razorock Karite, that seems like something to look into. You ("gash") mention that it's one of your favorites. What are your other favorites?

Martin De Candre sounds interesting, but I missed out on Garry's sample run. Hopefully, he will do it again. Also, what is the general opinion of CF Lavender versus DR Harris Lavender? Thank you for the help, I look forward to more feedback.

 

[gash]

...I didn't know about the Razorock Karite, that seems like something to look into. You ("gash") mention that it's one of your favorites. What are your other favorites?...

My favorite is Valobra menthol. I also use (in approximate order of preference): Klar Kabinett, Valobra almond, Institut Karite, Martin de Candre, and I Coloniali. RazoRock Karite King Louis would be my third or fourth favorite, and I am picky.

 

[wisemenofgotham]

Thank you for all the feedback. I purchased some Castle Forbes Lavender, mostly because I was already familiar with the cream. The scent is nice but something I will definitely have to get used to because I prefer lighter scents. I'm hoping to get a sample of Martin de Candre in the near future, as well as the new TOBS Grapefruit.

On a side note, I did some math and came up with the following:

- Acqua di Parma shaving cream, 4.4 oz, $67 after tax ~ 125 grams --> 0.54/gram
- Castle Forbes shaving cream, 200 grams, $38 with free shipping --> 0.19/gram

AdP is almost 3 times the price of a gram of Castle Forbes, so you would be spending about $108 for 200 grams of AdP, vs $38 for 200 grams of Castle Forbes. Although I've owned Adp in the past, it makes it harder to justify purchasing it again (even with it's fantastic scent).