How about HC&C soaps?

[Rodrigoqui]

I don't see a lot of information or comments about the HC&C soaps.

How do they work?
Do they have good slickness and protection?
Are they better or worse than the other top dogs soaps?

I'm thinking about get a couple of the soaps but I don't know yet

 

[emwolf]

Funny you should post this, I ordered some Black Friday deals stuff and had my first shave with the HC&C Bond, James Bond soap this morning. It's a very full tub with nice artwork (actually the primary reason I picked it up in the first place, big Bond fan and collector). Soap is a soft "croap" with a vegetable base but includes clay and silk in the formula. It lathers up very well and the scent (which I assume is patterned after Floris #89) is pleasant if a bit subdued. It was very slick and I had a very enjoyable shave. So yes, I recommend this soap. My "top dogs" in the croap department would have to be Stirling, Southern Witchcrafts, and CBL. I would say this ranks closest to Stirling as far as performance.

 

[Timeclo]

I've ordered a sampler pack from them and couple tubs recently from the BF Sale. The first thing that I notice about them is the great customer service. Pete from HC&C goes above and beyond to make sure the customer has a good experience with their products and their return policy is excellent. Even the sample tubs are filled to the top, just like their soap tubs.

Lather-wise, I get a thick and creamy lather from their soaps. When I'm bowl lathering, it's almost hard to swirl sometimes because of how thick the lather is. Good slickness and protection from the lather; I've had several enjoyable shaves with it. I would compare them similar to Stirling as well. I also enjoy their scents and some of my favorites from them are Badass, Southern Comfort, and the Peppermint scents.

They also have scenting oils so that you can mix and match with an unscented soap. Try a couple out if you're interested. Even a drop of two of the fragrance makes that unscented soap smell great.

 

[tyoung]

I bought the unscented soap, along with several of their scenting oils. I found the soap to be top tier. It lathers easily, and is very slick and creamy. My best comparison is it is similar to the lather I get from Stirling as @emwolf noted as well.

The scenting oils are fun! I face lather, so I load my brush, then add about 3-4 drops on top, then lather away. he has just released several more scents, and I want to order a bunch more. it really makes for a "hobby within the hobby" and I get a kick out of trying and mixing scent oils.

 

[merovirginian]

I also bought a number of fragrances. I use them with my Stirling Sheep. I really, really enjoy adding scent to this unscented but great soap (mutton tallow is very nice and a step above 'normal' Stirling imho). If I want a strong scent, I add 10+ drops on top of the brush after loading. I tend to usually add about 8 drops for a good medium scent before I face lather.

I have the following scents (but have not tried them all, but I have used some in a diffuser): Cloud 9, Fresh Spring, Sandalwood, Peppermint, Florida Grapefruit, Dancing Koala, and Peppermint. I don't know why, but I really disliked the Florida Grapefruit. Dancing Koala is very powerful. I would dial down the drops on this one (it's my favorite in a room diffuser though).

The first one I tried was Cloud 9. Very good. But my current favorite is Sandalwood. It's clearly a blend of things and just one note, but a great blend. Highly recommend them. But, I have not tried the soap base so cannot comment on that. I do have a sample of their unscented base but have not tried it either.

 

[Rodrigoqui]

Thanks guys! I Think I will give the soap a try. Now is the eternal wait for it to arrive here.

 

[Timeclo]

Took out my HC&C unscented soap for a run today. Added a drop of their Lemongrass EO for a nice relaxing evening shave.

I loaded heavy (Double almond size) and it produced a lot of lather. Thick, creamy, and slick. Using a dense badger is not ideal for lathering but it still worked out well. Feels great on the skin and allowed the blade to glide easily every pass.

 

[rs_776]

I'm a little late to the dance on this thread, but I thought I'd chime in. I've been using HC&C for about two years, including the current "Top Shelf" base and the previous formulation. In both cases I found the soaps to be about the best I've tried in terms of latherability. Even compared to leading artisan croaps, I found HC&C to be noticeably easier to lather.

If you prefer to scoop and bowl lather, you can get away with about half as much product as you would use with other croaps. Personally, I like to load the brush right from the tub. I drip some water over the top and let it bloom while wetting my brush (~30-60sec), dump the water and start loading. A 10 second brush load gives me enough lather for 4-5 passes.

Performance IMO is on par with leading brands like A&E, Declaration, PAA, etc. I own three HC&C soaps that are scented, but I primarily use the "scent your own" system. (I have at least a dozen oils and about half dozen samples) I've found that with the current formulation of the unscented soap, the soap itself has a slightly stronger smell (reminds me of an oatmeal scent), so it takes a an extra drop or two of scent oil to mask that.

I highly recommend trying HC&C if you haven't already. Getting a tub of unscented soap and balm, plus a few samples of scent oils, will give you a chance to try a good assortment without spending a fortune.

 

[ShaverAZ]

This video was the turning point for me - I ordered the Emperor Oud. I like more full-bodied scents, Shannon Soaps' Indigo Oud is my current alltime favorite with the scent lasting all day. Hopefully the HC&C will measure up to Shannon's performance & quality.