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Is Mitchell's Wool Fat the best ever shaving soap?

One of the reasons I like MWF is that it is dependable. I know the lather I am going to get and can count on it. Some other soaps, if I don't do it just right, I don't get the lather I want. With MWF, following the method that I use, it is simple and repeatable.
 
The main issue with MWF is that it's more finicky to load properly than modern bases. Once you manage to get the technique for lathering correct, it has slickness that is comparable with modern bases, and a post-shave that is decent enough. In terms of quality/quantity/cost, it's probably the best budget option on the market, but many of the people in this hobby appreciate the improvements made in base and scent that come from those modern options. I reach for it on those days that I wish to eliminate the mental fatigue of selecting which scent I'm in the mood for, which is possibly the most privileged problem a person can have.
 
*Hijack alert*
I've only used the new version. Without knowing the old version to compare it to I find it an extremely easy to lather soap that provides excellent slickness and all around great performance. I even started to crave the scent after awhile. 🤷‍♂️
Same here. Very easy to lather new version Tabac with my synthetic and excellent performance. In an open bowl I was surprised at how fast the scent dissipated. Actually like it at mild levels. Was only too strong on the first day of use.

Now it's time to return to our MWF discussion.:)
 
A good thing about The Fat is the smell. You don't smell like an old lady's purse, cat urine, a cheap whore, or the stuff that comes out of the backside of a cow eating spring grass. A lot of shaving soaps are perfumed by wannabe perfumers who use shaving soap customers as guinea pigs. Like La Toja, The Fat has a nice, soft, just showered smell and it is a smell that doesn't interfere with the day's choice of aftershave.
 
A good thing about The Fat is the smell. You don't smell like an old lady's purse, cat urine, a cheap whore, or the stuff that comes out of the backside of a cow eating spring grass. A lot of shaving soaps are perfumed by wannabe perfumers who use shaving soap customers as guinea pigs. Like La Toja, The Fat has a nice, soft, just showered smell and it is a smell that doesn't interfere with the day's choice of aftershave.
Abso-freakin'-lutely!
 
No one has really explained the advantages of going Vegan soaps through out Europe. Speick did the same thing also and that is one excellent soap IMO.
I read in another thread it was due to concerns about mad cow disease potentially being spread from tainted tallow.
I've tried all the internet folklore to get this soap to work, and nope. Not for me. Thin. Runny, finally with enough work I can get a lather. But it disappears from my face before I can even pick up my razor. Oh well.

Back to my favorite - seize the helm! (Soap Commander)
You didn't mention Voodoo spells using chicken blood and feathers. But don't bother, they didn't work for me.:thumbdown
 
.........What I did was to cover the puck completely with water and soak in the container overnight. The puck will swell as it rehydrates and fill the container. After that, I wet my brush...........
So you literally fill the MWF container enough to cover the MWF puck?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!?!?
 
Based solely on my experiences with it, MWF is in my bottom tier of soaps. I struggled to build a lather with it, no matter what I tried. I'm glad I only bought one puck of the darn thing; there are too many better shaving soaps out there for me to work through a pile of MWF.

Among my favorite soaps so far are TOBS (Sandalwood in the hard puck), Tabac, Captain's Choice (Venture and Land Ho), PdP 63, SV (Cosmo) and Haslinger (Aloe Vera). There are a bunch of other soaps (primarily artisan soaps, Proraso, and Cella) that I really enjoy using (including a Frank-menth-soap PIFed by @COdiak); MWF is nowhere near these soaps.

Of course, this is another instance where the YMMV kicks in when it comes to shaving.
 
So you literally fill the MWF container enough to cover the MWF puck?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!?!?
Yes. That soap is dehydrated and that's why people have trouble. Even the folks at MWF recommend doing this. Fill the container so that it covers the puck completely and let it sit overnight, at least. It will absorb all of the water and swell to fill the container. When you get ready to shave, pour off any water still remaining (I use this as a preshave sometimes). Then, after wetting your brush, shake it three times good. Then, squeeze it out gently. Now, start loading the brush. I not only load my tips, but I splay the brush, too. Lather will start coming up. Ignore this for now. After you load the brush for a minute, go to your bowl and build the lather. Once you get that going, start painting your face really well. If the soap is a little too dry, put a little of the brush tip briefly in water. A little goes a very long way. Paint more, just like any soap. It will be rich and creamy. It's not as complicated as the telling. When you are finished, cover the soap. Don't let it dry out or you will have to do it all again. From this point on, you only need to prepare your brush as above and load and lather.

BTW, this method works with other hard soaps, too.
 
Yes. That soap is dehydrated and that's why people have trouble. Even the folks at MWF recommend doing this. Fill the container so that it covers the puck completely and let it sit overnight, at least. It will absorb all of the water and swell to fill the container. When you get ready to shave, pour off any water still remaining (I use this as a preshave sometimes). Then, after wetting your brush, shake it three times good. Then, squeeze it out gently. Now, start loading the brush. I not only load my tips, but I splay the brush, too. Lather will start coming up. Ignore this for now. After you load the brush for a minute, go to your bowl and build the lather. Once you get that going, start painting your face really well. If the soap is a little too dry, put a little of the brush tip briefly in water. A little goes a very long way. Paint more, just like any soap. It will be rich and creamy. It's not as complicated as the telling. When you are finished, cover the soap. Don't let it dry out or you will have to do it all again. From this point on, you only need to prepare your brush as above and load and lather.

BTW, this method works with other hard soaps, too.
For years, I've never understood people having trouble with MWF! It's a brilliant shaving soap that's incredibly easy to lather, hard water or not.
 
This morning, I got out the MWF, and using my H.Diamond 1000 straight razor got a mostly BBS shave in two passes with minor touch up. I have to be careful with this razor, because it is so comfortable to shave with, I can get too close. I gave myself some very slight irritation in two small places, but that soap made the razor glide over everything like a bugger on a snot trail.
 
I never "hydrate" my MWF pucks, not at least on purpose. First time use is the same as my last: put one teaspoon of warm water over the puck and immediately start loading with a damp brush. 20-30sec later I transfer the brush onto my lathering bowl and create proto lather for another 20-30sec. Then I continue on face for another 30sec-1min for a perfect lather and shave. It just works every time, from first use to last. I shave every day and finish the puck I started before moving on to the next. I might use another soap over a weekend to crush monotony, but otherwise... I really don't understand what this fuss is all about.
Oh, the pucks I use now are at least 10 years old. So yeah, nicely cured.
 
Don’t know, but it’s a good one for sure.
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For years, I've never understood people having trouble with MWF! It's a brilliant shaving soap that's incredibly easy to lather, hard water or not.
Also for @Doc Dan and @MoreArtful

There are multiple effective approaches to successfully lathering MWF. Many hydrate the puck likd Doc Dan. CCS does not with great results. I build lather directly on a dry puck with a boar brush. See the details in my post #57 above in this thread via the link below:

 
I got mwf for the first time a month ago and have used it twice so far. I read somewhere that grating it up and stuffing it back into the bowl helps with lathering. I did that and haven’t had trouble. Face feels great afterwards.
 
I got mwf for the first time a month ago and have used it twice so far. I read somewhere that grating it up and stuffing it back into the bowl helps with lathering. I did that and haven’t had trouble. Face feels great afterwards.
Some do that. I don't. I use the rehydration method because it is easy and consistent. There are other methods of using this soap, too. If it works for you and you are happy, that's good.
 
I got mwf for the first time a month ago and have used it twice so far. I read somewhere that grating it up and stuffing it back into the bowl helps with lathering. I did that and haven’t had trouble. Face feels great afterwards.
How on earth does grating it and stuffing it back into the bowl do anything whatsoever to help with lathering??
 
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