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Josh's 3017 Journey

Since I've started DE shaving in December 2013 there have been many soaps/creams that have been through my shave den. The first was a puck of Van der Hagen deluxe that I went through in over a month. After that different soaps/creams were purchased and I rotated them not really paying attention to how long they lasted. Earlier this year I noticed that I had more than a dozen full size soaps/creams (half of which had not been used) and over a dozen samples. So I decided to start going through them one at a time and keep track of how long each lasts.
 
Thank you!

The first item I used was St. James sandalwood and bergamot cream. This was purchased through Ebay at a discount and when I got it I thought some had been removed. However, weighing it before and after showed it wasn't.

The cream was recommended by a representative from St. James at Maggard's meet in 2017 who said it made a lot of lather with little product. It took some time for me to finally buy some due to the price. I first used it on March 1st and it seemed like a luxury product. It had a great scent and worked up a nice lather with just a but on product on the brush tips.

It did seem to go a bit quick though. By the end of the month a pretty significant amount was gone and on April 22nd it was gone. I used it everyday and might have overloaded a few times. 53 days was how long it lasted and I was kind of disappointed that it didn't go longer.

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On April 23rd I started using a new tube of Proraso red cream that I used with the aftershave. Unfortunately I didn't keep track of how long it lasted and I did use other products some days. I used up the tube, but didn't note when that was. The Proraso aftershave outlasted it though.
 
On September 5th I opened a container of Stirling Margaritas in the Artic soap. This had been sitting unused for over a year. It still had it's scent and made a good lather on a 20-30 second load. I used it on a daily basis along with the matching witch hazel and aloe aftershave. On November 16th it was depleted to the point where it was moved to my mug of other soap bits for one last use.

So I got 72 shaves for this one.
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On November 17th I started on a puck of Tabac.

This is a hard soap and I've read that it lasts a long time. My first time lathering was with my Omega boar and it needed a bit more moisture than with the Stirling. It protected well and I liked the scent. The post shave was a little dry though.

The second shave was with my Duke 2 and I started with more water. It created a frothier lather, but dialed in well lathering on my face. The post shave felt better this time.
 
Thanksgiving

Been using Tabac for about a week and here are some impressions.
Lather speed is quick for a hard soap.
It requires some more water than others.
Consistency is creamy and protects well.
Scent is pleasant and does last a little after rinsing.
Post shave is a little dry.

Just going to have to wait and see how long it lasts.
 
Over a month in and I don't think it's even halfway finished. The soap is still performing like a champ though the scent seems to have dissipated a bit. Last month a little scent would remain after using witch hazel for post, but that has stopped.
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2 months in and there's still 25-30% of the Tabac left. It's still performing well with the scent strength unchanged from last month. This is one soap where I have no worries about overloading or residue moisture causing soap to be wasted. I think this puck should last well into February.
 
Thanks for the longevity postings. They can help people decide between soaps, and whether to even purchase some!
 
You're welcome. I got 7 more soaps/creams left and will most likely have a couple more by the end of the year.
 
Just over 3 months and it's still not gone. The soap is softer which is probably due to not drying the puck after use. The scent is a little different, it's hard to describe. The original scent is still present, but it gets overpowered by a harsher scent that I can't place. I'm impressed with this one's longevity.
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Well the Tabac is gone. It lasted until the last day of February. There was barely any left this morning and I thought it would need some more soap to build a good lather. It pulled through, but there was nothing left in the container except suds. This soap was an excellent value!

The Tabac lasted 104 shaves.
 
March 1st, started another soap. This one is WSP Rose shaving soap. It's the first of a few that I had in rotation and ended up in the closet. It must be 3-4 years old and was purchased on clearance when Wet Shaving Products discontinued the scent.

The night before starting I remove the soap from the tin and put it the plastic container that I used for the last soap. I did this for more room to lather and reduce spillover. The soap is pretty hard which may be due to age (I remember it being a softer soap), but still has alot of scent. The net weight is 3.3 ounces.

The first shave went okay. It lathered easily, but was a bit frothier than the last one which is probably because I'm still dialing it in. The lather protected well during the shave though. It had a fairly strong floral/earthy scent which seems too feminine and I'm on the fence about. It brings back a memory of stepping into my Grandmother's bedroom when I was a kid. The scent didn't last long after the shave.

It will be interesting to see if the scent grows on me and how long an older soap lasts.
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March 1st, started another soap. This one is WSP Rose shaving soap. It's the first of a few that I had in rotation and ended up in the closet. It must be 3-4 years old and was purchased on clearance when Wet Shaving Products discontinued the scent.

The night before starting I remove the soap from the tin and put it the plastic container that I used for the last soap. I did this for more room to lather and reduce spillover. The soap is pretty hard which may be due to age (I remember it being a softer soap), but still has alot of scent. The net weight is 3.3 ounces.

The first shave went okay. It lathered easily, but was a bit frothier than the last one which is probably because I'm still dialing it in. The lather protected well during the shave though. It had a fairly strong floral/earthy scent which seems too feminine and I'm on the fence about. It brings back a memory of stepping into my Grandmother's bedroom when I was a kid. The scent didn't last long after the shave.

It will be interesting to see if the scent grows on me and how long an older soap lasts.
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I always liked the aroma of rose. Not on me though. :)
In a room, on certain flowers, on women, but not on me.

I tried some rose scented shave soap recently which reinforced the fact I don't like it on me.
 
I always liked the aroma of rose. Not on me though. :)
In a room, on certain flowers, on women, but not on me.

I tried some rose scented shave soap recently which reinforced the fact I don't like it on me.

Fortunately the scent dissipates soon after the shave. SWMBO likes it though.
 
March 12, the WSP soap is performing well. I dialed in the lather after a few shaves. It's easy to load and produces a lather about as thick as Tabac. It still protects well and a little Proraso pre shave or Noxzema really helps it thicken. The scent is still pretty weak and is easily overpowered by pre shave. It's going to take a couple more weeks to really see how long it's lasting.
 
April 1, there's plenty of soap left. It's still building a good lather. I would compare it to Van der Hagen deluxe soap (which is also going to be part of the journey). Post shave has some residual slickness. The scent is still there, but does get overpowered by pre or post shave products. I'm planning on getting some WSP Formula T soap in June and seeing how it compares.

Today's shave was with a Karve SB-C and an Asco blade. I used some Proraso pre shave which bumps it up to more of a luxury soap. The shave went well except for a couple nicks, which is most likely due to lower humidity since winter does not seem ready to leave Michigan quite yet.
 
April 14, the WSP is gone. It started going quickly this last week and I got a total of 45 days. I added a soap sample to it this last day since I was away from home and didn't want to risk running out. It will be a day or two before I'll be ready to start another one.
 
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