Mitchells Wool Fat first impression

[Chandu]

I was relaying that hydration procedure as told from an employee from Mitchell's shop. See post #78 for one reference - Mitchell's Wool Fat - What Happened? - https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/threads/mitchells-wool-fat-what-happened.562578/page-4#post-10970021

Ok, riddle me this. Why is the dish so much larger than the puck? To flop around for fun, hold spare change or extra razor blades.

Thank you. I had not see that previously.

After reading threads on here and seeing what was working I concluded that the soap basically ships dry, but needs to be hydrated to work its best. This isn't a bloom in the typical fashion. People need to get that out of their head and think of it as Mitchell's shipped me dehydrated soap and to use it, I put it in a container a bit bigger than the puck add some water and let it expand for a day or two to rehydrate it to how it should be used. Yes, it won't stay a pristinely shaped puck and it might gets some cracks at times.

If you are a daily driver you probably (a bit more on that point further down) don't need a container that seals tightly, but if you expect to put it away and use it only once in a week or two weeks or less, then a tupperware type bowl would be ideal to it stays hydrated and you aren't forced to repeat the "rehydrate" signal.

Non standard treatment for a soap for folks with 2022 soap expectations, sure. But in the 1800's when the formula appeared, how many shave soaps do you imagine were in one's shave den. I'll give you a hint <2. So it was a daily driver and hydration was no problem, especially where this soap was likely to be used, England, where the temps are never that hot and it tends to be humid anyway.

If you are from New Mexico and leave your Mitchells in an uncovered mug for a day, it is going to dry out a lot more than for a shaver in the UK. In other words with this soap, for the easiest use you probably need to consider how frequently you use it, your ambient temp and humidity levels and store accordingly between shaves. For some that may mean an open mug or bowl is fine, others need something loosely or tightly covered.

 

[Telefan]

Thank you. I had not see that previously.

After reading threads on here and seeing what was working I concluded that the soap basically ships dry, but needs to be hydrated to work its best. This isn't a bloom in the typical fashion. People need to get that out of their head and think of it as Mitchell's shipped me dehydrated soap and to use it, I put it in a container a bit bigger than the puck add some water and let it expand for a day or two to rehydrate it to how it should be used. Yes, it won't stay a pristinely shaped puck and it might gets some cracks at times.

If you are a daily driver you probably (a bit more on that point further down) don't need a container that seals tightly, but if you expect to put it away and use it only once in a week or two weeks or less, then a tupperware type bowl would be ideal to it stays hydrated and you aren't forced to repeat the "rehydrate" signal.

Non standard treatment for a soap for folks with 2022 soap expectations, sure. But in the 1800's when the formula appeared, how many shave soaps do you imagine were in one's shave den. I'll give you a hint <2. So it was a daily driver and hydration was no problem, especially where this soap was likely to be used, England, where the temps are never that hot and it tends to be humid anyway.

If you are from New Mexico and leave your Mitchells in an uncovered mug for a day, it is going to dry out a lot more than for a shaver in the UK. In other words with this soap, for the easiest use you probably need to consider how frequently you use it, your ambient temp and humidity levels and store accordingly between shaves. For some that may mean an open mug or bowl is fine, others need something loosely or tightly covered.

A tip of my cap to you! A great observation.

I wish they would slip it with a small sheet of paper stating that to achieve peak performance, you need to rehydrate the puck, etc.

 

[JCarr]

I have MWF. At first, i'd heard that it was a very hard lather, but found it surprisingly responsive to a damp synthetic brush and the usual swirls. You may shorten the lifespan of the puck if you over-bloom it. Of course, it's just soap, but you might as well get the most out of it. MWF is really good soap, the performance and slickness are excellent. Enjoy!

 

[Roy]

There's some right old rubbish written here!! I've hard water and the soap lather with a drop of water in seconds. Great, creamy amount of lather.

 

[Lazarus Long]

I see no need to bloom the puck, I just use a damp synthetic brush. I didn't know there was a dish when I bought my first puck, so I just used a bowl. when it was about gone, I bought the next one with the dish. To keep the puck from sliding around, I smooshed the remnants of the first puck into the bottom of the dish, then pressed the new puck down on top. the puck stays put that way.

 

[Tomo]

Great soap. Extremely slick with a nice post shave. For me it lathers very easily. Scent is mild and soapy.

 

[Ice-Man]

There's some right old rubbish written here!! I've hard water and the soap lather with a drop of water in seconds. Great, creamy amount of lather.

Hmmmm, that rubish you say is written here came from me, it was from the staff in the Mitchell's Wool Fat shop when I got my soap.

So if it's rubbish, answer me this when you buy the dish with the soap why is the dish way bigger than the soap, if you buy other soaps it's the same size as the dish take Tabac that's a tight fit for its dish when you replace the puck.

Do Mitchell wool fat soap expect you to grate the puck to fit the dish? nope but hydrate the soap hmmmm might be rubbish but when they tell you to place the soap in the dish, then top it up with water and leave it until the soap expands until it fits the dish so is that rubbish coming from the horse's mouth I don't think so.

You don't even need to add a touch of water to bloom it on the top while you shower, yes I use Mitchell's wool fat soap I buy direct from the shop where it is made I even use the bath soap.

So if that's rubbish then I can say one thing the way you use it is rubbish why struggle with a soap, I can tell you I can go around my puck of soap 4 times yes that's all 4 times and I can get my lather to explode. in a very short time, I don't need to load it like I hate it or turn the soap upside down and load it like I hate it but in fact, I use it like any other soap and get fantastic results from it.

So if that's rubbish as to what people say then I give up and will never ask any makers anything in future because their advice is rubbish.

So I will just leave it at that.....

Regards

Ian

PS:

I will just add its still made the same as it was they have never tried to make it better or added stuff to it its still the same as it was when first made that speaks volumes, this is why the soap works better when you get near the end of the puck because its hydrated with everyday use.

 

[Telefan]

Hmmmm, that rubish you say is written here came from me, it was from the staff in the Mitchell's Wool Fat shop when I got my soap.

So if it's rubbish, answer me this when you buy the dish with the soap why is the dish way bigger than the soap, if you buy other soaps it's the same size as the dish take Tabac that's a tight fit for its dish when you replace the puck.

Do Mitchell wool fat soap expect you to grate the puck to fit the dish? nope but hydrate the soap hmmmm might be rubbish but when they tell you to place the soap in the dish, then top it up with water and leave it until the soap expands until it fits the dish so is that rubbish coming from the horse's mouth I don't think so.

You don't even need to add a touch of water to bloom it on the top while you shower, yes I use Mitchell's wool fat soap I buy direct from the shop where it is made I even use the bath soap.

So if that's rubbish then I can say one thing the way you use it is rubbish why struggle with a soap, I can tell you I can go around my puck of soap 4 times yes that's all 4 times and I can get my lather to explode. in a very short time, I don't need to load it like I hate it or turn the soap upside down and load it like I hate it but in fact, I use it like any other soap and get fantastic results from it.

So if that's rubbish as to what people say then I give up and will never ask any makers anything in future because their advice is rubbish.

So I will just leave it at that.....

Regards

Ian

PS:

I will just add its still made the same as it was they have never tried to make it better or added stuff to it its still the same as it was when first made that speaks volumes, this is why the soap works better when you get near the end of the puck because its hydrated with everyday use.

Ian,

Thanks for showing up here, you can't reason/argue/debate with a closed mind. Please keep relaying any info you get from any source.

I think if you said the sky is blue, they'd argue it's pink.

Joe

 

[macintoshBR]

If soaking was really needed, why on Earth wouldn't the manufacturer write some instructions on the box as any other seller does? Do you think this company bases their business model on the hope that unsatisfied customers write their customer support to ask how to use their product?

I respect all opinions, and I am supportive of doing whatever works best for you, but in my opinion the soaking and expanding part is a myth.

Anyway, any soap will naturally expand if you use it daily and load from the puck, and any hard soap will get better with daily use. People in shaving forums are the only folks in the world that rotate shaving soaps, and thus have this kind of problems and debates. Lol truly first world problems here.

Here's how I solve the bigger dish "problem": add a dozen drops of water to the bottom of the puck, let it sit for 2hs. Boom! It will never move again unless you want it to. I appreciate the extra room, so the soap breathes and the excess water evaporates. Many folks here have problems with Tabac humidity due to the fact that the water goes under the puck and stays there forever.

 

[chuckd]

Probably will not restock due to sticky after shave feeling and because requires quite a lot of work to build proper lather

Yes. This.

 

[Cino]

I just looked out the window. The sky is gray.

 

[Ice-Man]

If soaking was really needed, why on Earth wouldn't the manufacturer write some instructions on the box as any other seller does? Do you think this company bases their business model on the hope that unsatisfied customers write their customer support to ask how to use their product?

I respect all opinions, and I am supportive of doing whatever works best for you, but in my opinion the soaking and expanding part is a myth.

Anyway, any soap will naturally expand if you use it daily and load from the puck, and any hard soap will get better with daily use. People in shaving forums are the only folks in the world that rotate shaving soaps, and thus have this kind of problems and debates. Lol truly first world problems here.

Here's how I solve the bigger dish "problem": add a dozen drops of water to the bottom of the puck, let it sit for 2hs. Boom! It will never move again unless you want it to. I appreciate the extra room, so the soap breathes and the excess water evaporates. Many folks here have problems with Tabac humidity due to the fact that the water goes under the puck and stays there forever.

Ok so its a myth so you say? do try it and find out if it works but it's members like yourself that don't believe in what the makers say and call it a myth, if you don't want to try it just scroll past you don't need to comment on your saying as a useless myth

have you tried to send them mail I doubt it as you would find out the same as everyone else they don't reply and I was asked in the original post if I would call in and ask and I did and replied in that thread as their shop is 30mins from where I live but I killed two birds with one stone I was delivering to a factory in the next street and while they were unloading me I went round got my stuff and asked the question?

but I have washed my hands on it now do your own thing and when people ask why they are struggling to get it to work try posting what you do load it like you hate it.

Goodbye

 

[Telefan]

Ian,

Thanks for your insight, it's too bad that members here are calling you a liar.

Time to move on, cancel culture at it's finest.

Joe

 

[Noodles]

Q: If soaking was really needed, why on Earth wouldn't the manufacturer write some instructions on the box as any other seller does?

A: Anyway, any soap will naturally expand if you use it daily and load from the puck, and any hard soap will get better with daily use.

Uhhh....I think you answered your own question .

Anyhoo...when I had the bowl and a new puck, I soaked it for a couple of days, it expanded to fill the bowl, and the lather was great after a day or two. When I've grated a partially used puck, I use it for a couple of weeks, the lather is so-so, then at the start of ~the third week, when the puck is hydrated, the lather is great. In fact, I've been using the grated soap (approx 1/3 puck) for about three months now and I've barely made a dent in it, the damned soap has soaked up SO much water!

 

[macintoshBR]

Uhhh....I think you answered your own question

Look, I’m not saying it’s wrong to soak it. I’m saying it’s a myth that you NEED to soak MWF for 4 days to make it work.

MWF is already great without soaking. I have been through 2 pucks and am on my third now. I have over 200 shaves with MWF, so I’m not a casual user. I have used it daily for months, and also sporadically in a rotation. I’ve never had a bad shave with MWF, even when the lather is foamy and bubbly, it still provides plenty slickness and protection.

MWF and any other decent hard soap for that matter will be even better if used daily. Particularly in the last 10-15 shaves of a daily used puck the lather is so good and so easy to build. Many people here don’t know it because they use a soap once a month in a rotation, so they look for gimmicks like soaking puck for days, blooming the soap before shaving, etc

Very similar to breaking in a boar brush. If it was needed, the manufacturers would tell their customers to do it. Or would even find a way to do it themselves before selling. No, just use it frequently and you will be fine.

Again, this is just my opinion based on my experience. If soaking your soap makes you happy, then go for it. But unless it’s written in the box or product details, its unlikely to be a necessary thing.

 

[nav]

Look, I’m not saying it’s wrong to soak it. I’m saying it’s a myth that you NEED to soak MWF for 4 days to make it work.

MWF is already great without soaking. I have been through 2 pucks and am on my third now. I have over 200 shaves with MWF, so I’m not a casual user. I have used it daily for months, and also sporadically in a rotation. I’ve never had a bad shave with MWF, even when the lather is foamy and bubbly, it still provides plenty slickness and protection.

MWF and any other decent hard soap for that matter will be even better if used daily. Particularly in the last 10-15 shaves of a daily used puck the lather is so good and so easy to build. Many people here don’t know it because they use a soap once a month in a rotation, so they look for gimmicks like soaking puck for days, blooming the soap before shaving, etc

Very similar to breaking in a boar brush. If it was needed, the manufacturers would tell their customers to do it. Or would even find a way to do it themselves before selling. No, just use it frequently and you will be fine.

Again, this is just my opinion based on my experience. If soaking your soap makes you happy, then go for it. But unless it’s written in the box or product details, its unlikely to be a necessary thing.

This matches my experience.

I've gone through around 8 MWF pucks over the last 12 years.

I never soak a new puck. I never bloom before use. I don't grate it into a container.

I just grab the puck, load the brush for 15 seconds and get enough beautiful lather for 4 passes.

If I use MWF daily, just loading it with a damp brush expands the puck over time and fills the dish. No soaking or blooming.

Even in a rotation, I never experience cracking or poor performance...

My experience was that when I did soak the puck and then allowed it to dry out (as it was in a large rotation), the performance definitely dropped and I had to use it a few days consecutively to bring it back to life!

I feel soaking the puck causes more issues than it helps to solve.

I've had direct communication with the director of MWF via email and never was it advised to soak or bloom the puck.

 

[Peyk]

MWF is my favorite soap. It's even my favorite scent. I just wished the scent was a little stronger. I bought the hand and body lotion from MWF. The scent was so strong that I could hardly use it. The sweet spot would be somewhere in the middle. But I guess nobody from Bradfort is gonna listen to me.

I don't really get why people is treating this soap like some kind of troubled teenager who needs special care. I use it like any other soap and it lathers with no problem at all. Love it.

 

[nav]

MWF is my favorite soap. It's even my favorite scent. I just wished the scent was a little stronger. I bought the hand and body lotion from MWF. The scent was so strong that I could hardly use it. The sweet spot would be somewhere in the middle. But I guess nobody from Bradfort is gonna listen to me.

I don't really get why people is treating this soap like some kind of troubled teenager who needs special care. I use it like any other soap and it lathers with no problem at all. Love it.

It's my most favorite shaving soap scent too!

The bath soap smells about the same so I use both and get a double hit of MWF!!

 

[AimlessWanderer]

I have been through 2 pucks and am on my third now. I have over 200 shaves with MWF, so I’m not a casual user.

Wow. You must load heavy. I get around 500 multipass shaves from each cake of Mitchell's soap.

 

[macintoshBR]

Wow. You must load heavy. I get around 500 multipass shaves from each cake of Mitchell's soap.

I average 1.2g of soap per use. Hard soap, soft soap, I tend to converge to this average. I don’t find it excessive.

Your usage of 0.25g per shave gives me nothing to be proud of.

I’m Not worried about saving shaving soap, just about having great shaves. It’s not a competition