Hannah's Dad
I Can See Better Than Bigfoot.
I highly encourage you to get the aftershave splash(es). Scent lasts all ‘stinking’ day. Just awesome.
After using both the older, soft formula and now the newer hard formula, I gotta say I kinda like the softer one a bit more. It lathers up so incredibly quick and easily. Actual shave performance and post shave is the same.
I'm a big Murphy and McNeil fan, and I own seven (7) M&M soaps: Bad Mor, Claddagh, Crann Bethadh, Garda Síochána, Mandate of Heaven, Ouroboros, and Trinity. After discovering "gelatin" on the Claddagh, I checked my other six soaps, and found this (TOP = Garda Siochana, BOTTOM = Ouroboros).
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FWIW, these two and the Claddagh are all tallow and duck soaps. Crann Bethadh is also tallow and duck, but mine has never been wet in the tub versus having lather scraped into a bowl.
I am very sorry to report this, but that is part of what forums are for. Nevertheless, I think it should be viewed in a calm and wide perspective. As for me, I'm still a big M&M fan, and I do not expect that to change.
The last pic (brown soap) sure looks like colonies of bacteria having a party to me. One of the potential drawbacks to some of these very natural superfatted soaps with no preservatives is probably the potential for bacteria to grow and feed very well. I would guess the maker will stand by the purchasers, make it right and track down the cause and do a little prevention of some sort. I might try one of these someday, but for now, I'll pass.
As a matter of fact I had that happen recently and tossed the soap after the maker confirmed it was mold. It was never put away wet as he inferred. No offer to replace was tended. FWIW, it was one of the top five soap artisans on the market today:
...The maker of this soap is right to stand behind it...
The last pic (brown soap) sure looks like colonies of bacteria having a party to me. One of the potential drawbacks to some of these very natural superfatted soaps with no preservatives is probably the potential for bacteria to grow and feed very well. I would guess the maker will stand by the purchasers, make it right and track down the cause and do a little prevention of some sort. I might try one of these someday, but for now, I'll pass.
As a matter of fact I had that happen recently and tossed the soap after the maker confirmed it was mold. It was never put away wet as he inferred. No offer to replace was tended. FWIW, it was one of the top five soap artisans on the market today:
I corresponded with Bill via email last night, and by the time I awoke this morning, a shipment of replacements for all three jars was already on the way!
I asked Bill if there was anything I should pass along - he does not have privileges to post here - and his response was the first class sort of reply I expected: "... it’s simply important to me that folks know I’ll work with them on issues regardless of the cause. I’ve bought back a soap even if someone just didn’t like the scent or an ingredient (fragrance, lanolin etc) did not agree with their skin. Every situation is different requiring dynamic solutions. So my policy, broadly, is to take care of folks!" For example, it happens that in my case all three soaps were currently available in the new Aon base. Among other improvements, the Aon base addresses issues discussed in this thread, so Bill was able to ship me replacements immediately. Your situation might be different.
In any case, Bill asked me to let people know he can be reached at [email protected] and to please contact him if you are having issues with your soap.
How's that for top-shelf customer service!
Hi @Chandu.
I can understand your reluctance to buy @Chandu, but shoot me your snail if you would like a sample in the new Aon base. Same goes for you @Bogeyman. I don't know Bill's side of the story but regardless, I am sorry you had a bad experience. As long as you guys are somewhere in CONUS, soap and postage is on me.
I did see @HighSpeedSpoon and his earlier comment of the maker stepping up quickly, but missed your experience. That's not so good.Perhaps you imsunderstood me: he did NOT. At this point I won't name the maker, only that it was bought last year and always allowed to dry a day before re-lidding.
Very kind offer, sir. I will take you up on it. It does sound like Bill is doing his best to sort this out and keep customers happy.
...EDIT: Hey Bogeyman: I was writing my post #308 while you posted #307. My apologies if I misunderstood you. I thought you were referring to an M&M soap. Regardless, the sample offer is open.
Performance-wise, the soap lathers nicely producing a rich, slick lather. I'm not sure how long this soap will last and will report on it later. So far, usage has been more than most of my other soaps.
I would order this soap again - when the cooler weather sets in!
Well, I am 38 shaves into M&M's Claddagh. When I got the soap it arrived on a hot Arizona day and had been in the mailbox for several hours. It was in almost liquid form. I took the soap with a spoon and smoothed it out and put it in the refrigerator overnight. This is what it looked like after I used it a few times.
View attachment 1016248
In the beginning, the soap had an unusual consistency more like a cream than a soap. I had some difficulty loading the brush, i.e., for the first few times I loaded too much soap. After a week or two of continuous use the consistency began to change. If I kept the lid on the container the soap became very even softer. However, I began to leave the lid off for a few hours and the soap solidified. Also, it became more of a "normal" soap when it came to loading. After continued use, the soap has become very easy to load - as long as I leave the lid off the soap to solidify it. The scent was mild when I first used it. Now the scent is non-existant.
Today will be the 38th day of continuous use of this soap. This is what it looks like today.
View attachment 1016246
Performance-wise, the soap lathers nicely producing a rich, slick lather. I'm not sure how long this soap will last and will report on it later. So far, usage has been more than most of my other soaps.
I would order this soap again - when the cooler weather sets in!
I wonder if the soap melting in the hot sun caused some issues. If I leave the lid off of the soap it is hard and loads fine. However, in the beginning it was softer than a cream and difficult to load. I would just touch the tips of the brush on the soap to load it.Interesting look of your Claddagh. Mine is pretty much white, and hard. I could not spoon anything out of the tub without using a metal spoon - if I wanted to. I normally use a very small kitchen scraper (silicone) to take softer croaps/creams out. But this one is very hard for a croap, so this would not work. I also have to put some water on the soap surface to get a good lather - I lather so to say "of the puck". Scent-wise, there is none, at least I cannot detect some. My wife whose sense of smell is extremely good says she detects a very faint scent like freshly washed laundry. Shaving performance is OK, but nothing that would make me get more at this point, so I am a lil disappointed. I personally like the Irish theme, being a big fan of the Emerald Island and have been there over 20 times.
Well, I am 38 shaves into M&M's Claddagh. When I got the soap it arrived on a hot Arizona day and had been in the mailbox for several hours. It was in almost liquid form. I took the soap with a spoon and smoothed it out and put it in the refrigerator overnight. This is what it looked like after I used it a few times.
View attachment 1016248
In the beginning, the soap had an unusual consistency more like a cream than a soap. I had some difficulty loading the brush, i.e., for the first few times I loaded too much soap. After a week or two of continuous use the consistency began to change. If I kept the lid on the container the soap became very even softer. However, I began to leave the lid off for a few hours and the soap solidified. Also, it became more of a "normal" soap when it came to loading. After continued use, the soap has become very easy to load - as long as I leave the lid off the soap to solidify it. The scent was mild when I first used it. Now the scent is non-existant.
Today will be the 38th day of continuous use of this soap. This is what it looks like today.
View attachment 1016246
Performance-wise, the soap lathers nicely producing a rich, slick lather. I'm not sure how long this soap will last and will report on it later. So far, usage has been more than most of my other soaps.
I would order this soap again - when the cooler weather sets in!
Interesting look of your Claddagh. Mine is pretty much white, and hard. I could not spoon anything out of the tub without using a metal spoon - if I wanted to. I normally use a very small kitchen scraper (silicone) to take softer croaps/creams out. But this one is very hard for a croap, so this would not work. I also have to put some water on the soap surface to get a good lather - I lather so to say "of the puck". Scent-wise, there is none, at least I cannot detect some. My wife whose sense of smell is extremely good says she detects a very faint scent like freshly washed laundry. Shaving performance is OK, but nothing that would make me get more at this point, so I am a lil disappointed. I personally like the Irish theme, being a big fan of the Emerald Island and have been there over 20 times.
My tub says "Éisteacht Claddagh" on the side, I was not aware they also have different basesI wonder if Rudy's soap is the new AON base, which is harder. My AON based Claddagh is off-white and quite firm. I know from corresponding with Bill @ M&M that the AON base is harder than the earlier Éisteacht base.