MWF container?

[garyg]

Yeah I always feel l am a failure because of all the dozens of soaps that work here the Fat one always escapes me. There's someone who claims using boar brush is the key, others claim you have to use it everyday to get it to perform, I've read of folks using distilled water even .. and have tried most of those methods over some years. Funny thing is that besides the ceramics the lanolin in MWF has a nice post shave feel I think, after having to boost the soap (superlather) with something else. At least once most years year I read the fan boy reviews & then send off for a puck of it .. here's the last one after several obviously inadequate attempts at getting it to work once more. Funny how not one of the other soaps in my den exhibit this .. The definition of insanity is that I'll probably try to get it to go again ..

Or maybe just fill the bowl with something else

 

[VerbaVolant]

Wow... I have never seen anything like that. What did you do to it?
It looks like you managed to break down the MWF...LOL
Torture? Waterboarding? Yeah, it must be waterboarding.

 

[CCS]

Yeah I always feel l am a failure because of all the dozens of soaps that work here the Fat one always escapes me. There's someone who claims using boar brush is the key, others claim you have to use it everyday to get it to perform, I've read of folks using distilled water even .. and have tried most of those methods over some years. Funny thing is that besides the ceramics the lanolin in MWF has a nice post shave feel I think, after having to boost the soap (superlather) with something else. At least once most years year I read the fan boy reviews & then send off for a puck of it .. here's the last one after several obviously inadequate attempts at getting it to work once more. Funny how not one of the other soaps in my den exhibit this .. The definition of insanity is that I'll probably try to get it to go again ..

Or maybe just fill the bowl with something else

View attachment 1513628

Dang! I know they can crack and mine has but holy smokes, not so it looks like squished brains! But what a nice container!!

 

[BradWorld]

Connaught's has MWF in a wooden bowl (Mitchell's Shaving Soap & Bowl - https://connaughtshaving.com/mitchellsbowl.html 12.90 pounds) and in a ceramic dish (Mitchell's Shaving Soap Dish - https://connaughtshaving.com/mitchellsdish.html 17.40 pounds). Any comments on these two bowls / dishes?

I bought my first puck of The Fat years ago in the Connaught wooden bowl with the cover. It’s very functional. And it won’t shatter like the ceramic one. I use the Fat about once a year. Probably less. It’s one of those things where I use it very rarely, and every time I say “why the heck don’t I use this more!” But modern soaps are so much better to me. At least in my mind. But they really aren’t. The Fat is top notch. I coincidentally used the Fat yesterday. I was a bit underwhelmed by the lather. But I kept feeling my face all day, saying “why the heck don’t I use this more!” The wood bowl keeps the Fat in good condition. After a year plus of sitting it’s quite dried out and cracked. So I pour water over it the night before, and the Fat sucks it up by morning and is good as new.

 

[CCS]

I've bought zero artisan/boutique soaps and have stuck with old classics. How anything can be better than MWF for lather, slickness/glide, haow it leaves your face, etc., I can't imagine. I still read about people having lathering problems with it but, even with our hard well water, I never have. It lathers as good as anything else I use or have tried. But, like you, @BradWorld, I also don't use it as often as I say I should.

 

[BradWorld]

I've bought zero artisan/boutique soaps and have stuck with old classics. How anything can be better than MWF for lather, slickness/glide, haow it leaves your face, etc., I can't imagine. I still read about people having lathering problems with it but, even with our hard well water, I never have. It lathers as good as anything else I use or have tried. But, like you, @BradWorld, I also don't use it as often as I say I should.

Get yourself some Omnibus and you’ll use MWF even less.

 

[CCS]

Get yourself some Omnibus and you’ll use MWF even less.

I don't know what that is but I'm more than full up on soaps and creams.

 

[garyg]

Wow... I have never seen anything like that. What did you do to it?
It looks like you managed to break down the MWF...LOL
Torture? Waterboarding? Yeah, it must be waterboarding.

I gets the same treatment as the other soaps, but somehow always ends up like that. The cracks etc wouldn't be of a concern if the product performed like some find it does .. but sadly never has .. There are soap pucks way older, in ceramic, wood, metal, plastic that don't end up that way. And it isn't the first MWF I've tried, maybe next time I'll remember how it acts ..

 

[FL shaver]

Four months of daily use and I have at least another month to go. Early on I put water on the puck, but now I turn the dish over the G5 scuttle when showering to warm the puck a little. The soap is staying perfectly hydrated and performing well. I try to avoid getting lather outside the dish because it is so slick, but I haven’t lost it yet.

 

[CCS]

View attachment 1513708
Four months of daily use and I have at least another month to go. Early on I put water on the puck, but now I turn the dish over the G5 scuttle when showering to warm the puck a little. The soap is staying perfectly hydrated and performing well. I try to avoid getting lather outside the dish because it is so slick, but I haven’t lost it yet.

And no "donut hole". You sir, are a professional.

 

[Ravenonrock]

I bought the puck first, thinking why bother with the dish. Loved the soap and acquired dish envy. Daughter bought me the dish and soap for Christmas (lovely child). I use MWF at least once a week, no special treatment. Top notch performance and great post shave feel. Get the dish!

 

[Lane101]

Yeah I always feel l am a failure because of all the dozens of soaps that work here the Fat one always escapes me. There's someone who claims using boar brush is the key, others claim you have to use it everyday to get it to perform, I've read of folks using distilled water even .. and have tried most of those methods over some years. Funny thing is that besides the ceramics the lanolin in MWF has a nice post shave feel I think, after having to boost the soap (superlather) with something else. At least once most years year I read the fan boy reviews & then send off for a puck of it .. here's the last one after several obviously inadequate attempts at getting it to work once more. Funny how not one of the other soaps in my den exhibit this .. The definition of insanity is that I'll probably try to get it to go again ..

Or maybe just fill the bowl with something else

View attachment 1513628

Hi Garyg, I'm one of the folks who recommends using a stiff boar brush. In my case a Razorock Blondie/Zenith 80N. The key is to not just load the brush for a bit but actually build the lather roughly half way directly on the puck. To start I soak the brush in warm water for about two minutes (just the bristles), shake out much of the excess water and then begin loading/building lather. Do this directly on the puck for at least 60 secconds. Add a bit of water to the brush as you go. I use a 3"wide x 4" tall plastic container for this right now to have vertical space for the lather build while loading.

Next add bit more water to the brush and finish the build via face lathering. Result is excellent. Learned this approach from other B&B members plus trial and error on my Williams Shaving Soap that has similar lathering characteristics. Works well for Williams too though that is in a large apothecary mug. Will reshape the MWF puck for one of my mugs once I 3017 one of my current rotation soaps.

Note that I do not bloom the puck or add water to the puck - just to the brush. Learned from my Williams that the added water will expand the soap puck which will then contract when the water evaporates. In Williams case it does not crack - instead the puck loosens up in the mug making it harder to load. If you bloomed your MWF puck and then dried it out that may be the cause of the extensive cracking. Hope this helps.

 

[FL shaver]

And no "donut hole". You sir, are a professional.

Lol! I fear it is inevitable, but I do try to load from the periphery!

 

[BradWorld]

I don't know what that is but I'm more than full up on soaps and creams.

Omnibus is the current base from Barrister and Mann. It is a thick gooey high definition lather that easily whips up into some of the most protective and slick lather. And it will have you feeling your face all day, as the post shave feel is amazing.

 

[Cannon Cocker]

A year or two ago I believe MWF had a QC issue that made lathering difficult. This was widely talked about and included people that had used MWF over long periods of time that suddenly got a new puck and couldn’t get it to lather. A number of these people contacted MWF with their concerns and received little to no response.

I did not have this lathering problem, but I did the cracking problems because it dried out in the rotation over time. Once cracked I had to rehydrate each time before using. It finally just fell apart.

Once lathered MWF is a good performing soap, but getting it to that point for me is a big PITA compared to any other soap I own. I will try it again because I have 4-5 more pucks and 2 ceramic bowls, but this time I will use only a damp brush and no blooming the puck.

 

[garyg]

Hi Garyg, I'm one of the folks who recommends using a stiff boar brush. In my case a Razorock Blondie/Zenith 80N. The key is to not just load the brush for a bit but actually build the lather roughly half way directly on the puck. To start I soak the brush in warm water for about two minutes (just the bristles), shake out much of the excess water and then begin loading/building lather. Do this directly on the puck for at least 60 secconds. Add a bit of water to the brush as you go. I use a 3"wide x 4" tall plastic container for this right now to have vertical space for the lather build while loading.

Next add bit more water to the brush and finish the build via face lathering. Result is excellent. Learned this approach from other B&B members plus trial and error on my Williams Shaving Soap that has similar lathering characteristics. Works well for Williams too though that is in a large apothecary mug. Will reshape the MWF puck for one of my mugs once I 3017 one of my current rotation soaps.

Note that I do not bloom the puck or add water to the puck - just to the brush. Learned from my Williams that the added water will expand the soap puck which will then contract when the water evaporates. In Williams case it does not crack - instead the puck loosens up in the mug making it harder to load. If you bloomed your MWF puck and then dried it out that may be the cause of the extensive cracking. Hope this helps.

Thanks Lane for trying to help. As said, I have tried a number of the various magic solutions to the MWF problem, but will try again next time a boar comes up in rotation with an eye to your method. As Cannon Cocker has intimated there is a PITA factor ..

 

[dabrock]

I found that the puck fits perfectly into an Old Spice mug, which you can find for a reasonable price if you look around sites like eBay. If it's missing its lid you can easily use the lid from a Betty Crocker frosting container and just cut a notch in it for the handle.

 

[CCS]

Except, who buys canned frosting??

 

[dabrock]

Except, who buys canned frosting??

I did just to get the lid lol. Someone posted a 3D printer temple for a lid before, but I'm not sure which thread it's on, unfortunately.

 

[garyg]

Off topic, but in case the frosting is out of stock, lids from plastic Peanut Butter jars work as well in the OS mug, and in fact are a better quality, heavier plastic than the originals ..