I am still very new, however I have begun testing out different creams and soaps. I started out with some TOBS sandalwood and now have tried Proraso green hard cream. Both are very good in their own rights. I did notice that there was a difference in slickness between the two. I have been reading a lot about full soaps and in particular Mitchell's wool fat. I am trying to gather whether or not I should jump in and just get some MWF. How would you all rate the difference between the items I have tried and MWF. I understand it may be subjective, but any input would be greatly appreciated.
MWF or not to MWF
- Thread starter Lamboy
- Start date
You're going to try it sooner or later. I don't have experience with the soaps/creams you have listed but I'd suggest buying a sample from Garry's sample shop. He's a member here.
It is worth trying, you may not like, you might decide nothing else will work for you. It is very good shave soap, beyond that you will have to draw your own conclusions.
Both the TOBS sandalwood cream and the MWF soap are excellent. I haven't tried the Proraso green so I won't comment on that.
The cream is probably easier to lather I suppose, but only by a small margin. Despite hearing of people having difficulty lathering with MWF I've had absolutely no problem at all.
Just for info., I face lather and the water here is quite soft. I would imagine if you have very hard water it could make a difference. As to bowl lathering I haven't a clue.
You already know what the TOBS is like so enough said. Mitchell's wool fat is very smooth, no overpowering scent and very long lasting. If I really had to choose between the two then MWF would win for me. Do try it, I don't think you'll regret it.
The cream is probably easier to lather I suppose, but only by a small margin. Despite hearing of people having difficulty lathering with MWF I've had absolutely no problem at all.
Just for info., I face lather and the water here is quite soft. I would imagine if you have very hard water it could make a difference. As to bowl lathering I haven't a clue.
You already know what the TOBS is like so enough said. Mitchell's wool fat is very smooth, no overpowering scent and very long lasting. If I really had to choose between the two then MWF would win for me. Do try it, I don't think you'll regret it.
MWF is a great soap--try it and if you don't like it,which I am pretty sure you will,it will sell on the B/S/T in under 30 seconds
I will be letting mine go, the lather is just too temperamental, probably due to my water and other factors. I hear enough praise on here though to say that you should give it a try. However, I would give Tabac a shot before I went with MWF if I were you. Enjoy your shave!
I just got two pucks of MWF and will hopefully give it a crack in the morning. I have tried ToBS sandalwood but apart from the scent I wasn't that impressed. I did only have a sample size and it was when I first started shaving so my view of it might be a bit biased in a bad way. Proraso green on the other hand is one of my staples and a go to when I need a good shave.
Long story short I will report back tomorrow with my opinion on MWF.
Long story short I will report back tomorrow with my opinion on MWF.
I love TOBS. I gave up my MWF, simply because I didn't think it was smelly enough. Not enough scent, but it lathered GREAT!
-SCBoch
-SCBoch
So I couldn't stand waiting until the morning and I just shaved with the MWF. First impressions are:
- easy to lather
- minimal scent
- great skin feel
- reasonable to good protection
- reasonable slickness
I soaked the puck and my Semogue 1305 for a few minutes in warm but not hot water then hit the puck hard for a minute. After picking up what I thought was enough soap I went to my face and was greeted with my first true lather explosion. It was amazing. My fiancé was in the room and she even said "Wow!" After that I did one WTG pass with my new Merkur 45C and a Derby Extra. Never shaved with that blade and razor combo before and it wasn't great. That pass is the reason for my reservations on protection and slickness. Re-lathered for a second WTG/ATG pass with Merkur 34C HD and a Feather on its fifth odd shave and things were much nicer. Finished off with some touch ups, Witch Hazel and some Cussons Imperial Leather Aftershave.
The most interesting thing out of this was that despite a rough first pass, my skin didn't feel bad after the second pass or touch-ups and now feels quite nice indeed. I will reserve final judgment until I've got a few more shaves with it under my belt, but MWF has put in a good first performance.
Comparing it quickly with Proraso, I would say Proraso has a more interesting scent, nice menthol cooling effect, requires less loading and at least on first impressions is slicker. I hazard a guess they will both remain staples in my shave den for a long time.
- easy to lather
- minimal scent
- great skin feel
- reasonable to good protection
- reasonable slickness
I soaked the puck and my Semogue 1305 for a few minutes in warm but not hot water then hit the puck hard for a minute. After picking up what I thought was enough soap I went to my face and was greeted with my first true lather explosion. It was amazing. My fiancé was in the room and she even said "Wow!" After that I did one WTG pass with my new Merkur 45C and a Derby Extra. Never shaved with that blade and razor combo before and it wasn't great. That pass is the reason for my reservations on protection and slickness. Re-lathered for a second WTG/ATG pass with Merkur 34C HD and a Feather on its fifth odd shave and things were much nicer. Finished off with some touch ups, Witch Hazel and some Cussons Imperial Leather Aftershave.
The most interesting thing out of this was that despite a rough first pass, my skin didn't feel bad after the second pass or touch-ups and now feels quite nice indeed. I will reserve final judgment until I've got a few more shaves with it under my belt, but MWF has put in a good first performance.
Comparing it quickly with Proraso, I would say Proraso has a more interesting scent, nice menthol cooling effect, requires less loading and at least on first impressions is slicker. I hazard a guess they will both remain staples in my shave den for a long time.
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i just ran a group buy for MWF for some guys at work....so shortly i will be hearing a lot of impressions in person. the last group buy i ran was for MdC and so far all the shave impressions were positive....some said the scent was weird though.
I am lovin the wool fat. Love the Proraso green also. One is a hard soap and the other is a cream in a tub, so it's not exactly apples to apples, but they are both great products.
Ronnie
Ronnie
Gotta try the "Fat" at some point..... it's sort of a rite of passage in the world of shave soaps. Few other soaps garner such legend and lore.
I love it BTW.
Ben
I love it BTW.
Ben
I use MWF regularly. I find it noticeably better all round than TOBS lemon & lime which is the only TOBS formulation I've tried.
I'll be looking to try MWF next month after croap month is over. I've heard so many great things about it I can't resist it any longer!
I get good shaves out of MWF. I only bought a sample from Garry but that has been enough for at least five shaves so far with no visible change in the quantity of sample remaining. Even though I only have a sample of MWF I would say it is probably going to remain in my top five soaps. The scent is inoffensive, the lather is great, and the post shave feel is excellent. Also, I'd imagine a puck of MWF would last a VERY long time.
MWF is the greatest soap when you stop using it your skin needs it, i suggest not doing it you'll start another addiction...
Not.
There are too many other options out there now that offer better performance and skin care.
I feel like in it's prime, everyone lusted over MWF for it's moisturizing properties and lanolin goodness. Now there are plenty of other soaps offered that are even better in that regard and offer better overall performance without the sometimes temperamental nature of MWF.
There are too many other options out there now that offer better performance and skin care.
I feel like in it's prime, everyone lusted over MWF for it's moisturizing properties and lanolin goodness. Now there are plenty of other soaps offered that are even better in that regard and offer better overall performance without the sometimes temperamental nature of MWF.
Genuine question - what would you recommend instead ?
As Coler above asks Matt, what would you suggest?
And again it is a genuine question from me too. I don't have a problem with finding something better than MWF at all, I don't have shares in the company!
The daft thing is that I've *never* had any problems getting a decent lather out of it, but I know some people struggle like mad and find it can be quite frustrating. But that certainly doesn't mean there isn't something way better out there...
Cheers
