I'm looking at trying a truly tallow based soap. After looking around a bit, I'm strongly considering Mitchell's Wool Fat or Art of Shaving, but I'm open to persuasion. Thought I'd check the prevailing winds. What do you recommend?
MWF v AOS
- Thread starter mbrossar
- Start date
Last edited:
OldSaw
The wife's investment
AOS is much easier to lather. I highly recommend it.
I love MWF. I also have AOS Sandalwood and think it's excellent. If you love Sandalwood that might be the way to go but MWF is such an absolute classic (and it's cheaper than AOS) that I would suggest trying MWF first.
In other words: you can't go wrong with either.
A minority dislike MWF and/or find it hard to lather. If that's the case, you can always sell it easily on B/S/T.
Also: AOS has been on sale through Amazon every once-in-a-while for 1/2 price so you might want to see if that deal comes around again, and start with MWF.
In other words: you can't go wrong with either.
A minority dislike MWF and/or find it hard to lather. If that's the case, you can always sell it easily on B/S/T.
Also: AOS has been on sale through Amazon every once-in-a-while for 1/2 price so you might want to see if that deal comes around again, and start with MWF.
Havent tried AOS soap but I can vouch for the cream at least and yes it is a fine product. Sorry havent tried the MWF yet but seen quite a few people here on B&B swear by it! Good luck!
I have MWF and AOS Lemon. I go back and forth on which one shaves better. When you get MWF right it's incredible. AOS provides an effortless lather. I would have a hard time choosing between the two.
Can't comment on MWF, haven't tried it yet. But I can say that AOS is good stuff.
However, I gotta say that among the easiest soaps to lather is Tabac, followed by Palmolive Stick. AoS comes in third as far as I'm concerned. Many guys don't like Tabac's smell, however. If a 70's disco-leathery scent is not to your taste, you can try the same formula with a different, very "green" scent in the Irisch Moos stick.
Tabac's fairly easy to find, Palmolive's not too hard (although you do pay a premium to get it in the States, but if you're in Europe it's cheap and common in stores), and Irisch Moos is a bit harder (in stores in Europe, available at www.superlather.com here in the States <although they're sold out at the moment, awaiting a new shipment>)
However, I gotta say that among the easiest soaps to lather is Tabac, followed by Palmolive Stick. AoS comes in third as far as I'm concerned. Many guys don't like Tabac's smell, however. If a 70's disco-leathery scent is not to your taste, you can try the same formula with a different, very "green" scent in the Irisch Moos stick.
Tabac's fairly easy to find, Palmolive's not too hard (although you do pay a premium to get it in the States, but if you're in Europe it's cheap and common in stores), and Irisch Moos is a bit harder (in stores in Europe, available at www.superlather.com here in the States <although they're sold out at the moment, awaiting a new shipment>)
AOS is an excellent soap. The sandalwood is one of my favorite shaving scents. Yes it is overpriced. It should be priced $15 less imho. Never tried MWF but is very popular but I here it is sometimes difficult to lather.
I'm patiently waiting for the next AoS sale so that I can pick up the Sandalwood at a good price.
MWF has always worked well for me, though I cannot compare it to AoS, because I've not tried it.
I'd say it depends on how much value you place on scent. I find that MWF slightly outperforms AOS, and haven't really experienced lathering issues (this may be a function of my water, I really don't know), but would choose the pure sandalwood scent of AOS over the sudsy sheep scent of MWF any day.
These are both high quality shaving products. Your preference is likely to be based on the hardness of your local water, the scent you prefer and price.
Living in England, we are spoilt for choice and to be honest, AOS is off my shopping list because it is overpriced beyond belief. It is just a good quality shaving soap. It's not special like for example, Floris.
Living in England, we are spoilt for choice and to be honest, AOS is off my shopping list because it is overpriced beyond belief. It is just a good quality shaving soap. It's not special like for example, Floris.
I have them both & they are both worth owning since they are top quality. I find myself reaching for the MWF more often as I like the way my skin feels after the shave. That being said, the obvious choice is both!
I haven't tried MWF, but I have tried the Valobra sticks which are the same stuff as the AOS I believe - very easy to produce a great shaving lather, one of the best imho.
Cella is another good option, inexpensive really but a top notch performer.
Cella is another good option, inexpensive really but a top notch performer.
I have both. Prefer AoS for quick latherability and staying power of the lather. MWF is phenomenal soap, but takes me a bit to lather.
As AOS is now a division of P&G, I wouldn't wait for anything that's based on AOS' old business model.
The topic has been pretty well covered already, but I'll add a few points to ponder. First off, AOS soap as we know it may be an endagered species. It is made by an Italian company, and is very high quality. Since AOS has been taken over by P&G, the prospects of them continuing to contract with the current manufacturer are uncertain, especially since P&G already have their own soap manufacturing plants. Since you aren't already hooked on AOS, you might wish to consider if you want to come to rely on a product that may be reformulated or discontinued in the foreseeable future. (Or it might not - the point is, we don't know.) MWF, on the other hand, has been around for a very long time, and with any luck will continue to be around, and unchanged, for a long time to come. Personally, I'm not as fond of the MWF as the AOS in terms of function, but there are plenty of people who love the MWF. The MWF is also a better deal in terms of price: Lee's Razors sells 125g refills for $20; AOS sells their 95g refills for $26. Put another way, an AOS refill that was the same size as a MWF refill would cost $34. Another neat thing is that if you really like the MWF, you can get that nifty ceramic container for it. Also, the scents of the AOS soaps are unique, and not to everybody's taste, including my own. In all, although I prefer the function of AOS soaps, when everything is factored in, I think the smart money is on MWF.
I can get AOS locally... for now.
I just called the shop that stocks their items here (not an AOS store) and they are selling all AOS products for 75% off.
I will be stopping by later to get a puck of sandalwood with a wooden bowl for 10 bucks.
A great deal, yes... but this does not bode well...
I just called the shop that stocks their items here (not an AOS store) and they are selling all AOS products for 75% off.
I will be stopping by later to get a puck of sandalwood with a wooden bowl for 10 bucks.
A great deal, yes... but this does not bode well...
It does look ominous at first glance, but the store may just be deciding not to carry the brand any more. There is a men's salon in my area that used to carry some of the AOS line, including the shaving soap. A year or so ago, they simply stopped carrying AOS entirely; they didn't tell me why, but obviously it had nothing to do with P&G and its corporate shenanigans. I do wonder, though, when we can expect to see whatever changes, if any, P&G intends to implement in the brand.
Well, large industry isn't exactly known for their commitment to quality.
AOS was strictly homespun from the beginning. I think they were actually doing the Tyler Durden thing and making their soaps in a bathtub when they first started out. It was a cottage industry thing that took off when people started to notice the quality.
Hopefully whoever at P&G decided that they needed a high end shaving brand will understand what makes a high end shaving brand 'high end'. All too often products that are great get too big to stay that way.
When I lived in Massachusetts there was a little store on the corner that sold rotisserie chickens called The Boston Chicken. It was a single store - the only one of its kind - and their food was unbelievable. When they franchised out and became the Boston Market, quality wained, the dollar signs took over and while its not a bad product, I doubt I'll ever taste anything that even comes close to the original. I hope thats not the case with AOS, but only time will tell.
