MWF vs. Mike's

[mwhitcraft]

Until recently, I had not tried the fat, but I have been an avid Mike's user since I first tried it several months ago. Because Mike's is so often compared to Mike's I thought it was time to give it a try. These are my thoughts as to how it compares to Mike's:

1. Scent: I find Mike's scents very pleasant, but was very happily surprised by the smell of MWF. There is certainly nothing EO-like about it, just a fresh clean scent that was very pleasant in the morning. I would rate it as pleasant as most of Mike's scents, except his Pine and Cedarwood which is my absolute favorite soap scent. All-in-all, I would consider the two soaps to be a dead tie in the scent department.

2. Latherability: I find both Mike's and MWF to produce initially a rich thick yogurty lather (that is how I like my lather to be). Oddly, I didn't have any difficulty lathering either. However, in subsequent passes, MWF definitely takes the lead. I found it amazing how a little splash of water brought the fat to life all again even after my typical 4 pass shave plus clean up. Normally, Mike's will last the whole shave, but I am really pushing it to get lather at the end. However, with the fat I felt I could have lathered up for ten passes with plenty to spare. I would have to say that I have never used a soap that produces such a stable rich and copious lather as MWF.

3. Slickness/Cushion: I found both soaps to be very slick and provide an exceedingly comfortable shave. Let's call this area a tie.

4. Face feel: The last category I will comment on is face feel. Both produce that great lanolin feel, but IMHO Mike's takes the cake. I actually like the way Mike's feels on my face even before the razor touches it. Post shave, both soaps are solid performers, but Mike's leaves my skin feeling in a way that simply is unequalled by anything I have tried thus far.

Conclusion: I must say that between these two phenomenal soaps, Mike's is my favorite and will still get the most love in my cabinet. I must quickly add, that if I am ever in a situation in which I can no longer get Mike's, the fat will undoubtedly be my go to soap.

I hope these ramblings will be helpful to someone out there.

 

[Jerry4roo]

thanks for the write up. I am thinking of trying some Mike's samples soon, but just finished a MWF sample from Garry. I had great shaves with it but I felt like I never got the thickness I wanted with MWF, but that is compared to Mystic Waters yogurt type lather.

 

[Member357]

YMMV indeed!
For me, nothing is as good as MWF. The only thing close for me is TOBS. That's not to say Mike's aren't great soaps, but IMO the MWF is a step up in quality.

 

[mwhitcraft]

thanks for the write up. I am thinking of trying some Mike's samples soon, but just finished a MWF sample from Garry. I had great shaves with it but I felt like I never got the thickness I wanted with MWF, but that is compared to Mystic Waters yogurt type lather.

Funny, I could never get a stable lather from MW. I could get it creamy and yogurty, but it would never last for me.

YMMV indeed!
For me, nothing is as good as MWF. The only thing close for me is TOBS. That's not to say Mike's aren't great soaps, but IMO the MWF is a step up in quality.

Please understand, I found MWF to be truly excellent, but a notch under Mike's.

 

[gdavila]

I'm glad you posted this, I'm currently deciding between purchasing mike's or MWF. Is face feel the reason you prefer Mike's? It seems like you felt equal about both soaps in other categories and the MWF lather lasted longer.

What type of brush are you using to lather? Seems like most people have a difference in opinion depending on the brush used as well. Thanks in advance for the help.

 

[wimbouman]

Thanks for your review!

It is good to know that Mike's are on par with MWF - in my book that means great shave soaps!
So, Mike's is on the radar - I have been thinking about it for a while and it will take a while also as I am thinning out the den by using up my stuff.

On a side note, I would like to read your thoughts on Haslingers Ewe's Milk with lanolin.
We have discussed this before, and it seems a tie: http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/316049-Haslinger-w-Lanolin-is-it-as-good-as-The-Fat
If ever you have the chance to pick up a puck of Haslingers give it a try, and I look forward to your report.

 

[mistercitizen]

Great review, thank you for posting your observations. I agree with most of them except for the post shave feel. Mitchell's Wool Fat is unequaled by any other soap I've tried in this respect. Mike's is better than most in this category too.... but for me MWF takes the cake. This pushes MWF ahead of Mike's in my den. Again, great review!

Ben

 

[jay_gord]

I'm happy I stumbled upon this thread. I really like the way my face feels after using MWF and I am looking for other soaps with lanolin (its pricey to get MWF where I live). I was going to give Mike's a try regardless but was a little weary because I was unsure how they compare. Now I have no reservations about it.

 

[mwhitcraft]

I'm glad you posted this, I'm currently deciding between purchasing mike's or MWF. Is face feel the reason you prefer Mike's? It seems like you felt equal about both soaps in other categories and the MWF lather lasted longer.

What type of brush are you using to lather? Seems like most people have a difference in opinion depending on the brush used as well. Thanks in advance for the help.

The brush is certainly a huge factor. For me, horsehair is unequalled in lather building and that is what I reach for on most mornings, although my silvertip gets a lot of love on Sunday mornings.

As far as my choice of Mike's over the fat, it was all about face feel. Once again, both made my face feel wonderful, but, for me, Mike's is the leader in this category.

Thanks for your review!

It is good to know that Mike's are on par with MWF - in my book that means great shave soaps!
So, Mike's is on the radar - I have been thinking about it for a while and it will take a while also as I am thinning out the den by using up my stuff.

On a side note, I would like to read your thoughts on Haslingers Ewe's Milk with lanolin.
We have discussed this before, and it seems a tie: http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/316049-Haslinger-w-Lanolin-is-it-as-good-as-The-Fat
If ever you have the chance to pick up a puck of Haslingers give it a try, and I look forward to your report.

I have indeed tried Haslinger Ewe's Milk and liked it a lot. It is the easiest soap to lather that I have ever tried. The scent was not much to my liking and the face-feel, while still nice, was beneath Mike's and the fat in my opinion. I stopped using the Haslinger simply because I had a bad reaction to something in it. My face is very sensitive to chemicals and something in their formula made my face burn. Just to let you know how sensitive my face is, I had the same problem with RR artisan (although I used it almost exclusively for some time and just dealt with the burn) and with TFS.

I'm happy I stumbled upon this thread. I really like the way my face feels after using MWF and I am looking for other soaps with lanolin (its pricey to get MWF where I live). I was going to give Mike's a try regardless but was a little weary because I was unsure how they compare. Now I have no reservations about it.

Go for it! You won't be disappointed.

 

[Chris H]

For me, the light soapy scent of MWF doesn't do anything for me. Compared to the beautiful scents of Mike's soaps, MWF doesn't come close in this respect. I think they are pretty close in shave performance, but I have to disagree in regards to post shave feel. I have to admit that nothing makes my face feel better after a shave than MWF. That being said, I honestly believe that's what a good aftershave is for, so I don't consider that trait to be the most important when considering a soap.

 

[vsingh]

YMMV indeed!
For me, nothing is as good as MWF. The only thing close for me is TOBS. That's not to say Mike's aren't great soaps, but IMO the MWF is a step up in quality.

+1 Agree with you on both counts relating to MWF and TOBS

 

[nav]

Great review, thank you for posting your observations. I agree with most of them except for the post shave feel. Mitchell's Wool Fat is unequaled by any other soap I've tried in this respect. Mike's is better than most in this category too.... but for me MWF takes the cake. This pushes MWF ahead of Mike's in my den. Again, great review!

Ben

I agree with Ben. No other soap gives a post shave feel like MWF. Other lanolin containing products just can't match it so I don't really know how MWF does it but it definitely does it the best!

 

[Chadao]

+1 Agree with you on both counts relating to MWF and TOBS

+1 MWF is my favorite,by far. The scent and face feel are two of things I love best about the Fat. That said, I own three different Mike's scents. To get to know my Mike's, I use it as my number one at home, and The Fat goes with me on the road. If I could not get MWF, I would be happy using Mike's all the time. But, again, in the YMMV spirit, for me, MWF is the best.

 

[retrolike]

Mikes is #1! I could never get a good lather with MWF and Mikes always whipped up really well.

 

[jay_gord]

Scent is so subjective. its funny because I love the scent of MWF. In fact, its one of the things I love most about it. I also use Tabac quite a bit but find the scent a little too strong for my tastes.

 

[sharpen]

I also prefer Mike's. Soaps are all performing great, and you have different soap choices so you can have a scent rotation going and thus keep the experience changing.

 

[FozzieBear1971]

Mikes anytime over MWF. I have a decent selection of soaps so far, (Proraso Red, Green, White, and Blue. Speick cream and stick. Palmolive stick. Tabac. 7 different Mikes in the tins. MWF.). I know it's not that large of a selection compared to many on these forums but I have just been shaving with a safety razor for about three months and am still acquiring soaps.

But, out of what I have so far, I have had no problem at all developing thick, slick, and cushioning lather with any of them except MWF. I have made multiple attempts with MWF and all I have gotten so far is an air filled foam that has no cushion, no slipperiness whatsoever, and dries on my face before I am finished shaving.

I am not doubting that the people who like MWF are able to develop good lather with it but the problems that many people have developing good lather with it (that is well documented on these and other forums) is not a coincidence.

With Mikes, I get a yogurt like consistency that is slippery, provides great cushion, and has multiple choices in scent. I am getting ready to order more of Mikes sometime this week, that is how much I like it.

I will keep my MWF and at some point in the future may very well attempt it again. The one nagging question I have about it though is this, with all of the soaps that are out there that provide good lather without having to go through contortions like many have to do with MWF, why spend so much time trying to make MWF work when you have choices like Mikes and others that require very little if any effort to get the best of lathers?

 

[Chadao]

Mikes anytime over MWF. I have a decent selection of soaps so far, (Proraso Red, Green, White, and Blue. Speick cream and stick. Palmolive stick. Tabac. 7 different Mikes in the tins. MWF.). I know it's not that large of a selection compared to many on these forums but I have just been shaving with a safety razor for about three months and am still acquiring soaps.

But, out of what I have so far, I have had no problem at all developing thick, slick, and cushioning lather with any of them except MWF. I have made multiple attempts with MWF and all I have gotten so far is an air filled foam that has no cushion, no slipperiness whatsoever, and dries on my face before I am finished shaving.

I am not doubting that the people who like MWF are able to develop good lather with it but the problems that many people have developing good lather with it (that is well documented on these and other forums) is not a coincidence.

With Mikes, I get a yogurt like consistency that is slippery, provides great cushion, and has multiple choices in scent. I am getting ready to order more of Mikes sometime this week, that is how much I like it.

I will keep my MWF and at some point in the future may very well attempt it again. The one nagging question I have about it though is this, with all of the soaps that are out there that provide good lather without having to go through contortions like many have to do with MWF, why spend so much time trying to make MWF work when you have choices like Mikes and others that require very little if any effort to get the best of lathers?

MWF lathers easy for me. I take it on the road and don't have any problems. I really like Mike's. I own three tins of Mike's shaving soaps--I use them regularly--I use his bath and shampoo soaps as well, But I like MWF better as a shaving soap. Truly YMMV.

 

[jay_gord]

Yeah, I've had no problems lathering MWF at all and I have fairly hard water. I get my best shaves from MWF by a long stretch.

 

[FozzieBear1971]

Like I said. I don't doubt that some have no problem obtaining good lather with MWF. I can get it to lather. It's just airy and non-slippery. Truly YMMV.