My Grande Journey

[Esox]

Well damn you thank you, and your high pressure subtle enabling, Mike.

Just when I thought I was about to take an AD purchasing break... this is now ordered:

Now that Cal is one of the enlightened, whos next? lol

Better not mention it to Jim, he's trying to cut down on his spending.

Jim will wander through here soon enough too.

 

[Esox]

Wickham 1912 English Rose soap.

Brit clone, Feather flipped.

50 hours since last shave.

Maggard synthetic.

Bad news first...

The scent is...not good. Its like a watered down WK Rose. The nice part about that is its barely noticeable. The noticeable part is some sort of plastic artificial scent almost like the plastic tub wasnt yet cured when the soap was put in it and the soap absorbed some of that. I'll leave the lid off a day or two and see if that goes away.

I planned on a typical 3 pass+ shave but then it changed.

I loaded half as much as I do my WK which as it turns out was too much. First pass N-S, no issues. What was immediately apparent was the slickness and cushion. Oodles of both, more than with any other soap or cream I've yet used. I thought maybe the lather was to thick, but I wasnt plugging the razor. I dipped the tips and lathered again planning on a simple quick S-N pass. That turned into a frenzy of buffing in every direction, wiping the lather off, rinsing the razor and not shaking it and going at it again. All this soap did was get slicker.

I wiped my face off thoroughly leaving no soap visible, dipped the tips again, deeper this time, and lathered again. The razor was sliding around my face like an egg in a brand new Teflon coated pan and the lather was thinner than how I like my PdP.

I was finished shaving after that pass, but just for kicks, because this was getting interesting now, I wiped all remaining lather off my face with the razor leaving nothing visible behind and didnt even wipe with my hand, but only dipped the razor using the water in the comb. I buffed again for another pass all over my neck. No issues and very nearly as slick as a far thicker lather.

Jim @Chan Eil Whiskers has said numerous times that Wickhams is slick and has great residual slickness. PdP is slick, CRS is slick, WK is slick. Wickham 1912 is something beyond "slick". This is, by far, the slickest soap I've yet used.

Because it is so slippery it is also very protective and with a slighter thicker lather feels more protective than WK DM and CRS.

I'm using the wrong razor to really test these last two soaps and creams. Both are begging for a razor that offers a lot of blade exposure so back to the MMOC and CRS next shave. Between CRS and Wickhams, even my PdP and WK might be falling into the shadows. These two are clear winners. If Wickham had the scent profile of CRS it may be the only soap I buy.

 

[Somerled]

I bought the same 1912 as you Mike, at the same time as I ordered the CRS.

I quite like the scent, but, it just doesn't seem to lather up as well as the CRS.
Sure it gets very slick to the point where it runs off my blade just before it's due for a rinse.
Creating blobs of lather and cut whiskers in the sink, and a couple of times, on the floor.

Maybe I lathered it wrong, dunno. Need to experiment with dialling it in better I guess.
For me, CRS is a clear winner - for straight razor shaving anyways.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

CRS Wild Rose.

To keep a baseline I'm familiar with I used my Brit clone and a fresh Feather to see if any harshness would surface. None did...

A full three pass shave and two shrinking clean ups. No issues at any point in the shave.

This cream... This cream, is very good. Its sure not afraid of water either. Like Rave said it doesnt take much so I used easily half as much as I do my CC creams. This is an older picture of how much CC cream I use, but you get the point.

View attachment 933306

That much cream generated this much lather.

View attachment 933307

Half that much CRS cream gave me twice the lather I get from my CC creams.

The performance is impressive. Its every bit as good as my WK and better. The lather from the CRS cream is smoother, creamier and more consistent and it gets to that state quicker.

The protection from WK is very good and its the most protective soap I'd used, until this morning. CRS has the same amount, and quality, of cushion as my WK with far less product used. This cream really reminded me of my WK soap, but its a smoother lather. I dont really know how to explain it. Creamier and richer but lighter with the same protection and the same protective feel.

Slickness is right there with PdP, even with a thick lather. Its -9C this morning and the furnace is blowing hot. Between passes I usually wipe my face after shaking the water off my hand. I didnt shake my hand this shave so I was using a lot more water. The lather didnt diminish, even for my second clean up. What it did do, much the same as PdP, was build. The more water I gave it, the more lather it made. I rinsed more lather out of my brush when I had finished shaving than it held after my first face lather.

In a battle of thin and slick with PdP, CRS wins. In a battle of protection with WK DM, CRS wins. Simply because it reaches the same level with less product, not to mention it was ~$14CAD shipped and my WK was $39.99CAD shipped. That, is a considerable difference. Add in performance to match with less product used, its a no brainer.

The scent. This wonderful scent. They really nailed it.

This is the scent in the tub.

View attachment 933308

This is the scent as I was lathering.

View attachment 933309

The more its lathered the more it opens up, but its more than that. Lathering for my third pass it hit me. Its more than just a simple rose. Its a rose garden.

View attachment 933311

I had to concentrate a bit and think about it, but I could detect that rich deep moisture, the green of the leaves and even the fresh clean dirt. Its incredible. The only downside is, and this may only be a downside for me, it doesnt linger much at all.

I'm honestly not trying to sell any CRS creams. My description of the scent is exactly what I smelled, all of it. It blew me away.

It also kicked what remains of my Proraso soaps off my shelf because I'm running out of room. If Wickhams can hold a candle to CRS, my Stirling's and CC creams are following my Proraso. I wont be buying Wholly Kaw again.

My next order will be the CRS Sandalwood, and another tub of Wild Rose.

In the end a really, really nice shave.

Canned goo and a cartridge? Why?

You are an evil man!

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Well damn you thank you, and your high pressure subtle enabling, Mike.

Just when I thought I was about to take an AD purchasing break... this is now ordered:
View attachment 933417
I'm not over keen on flowery scents so I looked at their whole range and decided I'd like their Almond best. (I hope I'm right.)

I'm also pleased to hear that their scents are not of the lingering type.

How are their soaps vs their creams? They may have only one soap (on Connaught I see only one).

Not buying anything, but reading is free.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

 

[Esox]

I quite like the scent, but, it just doesn't seem to lather up as well as the CRS.
Sure it gets very slick to the point where it runs off my blade just before it's due for a rinse.
Creating blobs of lather and cut whiskers in the sink, and a couple of times, on the floor.

Maybe I lathered it wrong, dunno. Need to experiment with dialling it in better I guess.
For me, CRS is a clear winner - for straight razor shaving anyways.

Mine wasnt that runny, thin yes, but not runny. I just kept on letting it build.

My synthetic loaded really easily and quickly. Thats a soap that would work well with a badger. It doesnt take much.

You are an evil man!

You'll be thanking me later .

Thanks to @Raven Koenes really, he forced me to buy it lol.

And then some!

 

[Johnnynroy]

All these new soaps and creams and new razors (RR GC .84, mamba .70, Blackland vector, etc) are really revving up my ADs. Good thing I have a new mini poop factory for me to look at and rein in any spending as I realize how expensive it'll be keeping her clothed and fed.

I have a ton of stuff to divest myself of, as I really could get by with only a handful of things. The BST is going to get an injection of my things in a few weeks or less I'd guess.

I actually got my Captains Choice Sandalwood soap to work the other day. I lathered in the weirdest manner ever. I intended to use haslinger schafmilch to make a super lather with it, but at the last second decided to hand lather with it. I'll write it up more in my journal in a few days and tag the appropriate inspirations, but I was shocked at how well it worked. Basically loads of water constantly refreshing the slickness on my face, without any effort at making a lather. Just a slick layer of water mixed with some soap to glide my General and Proline across. I'll try it again sometime, but it was nice to know that it can be done.

I was considering a Connaught order. I may have to make one just to get a few of these other soaps/creams y'all are raving about (price and all that taken into account).

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

 

[Somerled]

All these new soaps and creams and new razors (RR GC .84, mamba .70, Blackland vector, etc) are really revving up my ADs. Good thing I have a new mini poop factory for me to look at and rein in any spending as I realize how expensive it'll be keeping her clothed and fed.

Congratulations Joel!

I would think she'll be needing smelly soaps more than you will.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

All these new soaps and creams and new razors (RR GC .84, mamba .70, Blackland vector, etc) are really revving up my ADs. Good thing I have a new mini poop factory for me to look at and rein in any spending as I realize how expensive it'll be keeping her clothed and fed.

I have a ton of stuff to divest myself of, as I really could get by with only a handful of things. The BST is going to get an injection of my things in a few weeks or less I'd guess.

I actually got my Captains Choice Sandalwood soap to work the other day. I lathered in the weirdest manner ever. I intended to use haslinger schafmilch to make a super lather with it, but at the last second decided to hand lather with it. I'll write it up more in my journal in a few days and tag the appropriate inspirations, but I was shocked at how well it worked. Basically loads of water constantly refreshing the slickness on my face, without any effort at making a lather. Just a slick layer of water mixed with some soap to glide my General and Proline across. I'll try it again sometime, but it was nice to know that it can be done.

I was considering a Connaught order. I may have to make one just to get a few of these other soaps/creams y'all are raving about (price and all that taken into account).

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

Congratulations, Joel. My best to your family and you.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Congratulations Joel!

 

[Esox]

Good thing I have a new mini poop factory for me to look at and rein in any spending as I realize how expensive it'll be keeping her clothed and fed.

Congratulations Joel, thats big news.

Buy some CRS Wild Rose. Even she will stop crying to smell the roses lol.

Deer meat is excellent teething material too just so you know lol.

 

[Cal]

All these new soaps and creams and new razors (RR GC .84, mamba .70, Blackland vector, etc) are really revving up my ADs. Good thing I have a new mini poop factory for me to look at and rein in any spending as I realize how expensive it'll be keeping her clothed and fed.

Congratulations Joel!

 

[Raven Koenes]

This weeks cream is CRS French Vetiver inspired by Mike's review of CRS Wild Rose. I'm loving life. CRS creams are everything Mike say's they are. I'm very pleased with myself to have been an enabler in that regard.

As far as converting Jim he doesn't like creams. He also doesn't like synthetic brushes. I think it's a hopeless cause trying to get him to try either. You probably would have as much luck as trying to get me to shave with a duck (MMOC).

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

This weeks cream is CRS French Vetiver inspired by Mike's review of CRS Wild Rose. I'm loving life. CRS creams are everything Mike say's they are. I'm very pleased with myself to have been an enabler in that regard.

As far as converting Jim he doesn't like creams. He also doesn't like synthetic brushes. I think it's a hopeless cause trying to get him to try either. You probably would have as much luck as trying to get me to shave with a duck (MMOC).

 

[Esox]

As far as converting Jim he doesn't like creams. He also doesn't like synthetic brushes. I think it's a hopeless cause trying to get him to try either. You probably would have as much luck as trying to get me to shave with a duck (MMOC).

Jim likes what works. CRS works.

But rave, its as gentle and smooth as marabou.

Which is specifically called 'Cul de canard', (ask your wife) and completely suitable for the respective Kings *** while not costing a Kingdom.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Jim likes what works. CRS works.

I may try it, but I'm buying nothing now.

Also, I have a bunch of soaps I like a lot. I've used almost no creams (not none though) and liked soaps better, but I'm not anti-cream or anything like that.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[Esox]

MMOC/PTFE 5.

CRS Wild Rose.

Maggard synthetic.

50 hours since last shave.

Two and a half passes.

Steep + little buffing + more pressure = a very close shave. A very comfortable one too.

I think I'm right about soaps with this much slickness. A razor with a lot of blade exposure works easier and gives a more comfortable shave. I think Wickhams will be even better, shame it doesnt smell as nice, although, most of that plastic type smell has gone.

 

[Esox]

MMOC/PTFE 6.

Wickham English Rose.

Maggard synthetic.

49 hours since last shave.

Even loading my brush, this soap feels slipperier than other soaps. The brush doesnt want to dig into it, it skims over it like I'm trying to load from oiled glass. I think thats why I overloaded it again.

First pass N-S, no issues. Paying attention to the slickness though my razor wanted to shave a lot quicker than I wanted it too. Thats not something I've been aware of previously.

Before starting the second pass I made sure my face was very wet, dripping wet. Then I dipped the tips and built a fresh lather with that added water. More slickness was the result.

Second pass S-N I didnt need to worry about the razor wanting to run away from me, but the slickness was clearly evident. The slickness, and therefore the protection from this soap is utterly amazing. Some buffing took place but not a lot.

Third pass ATG from my jawline down. Face dripping wet, dipped the tips again and worked that water into the lather. It got even slicker. Much buffing with a steep to very steep angle with increased pressure. Shaving R-L and L-R under my chin has never been easier. With no lather left on either side of my neck I stroked downwards and inwards at a 45° angle without issue. My skin was barely even wet. It wasnt wet, it was barely moist. The razor didnt even think about skipping or jumping.

I finished with a very close BBS. Feeling under my chin and over my swirls with the backs of my fingers my skin still feels oddly slick. Its like I've been waxed and then used a moisturizer.

Tabac is slick, especially with a thin lather. PdP is slicker. With a thin lather PdP is very slick. CRS is slicker than PdP, even with a very thin lather. This Wickham is easily slicker than CRS. I'm really being spoiled by it, but then I smell that plastic note to the scent and I want my CRS back.

If theres a slicker soap than this Wickhams, tell me what it is so I can buy some but for now, Wickhams stands as my clear benchmark to slickness and overall performance. My best soap/cream overall though is CRS. The performance is easily good enough for me and the scent profile is unmatched.

Back to my Grande for the next two shaves.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Interesting how much scent plays into the soap particularly if we're not wild about the scent.

I have not tried any 1912 soaps other than Magnum, Cashmere, and the rose (in a sample). I like all three okay, but Magnum the best. I should order a bunch of the Wickham samples sometime to see if there's one I like better.

I've sampled most of the Wholly Kaw soaps and am so glad I got King of Oud. Most of the WK scents are not to my liking, but KoO is lovely (still, it took some getting used to).



As much as I generally like bay rums and as much as I like the WSP soaps, I don't like their bay rum at all. Not a bit! The ones pictured are much nicer to my nose. They all take some work to hydrate to my liking, but that's okay.

I suspect rose to be a very tricky scent, and more so for men.

Happy shaves,

Jim