I've tried all(most?) of the "most" talked about soaps. TOBS, Geo. F Trumper, Cremo, RazoRock, Proraso and my former all time favorite, Cella.
Gun Slinger is a boutique brand. I believe is hand mixed, but don't quote me.
I gave up on Cella after years and years of tossing it out after it "spoiled". I brought the kilo size and ended up throwing out 3/4 of it after it turned. Well, to be more accurate, after finding something I like as much, or close, after years of being pissed about Cella. I think it possibly could be Cella using Tallow, and the Tallow spoiling.
1st shave:
i shaved under my worse conditions. Normally I shave in the shower unless I'm using my cut throat razor, then its right after. Here, I just washed my face, so my 3 day stubble wasn't as soft as it normally would be, plus, i had 3 day stubble.
While my brush was soaking, i put a few drops of water in the tin to soften the cream a little. after about 30-60 seconds, I dumped the water, gave the brush a few shakes to remove water and started to load
Silver tip badger brush loaded easier than i think it ever did. i didnt count, but I'd maybe 15-20 swirls was all that was need to totally load the brush. Without a doubt, it doesnt take as much loading to produce results that meet or exceed other top brands where I load the brush with much more soap.
I lost track of time when making lather, but i'd estimate 2 minutes maybe to get a really rich lather. Lather volume wise, it was a good, and in most cases better than any of the top brands I've used. As far as thickness goes, better than most, if not all given the load time and time spent whipping it up. Because the brush loaded so well, its a little tough to gauge volume, because I think I might have actually had more cream on the brush when using a tin or soap (obviously, you cant compare squeezing from a tube). The description of peaks, whip cream, etc. all apply, but then again, everyone used that description, so take it for what its worth.
Cream went on just as thick as I wanted, and the coverage was perfect.
Cella is slightly "slicker" going on.. but to be fair, this was as slick or slicker than most brands. Paraso/Bigilow in the a tube is slightly less slick, and slicker than trumper or taylor.
It was very smooth/slick during the second pass. There was enough soap on/in the brush to coat my face only slightly less than the 1st pass. Defiantly no need to reload the brush.
The scent is hard to describe (the maker doesn't list scent). "Fresh" is the best/only way I can think to describe it. Maybe lemongrass or not really pine-ish, but woods-ie-ish???? but not earth-ie. Kind of like a spring day out in a field or forrest? LOL, I dont know. "Fresh" is the only way to accurately describe it. But, the scent is very light. You have to put your nose next to it to smell it. While brushing it on, or shaving, there's a faint scent, other than a general "pleasant" aroma.
Interestingly enough, when I shave the 2nd time, I loaded the brush a lot more and there wasnt a different in the volume on the brush. Seems like the tub will last a lot longer if i dont need to use a lot of soap to get the amount lather I need.
Here's the web site for anyone interested.
Premium Shave Soap - Gunslinger Soap For Men
Gun Slinger is a boutique brand. I believe is hand mixed, but don't quote me.
I gave up on Cella after years and years of tossing it out after it "spoiled". I brought the kilo size and ended up throwing out 3/4 of it after it turned. Well, to be more accurate, after finding something I like as much, or close, after years of being pissed about Cella. I think it possibly could be Cella using Tallow, and the Tallow spoiling.
1st shave:
i shaved under my worse conditions. Normally I shave in the shower unless I'm using my cut throat razor, then its right after. Here, I just washed my face, so my 3 day stubble wasn't as soft as it normally would be, plus, i had 3 day stubble.
While my brush was soaking, i put a few drops of water in the tin to soften the cream a little. after about 30-60 seconds, I dumped the water, gave the brush a few shakes to remove water and started to load
Silver tip badger brush loaded easier than i think it ever did. i didnt count, but I'd maybe 15-20 swirls was all that was need to totally load the brush. Without a doubt, it doesnt take as much loading to produce results that meet or exceed other top brands where I load the brush with much more soap.
I lost track of time when making lather, but i'd estimate 2 minutes maybe to get a really rich lather. Lather volume wise, it was a good, and in most cases better than any of the top brands I've used. As far as thickness goes, better than most, if not all given the load time and time spent whipping it up. Because the brush loaded so well, its a little tough to gauge volume, because I think I might have actually had more cream on the brush when using a tin or soap (obviously, you cant compare squeezing from a tube). The description of peaks, whip cream, etc. all apply, but then again, everyone used that description, so take it for what its worth.
Cream went on just as thick as I wanted, and the coverage was perfect.
Cella is slightly "slicker" going on.. but to be fair, this was as slick or slicker than most brands. Paraso/Bigilow in the a tube is slightly less slick, and slicker than trumper or taylor.
It was very smooth/slick during the second pass. There was enough soap on/in the brush to coat my face only slightly less than the 1st pass. Defiantly no need to reload the brush.
The scent is hard to describe (the maker doesn't list scent). "Fresh" is the best/only way I can think to describe it. Maybe lemongrass or not really pine-ish, but woods-ie-ish???? but not earth-ie. Kind of like a spring day out in a field or forrest? LOL, I dont know. "Fresh" is the only way to accurately describe it. But, the scent is very light. You have to put your nose next to it to smell it. While brushing it on, or shaving, there's a faint scent, other than a general "pleasant" aroma.
Interestingly enough, when I shave the 2nd time, I loaded the brush a lot more and there wasnt a different in the volume on the brush. Seems like the tub will last a lot longer if i dont need to use a lot of soap to get the amount lather I need.
Here's the web site for anyone interested.
Premium Shave Soap - Gunslinger Soap For Men
