New, non-tallow Tabac reviews go in here

[Chandu]

Having used the new vegan formulation of Tabac for several shaves, I’d like to add my observations.

The new formula:

1. Requires minor lathering adjustments compared to the old. Need to load a little longer and harder than the old. Floating a few drops of water on the puck works wonders (I am not normally a bloomer but do it when it helps). Since the new formula feels cleaner overall, I’ll pay this small price and not complain about it.

2. Smells fresher, cleaner, while still smelling like Tabac. Lots of orange peel, neroli, and talc right up front, very bright, not musty at all. The stick and puck now smell identical also, unlike the prior tallow set. I prefer the new scent, it’s lovely.

3. Has nicer lather. Blasphemy, I know. It’s missing tallow, surely it must suck. Nope. The tallow Tabac was always “sticky” to me. The vegan Tabac is not sticky it all. The razor glides easier and cuts closer. It rinses off easier with a far less drying post-shave too.

Tabac has not gotten been reformulated for the worst, not for me anyway, it’s gotten better overall. I still love Tabac!

Nice review. I have never been one to buy into all non tallow soaps suck or all tallow soaps are great. I have soaps I like in each category.

 

[Cleanface]

This is actually just what I wanted to hear. I'm in a love/hate relationship with Tabac. Love the performance (I am cheap, so I rub the puck on my face like a stick). The smell is IDENTICAL to the tissues that my lovely mother would dig from the bottom of her purse and use to wash my face with her spit. So I love the smell when I think of her "grooming" me, but hated the method at the time....

You paint a lovely mental picture.

 

[FarmerTan]

You paint a lovely mental picture.

Thank you my friend! It's a gift!

 

[timetofly]

So....if I am reading this nineteen page, maybe seventeen page, if you remove all of the minutiae, novel correctly, I gather that the only real difference is the scent, versus the performance?

The non tallow version has basically the same slickness attributes as the tallow version?

Just looking for the Readers Digest condensed version.

 

[FarmerTan]

So....if I am reading this nineteen page, maybe seventeen page, if you remove all of the minutiae, novel correctly, I gather that the only real difference is the scent, versus the performance?

The non tallow version has basically the same slickness attributes as the tallow version?

Just looking for the Readers Digest condensed version.

No idea. I suppose I should buy a puck of the new stuff.

Performance: honestly (I may get strung up for saying this) I think the stuff that @Ad Astra and I (among many others) tried from the Dollar Store for $1.25 performs as good as the tallow version of Tabac, but smells better.

 

[timetofly]

No idea. I suppose I should buy a puck of the new stuff.

Performance: honestly (I may get strung up for saying this) I think the stuff that @Ad Astra and I (among many others) tried from the Dollar Store for $1.25 performs as good as the tallow version of Tabac, but smells better.

Oh...I plan on buying a puck of it myself.

I had no idea that there was some available at Dollar Store. I'll have to dig deep into the "purse" to find some loose change. I can clean up on the Kleenex that are found in there too!

 

[cymric]

Having shaved with old Tabac for years, and having recently discovered the new version because I was looking for a puck at my holiday address... I am very impressed with what M&W have pulled off. Reformulations usually kill products, but not here. Is it old Tabac? No. Scent is a bit 'grainier', and the fatty sloppiness that was characteristic of old Tabac owing to the presence of C₁₆- and some C₁₄-fatty acids is less. Cannot be otherwise. New Tabac is creamier because the C₁₈-content is higher, so there needs to be a bit of water adjustment. Does it lather as easily, and does it give comfortable shaves? are however the million dollar-questions. I can answer both with an unequivocal YES!

If people are complaining about the new version they very likely weren't using it correctly to begin with. Probably relying on 3 second-spins and other nonsense. Load up, people. Moist brush, gentle bristle hair action going in straight lines over the puck for half a minute. Let the brush soak up the proto-lather, then go at the puck again. Dilute with water as necessary. An extra tip might be to adjust water content based on pass. The rich, creamy lather I need for the first pass to remove the majority of stubble causes irritation on the second against-the-grain pass: it needs to be thinner and more dilute then. But you can't get anywhere if there is no soap in the lather to begin with.

Looking over some fatty acid chemistry I think the recipe for new Tabac could be slightly improved by adding a few touches of olive oil to the oil saponification mix. Usually olive oil spells doom for a shaving soap recipe, but this is about tuning the lather properties so only small amounts would be needed. Olive oil contains one of the main constituents of tallow, and therefore might bring back some of the sloppiness of old. A combination of some olive and some palm (kernel) oil might even be better, but let's not get drawn into the discussion on the evils of palm oil...

 

[Steve56]

I like the new stuff. It’s different than the old, but just as good.

Now, if only the old version will do for you, go for it!

 

[Feldgrun]

I tried the new Tabac for the first time and felt that it reminded me of Haslinger. I'll have to try the two side-by-side, but except for the scent they seemed very similar.

 

[FarmerTan]

Having shaved with old Tabac for years, and having recently discovered the new version because I was looking for a puck at my holiday address... I am very impressed with what M&W have pulled off. Reformulations usually kill products, but not here. Is it old Tabac? No. Scent is a bit 'grainier', and the fatty sloppiness that was characteristic of old Tabac owing to the presence of C₁₆- and some C₁₄-fatty acids is less. Cannot be otherwise. New Tabac is creamier because the C₁₈-content is higher, so there needs to be a bit of water adjustment. Does it lather as easily, and does it give comfortable shaves? are however the million dollar-questions. I can answer both with an unequivocal YES!

If people are complaining about the new version they very likely weren't using it correctly to begin with. Probably relying on 3 second-spins and other nonsense. Load up, people. Moist brush, gentle bristle hair action going in straight lines over the puck for half a minute. Let the brush soak up the proto-lather, then go at the puck again. Dilute with water as necessary. An extra tip might be to adjust water content based on pass. The rich, creamy lather I need for the first pass to remove the majority of stubble causes irritation on the second against-the-grain pass: it needs to be thinner and more dilute then. But you can't get anywhere if there is no soap in the lather to begin with.

Looking over some fatty acid chemistry I think the recipe for new Tabac could be slightly improved by adding a few touches of olive oil to the oil saponification mix. Usually olive oil spells doom for a shaving soap recipe, but this is about tuning the lather properties so only small amounts would be needed. Olive oil contains one of the main constituents of tallow, and therefore might bring back some of the sloppiness of old. A combination of some olive and some palm (kernel) oil might even be better, but let's not get drawn into the discussion on the evils of palm oil...

I have not yet tried the new formula, as I need another soap like I need another volunteer gig, but your review has convinced me I need/want to try it. At least for to compare the scents, right?!

 

[HarryAU570]

I liked Tabac and the scent but it irritates my face so I won’t be trying the new. I’ll stick with Arko (no pun).

Spoiler

 

[FarmerTan]

Spoiler

Where have you been hiding my friend?! I almost miss your insults to the best Turkish soap ever!

 

[cymric]

Does it lather as easily, and does it give comfortable shaves? are however the million dollar-questions. I can answer both with an unequivocal YES!

Just a small follow-up: when I recently tied the knot with my sweet and loving partner of 20 years... I shaved with New Tabac. There can only be but a few more occasions when a shave absolutely needs to be spot-on. That's how good this product is.

I've also decided to stock up on this soap as a dependable workhorse.

 

[Tony1961]

Please. New stuff reviews only, not a million posts about how great the old stuff was. The "Where's the Tallow" thread has gone to 26 pages, so nobody will cruise through that looking for reviews. The one I did spot was not complimentary, but hey, it could be wonderful stuff.

So-- If you have the New Formula Tabac, write it up here, please. If you don't know what I mean, please see this thread.

Where is the Tallow?!

Just received a few pucks of Tabac shaving soap. I got the refill pucks. I've read through the ingredients list on the back of the box and I am not seeing tallow or tallowate listed anywhere. Have they changed the formula?

www.badgerandblade.com

Thank you!

The new Tabac minus the tallow is not as good as the tallow version, if i were to rate it out of 100 (tallow version being 100) then it's a 75. No big deal, already found a replacement which is equal to Tabac in performance and better in the scent department...happy days and happy shaving again

 

[Guido75]

already found a replacement which is equal to Tabac in performance and better in the scent department.

And what replacement would that be? The LOTH doesn’t particularly take to Tabac scent wise, but I like it’s performance (I have the tallow version). So curious to know your findings.

Thanks,

Guido

 

[Tony1961]

Captain Fawcett's Scapicchio Soap, this has been my replacement for Tabac and MWF after the reformulations.