One soap for rest of the year

[Ivo4u2]

Get a bar of stirling mentholated pre shave soap.
and two jars of other stirling shave soap and you should last way into new year.
Is there better soap probably but so far most I encountered is just very close in performance.

 

[fistfullofbeer]

I have a very small sample size (5 soaps) but here is how I would rate them based on residual slickness:

Declaration Grooming (Milksteak)
B&M (Excelsior)
Zingari Man (Sego), Stirling
M&M (Aon)

Honestly, after DG, there is very little that separates them. One thing to keep in mind though is the water itself. Though I have not had an issue with any of these soaps, I know that some people can have different experience with soaps based on the hardness of the water they use.

 

[Timeclo]

Stirling is a perfectly fine soap. I use it all the time and I get great shaves out of it.

Now, there are other options out there as well. I won't say Stirling is the best thing out there but personally, it's my favorite, taken all things considered.

Some soaps that I enjoyed this year are Zingariman and Spearhead soaps. They both perform well and create a lotion-like lather once hydrated. Feels great on the skin as well.

 

[ajduplessis]

Tabac

 

[Hannah's Dad]

Of the ’top-rated’ artisans, if I was forced (maximum force required) to pick just one soap for a year, it would be Murphy & McNeil Nantahala (Kodiak base).

 

[eezee]

I once spent a (very happy) year with Haslinger’s options!!

Especially the Shafmilch.

Tabac

YES!!

 

[arano]

Cella.

 

[tyoung]

Stirling is tops for me, followed very closely by Mikes Natural Soap. When I started my serious dive down the rabbit hole many years ago, I got away from Stirling and Mikes because I wanted to use only the 'best of the best'. All these years later, I have gotten rid of almost everything except for Stirling and Mikes.

With that said, I think you have to explore to find your favorites though, I highly recommend trying one of the other highly rated soaps. Barrister & Mann, Murphy & McNeil, Arianna & Evans etc. are all excellent.

 

[Peterv1]

Very hard to choose, obviously I haven't tried them all, I usually rotate between 3 nowadays these are my favourites for now

Razorock XXX
Stirling Piacenza
TOBS Jermyn street (cream)

 

[alla2465]

Just buy a 12 pack of arko for 25 bucks

 

[Racquet]

I think that I could get by with most anything from RR, Blues soap to Zingari man and M&M Natahala.
At $35.00 you have a big selection of some great soaps, DG milksteak is one of the latest and greatest.

 

[Loner16]

This is east for me... Mitchell's Wool Fat.

Nothing make my face feel as soft post shave... I love lanolin.

 

[detroitreds]

I have to agree with Arko. I happen to like the scent. Lots of people will disagree on scent. You can keep adding water to the thing and it never disappoints.

Grooming Department would be my choice on the higher end of your budget.

 

[old_school]

I think you should splurge on youself, not the soap. How would you know if the one soap it's any good for you, group consensus?

Go here. Open up an account so you can build a shopping cart or a wish list. Take a few days to look around, read up a bit and assemble a sample pack for yourself. Don't forget to try a Stick of Arko and (I just learned about) La Toja, cheap and top notch. Then go here and build a sampler pack of blades to try.

Take notes, pay attention to ingredients and try to change only one thing at a time. In the end you will know what kinds of soap you will want to splurge on. And you'll a have pile of fun on the way. That's my thinking FWIW.

 

[Wei]

Be careful... When I started down this rabbit hole a little less than 3 years ago, I bought several soaps and creams based on the opinions of others. Most of those soaps are still new and unused. Not because they're no good, but because something "newer" and "better" came along. And that will always be the case. I understand your quest, I really do. But please just find something that works for you and go for it. Dial it in and enjoy it. There are so many good options available and many of them (IMO) have already been mentioned in this thread. Good luck to you.

Thank you, I fully know how deep this rabbit hole could be! That is why circumstances only allow me to pamper myself with this one "luxury" purchase which I want to make it the best.

In my den order of residual slickness goes:

Zingari Man
Declaration Grooming Milksteak
B&M Excelsior
Saponificio Varesino

I have a medium sized den (50+ soaps) of all types and those are the best I’ve found.

Good luck!

Before making this post I had actually wanted to try
1. Zingari Man (sego)
2. B&M Reserve / Excelsior
3. DG Milksteak
But I could not decide which one is best as I only can afford one, and what I am looking for is residual slickness above everything due to the way I shave. After seeing the replies I now have Murphy and McNeil to consider as it seems highly rated but I have never heard of it in this forum before!

Stirling is a perfectly fine soap. I use it all the time and I get great shaves out of it.

Now, there are other options out there as well. I won't say Stirling is the best thing out there but personally, it's my favorite, taken all things considered.

Some soaps that I enjoyed this year are Zingariman and Spearhead soaps. They both perform well and create a lotion-like lather once hydrated. Feels great on the skin as well.

Thank you for your comment, I too agree Stirling might be the one I end up with. I just want to experience something better for once, just to see if it is possible!

I think you should splurge on youself, not the soap. How would you know if the one soap it's any good for you, group consensus?

Go here. Open up an account so you can build a shopping cart or a wish list. Take a few days to look around, read up a bit and assemble a sample pack for yourself. Don't forget to try a Stick of Arko and (I just learned about) La Toja, cheap and top notch. Then go here and build a sampler pack of blades to try.

Take notes, pay attention to ingredients and try to change only one thing at a time. In the end you will know what kinds of soap you will want to splurge on. And you'll a have pile of fun on the way. That's my thinking FWIW.

Great advice, I often buy from Maggards as they offer a very good international shipping rate. But this splurging is a one off thing, I do not want samples of many different soaps and not ending up with a tub of something really good that can last me a decent time.

 

[Chandu]

I think many artisan soaps are out. Most are available for the money you have to spend, but most won't make it the rest of the year if you use them exclusively. They are mostly croaps and nothing like a hard soap or any triple milled soap in longevity of use. So if your intent is something that will make it to the end of the year I'd look for a nice harder soap from a company, not an artisan.

Maybe a tub of Tabac. MdC makes a 50g tub that you might be able to find for that money. Both should last you the year. Not the hardest soap, but a kilo of Cella would also do you.

 

[old_school]

...Saponificio Varesino...

Saponificio Varesino

Great advice, I often buy from Maggards as they offer a very good international shipping rate. But this splurging is a one off thing, I do not want samples of many different soaps and not ending up with a tub of something really good that can last me a decent time.

Saponificio Varesino.

 

[StAnger667]

Don’t forget the humble quad milled pre de Provence for 12 bucks

 

[JCarr]

Zingari Man The Wanderer has quickly become one of my favorite soaps. I have it in the Sego base.

Taylor of Old Bond Street shave creams are super easy to lather up and smell great. My personal favorite is Grapefruit, but I have the Coconut which also smells nice.

For pure scent...Goodfellas' Smile Abysso is the best aquatic I've come across. I also have their Sea Citrus soap which is more like a croap. Both produce quality lather. Goodfellas' Smile is inexpensive compared to Zingari and TOBS.

 

[StAnger667]

For $35 why not have the luxury of a few different great soaps. You could get several of the ones recommended for $35