What's new

Shave Sticks are Awesome!

Stickventory (top of my head)
my judgements:
* commended
** a favorite

Manufactured sticks:
**Arko
Derby
*Tabac
*Palmolive
Speick
Wilkinson Sword
*RazoRock (4 colors)
*La Toja
Lea
vintage Williams (different soap than the Mug puck)

Self-built: (I get empty twist-ups for about $2 apiece)

puck-based hard soaps
**Ach. Brito Mogno
**Williams Mug
vintage Old Spice
*Mitchell's Wool Fat (might become a favorite)
*RazoRock Orange Sunrise
*RazoRock Lime Burst
*Ogallala Bay Rum Lime and Peppercorns

puck-based melting soaps
Col Conk Amber self-mentholated
**Col Conk Lime self-mentholated
**Mama Bear's Haitian Vetiver
*Mama Bear's Mandarin Ice
*Mama Bear's Lemon Ice
*Mama Bear's Grapefruit Ice
Mama Bear's Juniper
Mama Bear's Cedarwood

croap-based
*CBL Roasted Oatmeal Stout
Proraso Green
RazoRock For Chicago
 
Shave sticks are awesome!

I started my wet shaving adventure lathering in a bowl but several member's proselytizing the virtues of face lathering with a stick have began to sink in.

I've been sitting on a few zip lock bags of soap samples and last night I decided to watch Atomic Blonde (again) and make soap sticks.

I have some of the larger 2.5oz sticks like PAA sells but these were smaller samples of soap and I'd purchased a few cheap 1oz roll up containers off amazon for just this exercise. I started off with a cheese grater but after taking off the tip of a finger for the 20th time I switched over to a garlic press. Which was weird but fun, like making soap spaghetti.

1668402404064.png


After making the What The Puck label I took the time to figure out the font setting in the labeler. But I was too lazy to actually make that container a new label. LOL. Guess I didn't care that much.

These roll up containers are not great - the bottom is open, unlike the larger ones. I guess they are designed to pour your liquid material in from the bottom and then it hardens. Pushing in soap from the top was a little problematic at first till enough mass got in there to fuse and block the riser.


1668402604100.png


Still, once I figured that out and stopped pushing soap right through onto the table, I found these function fine.

I plan on getting seriously stick for Decemboar and face lather for a whole month. I'm ready to get down now.
 
Last edited:

FarmerTan

"Self appointed king of Arkoland"
Shave sticks are awesome!

I started my wet shaving adventure lathering in a bowl but several member's proselytizing the virtues of face lathering with a stick have began to sink in.

I've been sitting on a few zip lock bags of soap samples and last night I decided to watch Atomic Blonde (again) and make soap sticks.

I have some of the larger 2.5oz sticks like PAA sells but these were smaller samples of soap and I'd purchased a few cheap 1oz roll up containers off amazon for just this exercise. I started off with a cheese grater but after taking off the tip of a finger for the 20th time I switched over to a garlic press. Which was weird but fun, like making soap spaghetti.

View attachment 1556261

After making the What The Puck label I took to time to figure out the font setting in the labelers. But I was too lazy to actually make that container a new label.

These roll up containers are not great - the bottom is open, unlike the larger ones. I guess they are designed to pour your liquid material in from the bottom and then it hardens. Pushing in soap from the top was a little problematic at first till enough mass got in there to fuse and block the riser.


View attachment 1556262

Still, once I figured that out and stopped pushing soap right through it onto the table, I found these function fine.

I plan on getting seriously stick for Decemboar and face lather for a whole month. I'm ready to get down now.
Those are really nifty containers my friend! I'll be looking into some. Thanks.
 
50/50 mix pressed into a twist up container of Arko! & Mitchell's Wool Fat or Cella & MWF are both wonderful.

Also now have some Striling Sheep - which is a little softer than MWF (a bit like Arko density) and will mix that with some of the hard (and excellent) Pre de Provence.

ps If you're in Thailand or nearby... when I found a local source of Pre de Provence (after trying the pucks of 63 and Bergamot & Thyme from my USA trip) they only have the Bergamot & Thymeb ut it's on offer about $11 a puck ... oops sorry, just checked and after i bought 4 there's only one left at usual $18ish price



Arko/MWF in a Shave Nation container...

IMG_4555.jpg
 

musicman1951

three-tu-tu, three-tu-tu
Lather is lather. You can make it in a bowl, you can load a brush and make it on your face/palm or you can rub the soap on your face and make it that way. It's lather.

I can understand how some might find one method easier/more comfortable than the other two. I can also understand that some people (naturally or by practice) have perfected one of the methods and firmly believe it is superior to the other two.

But I believe you can make the exact same lather with any of the three if your technique is appropriate to the task.

So should we all be required to perfect all three? NO! Use what works for you and what makes you happy. If you possibly can, try not to insult all the forum members who feel as strongly about their choice as you do about yours.

Don't worry about insulting me - I'm good at everything. :c1:
 
Lather is lather. You can make it in a bowl, you can load a brush and make it on your face/palm or you can rub the soap on your face and make it that way. It's lather.

I can understand how some might find one method easier/more comfortable than the other two. I can also understand that some people (naturally or by practice) have perfected one of the methods and firmly believe it is superior to the other two.

But I believe you can make the exact same lather with any of the three if your technique is appropriate to the task.

So should we all be required to perfect all three? NO! Use what works for you and what makes you happy. If you possibly can, try not to insult all the forum members who feel as strongly about their choice as you do about yours.

Don't worry about insulting me - I'm good at everything. :c1:

Yes, you can make lather with all 3 methods, but most guys here agree that a shave stick is faster, easier, and you have more control over your end result. Hense, the best method.
That's why this thread is about shave sticks. Everyone has their own opinion. Enjoy what you prefer.
 
Yes, you can make lather with all 3 methods, but most guys here agree that a shave stick is faster, easier, and you have more control over your end result. Hense, the best method.
That's why this thread is about shave sticks. Everyone has their own opinion. Enjoy what you prefer.

It’s been my experience that ease of making lather, or learning to achieve the same quality of lather ranks as follows:

Bowl
Face lathering from a puck
Face lathering with a stick

I haven’t used a bowl for at least 10 years. I keep pucks and use them primarily at the house. I use sticks on the road.

All the soaps I keep are sticked and pucked. Some started as one and I adapted them to the other.

The key to a good shave anywhere for me, is mastering the specific method

Sticks are an awesome way to lather. I’m not so dogmatic to say anything is the best or only way to do a thing
 
I'm definitely a shaving stick and face lathering fan. I recently purchased two of the Shave Nation twist up containers to try to improve my stick wielding skills. I tried to load Arko in one and Speick in the other. Both were already in stick form, and I feel like I got it wrong with both. I just pressed the Arko onto the rod along the centerline of the container (it's soft enough), which sort of worked. I tried heating the Speick stick briefly in the microwave, which softened the center; soft enough to press it onto the rod in the container. However, neither stick fills the container to its sides, which triggers my OCD need for things to fit well. HELP!?

p.s., I also have a D.R. Harris stick that I really like, but the soap doesn't want to advance out of the container when I twist the bottom. And, once I get it to advance out of the container, then the lid doesn't want to screw on all the way. I must be missing something with the D.R. Harris stick. HELP2!!
 

musicman1951

three-tu-tu, three-tu-tu
Yes, you can make lather with all 3 methods, but most guys here agree that a shave stick is faster, easier, and you have more control over your end result. Hense, the best method.
That's why this thread is about shave sticks. Everyone has their own opinion. Enjoy what you prefer.
Why would it be faster? How many seconds? Why easier? Where does the extra control come from?

I'm not trying to be confrontational, I really don't see it.
 
Grating the puck and pressing it into the container is an easy way...

Arko is soft/malleable enough to just press in.. you can press Arko into a bowl etc if you prefer to lather that way:-

Cella is so soft, best to spread it out and sprinkle on grated MWF etc and mix with fork - it'll seem too soft for a stick, but firms up overnight to a very easy to apply to face stick.

I'm planning to use Stirling Sheep with the PdeP for that reason as PdeP is a hard soap (I've also made 50/50 Saponificio Varesino & MWF which is fine but a very firm stick).
 
Why would it be faster? How many seconds? Why easier? Where does the extra control come from?

I'm not trying to be confrontational; I really don't see it.

It is what it is. I find a stick to be faster at making lather than with a bowl. It is easier, again it just is! I can get a nice rich creamy lather with a stick more easily than with a puck. The extra control is from making the lather on my face I can see how it is and if I need to add water it is very easy to do so.
For me it is faster, easy, and I always get a great lather.
 

FarmerTan

"Self appointed king of Arkoland"
I'm definitely a shaving stick and face lathering fan. I recently purchased two of the Shave Nation twist up containers to try to improve my stick wielding skills. I tried to load Arko in one and Speick in the other. Both were already in stick form, and I feel like I got it wrong with both. I just pressed the Arko onto the rod along the centerline of the container (it's soft enough), which sort of worked. I tried heating the Speick stick briefly in the microwave, which softened the center; soft enough to press it onto the rod in the container. However, neither stick fills the container to its sides, which triggers my OCD need for things to fit well. HELP!?

p.s., I also have a D.R. Harris stick that I really like, but the soap doesn't want to advance out of the container when I twist the bottom. And, once I get it to advance out of the container, then the lid doesn't want to screw on all the way. I must be missing something with the D.R. Harris stick. HELP2!!
Yeah, OCD and even touching a shave stick without a container around it must be tough! I can relate to things not lining up.... Not easy!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Kix
I'm definitely a shaving stick and face lathering fan. I recently purchased two of the Shave Nation twist up containers to try to improve my stick wielding skills. I tried to load Arko in one and Speick in the other. Both were already in stick form, and I feel like I got it wrong with both. I just pressed the Arko onto the rod along the centerline of the container (it's soft enough), which sort of worked. I tried heating the Speick stick briefly in the microwave, which softened the center; soft enough to press it onto the rod in the container. However, neither stick fills the container to its sides, which triggers my OCD need for things to fit well. HELP!?

p.s., I also have a D.R. Harris stick that I really like, but the soap doesn't want to advance out of the container when I twist the bottom. And, once I get it to advance out of the container, then the lid doesn't want to screw on all the way. I must be missing something with the D.R. Harris stick. HELP2!!

Please don’t heat up tallow soap. It degrades it. I’m not sure about how it would affect Speick’s newer veggie formula, and it’s really only safe for a glycerin “melt and pour” soap to me.

Just thinly slice or grate up the soap, wet your fingers and press them into the container. The dampness will essentially weld them together. If you’re doing it into a twist up, get the base pad as high as you can, and compress soap up to the top (without so much pressure to slip it down the center post, or break it). Then screw it down and repeat til you’re done.
 

musicman1951

three-tu-tu, three-tu-tu
It is what it is. I find a stick to be faster at making lather than with a bowl. It is easier, again it just is! I can get a nice rich creamy lather with a stick more easily than with a puck. The extra control is from making the lather on my face I can see how it is and if I need to add water it is very easy to do so.
For me it is faster, easy, and I always get a great lather.
I think you've hit the nail on the head with your last sentence. Excellent!

I load my non-stick of MdC for 4 seconds and am shaving in what seems like about 45 seconds, but to be honest I'm just guessing as I have no clock in the bathroom (nor apparently enough interest to bring my watch in after my shower). Adding water to the lather is exactly the same as using a stick, and I am comfortable saying my MdC lather holds up very well in comparison to any stick, so those two parts are a wash in the discussion.

I can absolutely see that your loading technique with a stick could be easier and faster than with a brush. I use LaToja sticks when I travel. For me it's considerably easier to load the brush on a puck. Given that the only difference is where the soap goes first, I'm fairly certain that most people would find both methods about equal if they practiced them the same amount of time. I suppose it's possible for someone to own a brush that doesn't load efficiently to prefer the stick.

My bottom line: I appreciate that you find the stick better and wish you all good shaves with your chosen method. I hope you can appreciate that I don't find it easier or faster using a stick and will continue to enjoy my shaves with my chosen method. But I will not say mine is better.
 

FarmerTan

"Self appointed king of Arkoland"
I think you've hit the nail on the head with your last sentence. Excellent!

I load my non-stick of MdC for 4 seconds and am shaving in what seems like about 45 seconds, but to be honest I'm just guessing as I have no clock in the bathroom (nor apparently enough interest to bring my watch in after my shower). Adding water to the lather is exactly the same as using a stick, and I am comfortable saying my MdC lather holds up very well in comparison to any stick, so those two parts are a wash in the discussion.

I can absolutely see that your loading technique with a stick could be easier and faster than with a brush. I use LaToja sticks when I travel. For me it's considerably easier to load the brush on a puck. Given that the only difference is where the soap goes first, I'm fairly certain that most people would find both methods about equal if they practiced them the same amount of time. I suppose it's possible for someone to own a brush that doesn't load efficiently to prefer the stick.

My bottom line: I appreciate that you find the stick better and wish you all good shaves with your chosen method. I hope you can appreciate that I don't find it easier or faster using a stick and will continue to enjoy my shaves with my chosen method. But I will not say mine is better.
We all know an Arko stick is best. Good luck winning this argument my friend! Hahahaha!!!
 
My bottom line: I appreciate that you find the stick better and wish you all good shaves with your chosen method. I hope you can appreciate that I don't find it easier or faster using a stick and will continue to enjoy my shaves with my chosen method. But I will not say mine is better.
Yes, each person will have their preferred method for making lather, that goes without saying, I prefer a stick and the name of this thread is "Shave Sticks are Awesome!" I still say they are the best method.
 

FarmerTan

"Self appointed king of Arkoland"
Yes, each person will have their preferred method for making lather, that goes without saying, I prefer a stick and the name of this thread is "Shave Sticks are Awesome!" I still say they are the best method.
I have been known to rub a puck on my face because I just prefer face lathering. I'm WAY too ADHD to lather in a bowl. I'm liable to forget it's soap and eat it!

I think I am going to do just lathering on the puck until the new year.... Lots of soaps just (softer types) that I am missing...
 
Top Bottom