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Soaps That Punch Above Their Weight

This is the first time I have been made aware of Murphy and McNeil soaps. Since the company seems to be a vendor of traditional shaving supplies (not just soaps and aftershaves), I wondered whether they made their own soaps, or whether another artisan made the soaps for them. The ingredients are similar to Noble Otter, but not identical. Both Noble Otter and Murphy and McNeil are based in Texas. Thus, I thought there might be a connection.
 

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This is the first time I have been made aware of Murphy and McNeil soaps. Since the company seems to be a vendor of traditional shaving supplies (not just soaps and aftershaves), I wondered whether they made their own soaps, or whether another artisan made the soaps for them. The ingredients are similar to Noble Otter, but not identical. Both Noble Otter and Murphy and McNeil are based in Texas. Thus, I thought there might be a connection.

Just ordered one of these myself. Liking the profiles and ingredients.


AA
 
The best non-artisan product in my den is Cremo shave cream. It is my go-to product for travel. It is inexpensive, yet is easy to load and lather (its a soft cream), it has excellent slickness, decent cushion and very good post shave feel. I consider it to be a product that hits beyond its weight class, but it is still a lightweight compared to most of the artisan soaps . . .

Absolutely agree!

My son got me into this mess with a Cremo gift package this past Christmas--Reserve Blend and a horsehair brush. Wasn't long before I was finding other artisan stuff, mostly locally. I use the Cremo stuff this morning and it performed exactly as you described. Lathered so nice, great slickness, love the scent. I wanna go lather up now just so I can enjoy it again . . . no shave, just lather.
:shaving:
 
My vote for one of the best n cheapest soap is arko despite the smell lol.

I am curious about tfs as they seem to be quite affordable.
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Is the tfs traditional soap as good as arko?
 
Van Der Hagen Luxury

This is the first soap I bought and I have to say it is the soap that I based the slickness/performance on all other soaps I buy. The scent isn't that great but I think this stuff lathers easy and it is slick. When I compare other soaps to this if they don't feel as slick or perform as good I don't keep the soap. Here is the funny thing, a couple years ago I even had to try MdC Fougere, liked the scent but got rid of it as I didn't think it performed as good as the VDH soap. Funny how a $3 and change puck of soap to me could be that much better than a $60 plus soap. JMO.

Other good soaps that have been mentioned are RR, most are less than $10 and other than scent that I don't care for on the Black Bay and one other barbershop scent I didn't care for I can say I have found a bad soap an they all perform great. Palmolive and Derby creams perform quite well for the price.
 
This is the first time I have been made aware of Murphy and McNeil soaps. Since the company seems to be a vendor of traditional shaving supplies (not just soaps and aftershaves), I wondered whether they made their own soaps, or whether another artisan made the soaps for them. The ingredients are similar to Noble Otter, but not identical. Both Noble Otter and Murphy and McNeil are based in Texas. Thus, I thought there might be a connection.

Murphy & McNeil makes their own soaps. They currently have 3 different formulas for sale on their website and you cant go wrong with any of them. Their customer service is incredible, free shipping, and they offer samples.
 
Van Der Hagen Luxury

This is the first soap I bought and I have to say it is the soap that I based the slickness/performance on all other soaps I buy. The scent isn't that great but I think this stuff lathers easy and it is slick.

If all you are looking for in soap performance is slickness, then VDH is a decent soap.

VDH provides little in the way of cushion and protection. It does have some Shea Butter and Mango Butter to provide some skin conditioning, but most artisan soaps are far better in this regard. For those with less sensitive skin, these attributes might not be important.
 
My vote for one of the best n cheapest soap is arko despite the smell lol.

I am curious about tfs as they seem to be quite affordable.
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Is the tfs traditional soap as good as arko?


TFS is not bad and is very affordable depending on which soap of theirs you are thinking of getting, they range in price quite a bit. Arko is one that I do not have much experience with, but TFS is a good option if you are not looking for exotic ingredients. There are better options IMO but TFS is a serviceable soap and they make some of the Razorock soaps.
 
TFS is not bad and is very affordable depending on which soap of theirs you are thinking of getting, they range in price quite a bit. Arko is one that I do not have much experience with, but TFS is a good option if you are not looking for exotic ingredients. There are better options IMO but TFS is a serviceable soap and they make some of the Razorock soaps.

Thanks SHAVEWIZARD420,

I'm just looking for a regular soap that lathers well, is slick and gives good cushioning like arko. I found tfs almond on connaught shaving and was wondering if it was a great shaving soap.

If it performs as well as arko I'll be as happy as a clam.
 
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Razorock What da Puck - cheap and definitely pucnches above it’s weight - I was surprised by its lather, slick, cushion etc

But - money no object, and i’d Go for MdC, SV
 
Thanks SHAVEWIZARD420,

I'm just looking for a regular soap that lathers well, is slick and gives good cushioning like arko. I found tfs almond on connaught shaving and was wondering if it was a great shaving soap.

If it performs as well as arko I'll be as happy as a calm.

My 2 cents, although i have a hard time comparing soaps, because honestly, i can shave with anything out there till now and i can't find this dramatic difference that is going to revolutionize shaving. The most revolutionary item is my hand.

The TFS almond, is a very basic soap. Very few ingredients: Stearic acid, Water, Cocos nucifera oil, potassium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide, parfum. That's it! To me, it's a valid alternative to other budget items, like Proraso. It builds lather very fast, faster than a Proraso tub and the lather is thicker. Is it slick? Not particularly. Again, i would put it close to the slickness of Proraso (except for red). Arko stick is slicker, thanks to tallow. It smells better than Arko, although i understand this is subjective. Is TFS a great soap? No, i wouldn't say so. Is it good for the small price they ask? Yes. Is it better than Arko? Performance wise, i would say no. Can you shave fine with it? You sure can.
 
Razorock What da Puck - cheap and definitely pucnches above it’s weight - I was surprised by its lather, slick, cushion etc

But - money no object, and i’d Go for MdC, SV

Rumors are what the Puck is made by tfs...?

Anyone has any info on that?
 
I would think the following would be my top three...
  1. Cella
  2. Proraso (in green tube)
  3. William's Mug Soap
Cella has such a good price/performance ratio that I cannot think of anything else that would come close, except for Vitos Extra Super. Proraso is something I've been using since I can remember shaving and is priced fairly cheaply where I live. Technically, it's a cream so it maybe shouldn't be here but the tub performs similarly but I find the lather is not quite as good. Regardless, I can find it for around $6US or $8CDN for a tube, which is a pretty good deal. William's has always performed quite well for me and I use it all the time. I would have ranked it higher but it is controversial as many people seem to have trouble with it.
 
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Long Rifle
Wilkinson Sword shave stick
Lea shave stick

MD thanks for the tip on the Long Rifle! Just bought a puck and am super excited to try it. Exactly what i was looking for in both scent and packaging. Just a really cool soap company. Also the price is awesome. Many thanks!
 
Razorock What da Puck - cheap and definitely pucnches above it’s weight - I was surprised by its lather, slick, cushion etc

But - money no object, and i’d Go for MdC, SV

I agree with you. These soaps do punch above it weight. Triple milled, with their own container, at this price is outstanding.

However it would be great if RR would tweak the scents, it's my only nitpick in these otherwise excellent value soaps.
 
I agree with you. These soaps do punch above it weight. Triple milled, with their own container, at this price is outstanding.

However it would be great if RR would tweak the scents, it's my only nitpick in these otherwise excellent value soaps.
I've only used the WTP Lime so far, find it great. The scent is a little on the industrial side, maybe, but I still like it. But then I also like Derby and Tabac, so what do I know. :D
 
Van Der Hagen Luxury

This is the first soap I bought and I have to say it is the soap that I based the slickness/performance on all other soaps I buy. The scent isn't that great but I think this stuff lathers easy and it is slick. When I compare other soaps to this if they don't feel as slick or perform as good I don't keep the soap. Here is the funny thing, a couple years ago I even had to try MdC Fougere, liked the scent but got rid of it as I didn't think it performed as good as the VDH soap. Funny how a $3 and change puck of soap to me could be that much better than a $60 plus soap. JMO.

I agree. The definition of punching above its weight.
 
I've only used the WTP Lime so far, find it great. The scent is a little on the industrial side, maybe, but I still like it. But then I also like Derby and Tabac, so what do I know. :D

Heh, I like Tabac as well. It's often made fun off but I enjoy it, and the aftershave is even better.

I just find the scents too synthetic with WTP. It would be nice if they added more options to the line up. A simple Lavender, or Vetiver, or better yet something that smells like L'Occitane Cade.

For the price, I'm not really looking for a complex fougere or a warm gourmand but.. you know, something that doesn't smell too.. industrial.. :laugh:
 
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