I only started wet shaving 1.5 yrs ago. I currently have over 80+ soaps (some samples most full pucks). I haven't finished any yet but I have purchased full tubs of several Stirling soaps that I originally had as samples.
they are:
Executive Man
Tuscany
Piacenza
Pharaoh's Dreamsicle
Baker St
and I purchased a second 1 oz Sandalwood sample to replace the nearly finished one I have. I would have purchased a full tub except I have several different vendors versions of sandalwood that I wanted to use them up and narrow the list down.
As for what I will buy again, SV is one of the top of that list. Since they are triple milled, I am not sure I will be needing to for a very long time. I currently have all SV soaps except Cosmo (scent didn't thrill me)
I've gone through all of the posts and done a tally. There are couple I had to guess (is "CC" Colonel Conk or Captain's Choice, for example). I did not count soaps that people said they will purchase again (I've said that before, then never actually get around to it, so it's a line I drew). I also counted CO Bigelow as Prorasso Green and counted multiple scent purchases as unique mentions, but if it just says "Stirling" then it only got counted once. Here's the unscientific tally:
Prorasso - 28 mentions (tie between green and red at 10 each)
Arko - 17
Stirling - 15
MWF - 14
Tabac - 12
Mike's - 12
Williams - 12
Palmolive - 10
Speick - 9
B&M - 9
La Toja - 8
Haslinger - 7
Van der Hagen - 7
Cella - 6
Art of Shaving - 6
DR Harris - 6
5 - Colonel Conk, Razorock, WSP
4 - Wilkinson Sword, Cold River Soap Works, SV, Fine, TOBS, C&S, L'Occitaine Cade, Pre de Provence
3 - T&H, Lea, Soap Commander, Dr. Jons, Vintage Old Spice
2 - Geo F Trumper, Captains Choice, Body Shop, Chiseled Face, Wholly Kaw, I Colniali, Mystic Waters
1 - ES Natural, Australian Private Reserve, First Canadian, Monsavon, Benton Clay, Sapone di Paolo Terroso, Le Pere Lucien, St. Charles Shave, Nivea, Martin de Candre, Country Club, P.160, Route 66, Los Angeles Shaving, Shannon's Soaps, Pannacrema, Boellis Panama, Pino Silvestre, Stella Alpina, Crowne & Crane, Surrey, Jabon Man, Godrej, Henri & Victoria, Midnight & Two, Asylum, Reef Point, Catie's Bubbles, Maggard, Mamma Bear
The methodology here isn't scientific, but it is an indicator. It's quite a list and gives me plenty of soaps to try that people like enough to repurchase. Scent wasn't always mentioned, but sandalwood is the most common mention at 19 (includes Sandalwood, Prorasso Red, and vanilla sandalwood mentions--I'm sure plenty of the other scents mentioned also include some sandalwood).
My list would be too long, so I will only mention the soaps I have purchased more than once that currently have a permanent spot in my den:
- Saponificio Varesino Opuntia Beta 4.3
- Barberia Bolognini Vigoroso
- Furbo
- Furbo Vintage Blu
- Abbate y La Mantia Buttero
- RazoRock The Dead Sea
- RazoRock Santa Maria del Fiore
- RazoRock Blue Barbershop
- Haslinger Schafmilch
- La Toja stick
In this "Top 10" I can proudly say that 8 are Made in Italy!