The idea of lathering directly on one's face with a soap stick is just a great idea IMO. What better way to prep than applying a layer of soap directly to the bristle, and then developing the lather directly on that same bristle? Genius.
I've yet to come across a soap stick I don't enjoy, in contrast to soap pucks which are hit or miss for me. So I'm trying to find a crap one.
I've tried Arko, Palmolive, LaToja and Speick. My inventory is now 12, 2, 1, 3 sticks respectively. Already many year's worth and I'll be collecting a few more LaTojas directly from Spain soon!
Next up - Tabac.
Two shaves into this monster and I've found yet another winner. In fact it's probably a tie between it and La Toja for the top spot.
It feels right in the hand due to its robust dispenser. Its large diameter feels better on the face than all others. Its formulation is similar to Arko and LaToja, whereas I find Palmolive and especially Speick to be *a bit* too hard and rough unless they are dipped in the water first. And the fragrance is excellent. It's not a million miles away from LaToja fragrance-wise, but perhaps a tad more powdery and somehow old-fashioned smelling (in the best way).
Performance-wise it's without fault. So, just a word of thanks to Mäurer & Wirtz for sticking with the formula for decades. It ain't broke. DON'T FIX IT.
Of all the 5 sticks I've now tried, the only one I'll probably not continue with is the Palmolive. It's mostly wonderful, but for some reason I find it too gloopy (for want of a better word). When I load up with plenty of soap, it's the only one of the 5 that clogs very quickly between the safety bar and the blade of my R41, all the way along the blade. And consistent with that, it's the only one that needs quite a bit more effort to remove from my face - easily 1-2 extra passes of the blade to get down to the shaven skin.
Anyone else find that with Palmolive (I'm speaking of the stick made for the German market)?
A final question:
Please suggest what others I can try, and enlighten me if there is truly a dud stick out there in the market somewhere?
I've yet to come across a soap stick I don't enjoy, in contrast to soap pucks which are hit or miss for me. So I'm trying to find a crap one.
I've tried Arko, Palmolive, LaToja and Speick. My inventory is now 12, 2, 1, 3 sticks respectively. Already many year's worth and I'll be collecting a few more LaTojas directly from Spain soon!
Next up - Tabac.
Two shaves into this monster and I've found yet another winner. In fact it's probably a tie between it and La Toja for the top spot.
It feels right in the hand due to its robust dispenser. Its large diameter feels better on the face than all others. Its formulation is similar to Arko and LaToja, whereas I find Palmolive and especially Speick to be *a bit* too hard and rough unless they are dipped in the water first. And the fragrance is excellent. It's not a million miles away from LaToja fragrance-wise, but perhaps a tad more powdery and somehow old-fashioned smelling (in the best way).
Performance-wise it's without fault. So, just a word of thanks to Mäurer & Wirtz for sticking with the formula for decades. It ain't broke. DON'T FIX IT.
Of all the 5 sticks I've now tried, the only one I'll probably not continue with is the Palmolive. It's mostly wonderful, but for some reason I find it too gloopy (for want of a better word). When I load up with plenty of soap, it's the only one of the 5 that clogs very quickly between the safety bar and the blade of my R41, all the way along the blade. And consistent with that, it's the only one that needs quite a bit more effort to remove from my face - easily 1-2 extra passes of the blade to get down to the shaven skin.
Anyone else find that with Palmolive (I'm speaking of the stick made for the German market)?
A final question:
Please suggest what others I can try, and enlighten me if there is truly a dud stick out there in the market somewhere?
