The Col. Conked out

[D/E Bob]

I just recently found out that Col. Conk's Soap has changed drastically. Their 3.5 oz. Bay Rum with Glycerine has been my go-to for many years now and was excellent, had great lather, gave a great shave and was reasonably priced. I tend to buy in bulk (that's why I was not aware of the change) and when I ordered a bunch of new Conk pucks from WCS I was unpleasantly surprised to find the new version was pretty bad. It went back the very next day after trying it. It does not hold a candle to the old version and I have been on the hunt for a go-to replacement.

Proraso Green and Red are OK but not my favorites. I also tried Arko which has incredible lather, is cheap as hell but IMO lacked a bit of lubricity (no Glycerine in it). I've now used it two more times this week and it is slowly growing on me. As long as you keep the lather moist with a quick additional brush pass at the tail end of the shave, it gives a very close shave.

I also bought Van Der Hagen but have yet to try it. I did try the Sterling Bay Rum but the smell was something I disliked. I did just order 4 pucks from Mama Bear and if I recall it was pretty good when I tried it in the past. It's on the pricy side but if I really like it it might be worth the coin. The Old Glycerine Col. Conk's was a greay vaklue for the money and provoded a great smooth shave - why they had to mess with it is beyond me and I am not a happy Camper right now!

 

[Lockback]

Sorry you don't like the Stirling Bay Rum. I didn't like it much at first but it's grown on me. Maybe you could order sample sizes from Stirling? I think it's a great way to try different scents for not a ton of money. And if you find one you really like, then you can order a full tub.

 

[Old Hippie]

I also tried Arko which has incredible lather, is cheap as hell but IMO lacked a bit of lubricity (no Glycerine in it).

I see in another thread on this subforum there's some celebration of the fact that bowl lathering gives one the freedom to add a few drops of glycerine while building the lather.

Might be a congenial workaround for just now while you're trying to get the search running. Or might just be the E-ticket ride you're looking for.

But man...Arko. (shrug) It works, but I like my groovy shave soap recipe better.

O.H.

 

[hairless wonder]

You might want to consider giving Haslinger or RazoRick What the Puck shaving soaps a try. The soaps I've tried by them have produced great lather. The pucks are also pretty inexpensive. On a per shave basis, though, I think Pre de Provence 63 shaving soap may be less expensive. I also got excellent lathers from that.

 

[fast shaver]

You might want to consider giving Haslinger or RazoRick What the Puck shaving soaps a try. The soaps I've tried by them have produced great lather. The pucks are also pretty inexpensive. On a per shave basis, though, I think Pre de Provence 63 shaving soap may be less expensive. I also got excellent lathers from that.

Someone at Colonel Conk FAILED Chemistry 101. But still works there.!
People want an inexpensive shaving soap that performs well.
The Colonel Conk Original Soap Formula performed great.!

 

[Steve56]

If you like the performance of Stirling, get a bunch of their generous samples to find a scent that you like. They make a lot of scents, and scent strengths, so there’s something for everyone, and something that’s not for everyone.

Try Provence Sante. Flies under the radar, about $10 a puck when it’s not on sale, and it’s quite good. Pre de Provence is a bit more expensive but is a harder soap and a bigger puck. PdP is probably cheaper to use thought the 63 seems pricey at the moment and the Bergamot and Thyme may not be everyone’s favorite scent here.

And as always, La Toja stick is one of the best bangs for the buck that there is in wet shaving, if you don’t want a stick, grate one or two into a Maggard Colt PETG wide jar and voilá, you’re good to go. This is how I use La Toja at home.

Good hunting!

 

[gpjoe]

...I also tried Arko which has incredible lather, is cheap as hell but IMO lacked a bit of lubricity...

Yeah, this is my main complaint with Arko. After my last pass I usually do minor touchup with just water and the slickness provided by the residual soap, but Arko tends to leave my face squeaky clean and provides zero glide.

Otherwise, nearly any soap I currently use works: Stirling, Razorock, MdC, Speick, LaToja, Clubman, TOBS (cream), Cella, Dr Selby...there are literally hundreds of alternatives from which to choose, that won't break the bank.

One of my favorites, a great performer with a great scent, is Razorock xXx, which can often be purchased on sale from Italian Barber for 7 or 8 bucks. Stirling is more expensive but also a great performing soap and a solid value...and they offer many nice scents.

I understand the disappointment in your old favorite, however there are many, many wonderful soaps for you to discover...maybe you will be pleasantly surprised.

 

[kogber]

Any suggestions for a replacement that is similar to the old formulation Col Conk Amber?

 

[VerbaVolant]

Suggestion? Anything above Ivory bar soap will do.

 

[Lane101]

I just recently found out that Col. Conk's Soap has changed drastically. Their 3.5 oz. Bay Rum with Glycerine has been my go-to for many years now and was excellent, had great lather, gave a great shave and was reasonably priced. I tend to buy in bulk (that's why I was not aware of the change) and when I ordered a bunch of new Conk pucks from WCS I was unpleasantly surprised to find the new version was pretty bad. It went back the very next day after trying it. It does not hold a candle to the old version and I have been on the hunt for a go-to replacement.

Proraso Green and Red are OK but not my favorites. I also tried Arko which has incredible lather, is cheap as hell but IMO lacked a bit of lubricity (no Glycerine in it). I've now used it two more times this week and it is slowly growing on me. As long as you keep the lather moist with a quick additional brush pass at the tail end of the shave, it gives a very close shave.

I also bought Van Der Hagen but have yet to try it. I did try the Sterling Bay Rum but the smell was something I disliked. I did just order 4 pucks from Mama Bear and if I recall it was pretty good when I tried it in the past. It's on the pricy side but if I really like it it might be worth the coin. The Old Glycerine Col. Conk's was a greay vaklue for the money and provoded a great smooth shave - why they had to mess with it is beyond me and I am not a happy Camper right now!

Give Van Der Hagen Luxury a try. It has added glycerine that provides reasonable slickness.

Regarding Arko try creating an even wetter lather with it. I get plenty of slickness with Arko so long as the lather is on the wetter side. From your post above is sounds like you are already heading in this direction. Also second the recommendation to try Razorock What-The-Puck (WTP). Works really well - just posted regarding yesterday's shave with WTP Black Fougere. See via the link below.

What did you use today? +Rate the shave 1-10 (10 best)

Razor: Shake-Sharp Mk. I, V1 Blade: Rapira Stainless Brush: Simpson Duke 3 Synthetic Pre-Shave: Proraso White Lather: Mauer & Wirtz Tabac Aftershave: Maurer & Wirtz Tabac Aftershave Lotion Additional Care: Thayers Facial Tonic Witch Hazel Unscented 9.7. A very close shave, but I managed to...

www.badgerandblade.com

 

[StewB]

I wonder whether adding some glycerin drops to the sub-par lather would improve it.

 

[sarimento1]

I just recently found out that Col. Conk's Soap has changed drastically. Their 3.5 oz. Bay Rum with Glycerine has been my go-to for many years now and was excellent, had great lather, gave a great shave and was reasonably priced. I tend to buy in bulk (that's why I was not aware of the change) and when I ordered a bunch of new Conk pucks from WCS I was unpleasantly surprised to find the new version was pretty bad. It went back the very next day after trying it. It does not hold a candle to the old version and I have been on the hunt for a go-to replacement.

Proraso Green and Red are OK but not my favorites. I also tried Arko which has incredible lather, is cheap as hell but IMO lacked a bit of lubricity (no Glycerine in it). I've now used it two more times this week and it is slowly growing on me. As long as you keep the lather moist with a quick additional brush pass at the tail end of the shave, it gives a very close shave.

I also bought Van Der Hagen but have yet to try it. I did try the Sterling Bay Rum but the smell was something I disliked. I did just order 4 pucks from Mama Bear and if I recall it was pretty good when I tried it in the past. It's on the pricy side but if I really like it it might be worth the coin. The Old Glycerine Col. Conk's was a greay vaklue for the money and provoded a great smooth shave - why they had to mess with it is beyond me and I am not a happy Camper right now!

Sorry to hear.
Conk was a nice soap, not the greatest, but ok.
I hope you'll find some better alternate.

 

[Hawkeye_90]

Try gentleman john glycerin shave soap

 

[Hawkeye_90]

You should also try

Jikoryen Soap I have found it to work better than arko.​

 

[geneaut]

Maybe try Ogallala Bay Rum shave soap if you are looking for a Col Conk replacement.

 

[StewB]

Col. Conk is made close to where I live and they have it in local stores here. I looked at the ingredient list on the box. It has glycerin but not in the top 5 or 6 ingredients as I recall. My guess is that you could add glycerin to the lather to improve the performance. Not sure why the formula changed but my guess is because of ingredient costs.

 

[Jan Sobieski]

I've always liked Conk. Sorry to hear some have had disappointments with it lately.

 

[SmokedStanley]

I did not try Col. Conk shave soap until the original was discontinued but I did get a bunch of the original on sale because it was being discontinued and some of the new from amazon. While different I found they both produced a nice later and rather easy. Did not notice much of a difference in the shave either. Plan on using both for some time and maybe I will be swayed one way or the other but currently I am happy with both the new and old.

 

[DEgeezer]

I have 3 unused Col. Conk pucks that are years old, so I'm sure they are the original formula. It's been quite a while since using any of his soap, so I think for my next shave I'll use his Amber that's in an old, and nearly forgotten shaving mug.