Vintage Soaps -What are your favorites?

[BullGoose]

There is something about the difficult to obtain soaps that just increases the allure. I have had the pleasure of trying many vintage (i.e. discontinued and/or pre-reformulation) soaps and have my favorites. My top 5 would be:

1) Yardley Black Label -I have the regular Yardley as well as the black label Yardley and prefer the black label by a good margin. It lathers easily, has a nice light scent and rewards you with creamy protective lather. My absolute favorite

2) Vintage Trumper (Tallow) -Amazing stuff

3) Woods of Windsor Tallow -You do not hear much about this recently discontinued soap but I love it.

4) Regular Yardley

5) Penhaligons Blenheim Bouquet (Tallow) -Excellent soap

The Pens English Fern would have made the list if I was not allergic to it.

What are some of your favorite vintage shave soaps?

 

[man00ver]

Old Spice
Williams
Barbershop Old Fashioned Luxury by Franklin Toiletry
Colgate Cup Soap

I've obtained pucks of Wrisley, Seaforth, Mohawk, MacGregor and Americana Spiceberry that I haven't tried yet.

 

[BullGoose]

Old Spice
Williams
Barbershop Old Fashioned Luxury by Franklin Toiletry
Colgate Cup Soap

I've obtained pucks of Wrisley, Seaforth, Mohawk, MacGregor and Americana Spiceberry that I haven't tried yet.

Old Spice almost made my list as well. I do really like it and need to use it more often. Colgate Cup soap is on my list of soaps I want to acquire.

 

[MrGuy]

In no particular order...
Old Spice
Wrisley (Just found another spanking "new" bowl still in the box at a little antique shop near by!)
Williams, pucks and sticks
Super Pure (I couldn't find much info on this one, but man is it nice!)
An unknown soap stick that came in a Travel Tech set. Its about the diameter of a standard crayon and only a couple of inches long, so it doesn't get too much use.
Colgate cup soap isn't my favorite, but it's fun to use due to its vintage status.
I have a puck of "Tally-Ho!", but it's possibly one of the worst shaving soaps I've ever tried, and the only vintage soap I have no desire to revisit.
I also picked up a Barbershop mug with a puck, but haven't had a chance to use it yet.

Phil, one of the shops a couple towns down (I love that reference ) has a shelf full of Colgate Cup soap. I'd be happy to send one your way if you're interested.

 

[BullGoose]

Phil, one of the shops a couple towns down (I love that reference ) has a shelf full of Colgate Cup soap. I'd be happy to send one your way if you're interested.

Getty-up! I'd love to try the Colgate Cup Soap. PM on the way. Many Thanks

 

[DSB]

Yardley has been my all time favorite. I have not had the chance to compare the black label -- I had no idea it was different. I just assumed the different packaging was a result of more modern production.

 

[BullGoose]

Yardley has been my all time favorite. I have not had the chance to compare the black label -- I had no idea it was different. I just assumed the different packaging was a result of more modern production.

The Yardley Black Label is slightly softer than the regular Yardley and seems to lather more profoundly. The Black label also seems to have a bit more scent but that could be because it is not as old. I do love the regular Yardley but find the Black Label variant to be even better.

 

[james7604]

The only vintage soap that I've tried so far is Yardley Black Label. It's very good. I recently picked up an unused tub of regular Yardley. I've not tried it yet because I just assumed it would be the same performance wise, so I was going to wait until I'd finished the Black Label one. I might have to rethink that and compare them head to head.

 

[HoosierTrooper]

My favorite far and away is Williams. I have pucks from the Glastonbury, Cranford, Glen Rock and Pittsburg (Beecham era) plants, plus a stick and menthol from Cranford. I also have vintage Colgate Cup, Barber's and Mug, Barbershop, Old Spice, Surrey and Rawleigh's.

 

[Rudy Vey]

My list:
Penhaligon's EF and Trumper's Rose are on top, in this order. Then I like Yardley, WoW and my Old Spice as close thirds, but in no particular order.

 

[Sledgehammer39]

I have only tried Vintage Williams and Colgate and both were awesome!

 

[BullGoose]

The only vintage soap that I've tried so far is Yardley Black Label. It's very good. I recently picked up an unused tub of regular Yardley. I've not tried it yet because I just assumed it would be the same performance wise, so I was going to wait until I'd finished the Black Label one. I might have to rethink that and compare them head to head.

I have not seen the regular Yardley in the plastic heart container. I was comparing the Yardley that came in the wooden bowl to the Black Label. I will be interested to hear how your regular Yardley compares to the Black Label version.

 

[Evbo]

I have both regular & Black Label Yardley soaps. They're pretty similar, but I'd agree that the Black Label is a bit softer & has a bit more scent. That said, the difference in lather between it and regular Yardley is pretty minimal. They're both fantastic soaps.

I wholeheartedly second all of the entries in the OP's list. Happily, I'm not allergic to vintage English Fern, so that one makes my list. I'd also add vintage Houbigant Fougere Royal & Kanøn soaps to the list -- amazing stuff (esp. the HFR)!

I also have a bunch of vintage soaps I haven't tried yet -- no doubt some of those are list-worthy as well.

 

[poppi]

I love Seaforth SS closely followed by Colgate Cup Soap. Be sure that it's not the Colgate Mug Soap, that stuff sucks. But the Cup Soap is great.

 

[Niles]

In my limited experience with vintage soaps, Old Spice is my favorite.

 

[HoosierTrooper]

I love Seaforth SS closely followed by Colgate Cup Soap. Be sure that it's not the Colgate Mug Soap, that stuff sucks. But the Cup Soap is great.

I found a box of the Mug soap at a little mom and pop store awhile back, and what's interesting is that the soap itself was stamped "Cup",and it works very, very well, just as good as the puck I have that was in a box actually marked Cup. Does the version that was sold as Mug have the word Mug on it, or where they all marked as Cup?