W/o regard to price, smell, ease of lathering- what soap affords the closest shave?

[lostinwv]

Hello all,

I would like to pose a question to you.

I've detected that I get a noticeably closer shave when using Mama Bear soaps (Rosemary & Mint and Hydrogen) vs. the creams I've tried (TOBS Avocado and Proraso Green). I'm on a search for a new soap, and I MUST HAVE the one B&B members recommend as the closest-shaving. I've read that tallow-based soaps may be the way to go, or perhaps simply triple-milled (e.g. Dr Harris soaps).

Well?

 

[1969Fatboy]

Personal best soap, regarding comfort, close shave, and quality...Tabac>MWF>Floris Elite soap(all I have is new veggie version). Strictly my opinion though

 

[vior]

I find that usually glycerin soaps like QED and mama bear seem to cut faster than triple milled soaps. Both types of soaps give different but enjoyable shaves.

I really like: QED Wild Rose, Mama bears lime ice, trumpers sandalwood, anything Harris, Tabac and L'occitane Cade

 

[lostinwv]

Personal best soap, regarding comfort, close shave, and quality...Tabac>MWF>Floris Elite soap(all I have is new veggie version). Strictly my opinion though

I've been very curious about Tabac, as it gets rave reviews. I do find myself a little concerned about the smell, though- I've read a lot of positive comments and a lot of negative comments too. I haven't seen anyone knock its performance, though.

MWF is another one I'm considering. I hope people are kidding when they say it smells like sheep!

 

[lostinwv]

I find that usually glycerin soaps like QED and mama bear seem to cut faster than triple milled soaps. Both types of soaps give different but enjoyable shaves.

I don't mean to sound stupid, but what do you mean when you say cut faster? Should I infer closer?

 

[Eagle]

Tabac . Give it a shot. It's not that expensive and if you find it's not for you somebody will snatch it up. Smell is powdery and leathery; I think it smells great. Also hear good things about MWF, but I believe Tabac is cheaper for the experiment phase.

 

[lostinwv]

Tabac . Give it a shot. It's not that expensive and if you find it's not for you somebody will snatch it up. Smell is powdery and leathery; I think it smells great. Also hear good things about MWF, but I believe Tabac is cheaper for the experiment phase.

Thanks for your reply and the scent description.

I just realized that my stated concerns about the scent directly contradict what I said in the title of the thread. Oh well, I can be an idiot like that sometimes

 

[vior]

I find that usually glycerin soaps like QED and mama bear seem to cut faster than triple milled soaps. Both types of soaps give different but enjoyable shaves.

I don't mean to sound stupid, but what do you mean when you say cut faster? Should I infer closer?

Yeah, IMO they cut faster and closer. To me they seem to be more slick thus allowing for a very close shave. Triple milled soaps also cut very close for me and I find that these soaps allow for the most comfortable shave.

 

[L. Martino]

I've been very curious about Tabac, as it gets rave reviews. I do find myself a little concerned about the smell, though- I've read a lot of positive comments and a lot of negative comments too. I haven't seen anyone knock its performance, though.

MWF is another one I'm considering. I hope people are kidding when they say it smells like sheep!

Hi there,
Sadly, I was never able to get past the scent of Tabac.......got in my way too much while shaving.
Hehe, no, the MWF doesn't smell like sheep......well, not exactly. It's got more of a goat like scent to it, with an additional softer, more subtle fragrance of.........would that be mutton? Very nice!
Hope that helps,
Martin

 

[RoyalKooparillo]

Tabac is a great soap, no question, but it never really tugged my heartstrings during a shave...I've currently been on a roll with T&H Luxury soap and I've never received closer shaves. Worth a try, IMHO.

I have a couple of Mama Bear's soaps and QED Wild Rose, and while they also give good shaves, it appears I haven't 'mastered' them yet.

Happy shaving!

 

[prewt]

....MWF is another one I'm considering. I hope people are kidding when they say it smells like sheep!

Pffth. If your sheep stinks, hand over some soap and tell them to get clean.

 

[DanOK]

Regardless of which razor or blade I use Tabac is the most consistent soap I use for the closest shave. If I have to have a BBS shave, because SWMBO has decided I'm going weather I want to or not, its the soap I choose.

 

[Christoph]

I think Mama Bear soaps will rank high in this discussion. But so will Mitchell's Woolfat.

 

[OldSchoolYoungin]

Not only is Tabac dense, rich and comforting, it is very close-cutting at the same time.

You said W/O regards to scent . The scent is a very personal thing. Personally I think it smells great. I use the soap 2-3 times a week and the cologne and deodorant on a regular basis as well.

I can never say too many good things about Tabac. Best shaving value out there.

 

[Isaac]

My Favorite soaps are as follows..

Institut Karite > MWF > Tabac

I find that the IK not only provides a great shave, but it leaves my skin soft.

 

[elveeskee]

For me its Pre de Provence> MWF>TGQ

In regards to the smell of MWF...just like great cheese, you should be able to smell the goat that the cheese came from.

 

[guenron]

For those of you finding the fragrance more like a scent, try a bit of Cyril Salters "Fresh Mint" shaving cream (soopah latha?) with it. Does an excellent job of acting as minty jelly does on leg of lamb or other mutton dishes...

 

[elveeskee]

For those of you finding the fragrance more like a scent, try a bit of Cyril Salters "Fresh Mint" shaving cream (soopah latha?) with it. Does an excellent job of acting as minty jelly does on leg of lamb or other mutton dishes...

Never thought of that!

 

[lostinwv]

Well folks, I have placed an order as of 5 minutes ago.

After reading comments in this thread, as well as researching about a million other posts on various soaps, I narrowed my choices down to:

Tabac
DR Harris (Arlington vs. Marlborough)
T&H Luxury
Floris JF
AOS Lemon
Trumpers Coconut

Really, all of these seem like they'd be good bets. I don't know why I wasn't seriously considering the MWF- maybe I couldn't get past the concept (sheep)!

I was having little luck in making a solid decision when something happened that made the decision-making process much easier: I stumbled upon the VintageBlades website and saw the very low closeout prices on the Floris JF soap, and I could not resist the urge to buy some given the great deal. While I was at it, I figured I'd go ahead and get the DR Harris Arlington as well.

In both cases, I went with the refills to save $$.

I'm excited to get these and I'll be milling them into a mug or tupperware or something. I'll be sure to post my thoughts on each soap when I have formed opinions on them.

Thanks again for your responses to my question. Based on some of your comments about Tabac, I'm sure I'll be trying that soon too!

Happy shaving...

 

[vior]

IMHO, you cant go wrong with any of those soaps. Great choices!