This review has been a few weeks in the making. I ordered a sample of all the TOBS scents, and set out to write down my thoughts as the days went by. For the majority, I wrote down my thoughts immediately after the shave. On the days I may have been running later, the thoughts were written down later. All shaves were done with a Gillette NEW Ball Handle, and for the most part with an Astra SP Blade. Lathering was always done in a bowl with a WD 24mm Silvertip.
Most of the TOBS lather the same, some require more water, some require less. I've also found that if you start with too much water and get a foamy lather, there is no recovery for TOBS. I've tried adding more product, and it simply did not work. Because of this, my lather routine for this cream is a well wrung out brush with a dollop of cream on the tip. Begin the bowl lathering, and add drops of water as I go. Stopping when it becomes a nice creamy full lather.
For each scent I give a brief vignette of how the scent was, then a vignette of its performance. Please note, these scores are relative to TOBS in general. They do not reflect comparison to other brands and their scents and performances. TOBS is a very good cream in my opinion, and even a poor performing TOBS is a good cream.
When I first got the samples, I smelled each one in the tub, and them ranked them based upon which one I liked best to worst. I then would set out 2 samples a day from the top of the stack, and choose one based on my mood for that morning's shave. So if you see the scents take a rating plunge as you do so, it is because it was put lower in the stack due to my initial impression of it.
This will be a long post, my apologies, but no other way to do it. This post may be moved over to the cream section later on if deemed so by the moderators, but I wanted to give the general public the opportunity to see it.
And finally the obligatory disclaimer: These are subjective opinions based upon my experience. Maybe I had an off lather day, or a stuffy nose that altered my experience. As always, YMMV.
Sandalwood
Scent - More of a floral interpretation of sandalwood than a woodsy version. This is the cream and scent that is responsible for me falling in love with TOBS and into the world of DE shaving. The scent is wonderful, powerful, and lingers around for the entire shave.
Performance - A solid performer. Slick and cushiony. Provides a great shave with great slickness. Nothing here to say but good things. This one will likely remain in my rotation for as long as TOBS will make it. Given that they have been around of a long time, hopefully its availability will outlast me!
Scent: 10/10
Performance: 9/10
Peppermint
Scent - What a refreshing mint smell. Smells like I just opened a pack of double mint gum. As I lathered up, the scent remained strong and prominent. It was a good way to wake up in the morning.
Performance Menthol addicts will love this one. Very nice and cool to the face when lathered. The cooling effect lasted even after the lather was rinsed off. The lather stood up the entire shave, and performed like a champ! I will be buying a full tub of this, especially for the summer months!
Scent: 10/10
Performance: 9/10
Grapefruit
Scent - in the tub it is dead on like grapefruit. That unique wonderful smell. As you lather it up, the scent blossoms into floral undertones. Scent seemed to dissipate while on face, but then the rinse gave you a whiff again. Then the re-lather for 2nd and 3rd pass was a wonderful rejuvenation of the smell. No doubt that you have to like the smell of grapefruit to enjoy this scent. Grapefruit is a smell I can easily see people not enjoying.
Performance - Really wanted to like this better, since the smell was great for me. Out the gate it lathered superb. One of the fastest TOBS to lather into a thick, creamy, fluffy cloud. However, once applied to the face, you could see the lather dissipating. Same was seen in the bowl. In fact, the bottom of the bowl had some watery melted lather. Overall, I'll have to revisit this cream, as the smell was quite enjoyable. Hopefully a second lather will prove my first impressions invalid.
Scent: 8/10
Performance: 5/10
Almond
Scent - Amaretto! In the tub, this smells just as I would imagine an almond scent would be. Very powerful and intoxicating. During lather, the aroma filled my senses with joy. Once lathered on, the smell was very mild. I had a hard time picking up on the smell unless I really focused. One of my favorite creams to lather up.
Performance - This was a very easy cream to lather up. It seemed to love water, and just grew with the addition of more water. I rinse my razor in a plastic cup as my sink does not have a stopper at the moment. Inside my cup was a floating layer of thick lather, that the water couldn't break down. It's performance was slightly better than the average TOBS.
Scent: 9/10
Performance: 9/10
Rose
Scent - Smells like rose water. This scent was delightful in the tub. Once lathering there was a strong whiff, then it seemed the smell dissipated as you continued to lather. Once applied to the face, there was an initial rejuvenation of the scent, but then I could no longer smell it as I was shaving. All in all I liked the smell, but this will not likely be one to purchase outside of a sample.
Performance - nothing much to say here. It performed very much as you would expect any TOBS. Overall pretty well. Nice slickness, nice shave, etc. Nothing here to praise, nothing here to criticize.
Scent: 7/10
Performance: 7/10
Lavender
Scent: A very delightful floral version of lavender. Enjoyed this smell quite a bit. As I went to lather, the smell exploded and I could easily smell it from a good distance. Lathered up nicely, just as any other TOBS. When applying to face, the smell continue to be present, and delightful. Smelled it during the entire shaving process. At the end, the squeezing out of the brush, was another explosion of aroma!
Performance: Unfortunately, I wasn't too impressed. This lather seemed to not be as slick as I have become accustomed with TOBS. It seemed to dry out quickly once applied, and required my dipping my off hand in water to re-wet it. Maybe this scent requires more water than the average TOBS. I'll have to play around with it. The initial lather was very similar to all the other TOBS, it just seemed to lose its slickness fast.
Scent: 9/10
Performance: 6/10
Avocado
Scent: Not a great scent. People often say that it reminds them of cucumber more than avocado. I did not smell the cucumber personally. In all actuality it smelled like avocado with a hint of green tea. Avocado is not a fruit that I think of when I think of pleasant smells. It's very subtle and earthy. Not necessarily bad, just nothing to write home about.
Performance: This is where the cream makes up for its lack of smell. This is to date, the best TOBS performer that I have used. It lathered up nicely in the bowl, stayed nice and slick for a long time, and provided a good shave. Skin felt great afterwards. This seems to be the consensus when you hear someone talk about this particular cream.
Scent: 4/10
Performance 10/10
Lemon Lime
Scent: I love all things citrus, with lemon on the top of my list. I love the scent, the taste, the sweet, and the sour. That being said, this cream was a little lacking. The scent was very faint. And when I did get a good whiff, it smelled like pledge. Now, don't get me wrong, I like the smell of pledge...just not on my face.
Performance: Unfortunately, it was not able to redeem itself here either. It whipped up nicely, and I had a beautiful lather. Applied to the face no problem, and it had an initial slickness to it. However, that slickness dried out very quickly and it turned more tacky. Rubbing wet hands on my face, quickly brought back that slick. So before the next pass, I added water to my lather and whipped it up some more. Unfortunately, it had the same results. Just was not a good cream for me.
Scent: 4/10
Performance: 3/10
St. James
Scent: I consider two classifications of smells. Natural (Herbal/woodsy) smells / and Cologne like smells. I prefer the natural smells. I don't wear cologne, I don't like the smell, and it gives me a headache. That being said, this definitely falls under the Cologne category. However, it was a very mild scent and not overwhelming or powering. Which is important to me for cologne scents. It was actually pleasurable. Will I purchase a full tub, of course not. I'll stick to my naturals. But I can't ding it for being a bad smell. As I don't wear cologne, I can't compare what it smells like.
Performance: One of the better lathering TOBS so far. Lathered nicely, and performed great. The lather dissipated a bit if left on the face too long (I forgot to load the blade in the razor before). But, even in its dissipated state, it still provided slick and cushion needed to get a great shave. Very close and comfortable shave this morning, pleased with the performance.
Scent: 6/10
Performance: 8/10
Eton College
Scent: Very mild scent. More noticeable when lathered, but had to bury my nose in the bowl to get a smell. Its a very mild sweet cologne-esque smell. When I could smell it, it smelled nice. So I can't ding it for that. But part of the shaving experience for me is the smell produced from the lather, and this just didn't do. If you are looking for a cream with a very mild, but still present, scent, then give this a try!
Performance: Better than the average TOBS. It at least made up for its lack of smell. I was shaving on a three day old blade, and still was near BBS with no nicks, weeps, or irritations. Lathered nicely and provided a slick shave.
Scent: 3/10
Performance: 9/10
Coconut
Scent: very mild coconut smell, yet pleasant. This is another one of those TOBS that is not overwhelming with a powerful scent. Which is not what I look for in a cream, but definitely could satisfy others. If you like the milder smelling creams with hints of scent, and you like cococut, then definitely give this a try.
Performance: Middle of the road, nothing great, nothing bad. As with most TOBS, it provides a great shave.
Scent: 6/10
Performance 7/10
Mr. Taylor
Scent: This one definitely falls under the cologne category. Smelling it in the tub, it was very potent and overwhelming. I feared using this because of that. However, once it was lathered up, the smell mellowed out and it was rather pleasant. Definitely more present than the smell of Eton College. Like I said before, I'm not a fan of the cologne scents, so the rating is based upon my personal preference.
Performance: Pretty standard performance for a TOBS. Lathered up easily, soaked up the water and provided plenty of slick. Did not dry out, and provided more lather than I could use!
Scent: 3/10
Performance: 6/10
Jermyn Street
Scent: Another one of the cologne scents. Out of the tub this scent was milder than Mr. Taylor, but stronger than Eton College. When lathered up the smell did not overwhelm, but was present. While I'm not a fan the cologne scents, this wasn't too bad. I was pleasantly surprised buy all of the TOBS cologne scents. While I don't foresee myself making any of the cologne purchases, I will enjoy using up the samples.
Performance: This lathered up very nicely. As with most TOBS, it was very easy to create a lather. While shaving, the lather felt a little tacky on the face, not as slick as other TOBS I have tried. This was easily fixed by leaving my razor wet after a rinse. Ironically, I could not get the same result by just adding more water to the lather. All in all, I had a rather dull blade and was still given a smooth shave. That is the beauty of TOBS.
Scent: 5/10
Performance: 6/10
Natural
Scent: Just because a soap is stated to be unscented or natural, does not usually mean it is without scent. Most soaps have a soapy smell. That being said, I did not get any type of scent out of my natural. This would be a great stock for people that wanted to create their own scented creams.
Performance: Pretty standard performance for TOBS. Lathered up easily, created rich thick lather. Provided sufficient slick and cushion.
Scent: N/A
Performance: 7/10
Most of the TOBS lather the same, some require more water, some require less. I've also found that if you start with too much water and get a foamy lather, there is no recovery for TOBS. I've tried adding more product, and it simply did not work. Because of this, my lather routine for this cream is a well wrung out brush with a dollop of cream on the tip. Begin the bowl lathering, and add drops of water as I go. Stopping when it becomes a nice creamy full lather.
For each scent I give a brief vignette of how the scent was, then a vignette of its performance. Please note, these scores are relative to TOBS in general. They do not reflect comparison to other brands and their scents and performances. TOBS is a very good cream in my opinion, and even a poor performing TOBS is a good cream.
When I first got the samples, I smelled each one in the tub, and them ranked them based upon which one I liked best to worst. I then would set out 2 samples a day from the top of the stack, and choose one based on my mood for that morning's shave. So if you see the scents take a rating plunge as you do so, it is because it was put lower in the stack due to my initial impression of it.
This will be a long post, my apologies, but no other way to do it. This post may be moved over to the cream section later on if deemed so by the moderators, but I wanted to give the general public the opportunity to see it.
And finally the obligatory disclaimer: These are subjective opinions based upon my experience. Maybe I had an off lather day, or a stuffy nose that altered my experience. As always, YMMV.
Sandalwood
Scent - More of a floral interpretation of sandalwood than a woodsy version. This is the cream and scent that is responsible for me falling in love with TOBS and into the world of DE shaving. The scent is wonderful, powerful, and lingers around for the entire shave.
Performance - A solid performer. Slick and cushiony. Provides a great shave with great slickness. Nothing here to say but good things. This one will likely remain in my rotation for as long as TOBS will make it. Given that they have been around of a long time, hopefully its availability will outlast me!
Scent: 10/10
Performance: 9/10
Peppermint
Scent - What a refreshing mint smell. Smells like I just opened a pack of double mint gum. As I lathered up, the scent remained strong and prominent. It was a good way to wake up in the morning.
Performance Menthol addicts will love this one. Very nice and cool to the face when lathered. The cooling effect lasted even after the lather was rinsed off. The lather stood up the entire shave, and performed like a champ! I will be buying a full tub of this, especially for the summer months!
Scent: 10/10
Performance: 9/10
Grapefruit
Scent - in the tub it is dead on like grapefruit. That unique wonderful smell. As you lather it up, the scent blossoms into floral undertones. Scent seemed to dissipate while on face, but then the rinse gave you a whiff again. Then the re-lather for 2nd and 3rd pass was a wonderful rejuvenation of the smell. No doubt that you have to like the smell of grapefruit to enjoy this scent. Grapefruit is a smell I can easily see people not enjoying.
Performance - Really wanted to like this better, since the smell was great for me. Out the gate it lathered superb. One of the fastest TOBS to lather into a thick, creamy, fluffy cloud. However, once applied to the face, you could see the lather dissipating. Same was seen in the bowl. In fact, the bottom of the bowl had some watery melted lather. Overall, I'll have to revisit this cream, as the smell was quite enjoyable. Hopefully a second lather will prove my first impressions invalid.
Scent: 8/10
Performance: 5/10
Almond
Scent - Amaretto! In the tub, this smells just as I would imagine an almond scent would be. Very powerful and intoxicating. During lather, the aroma filled my senses with joy. Once lathered on, the smell was very mild. I had a hard time picking up on the smell unless I really focused. One of my favorite creams to lather up.
Performance - This was a very easy cream to lather up. It seemed to love water, and just grew with the addition of more water. I rinse my razor in a plastic cup as my sink does not have a stopper at the moment. Inside my cup was a floating layer of thick lather, that the water couldn't break down. It's performance was slightly better than the average TOBS.
Scent: 9/10
Performance: 9/10
Rose
Scent - Smells like rose water. This scent was delightful in the tub. Once lathering there was a strong whiff, then it seemed the smell dissipated as you continued to lather. Once applied to the face, there was an initial rejuvenation of the scent, but then I could no longer smell it as I was shaving. All in all I liked the smell, but this will not likely be one to purchase outside of a sample.
Performance - nothing much to say here. It performed very much as you would expect any TOBS. Overall pretty well. Nice slickness, nice shave, etc. Nothing here to praise, nothing here to criticize.
Scent: 7/10
Performance: 7/10
Lavender
Scent: A very delightful floral version of lavender. Enjoyed this smell quite a bit. As I went to lather, the smell exploded and I could easily smell it from a good distance. Lathered up nicely, just as any other TOBS. When applying to face, the smell continue to be present, and delightful. Smelled it during the entire shaving process. At the end, the squeezing out of the brush, was another explosion of aroma!
Performance: Unfortunately, I wasn't too impressed. This lather seemed to not be as slick as I have become accustomed with TOBS. It seemed to dry out quickly once applied, and required my dipping my off hand in water to re-wet it. Maybe this scent requires more water than the average TOBS. I'll have to play around with it. The initial lather was very similar to all the other TOBS, it just seemed to lose its slickness fast.
Scent: 9/10
Performance: 6/10
Avocado
Scent: Not a great scent. People often say that it reminds them of cucumber more than avocado. I did not smell the cucumber personally. In all actuality it smelled like avocado with a hint of green tea. Avocado is not a fruit that I think of when I think of pleasant smells. It's very subtle and earthy. Not necessarily bad, just nothing to write home about.
Performance: This is where the cream makes up for its lack of smell. This is to date, the best TOBS performer that I have used. It lathered up nicely in the bowl, stayed nice and slick for a long time, and provided a good shave. Skin felt great afterwards. This seems to be the consensus when you hear someone talk about this particular cream.
Scent: 4/10
Performance 10/10
Lemon Lime
Scent: I love all things citrus, with lemon on the top of my list. I love the scent, the taste, the sweet, and the sour. That being said, this cream was a little lacking. The scent was very faint. And when I did get a good whiff, it smelled like pledge. Now, don't get me wrong, I like the smell of pledge...just not on my face.
Performance: Unfortunately, it was not able to redeem itself here either. It whipped up nicely, and I had a beautiful lather. Applied to the face no problem, and it had an initial slickness to it. However, that slickness dried out very quickly and it turned more tacky. Rubbing wet hands on my face, quickly brought back that slick. So before the next pass, I added water to my lather and whipped it up some more. Unfortunately, it had the same results. Just was not a good cream for me.
Scent: 4/10
Performance: 3/10
St. James
Scent: I consider two classifications of smells. Natural (Herbal/woodsy) smells / and Cologne like smells. I prefer the natural smells. I don't wear cologne, I don't like the smell, and it gives me a headache. That being said, this definitely falls under the Cologne category. However, it was a very mild scent and not overwhelming or powering. Which is important to me for cologne scents. It was actually pleasurable. Will I purchase a full tub, of course not. I'll stick to my naturals. But I can't ding it for being a bad smell. As I don't wear cologne, I can't compare what it smells like.
Performance: One of the better lathering TOBS so far. Lathered nicely, and performed great. The lather dissipated a bit if left on the face too long (I forgot to load the blade in the razor before). But, even in its dissipated state, it still provided slick and cushion needed to get a great shave. Very close and comfortable shave this morning, pleased with the performance.
Scent: 6/10
Performance: 8/10
Eton College
Scent: Very mild scent. More noticeable when lathered, but had to bury my nose in the bowl to get a smell. Its a very mild sweet cologne-esque smell. When I could smell it, it smelled nice. So I can't ding it for that. But part of the shaving experience for me is the smell produced from the lather, and this just didn't do. If you are looking for a cream with a very mild, but still present, scent, then give this a try!
Performance: Better than the average TOBS. It at least made up for its lack of smell. I was shaving on a three day old blade, and still was near BBS with no nicks, weeps, or irritations. Lathered nicely and provided a slick shave.
Scent: 3/10
Performance: 9/10
Coconut
Scent: very mild coconut smell, yet pleasant. This is another one of those TOBS that is not overwhelming with a powerful scent. Which is not what I look for in a cream, but definitely could satisfy others. If you like the milder smelling creams with hints of scent, and you like cococut, then definitely give this a try.
Performance: Middle of the road, nothing great, nothing bad. As with most TOBS, it provides a great shave.
Scent: 6/10
Performance 7/10
Mr. Taylor
Scent: This one definitely falls under the cologne category. Smelling it in the tub, it was very potent and overwhelming. I feared using this because of that. However, once it was lathered up, the smell mellowed out and it was rather pleasant. Definitely more present than the smell of Eton College. Like I said before, I'm not a fan of the cologne scents, so the rating is based upon my personal preference.
Performance: Pretty standard performance for a TOBS. Lathered up easily, soaked up the water and provided plenty of slick. Did not dry out, and provided more lather than I could use!
Scent: 3/10
Performance: 6/10
Jermyn Street
Scent: Another one of the cologne scents. Out of the tub this scent was milder than Mr. Taylor, but stronger than Eton College. When lathered up the smell did not overwhelm, but was present. While I'm not a fan the cologne scents, this wasn't too bad. I was pleasantly surprised buy all of the TOBS cologne scents. While I don't foresee myself making any of the cologne purchases, I will enjoy using up the samples.
Performance: This lathered up very nicely. As with most TOBS, it was very easy to create a lather. While shaving, the lather felt a little tacky on the face, not as slick as other TOBS I have tried. This was easily fixed by leaving my razor wet after a rinse. Ironically, I could not get the same result by just adding more water to the lather. All in all, I had a rather dull blade and was still given a smooth shave. That is the beauty of TOBS.
Scent: 5/10
Performance: 6/10
Natural
Scent: Just because a soap is stated to be unscented or natural, does not usually mean it is without scent. Most soaps have a soapy smell. That being said, I did not get any type of scent out of my natural. This would be a great stock for people that wanted to create their own scented creams.
Performance: Pretty standard performance for TOBS. Lathered up easily, created rich thick lather. Provided sufficient slick and cushion.
Scent: N/A
Performance: 7/10
