My Guess... 3017

[beginish]

After a couple of one star soaps, you deserve a good cream

how right you are! I'm between products until I start TOBS St. James on Friday, so for the next few days, I'm using the Stone Cottage Fougére cream. I just loaded it with the Rover this morning and face lathered. This "cream" is outstanding, with easy lathering, rich and slick lather, and a phenomenal scent.

This is what happens to 3017'ers when they first move to creams. Too aggressive.

Yeah, I looked like that before it was over.

 

[Jinx18]

My RazoRock P.160 is done. I started with a full tub, 95g of soap (smaller then my others) and had 2.5g left over. I got 31 shaves, 3.02g per shave.

It's on par or a little under what some of my other soft soaps have been and I still loaded heavy.

This was an amazing product for me. Easy to lather, holds up to heat, slick, didn't dry, no irritation or reactions to anything. I'm glad I have a few back ups and didn't have any redness or skin reactions to it, as a few others have. It is up there with the best I have used and am not sure how it actually compares to or is the same as the XXX-T based soaps (I have a hunch it's identical) as I haven't actually used any of those yet...but they will get their turn soon enough.

I plan on using up a few samples over the next couple weeks between now, camping etc and then get back to 3017 a full tub of something mid-August.

Next up will be a few samples of Stroppe Shoppe that I got from a buddy. Just a shave or two or three different tubs....2 tallow and one veggie.

I get better shaves with P.160 over the other tallow base soaps and I can't explain why. They should be identical bases with different scents but they don't seem to be.

On a side note a huge surprise was razorock bees knees. I get amazing shaves with that.

 

[jzuzphreek]

Another subpar shave. Used cool water this morning and loaded even longer. I still have a few other brushes to try before I throw in the towel.

 

[brucered]

My quickest 3017 ever...sample of Stroppe Shoppe - London Morning with Tallow is done.

It was only 4g or so and I was hoping to get a couple shaves from it, but it's so soft it went in one.

No better or worse then my last couple of RR's, but the scent did nothing for me. No irritation or reactions and not one I would purchase for myself. The next one is veggie and then another tallow. All of them just kind of make me say "meh" when sniffing, so unless performance is off the charts, they won't be a line I look at after these.

Granted, I still haven't tried the SE with Shea butter, so you never know.

 

[Atalk]

I am chugging along very well on my white-tub RazoRock XX. I am 44 shaves in and the total remaining weight is 62g. There's a fairly substantial ring-around-tub that I would guesstimate lasting another week or two.

Performance-wise, I am getting great shaves but performance is just a smidge below my recent 3017 victims (AoS Sandalwood cream and B&M Nocturne soap).

I *completely* over-estimated the number of shaves remaining in the tub. I initially assumed a week or two, but last night's romp with a B&B Essential took half of the soap. The remaining soap has developed into a creamy, peanut butter consistency due to water absorption. This tub might be done in the next shave or two.

Of course, I could *completely* under-estimate the amount........

As for next 3017 victim(s), I am thinking of knocking out a sample (or two) and full puck of Stirling. These are really soft soaps and they will go super fast if I have to lather-in-the-tub to get the best lather. Hopefully that will tide me till RazoRocktober.

 

[Jinx18]

So I am in on this. I feel that after months of just picking random soaps, aftershaves, blades etc from day to day leads with inconsistent shaves. Time to get a steady rotation going. I just need to pick what to start with now!

 

[snowman]

RR Fines American Blend breathed its last breath today. My trusty SOC beat, battered, and abused the RR for 33 wonderful shaves. While the scent was meh for me because it faded into the atmosphere after the third shave, the performance of the soap was excellent. As is always the case with RR tallows, it lathered quickly and easily. Glide and cushion fantastic with a very nice post shave moisturizing effect that lasted several hours. I will miss this one and will be adding more RR new formula tallows to the stash.

I will be on vacation the next couple weeks and have loaded my dopp kit with a couple travel sized tubes of Institute Karite cream. Love the soap...cream is average for me. I have been wanting to kill these for a while. They will not be returning home with me.

After vacation I plan on 3017ing a jar of B&M fougere aromatique. It will be a fresh green pleasant way to round out the Summer as the B&M should carry me through September. After that....I dunno....maybe I will join RazoRoctober.

 

[brucered]

Seems like you got about the same number of shaves I got from my tub of 160.

I didn't even know Fine had been out long enough to 3017.

 

[Groat]

My tub of Razorock Tight Buns was finished today. 42 shaves from June 16 through July 29. The aftershave probably has another week in it.

I'll be taking a short break from 3017, as I'm moving later this week and it will be tough until I'm moved in. During the next few days, I'll be "roughing it" with my travel kit because the rest of my stuff is packed away. I'm undecided which soap I'll do next.

 

[brucered]

Here is my official journey so far, in order, no dates though.

MW Lavender Lime (Partial)	96.4 g	23	4.19 g
QCS Briar Cream (Partial)	87.3 g	14	6.24 g
GFT Coconut Cream (Partial)	152.6 g	35	4.36 g
Pre de Provence (near new)	140 g	88	1.59 g
Nancy Boy Signature Cream	170 g	40	4.25 g
Scritcnscrub Soap (Sample)	55.5 g	25	2.22
La Toja (sticked pressed in bowl) (near new)	45.0 g	25	2.25
PannaCreama Labdano	86.5 g	22	3.93 g
Proraso Aloe & Vitamin E	150 ml	55	2.73 ml
Haslinger Schafmilch	61.6 g	27	2.28 g
RazoRock Moroccan Secret	111 g	33	3.36 g
RazoRock P.160	93.5 g	31	3.02 g

 

[brianw]

Probably one more week on the SCS Lime

 

[inspiringK]

Finished off my puck of Col. Conk Bay Rum this morning. The last shave was pretty much exactly like the first shave and every other shave between, pleasant

So, that finishes off the B&B Staples category in my 3017 vs journey; pitting DR Harris Arlington, vs Modern Williams Mug, vs Col Conk Bay Rum. In the end, this was a really tough category for me to pick a winner in.

The soap that wins this category is:


Colonel Conk Bay Rum

I felt conflicted on this one. I hold Harris soaps in high regard and in my mental hierarchy of soaps, Harris sits higher than Col Conk. But, in the end, I had to admit that I simply got consistently better shaves from Conk and just generally enjoyed those shaves more than the shaves I got from Harris.

In Summary:

Williams, I again found to be better than it's detractors say and not as good as it's supporters claim. The lather is dry and not dense enough for me. The soap is also very drying on the face to the extent that I resorted to one pass shaves for the last 3 weeks of using this soap. Lovely slickness though.

Harris, I personally feel that the scent on Arlington (which is lovely) is too mild for me. The biggest drawback for me is that this soap lacks slickness. The lather is also finicky at times and requires some effort to build - which isn't a huge concern, but it factored a little. The upside of this soap is that the lather is dense, stable, rich, and luxurious in a Royal shave kind of way. Ultimately though, there are other tallow soaps out there that provide a greater level of slickness and are still luxurious to use.

Conk, to me is a simple soap that is easy to use and lathers with no fussiness whatsoever. The scent is pleasant and sweet and the puck doesn't need presoaking or any excessive lather building. Conk isn't as protective as Harris and certainly is not as luxurious to use. It is slick though, plenty slick.

So, in a way, Conk ended up being the opposite of Harris in terms of pros and cons. Harris is luxurious and lacks slickness. Conk lacks protection and is slick. Especially when I am using straight razors, I prioritize lather that delivers slickness and can compensate for some lack of protection. Using lather that lacks slickness is a pain and cannot be compensated for by providing increased protection. I just assumed that Harris would win this category, but I have to admit that I enjoyed using Conk more. To be fair, going by my experiences with these soaps over the last 3 months, neither Conk nor Harris would have been good enough to win the previous category and probably would not end up being good enough to win the next. They are both good soaps, but the competition is strong!

 

[inspiringK]

Tomorrow, I begin to carry a big stick!

I'm excited for this next category. I get to use, all in stick form, Valobra, then Speick, then Arko! My hope is that I will go through all three sticks and have every single shave over the next few months be excellent I know that Valobra has exceptional performance and basically no scent, Speick has a great scent and good performance, and Arko is Arko but can also be Arko. So, it's going to be a close and good competition between these three options.

1st round of 3017 treatment - All my partially used pucks!

All partially used pucks/containers.
14-June-2012 to 12-June-2013 = 364 days used to burn through 754g of product.
Total average is 2.1 grams per day

Products used were, ordered according to likelihood that I would repurchase if they were all still in production:
1. QCS Cayman Soap
2. Arko! Stick
3. P.160 Tipo Morbido
4. Tabac Puck
5. RazoRock Classic
6. JM Fraser Mosswood Cream
7. Modern Williams
8. Body Shop Macaroot Cream
--------------------------------------------------------------


3017 brief intermission - MegaPermaÜberLather!

13-June-2013 to 03-October-2013 = 112 days used to burn through 560g of product.
Total average is 5 grams per day
--------------------------------------------------------------


2nd round of 3017 treatment - All my unused pucks!

1. Artisan Soap Deathmatch (winner is Barrister and Mann Bay Rum)
04-Oct-2013 to 02-Dec-2013, QCS Vostok, 59 days to finish 100g = 1.7 grams per day, vs
03-Dec-2013 to 22-Dec-2013, SCS Woods, 19 days to finish 85g = 4.5 grams per day!, vs
23-Dec-2013 to 21-Jan-2014, Stirling Anise, 29 days to finish 115g = 4 grams per day!, vs
22-Jan-2014 to 05-Mar-2014, B&M Bay Rum, 41 days to finish 105g = 2.6 grams per day

2. B&B Staples (winner is Colonel Conk Bay Rum)
06-March-2014 to 12-May-2014, DRH Arlington, 67 days to finish 100g = 1.5 grams per day, vs
13-May-2014 to 18-June-2014, Modern Williams Mug, 36 days to finish 50g = 1.4 grams per day, vs
19-June-2014 to 29-July-2014, Col. Conk Bay Rum, 40 days to finish 105g = 2.6 grams per day

3. The Big Sticks (winner is....)
30-July-2014 -------------------Valobra, vs
-----------------------------------Spieck, vs
-----------------------------------Arko!

4. The Often Overlooked (winner is....)
-----------------------------------RazoRock Muguet de France, vs
-----------------------------------Vitos Extra Super, vs
-----------------------------------DRH Marlborough

5. Three Shades of Sandalwood (winner is....)
-----------------------------------Proraso Soap Sandalwood, vs
-----------------------------------Stirling Sandalwood, vs
-----------------------------------QCS Esquire

6. Bonus mystery battle to end the age old debate once and for all!
-----------------------------------, vs
-----------------------------------, vs
-----------------------------------

 

[beginish]

Tomorrow, I begin to carry a big stick!

I'm excited for this next category. I get to use, all in stick form, Valobra, then Speick, then Arko! My hope is that I will go through all three sticks and have every single shave over the next few months be excellent I know that Valobra has exceptional performance and basically no scent, Speick has a great scent and good performance, and Arko is Arko but can also be Arko. So, it's going to be a close and good competition between these three options.

Great comparison of the staples. You'd certainly expect Harris to come out on top, but you can't quibble with your preference. As I get more into this hobby, the more I realize that we are too quick to dismiss the glycerin based soaps. They lather easily, perform well and have great scents. Really, who cares if they were not made with Minotaur tallow and unicorn tears? I'm tempted to predict your "Big Sticks" winner based on scent alone.

 

[Burnside]

Great comparison of the staples. You'd certainly expect Harris to come out on top, but you can't quibble with your preference. As I get more into this hobby, the more I realize that we are too quick to dismiss the glycerin based soaps. They lather easily, perform well and have great scents. Really, who cares if they were not made with Minotaur tallow and unicorn tears? I'm tempted to predict your "Big Sticks" winner based on scent alone.

 

[Burnside]

Finished off my puck of Col. Conk Bay Rum this morning. The last shave was pretty much exactly like the first shave and every other shave between, pleasant

So, that finishes off the B&B Staples category in my 3017 vs journey; pitting DR Harris Arlington, vs Modern Williams Mug, vs Col Conk Bay Rum. In the end, this was a really tough category for me to pick a winner in.

The soap that wins this category is:
View attachment 478148

Colonel Conk Bay Rum

I felt conflicted on this one. I hold Harris soaps in high regard and in my mental hierarchy of soaps, Harris sits higher than Col Conk. But, in the end, I had to admit that I simply got consistently better shaves from Conk and just generally enjoyed those shaves more than the shaves I got from Harris.

In Summary:

Williams, I again found to be better than it's detractors say and not as good as it's supporters claim. The lather is dry and not dense enough for me. The soap is also very drying on the face to the extent that I resorted to one pass shaves for the last 3 weeks of using this soap. Lovely slickness though.

Harris, I personally feel that the scent on Arlington (which is lovely) is too mild for me. The biggest drawback for me is that this soap lacks slickness. The lather is also finicky at times and requires some effort to build - which isn't a huge concern, but it factored a little. The upside of this soap is that the lather is dense, stable, rich, and luxurious in a Royal shave kind of way. Ultimately though, there are other tallow soaps out there that provide a greater level of slickness and are still luxurious to use.

Conk, to me is a simple soap that is easy to use and lathers with no fussiness whatsoever. The scent is pleasant and sweet and the puck doesn't need presoaking or any excessive lather building. Conk isn't as protective as Harris and certainly is not as luxurious to use. It is slick though, plenty slick.

So, in a way, Conk ended up being the opposite of Harris in terms of pros and cons. Harris is luxurious and lacks slickness. Conk lacks protection and is slick. Especially when I am using straight razors, I prioritize lather that delivers slickness and can compensate for some lack of protection. Using lather that lacks slickness is a pain and cannot be compensated for by providing increased protection. I just assumed that Harris would win this category, but I have to admit that I enjoyed using Conk more. To be fair, going by my experiences with these soaps over the last 3 months, neither Conk nor Harris would have been good enough to win the previous category and probably would not end up being good enough to win the next. They are both good soaps, but the competition is strong!

Oh, what will the natives think!

 

[Haggises]

Thought I was getting somewhere with the Iced Key Lime. Thought I could see light through the bottom of the glass bowl. Pressed finger in and still 5mm to go.

On the plus side, discovering I can go in with sopping wet brush and build a lot on the puck before going to face and get a great lather. My MO has been more on the damp brush side.

 

[brucered]

Conk.....Who knew. I've actually never tried Conk, one of these years.

Great comparisson and write up.

 

[rockviper]

I found Conk's Almond and Bay Rum nice enough, but there seemed to be something "different" (in a "lacking" sort of way) about the Lime.

 

[sgtd]

I just remembered that I never updated this. I paused the use of the PannaCrema for now. It's a great soap but the scent is much more of a fall/winter scent, so I'll pick it back up then. I'm now working on two Euro Palmolive sticks that I grated into a bowl.

24 May 2013 - 22 June 2013: DR Harris Arlington
23 June 2013 - 18 July 2013: DR Harris Arlington/CO Bigelow
19 July 2013 - 22 July 2013: SCS Bay Rum sample
23 July 2013 – 26 July 2013: Barrister and Mann Seville sample
27 July 2013 – 3 September 2013: RR KotC Lime
4 September 2013 – 27 September 2013: Stirling Anise
28 September 2013 – 30 September 2013: Stirling Lavender Sage sample
1 October 2013 – 15 October 2013: RazoRock Chianti Lavender
16 October 2013 – 7 November 2013: RazoRock XXX
8 November 2013 – 9 December 2013: 2 grated La Toja sticks
10 December 2013 – 28 December 2013: Stirling Scot's Pine
29 December 2013 – 7 January 2014: DR Harris Windsor (paused)
8 January 2014 – 31 January 2014: Proraso Red/Synergy Cavendish (paused)
1 February 2014 – 3 April 2014: DR Harris Windsor (resumed)
4 April 2014 – 14 April 2014: RR Boston Tea Party
15 April 2014 – 17 April 2014: SCS Fairway
18 April 2014 – 21 May 2014: Speick
22 May 2014 – 24 May 2014: B&M Solstice sample
25 May 2014 – 30 May 2014: Strop Shoppe Rosemary Mint
31 May 2014 – 12 June 2014: Mike's OCBP
13 June 2014 – 22 June 2014: CF Lime
23 June 2014 – 9 July 2014: PannaCrema Namaste
10 July 2014 – 23 July 2014: PannaCrema Fumo di Londra (paused)
24 July 2014 - ??: Palmolive