2nd round Soap Pass-Around

[MrSmith]

Guess I'm up next for the Bonus PIF reviews. Thank you David for the soaps. I got them in today and wasn't going to shave, but couldn't resist once I lathered up. The soaps I received were RazoRock Don Marco & Tiki Citrus Mint Blast along with the same three blade tucks.

I decided to try out the RazoRock tonight. I only have one other RazoRock and that is Christmas in Tuscany. The CiT has a very heavy and seasonal type scent, but is also quite slick. I chose to use a Whipped Dog Synthetic and my G12 scuttle for the Don Marco. It had a nice scent in the tub, but more lemon-ish once lathered. (This reminded me that I've had a stick of Arko that I grated and set out to air about a month ago..Perhaps the scent has quieted down enough to bring back into the house .) Any how back to the Don Marco. The lather was nice, but could have been better. I think that I needed to add a bit more water to get it where I like it to be. Overall performance was good, but more middle of the road than "impressive".



The shave went well enough. I have been practicing with a straight, so I did my first pass with the newly acquired Joe Edson Remembering Sue blade. I chose to try out the Astra blades (courtesy of David aka dfoulk) in my AS-D2, which is my normal routine. The Astras, for me, were noticeably less sharp than my normal choice of Feathers & Med Preps. I ended up doing a three pass shave as opposed to my normal two pass shave to get comparable results. Finished with Alum, witch hazel, cold water rinse and Fine Fresh Vetiver. DFS above jaw, just below DFS under jaw with some mild irritation.
(Sorry for not having a SOTD pic)
I will continue to play with the DonMarco lather for a few days to get it dialed in a bit more. The Astras will be set aside for the time being.

 

[dgreene120]

Cool stuff, dgreene! Question for you: do you ever face lather? I ask b/c I've found it's much easier for me to make my lather too airy when I bowl lather than when I face lather.

I've been face lathering most of the time lately, but try to bowl lather when trying out new soaps and have been bowl lathering more lately to work on my technique and test out different amounts of water, etc.

 

[Brian G r a f s t r o m]

Cool.

 

[tclobaugh]

Cool.

You might try palm lathering instead of bowl. It's not the same as face lathering but does give you a lot of the tactile feedback that you lose with a bowl. It's my favorite way to test lather a new soap.

 

[jpmess]

Ok Gents! The box is in my possession. I was out of town and returned to work today to find the box sitting on my desk. I'll get some lather reviews up ASAP!

 

[Demaskee]

Glad to see the box made it safely. Please welcome Sploosh to the pass-around.

Demaskee - Box Originated
.soap. - (11 - Beer Soap Brewing Co: Italian Bergamont & Patchouli, 50 - Strop Shoppe: Black Tie)
Dantheman - (60 - Strop Shoppe: Baker Street, 74 - Tabac, 248 - MWF)
dgreene120 - (3 - Baier Body Boutique: Fireside, 235 - St. Charles Shave: Fairway, 322 - PannaCreme: Nostalgia)
austinantihipster - (5 - RazoRock: Nervous Wreck, 300 - Klar)
InNae - (321 - Queen Charlotte Soaps: Iced Key Limes)
SilentTuba - (206 - Pyrate Cove: Mandarin, 238 - RazoRock: Captain's Choice Bay Rum, 333 - Tiki Soap: The Captain)
lobomalo72 - (30 - Mystic Water: Windjammer, 99 - Crabtree & Evelyn: Nomad pre-reformulation)
dfoulk - (75 - Cella, 236 - Sir Irisch Moos, 269 - T&H Sandalwood)
mbkintner - (201 - Petal Pusher Fancies: Coconut, 203 - RazoRock: Fine American Blend, 250 - MWF)
CJames - (Unspecified LA Shaving Soap dontation from John at LASS)
MrSmith - (Unnumbered LA Shaving Soap: Spring Street, 218 - Jabonman: Ylang Ylang Pachuli Naranja)
Waldo_Phill - (202 - Petal Pusher Fancies: Oakmoss & Sage, 499 - LA Shaving Soap: Bespoke)
SaintAndrewsAlumnus - (252 - Queen Charlotte Shave: Vostok, 330 - Wet Shave Obsession: Bill the barber)
justadivebum - (253 - Strop Shoppe: Peppermint, 310 - Dapper Dragon: Cinnamon Bun, 379 - Maggards: Orange Menthol)
AndroiDad75 - (204 - RazoRock: Cumba Cheech, 399 - Art of Shaving: Lemon)
bach_rocks - (320 - TOBS: Lavender, 340: Tabac, 501 Rustic Shaving Soap: Sandalwood)
shubes - (26 - HTGAM: Pumpkin 22/7, 322 - Haslinger Schafmilch, 502 Petal Pusher Fancies: Briar)
jpmess - In posession of the box
jhadsell1883 - On Deck
oteixiera
Brian G r a f s t r o m
pyro
mrlandpirate
calhoun1
Corsair66
Sploosh
Demaskee

 

[jpmess]

First up, #321

This is a soap that has been on my list to try! I'm really happy it was in the box. It's a cologne scent that has been around since the 60's. From what I know about the soap, it's seen many reformulations throughout the years and I'm not sure if this is a vintage puck or new.

The lather was decent, and felt pretty slick. The scent off the puck is really strong, which I liked, but the scent mellowed as I lathered. I palmed lathered and ended up with a slick lather that didn't blow me away but would shave with any day.

 

[jpmess]

Next up is #380

This a sandalwood scent from a well known company here on the forums. It's a soft soap i've read great things about as it's tallow based and the scent is a very good rendition of sandalwood.

The soap comes in a tub which is always good in my book. I decided to bowl lather this one and took a small amount and pressed it into one of my kids plastic bowls which ended up being a good bowl to lather in! The lather was fantastic and the scent really bloomed as I lathered. In the tub the scent is very muted to my nose, but as soon as I started lathering it just jumped out at me. Not an overbearing scent, but just right. I face lather and enjoy a scent that fills the bathroom as I shave. So this one is right up my alley!

 

[jpmess]

Third test lather was #500

This is a soap maker I've never heard of. I googled the name and didn't come up with anything. I assume this is an enthusiast here on B&B or another forum. I will jump on the soap forum and start looking because I'm really impressed with this soap!

It's a soft soap, and the scent is very hard for me to put a finger on. Maybe a sweet bay rum? I don't know, I don't want to offend anyone! But I like it! It has a light smell of clay, so it has some clay for slickness. It comes in a small jar which you can really load the brush from but it's a classy presentation.

I bowl lathered this one also and came up with a great lather that just exploded as I added drops of water to the brush. The scent didn't seem to bloom much with lathering which disappointed a little. This is another solid soap that I can easily see in my rotation

 

[tclobaugh]

Nice reviews and pics.

 

[Brian G r a f s t r o m]

Sweet! Looks like you've already come upon some really nice soaps.


also: which Thater is that? and how do you like it?

 

[jhadsell1883]

Nice reviews and pics. I am very excited to be next, but my no shave November beard is getting nervous. It knows something bad is coming...

 

[jpmess]

Nice reviews and pics. I am very excited to be next, but my no shave November beard is getting nervous. It knows something bad is coming...

I've been growing my beard since mid October and look like a lumberjack at the moment. Don't be nervous! Just think, you will have some incredible soaps to take all that hair off with!

I had another session of test lathers last night and will get the reviews up ASAP. I also test lathered #124, the sample only soap. That is literally the easiest soap I've ever had the pleasure of lathering.

I've narrowed down the soap I'm going to take, and will only be taking one soap. Unfortunately one of the soaps that I am adding to the box is already in there! So, I'll add my soaps and only take one to make sure the people waiting for the box don't get stuck with multiple duplicates if this happens again.

Alright Jhadsell the box will be moving your way soon!

 

[jpmess]

Sweet! Looks like you've already come upon some really nice soaps.


also: which Thater is that? and how do you like it?

Its a Thater 4125 size 1 and believe its a 2 band. I purchased it used from the BST about a year and half ago. It's the best brush I've ever used and is my daily driver. Since I bought it, I've purchased at least 6 brushes which consisted of simpsons, larger Thaters 3 bands, Semogue boars, Vie Long horse etc. and I always seem to circle back to this brush and sold off the others. It's incredibly soft with just the right amount of back bone.

I will say though, this brush is a shedder. It drops at least 2 hairs a shave. Even with this, I can't say enough good things about Thater brushes. The other larger thater I owned didn't shed a single hair in the year or so I owned it. I know I'm gushing about Thater, but if you haven't tried them? I urge you to. You won't be sorry you did.

 

[jpmess]

Ok gents,

My take from the box was a tough decision. Even though I do like a great scent. This soap won me over in lather and post shave feel. It's extremely easy to lather and just was a great soap to work with. It's another soap that is on my list to try but never pulled the trigger as I already have 8 soaps in my rotation and the wife eyeballs them daily. She just doesn't understand.....

So my take was #97 Valobra unscented puck.

 

[jpmess]

The box in on the move!

Tracking#

9406203699300041851354

 

[jhadsell1883]

The box in on the move!

Tracking#

9406203699300041851354

Woohoo!

 

[dgreene120]

Ok gents,

My take from the box was a tough decision. Even though I do like a great scent. This soap won me over in lather and post shave feel. It's extremely easy to lather and just was a great soap to work with. It's another soap that is on my list to try but never pulled the trigger as I already have 8 soaps in my rotation and the wife eyeballs them daily. She just doesn't understand.....

So my take was #97 Valobra unscented puck.

View attachment 521146

Nice! Enjoy!

 

[dfoulk]

That Valobra soap is excellent. I considered it as well but left it in the box only because it was unscented. If it was one of the scented ones I think the next person who got the box after it was added would have taken it instantly.

Very good choice.

 

[AndroiDad75]

Very nice choice. I loved lathering this one as well. Like David said, if it had a scent, other than a slight clay smell (to me YMMV), I would have snagged it in a second.