If you like this soap, you'll love...

[Chaucer]

Savonniere du Moulin is another one you should try. Performance is right up there. Plus the puck is narrow enough to use as a stick. Just be aware, though, that the scents are subtle.

 

[Olajidebt]

My current top 3 bases:
1. Catie's Bubbles Premium Shaving Soap
2. House of Mammoth Tusk Base
3. Declaration Grooming Milksteak Base

Sadly as it comes to B&M bases the previous(Soft Heart, Reserve) ones were much better than Omnibus, but what can you do...

 

[KW Driver]

Speick’s tallow sticks if you can find some left too. It grates into a puck container easily.

I haven’t tried the replacements, and still have 12 left because I found out in time to stock up

 

[BurnFree]

My 2 cents:

1)Cella Bio, since original Cella already made your list. Bio goes against your request as a tallow-free hard cream, but it Performs. Overall happiness factor with Bio is equal to Stirling Mutton and Canada Shaving Soap for me, with all 3 having some strengths & weaknesses.

Scent has grown on me with frequent use. It is not strong or offensive. I can't handle almond extract (tried Cella 20? years ago and P160 last year with same outcome), so can't give an immediate comparison, but memory says Bio is definitely NOT a step down. I don't like Arko as much but enjoy it from time to time. Have not tried the rest of your list.

2)Tallow option: Shannons Soaps Forest City Fern is my idea of a great fougere (since you have Varen). Also not a hard puck; an average-lifespan softpour soap. Black Magic is an honorable mention in a different scent than mentioned in this thread so far...a calming evening soap for me. It is a cheaper base but I haven't noticed much performance difference.

Be careful-you could wind up with a huge list for Year 2 of trials.

 

[jesseix]

I spent about a year experimenting with soaps to elevate the shave. Discovered preference for tallow-based soaps, hard soaps, slipperiness coeficient, and subtle scents. Went through quite a few stinkers to narrow the favorites down to this grouping:

• Canada Shaving Soap: dense, handcrafted, slippery, earthy scent
• Haslinger Schafmilch:
• Pre de Provence No. 63
• ARKO!
• Martin de Candre
• Cella Crema da Barba
• Stirling mutton-based
• Saponificio Varesino

Knowing my preferences, from your own personal experience, is there a currently produced soap that is missing from this list?

View attachment 1763640

Based on your likes, I’d give Mike’s Natural Soaps a try. They’re tallow based, not triple/quad milled like some you have but definitely on the firmer side compared to most other modern soaps, and not overwhelming in scent.

 

[Marco]

Doug @Messygoon may I suggest Cella Extra Extra Bio?

 

[midwestshaver71]

Based on your likes, I’d give Mike’s Natural Soaps a try. They’re tallow based, not triple/quad milled like some you have but definitely on the firmer side compared to most other modern soaps, and not overwhelming in scent.

Mike's are quite underrated, but also quite hard to get ahold of...everything he makes he sells.
Firm soap, yes; my Coconut has been used at least 8 times and I can't remotely tell it's been used, and I am a very heavy brush loader.

 

[jesseix]

Mike's are quite underrated, but also quite hard to get ahold of...everything he makes he sells.
Firm soap, yes; my Coconut has been used at least 8 times and I can't remotely tell it's been used, and I am a very heavy brush loader.

Yeah that’s definitely been the constant knock on him. I have noticed in the past couple weeks though that he has had a lot of stuff in stock and available, so he might have made an effort to have more soap available for the holidays.

 

[Messygoon]

Greatly appreciate everyone’s input. Here is the narrowed wish list, with order of preference heavily slanted toward cost and ease of acquisition:

1. Cella Bio (@Marco, @BurnFree). B&B’s Man in Italy is never wrong
2. Razorock Santa Maria Del Flore (@DEgeezer, @Mr. Shavington, @Berwick12). A fairly-priced nod to Santa Maria Novella? … which, by the way, is my favorite soap. Period.
3. Grooming Department Kairos Base (@Hannah's Dad). Dan, who can see better than Bigfoot, recommended this beef tallow soap over my favorite mutton.
4. Palmira (@Roman Totale XVII). ARKO! from Turkey is shaving’s best value. Wondering how Palmira from nearby Serbia compares.
5. Saponificio Varesino Morado (@coops). I hear SV makes soaps that are even better than Desert Vetiver. Perhaps this is one?
6. Mike’s Naturals (@jesseix, @midwestshaver71). Mike must be making something special because he always seems to be out of stock.

Am on the cusp of the 2024 GRUME (Gentlemanly Restraint Until Year's End Relief), so need to dive in or wait until 2025.

 

[Blade4vor]

@Messygoon you still have a couple days before 2024 GRUME to order Mike's Natural Soaps. This is still one of my top soap bases even with all of the new "latest and greatest" bases over the years. Mike hasn't changed his formula in years. I like to think he nailed it a long time ago.

Honorable mention for Shannon's Soaps. She has a premium base now which is excellent, but she still has her original base for sale and it's no slouch in its own right.

 

[Big Jim]

Lather and Wood, particularly their Bay Rum.

 

[Omega48]

I would put the tallow-base soaps by Sudsy Soapery, at the level of Martin De Candre, Stirling Mutton, Haslinger and above Saponificio Varesino and Cella.

 

[Wgg2017]

I spent about a year experimenting with soaps to elevate the shave. Discovered preference for tallow-based soaps, hard soaps, slipperiness coeficient, and subtle scents. Went through quite a few stinkers to narrow the favorites down to this grouping:

• Canada Shaving Soap: dense, handcrafted, slippery, earthy scent
• Haslinger Schafmilch:
• Pre de Provence No. 63
• ARKO!
• Martin de Candre
• Cella Crema da Barba
• Stirling mutton-based
• Saponificio Varesino

Knowing my preferences, from your own personal experience, is there a currently produced soap that is missing from this list?

View attachment 1763640

I've used PdP 63, MdC, Stirling, SV, and Cella. If you like hard soaps I'd highly recommend Abbate Y La Mantia Agrumi di Toscana. They used to make soft style soaps but seem to have switched to hard soaps. This scent is the only one I've tried so far but it performs better than anything else for me. It lathers very easily, is very protective, and has a great post shave feel. It's moisturizing enough without being heavy or leaving my face feeling greasy. It's my favorite soap ahead of SV, Fine hard soaps (discontinued), or anything else.

"what the puck" line from Razorock. Gold, blue, black and there's a fourth scent that I can't remember the color Cheap, very hard, subtle scent but not tallow. You have mdc on there so I figured it was worth a mention.

I tried this and found it a bit drying for me. Ymmv

D.R. Harris.

A very good option that I forgot to mention (in hard soaps, never tried the cream). The almond is practically unscented.

Savonniere du Moulin is another one you should try. Performance is right up there. Plus the puck is narrow enough to use as a stick. Just be aware, though, that the scents are subtle.

I really want to try this in the unscented version.

 

[Eben Stone]

I would put the tallow-base soaps by Sudsy Soapery, at the level of Martin De Candre, Stirling Mutton, Haslinger and above Saponificio Varesino and Cella.

Have you tried the triple butter or mango butter bases? I'm curious how all three compare.

 

[Omega48]

These are the four that I have. My preference goes to the tallow base because I get a nicer thicker lather with those two than with the mango and the triple butter. However my first one was the triple butter, Almond & Vanilla and I liked iso much that I wonted to try the other two lines, so I have no problems in recommending any of them. Actually I like Almond & Vanilla more than Cella, to mention one with a similar scent and that you may know.

Edit: I like the after shaves as well. They work very well with my skin probably.