Mike's hand made soaps from Brooklyn.

[SteveWY]

Hello Gents. I have an appeal to the Mike's Natural Soaps aficionados . I have been following the "Mike's" threads and as a tallow and artisan soap fan I want to order up some Mike's to try. It seems like samples are the way to go for the uninitiated. I think I want to start with a few samples of scents that I like or have heard others recommend. I have no questions or reservations about the quality of the product from what I've read. I have a couple questions and I really did search the forum first. So, if you please....

Tin or Bar? Both are about same size (4-5 oz.) The tins look nice but is there room to load in the tin or are they better just for storage? I am a face-latherer and use mostly mugs. Can Mike's in bar form be pressed or cut into a mug or is grating necessary? Or do most that use the bar soap just load on the bar?

Please redirect me if you know of any threads on the subject. Thanks for any help you can offer!

 

[MidAg_BlackGold]

The tins are pretty large in diameter (~4 inches) and I have no problems loading sufficiently. I have pressed a sample into a mug, it's fairly malleable so I don't think you would have a problem cutting and pressing a bar. It's great stuff!

 

[njpaddy]

Tin or Bar? Both are about same size (4-5 oz.) The tins look nice but is there room to load in the tin or are they better just for storage? I am a face-latherer and use mostly mugs. Can Mike's in bar form be pressed or cut into a mug or is grating necessary? Or do most that use the bar soap just load on the bar?

I don't have a bar, but I do have a tin of Mike's and several samples. I am also a face latherer. There is plenty of room to load from the tin. Samples, and I imagine slices from a bar, can be easily molded into any container.
Clockwise from top left

- Mike's sample pressed into a 1 cup Pyrex bowl
- Mike's sample pressed into a $1 bowl from Walmart
- DR Harris in its own Mahonany wood bowl
- Mike's tin

 

[skleice]

Tin or Bar? Both are about same size (4-5 oz.) The tins look nice but is there room to load in the tin or are they better just for storage? I am a face-latherer and use mostly mugs. Can Mike's in bar form be pressed or cut into a mug or is grating necessary? Or do most that use the bar soap just load on the bar?

This is my ONLY complaint about Mike's. It would be convenient to be able to order a puck. The tins are nice, but I like to use a wooden bowl that I picked up and swap soaps out. I know you can press soap in it....it's a small/lazy gripe. Love Mike's!

 

[KWilliams40]

Just placed another order from Mike's. Two tins and some bath soap. I have to stay away from this forum!

 

[ckang79]

Do you guys keep your Mike's full bars in a rectangular dish or whittle them to fit in a round dish or mug? Does anyone know why they are sold in bars instead of pucks? I know you can pay a few more bucks to get them in a tin but I know a lot of us have spare dishes or prefer keeping them in mugs. Just curious.

 

[k2clones29]

I just pay extra for the tins. When I run out, I plan on getting a bar and grating it into the used tin.

 

[celestino]

i mash Mike's bars into a 1cup Pyrex round container. Works beautifully!
Enjoy the great soap!

 

[david1201]

I mash it into containers. Helps if you nuke it for about 3 seconds - just don't nuke it much longer than that as you will ruin t!

 

[ckang79]

I've also read someone suggest using a cookie cutter to get the shape and then just throw the rest on top.

 

[Marcos1]

I first ordered them with the tin and on new orders just get the bar.

 

[sgtd]

i mash Mike's bars into a 1cup Pyrex round container. Works beautifully!
Enjoy the great soap!

This.

 

[nav]

I pressed mine to a round plastic container with enough clearance at the top to build a small lather (as Mike's does well with more water in the loading process). I didn't need to grate or nuke it as the texture is soft enough to press (but the soap still lasts well).

 

[bkflyfisher]

Pre mikes tins, I just pressed the soap bar into my own tins. My peppermint rosemary bar, though, I put into one of those 99c store plastic soap boxes - works ok lathering right off the bar. Here's an old SOTD pic showing this. Mikes large tins are probably the best way to load up brush with this soap.

 

[ckang79]

I pressed mine to a round plastic container with enough clearance at the top to build a small lather (as Mike's does well with more water in the loading process). I didn't need to grate or nuke it as the texture is soft enough to press (but the soap still lasts well).

So Mike's bars are soft or pliable enough to mold into a round bowl without grating? Cool!

 

[chrisf8657]

Yes they are soft, like playdoh. You can easily shape them with a little work.

 

[alaskazimm]

I grate them anyway. Just seems easier to me.

 

[Big_OC]

I grated the bars into these. http://www.specialtybottle.com/blueheavywallpetplasticjarsmi.aspx. I ordered the 8oz ones.

 

[BrookR1]

I guess I'm the only one that keeps it in a bar and just hold it while I lather it. After they are at the end of their rotation, I just store them in zip lock bags. It's just part of the experience for me keeping it in a bar.

 

[kasey]

I used half a blade to cut the corners off, then I put it in a wooden bowl and stuffed the corners into the extra space. A couple of shaves in it looks just like a puck.