minimalist quest for the #1

[Ckmaui]

OK quick update on some of the soap comparisons just been busy with life so sorry for not posting more

current soap I am testing:
Noble Otter - Barrbarr scent is nice but the performance is a small step above the other artisans for me
it just might get into #3 or #4 from the past and today

MDC is coming up soon and did liked it before so looking forward to trying this again

also plan on one form Grooming Dept


#1 Captains Choice Cream is still my favorite Cream
#1 SV is still my favorite Hard soap
(since these are two they take up two places but are tied for #1)

still comparing in rotation

# 3 TOBS I love the scents and the performance are top notch but I think the two above are a touch better I want to like the TOBS but I know the post feel is not quite as nice but it's not over

#4 Ethos Success OK this one has great scent and great performance but not SV


the following two I do not think are going to make it much further and might not use them up ? as I just kinda want to get on with my great shaves
the PAA grey homage to Creed Aventus love the scent the performance is also great maybe a touch better than the RE house brand
Caties Bubbles Bergamot Bay is a very nice soap and has reasonable prices


so yeah I am seeing the finish line ya could say and very excited and worth the journey


the recent test soaps that I find below are my top favorites and have been set aside but of course the old YMMV not that they are bad just I did not enjoy them as much as others
RE House Brand
Zingari man scent was The Master not a huge fan of the scent
Barrister and Mann Seville OK scent but not my fav
Declaration Grooming
many more forgot might try to make a list of the rest that did not make the cut but really for me it's about what moves forward

 

[Ckmaui]

The Noble Otter I think is going to displace the SV ? But I need a full tub to really give it a run
As the sample only gives like 5 shaves but the post was so good and beat the SV ever day I had it
wish they had larger samples like stirling or caties has ! But oh well

its not quite as thick creamy feeling as SV when whipping up or spreading on the face so SV wins this and nothing touches the SV in this regard

the slickness to me both seem more alike than different so tie but maybe having the full tub of NO will reveal more of course

so yeah excited I had a soap that blew me away and also kinda sad because I just love the SV and did not think it was going to be beaten !
Captains Choice Cream has insane post and maybe a touch better than SV so comparing the NO to the CC Cream is also going to be fun

Of course also excited to try the Grooming Dept as so many rave about that and hoping it lives to the hype and ties or beats the NO would be super WOW but again a Tie gives me more options


if the Noble Otter tub acts as great as the sample I think the soap hunt will be almost over as the other soaps I have been using the TOBS the Ethos etc. SV was still on top and the fact the NO beat the SV in post with a very easy to notice not this OH I think its better I mean it was like HUH this is amazing SO good post for me when the splash hit the face !
cant wait to get the full tub



SO I ordered a full tub of Noble Otter Monoi de Tahiti
also a tub of the Grooming Dept Coattails Redux

and hoping to finish up my Soap hunt and have a main soap and a few alternatives in case something changes and might be able to have this done sooner than later

Noble seems to have many scents I might like not sure what I will think of the Redux but it is one of the last soaps I want to try for sure and figure start with that one as the base sounds like its a good base

Razor Emporium does sell Noble Otter so I can go smell the scents they have which will be handy if the tub works as good as the sample I have
while they do not have all of them they do have a few I wanted to smell they always treat me well when I go in there so will buy from them also as I do like to support local business so I can go in and sniff the goods (RE does not sell the scent I got so figure this is a safe way to try more)

Kinda want to try WSP (Wet Shaving Products) as they are local to me and might try to stop by the shop one day and smell some get a couple samples but the NO scents from desc might be more my thing if the WSP can beat it ? WOW but with how many soaps I have tried reckon even if it ties the NO than I have a option


OH now to wait for the shipping from Pasteurs like a kid on his Bday


Cant say how excited I am to get this testing over truly in that I can see the finish line now

 

[Ckmaui]

MdC sadly huge fail for me in the post feel

the Fougere is a great scent
lather is great super easy to work up and work with
but the soap left my face dry and raw the dry part was something I have read others notice and is an issue for me and quite noticeable also the sting of the splash hitting the face post-shave makes it one of those immediate fails for me

 

[Ckmaui]

So my Treet Dura Sharp and SV today just wanted to get that ultra comfortable shave today and YEAH was amazingly smooth
I just wish the blades lasted more than a shave but again for the cost its kinda a balance
the blade again does have this balance for me that gives me the best post but the during is behind the GSB but again this is like having two super cars in the garage its just what you want that day

as I get closer to my final choices we get down to the top all being great and do seem to just go back and forth like deciding what you want for dinner that night

still waiting on the Pasteur to get my order out the door they are taking their sweet time ahhahahah

 

[lasta]

We have a spot for you reserved at the Cult of GSB. Justing waiting for your word!

 

[Ckmaui]

We have a spot for you reserved at the Cult of GSB. Justing waiting for your word!

Sure
need to get more time to post more but another thread to track hahahahaha

 

[Ckmaui]

OK my two new Soaps came today

first scent thoughts
both were not what I thought but also was not sure and both are nice no objections like anything new takes a few uses
rubbed some of the GD in my fingertips and sniffed the puck a bunch and very nice mellow was not sure but thought it might be stronger it does have a very nice smooth scent unlike some soaps that have a "scent" to them, this is like SV or something that hard to say in words but just smells good without seeming like it was scented if that makes sense



Noble Otter I thought was going to be more Vanilla but they do have another Vanilla one
while not what I thought
it grew on me when mixing up and when on the face very subtle and think it's going to grow on me much more does remind me maybe of the Islands (I am from Maui) and what a high-end store selling local products might smell like so did think yeah reminds me of shopping in the high-end stores in the lobbies of some of the resorts!
I really did enjoy it in a way that is not the typical cologne scents I love so much and without being a "scented" smell either just very nice stuff

the lather was super easy to make and went on the face amazingly well just felt good going on I do think SV has a slight edge here with the way it is so thick and rich and smooth but this is the first use off the full puck of the NO so just early thoughts don't hold me to this hahahahah

the during-shave part
I think it might have SV beat just seemed to glide better and have better slickness and also less tug/resistance of cutting feel than yesterday's Morado

the rinse was like the SV just comes off super nice clean and does not feel like anything is left on and nothing has been taken away either call it a tie

the post feel and drying was just super smooth and nice and when the Old Spice hits the face I am going for that only feeling the alcohol evaporating as I want NO sting and it pretty much delivered I could feel a few areas a tiny bit but again this is in the SV level or CC Cream level so I will say from the sample and the first shave this is now tied for #1 with the SV and CC Cream for sure



and some more scent thoughts after use of the NOS
I LOVE Creed Aventus so the Venture is great the CC 45th Parallel is a fun soap also but for fun and unique in its way I might say this scent is more unique so I might prefer this Noble Otter which kinda leaves the CC Cream with just Venture which is fine as they do such a good Homage to the actual Creed I feel but Opuntia is also a super nice Creed Aventus type Homage? so sure one of those might stick around for that alone.

SV 70th is amazing and unique much like the Noble Otter (maybe start calling it NO or NOS)

the Morado vs this Monoi De Tahiti I can easily say the NO beats the Morado for me hands down
for the 70th I might say it is a tie! Both are wonderful and unique enough and I have not even used this one much so that is saying a LOT

also since Razor Emporium stocks the NOS it is not too far a drive about 30+ minutes and I can smell the ones they have in stock which is HUGE for me they Carry SV so will be easy to compare side by side with my favs like Opuntia

going to be a fun few weeks with the NOS vs SV and of course, see what the GD brings to the face as I hear so much good about GD


View attachment 1749053

 

[Ckmaui]

My last pic changed to a attachment so here it is

 

[Ckmaui]

GD today the red coat tail one in the pic above

first thing and time I noticed this with any soap did my hike today about 3 miles 600 feet gain so not hard but not easy and came back had my shower and could smell the soap this never happens
not a complaint just observation and I rinse very well after shaving so first time I noticed? so interesting and I can say during the hike it even came out from beneath my old spice once or twice

now comparing to the NO in the bowl on my face off the brush
the GD is like SV super thick lush from first mix so I give it the nod over NO even after 1 use

I need to play with more with NO but I do like this more for that rich luxurious face feel so off to a great start


the scent OK not a huge fan its Ok but not really me kinda wanted the new Kairos whatever its called mix or blend though as he does seem to change it often and many like this and figured sounded Ok enough
and again its not that I do not like it its I do not love it so its just Ok and not really me but that has nothing to do with the performance so just sharing

now this is one use and first time thoughts
but the NO seemed slicker better cutting feel and this GD maybe a touch more dryer feeling than NO?


so the post feel
my goal is to have that shave that I feel no sting on the AS hitting the face just cooling evaporation of the alcohol and this delivers that feeling again I feel a tiny touch in a few spots but that is the norm and I am saying TINY amount

WOW just WOW for one use just brush bowl mix and go for it IMHO this lives up to the hype it gets as one of the best and why so many say its there #1

SO now it gets tough and just going to take a little time to figure out

the one thing that makes me hesitant with the GD is trying to get it and so many changes as I like great stuff but I also like consistency and want to get that fav scent without issue and not always being out everywhere ? and no FOMO in soap buying either
also since its not local trying the soaps to find the scent I like not looking forward to that
while it seems silly for some it is something I know I want out of a soap company


so yeah again excited for next few shaves with this to see how it does and then might bring back in the NO a couple times and then the SV and see where I am at

Razor Emporium has NO so I can go smell it there BF sale starts the 22nd through the 27th and is usually %25 off so might be a good time to smell the NO I like and get some and with it being so good even if this GD turns out to be #1 both are so good I could be happy so will decide in the next 5 days and try to decide what I am going to do about buying more NO by Fri

 

[Ckmaui]

OK decided to choose the Noble Otter as my new #1 maybe will call it NO not NOS ​

still love SV and will use up what I have and decide after a while to maybe keep just Opuntia around or not?


went down to the Razor Emporium today since they stock some and got to smell the ones they had
picked up the
Barrbarr (had a sample of this and do enjoy kinda a Barbershop with some spice and very nice)
The Noir Et Vanille (more spice than I thought it was going to have but I really like it)
Rawr (maybe the least of the ones I got but I still like it enough to get it)
Logbook (another one that is maybe toward what I call that spice side not as strong as the Noir Et Vanille)

they seem to be a very mild scent and not to strong
also got to smell the
Lone Star was nice but prefer the others more it might be the grass or green smell that I did not like as much as the others but might get it in the future since I most likely have some other soaps to finish up and with the 5 NO I now have I am set for a while

FireFighter was another almost got it but decided enough for now and not sure I liked it enough ? one of those might have to know it and grow on you but might have been the sandalwood coming through as I do not like that so much for a scent and since I have 5 I like that is PLENTY variety for me

Neon Sun which I thought from the Description I was going to like but was too powdery for me maybe? was it the lime and something that brought that out and it does remind me of the 80s and what some girls smelled like but will smell it again as I might change my mind as the sniffer can get blown out from smelling so many things like I was today and since I was smelling so many spice things I think I was off on other things to smell so this is a maybe still for later

I know Plunder is discontinued and I hate that as I want to get it but also knowing I can't get it again? but might try to pick it up somewhere on sale just to have used it
that leaves Joker, Hamami, Jack, Queen, and Monarch to smell so maybe samples one day or maybe they will carry those at RE? not a huge deal right now but something to look forward to

I had wanted to try the Wet Shaving Products soap and got to smell the Barbershop which was nice but for the other soaps I prefer the scent of the NO and honestly can't see it being better as this NO pretty much is perfect so do like the NO more in that scents and the packaging (while silly its fun the package looks great brings a smile to my face)






so these are my top choices below for now and glad to be done with my soaps
the Captain's Choice for Cream and the Noble Otter for the Soap

I prefer the NO Soap and if I could only have ONE item it would be the NO
but love the Venture smell as Creed Aventus is one of my favorite scents so am OK with the two items (the CC Cream Venture is awesome and he is so supportive of this community I love Captains Choice products)

now to decide what I am finishing up versus selling off what is left in my cabinet of the other soaps

so the Grooming Dept
I think the NO is a touch better for me in the post and during it seems to be slicker

GD is insanely good but a few things that bug me I just decided on the NO rather than making these two have a big battle
but I might try the GD again if I can smell it first but doubt I will bother
one is it changes so much both the blend or mix or formula and the scent does seem to change some silly I know but bugs me I like consistency
two times in my limited use I noticed the AS had a warmth and slight red where ever the soap was on my skin
I do have with a few products (and I hope I do not get this with any of my new NO)

the Redux scent I'm not a fan of, and the scent also really seems to stick around even after rinsing I kinda want it to be gone after rinsing and enjoy the AS or the Cologne I put on after. it was subtle but enough that a few hours later it was there and my Old Spice was gone and while the Old Spice was around I could kinda smell both a touch which was kinda funky

also tired of buying soap blind and am not sure about the other scents they offer none of them really sounded like me.

 

[Ckmaui]

also while at Razor Emporium today DJ asked if I wanted to try these and had not heard of them before but got two to try
will post up thoughts of course

Persona made called Accuforge

curious if anyone else has tried them or knew about them.

AccuForge Super Stainless Steel Microcoat Double Edge Razor Blade

Razor Emporium is your one-stop shop for vintage shaving. Whether you need a new razor or some wet shaving supplies, we’ll have just what you’re looking for.

www.razoremporium.com

 

[Ckmaui]

Today pulled out the SV
and wonderful stuff but do think the Noble Otter is better which I guess is good since it confirms my decision
but will test it again a few more times since I have it and love it
and kinda of sad in a way for me since I LOVE SV so so so much but also happy since I found something even better

 

[PersistentlyBlunt]

but do think the Noble Otter is better

I really should not be reading your soap testing. I have always been tempted by Noble Otter mostly because otters have always been one of my favourite animals. But to get confirmation that the soap is good ... I need to go back to reading the GRUME thread.

I enjoy reading your comparisons.

 

[4pointOh]

Noble otter does make a great soap imho and has been very consistent over the years. I'm almost through a neon sun tub and about 1/2 through a barrbarr set i bought the edp for both I liked them so much..... haven't tried the newer releases though like the moni de Tahiti or the card series..... this post is making me want to blind buy some things I'm not needing yet.

 

[Ckmaui]

SO I can sense the black tea and other smells but really to me it really smells like a strong RootBeer that is really good

 

[Ckmaui]

So this came in

Yeah going to take a few shaves to get used to it hahahahah
have not had any blood on my face in forever and well today a few weepers nothing to bad the little white stick made it stop right away

the guarded blades were delayed so just using the Kai blades that came with it
both weepers were just above the edge of the mouth tough area to get through and think I had a bad angle and a bit to much pressure even though I was trying to be careful

kinda hoping I can do one pass and be happy enough again my goal is a super comfy shave and dont need BBS would rather pass that up for comfort so thinking if I could use this for a one pass and maybe light ATG in a few spots I would be more than happy ? And it could be fun

but this will be a fun experiment and I can say with no guarded blade I was a bit paranoid and careful along the edge of the ears

the interesting thing was as a test I did a pass with my Timeless just WTG but as clean as I could get it to see how much more this would do and WOW you could really feel it cutting and was quite a bit left
Was curious to compare this and yeah I can see why these things just WTG are way closer than the DE the right side cheek did a very light ATG in one area and WOW even pressing super hard post shave almost nothing truly wild how close it can cut not that I care to much to do this again just want ultimate comfort and figure if I never try this I will never know

excited to get the guarded blades in and just see what tomorrow brings

anyway will keep posting about this as I suffer through the learning curve


also my GSB from amazon came in seem to be legit again not to worried and will try one out of the box here in a day or so and if they shave like the others all good its my way of kinda testing though just to make sure and they were $14.80 so not to bad for 100 of them

 

[Ckmaui]

Much better today no weepers
still not sure about the around the upper lip edge area to get best results
watched some vids but just going to take time to figure out I reckon

again my main goal is ultimate comfort

 

[Ckmaui]

Same as above

still tough to get under nose and that area from the corner of the lip up is just a odd angle and tough to get easily
I did try the heal of the blade for that specific area APBinNCA was mentioning this and worked better
the tip of the edge to get under nose was best for that area so far
will give it time I know some use a DE to touch up but that would be against my goal of simplicity and would bug me hahaahaha


but the rest of the face was quite reasonable and way quicker already and no fear even with the unguarded blades today

Still learning the low angle and consistency but its not that tough for me

my biggest thing is will it beat my DE ? for comfort
the closeness is a non issue with DE I can get plenty close

my hope was maybe one or two passes with this and be happy enough with a DFS

the Wolfman 1.15 did that quite well and was super comfy for that one and clean up or two pass DFS
but the 3 pass it would get uncomfortable daily

a .85/1.05 Wolfman again might be the ticket for me based on me owning a .95 and 1.15 before

or an adjustable Tatara ? Not knowing anything about them just curious to try as the concept seems really nice on how they do it



the Rex Ambassador I had with 1 pass was maybe like the Lupo 95 I had both were incredible 1 pass shaves DFS- maybe but was to much blade feel even on one pass so I can say this Kai is way more comfy one pass and almost as close but I am sure I will get better

but back to the 1.15 Wolfman I had I can not say for sure they are about the same one pass closeness but I do remember it was really good and from memory more comfy on one pass as this and quicker easier
but again give this a bit more time to learn


So yeah 3rd day main part of the face non issue did a 2 pass WTG and ATG with a quick sideways touch up on the cheek

will be doing some side by side with the DE soon enough to get a daily feel for how it is swapping sides etc... as I find those same day the best way to compare

 

[Ckmaui]

DE today but wanted to compare my new GSB blades I got silly me I do not worry to much about fakes from Amazon but still curious if new ones shave dif so do a side by side with my previous blades and
everything was just perfect

now compared to my new toy above while I am still figuring out if its going to deliver a more comfy shave I can say the DE was more comfy overall and of course way easier in the tough spots

did do one side cheek WTG with the kai and then the other with the GSB and my timeless as I want to see if I could do a single pass with the Kai and call it good and well not sure that will happen
first pass though is super clean and low angle comfort is great (so is the DE of course) but I noticed the DE with overlapping passes was closer
so did another lather another low pass with the Kai and maybe now about the same so up the angle on the Kai a touch and for sure had that blade feel more like my aggressive DE razors had and did about the same and both sides felt about the same

so then took the GSB and my timeless went over the side I did with the Kai and amazingly did hear a couple more whiskers being cut ? Hmmmmmmmm

but will jump back to the Kai tomorrow as I do want to give its a solid try of course

I really love both styles of shaving enough either one brings a smile so I do not think I am partial to either one
so this will come down to purely which one gives me the least feedback when the splash hits the face

 

[Ckmaui]

Repeat of what I posted in the SABRE thread
but wanted to record it here in my Journal


Update for todays shave the heel thing @APBinNCA mentioned had worked perfect today did take one prior time and this 2nd time for me just notice what the angles were and change and today the tough area was super easy above the corner of the lips!
the playing with no blade against my van dyke lines to keep straight was worth the minute or two I spent and today was a big nothing

the under the tip of the nose not sure its ever going to be as easy as the DE
but the cheek of course is covered so well and quickly might say its a balance

as far as the left vs right hand I did have to clean up a bit with my right hand on the left side of my face as I just do not have the finesse in my left and that was mainly changing the angle going under the jaw line

My goal still is a better shave than a DE so if it just matches the DE I use now I will go back to DE

will be fun to see what this next week brings

so yeah the getting used to this was WAY easier than I imagined for just my 4th shave and since I am one that thinks a lupo .95 is to much for m sensitive face I think that says something how smooth These things are
and while not quite as comfy as my Timeless Ti .68 its only been 4 shaves that says a lot IMHO

the one thing this mechanic of a single blade does make me want to try a regular straight even more BUT I do not want to do blade maintenance but it has peaked my curiosity if the true straight could be even more comfy? Hmmmmmmmmm maybe one day