rschul2
01-01-2006, 05:13 PM
My girlfriend recently purchased me this shave soap while we were visiting the Ala Moana area of Honolulu. The first thing that struck me when I got home was how I had already seen this soap before. Sure enough, compare the pics of this soap to the ones that Joel posted on the Monterey soap company http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=896. Like Joel, my girlfriend said that you can watch the whole soapmaking process from inside the store. She purchased the Morning Mint scent for me (as I tend to like mint) and she said that she almost purchased the Honey Almond Oatmeal as she thought it had a nice scent. Hmmm...exactly the two that Joel had in his post.
Well here is the package as I received it. Soap was sealed in plastic and placed in a Koa wood bowl.
http://badgerandblade.com/gallery/displayimage.php?imageid=1123
Here is another pic of the soap out of the bowl. Pay attention to the label. As stated before mine was in a plastic wrapper and Joel's was wrapped in tissue. Still the design of the label is exactly the same.
http://badgerandblade.com/gallery/displayimage.php?imageid=1125
Now for the eery coincidence. Look at the design, shape and color of this soap as compared to Joel's.
http://badgerandblade.com/gallery/displayimage.php?imageid=1124
It is exactly the same soap or at least it appears to be. Here is a pic of the nice Koa wood bowl that the soap came in. The entire package with soap and bowl was $11.00
http://badgerandblade.com/gallery/displayimage.php?imageid=1126
So how does it perform. Sorry no pics of this, but it suffices to say that it performs exactly as Joel described the Monterey soap. It lathers well with a soft brush, but the lather seems to disappear in a matter of minutes. I find that I have to lather only one side of my face and shave as the other side is completely devoid of lather by the time I get to shaving that side of the face. I have only tried to lather directly on my face as I am staying at my girlfriend's parents house on Hawaii and I do not have access to my normal accoutrements (shave bowl, hot pot, etc.) Even though the lather tended to dry out quickly, I was able to put a little water back on my face and finish my shave with no irritation. Overall, this was a much different shave soap than I have ever shaved with. It's OK, but I'll be sticking with the 3T's and D.R. Harris. If I had to give this soap a rating it would be a 6/10.
Well here is the package as I received it. Soap was sealed in plastic and placed in a Koa wood bowl.
http://badgerandblade.com/gallery/displayimage.php?imageid=1123
Here is another pic of the soap out of the bowl. Pay attention to the label. As stated before mine was in a plastic wrapper and Joel's was wrapped in tissue. Still the design of the label is exactly the same.
http://badgerandblade.com/gallery/displayimage.php?imageid=1125
Now for the eery coincidence. Look at the design, shape and color of this soap as compared to Joel's.
http://badgerandblade.com/gallery/displayimage.php?imageid=1124
It is exactly the same soap or at least it appears to be. Here is a pic of the nice Koa wood bowl that the soap came in. The entire package with soap and bowl was $11.00
http://badgerandblade.com/gallery/displayimage.php?imageid=1126
So how does it perform. Sorry no pics of this, but it suffices to say that it performs exactly as Joel described the Monterey soap. It lathers well with a soft brush, but the lather seems to disappear in a matter of minutes. I find that I have to lather only one side of my face and shave as the other side is completely devoid of lather by the time I get to shaving that side of the face. I have only tried to lather directly on my face as I am staying at my girlfriend's parents house on Hawaii and I do not have access to my normal accoutrements (shave bowl, hot pot, etc.) Even though the lather tended to dry out quickly, I was able to put a little water back on my face and finish my shave with no irritation. Overall, this was a much different shave soap than I have ever shaved with. It's OK, but I'll be sticking with the 3T's and D.R. Harris. If I had to give this soap a rating it would be a 6/10.