Klar v. Klar Kabinett v. Gold Dachs

[UngerWoo]

I'm hoping I can get some clarification on the differences between these products. Are Klar and Klar Kabinett -- both at Royal Shave -- different products or only different sizes? And how does Gold Dachs compare?

[GreekGuy]

They are entirely different products.

Klar Seifen, or what you are referring to as Klar, is a phenomenal soap. My #1 out of many great performers. I think its better than MdC. Its THAT good. The sandalwood is a very nice take, and the sport is a refreshing clean scent.

Klar Kabbinett is also very good, and significantly cheaper. It only comes in 1 size and thats 2-250 g "barber sized" bars. It has a powdery rose scent. I enjoy it, and I don't even care for rose all that much, but some people don't like the scent. While I'd rate it in my top 10, it isn't quite as good as the Klar Seifen, although that is to be expected I suppose. I still think its much better than Tabac or Cella, but it isn't better (for me) than MdC. It's a top performer as well.

Gold Dachs I haven't personally tried. There is a rumor that the soap is produced by Dr. Dittmar. This is NOT true. I spoke with someone who personally knows Dr. Dittmar, and was told that he used to produce the soap, but there was a long, drawn out lawsuit some years back, and long story short Dr. Dittmar is now producing his own soap, and Gold Dachs is different entirely. I've heard that the Dr. Dittmar soap is the superior of the 2, and I think its fantastic. It also has a very clean scent. Don't let the price fool you, it spanks many soaps costing multiple times more.

I hope this is helpful. If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to ask as I've tried pretty much every german made shaving soap out there.

While you're at shopping at RoyalShave, pick up a puck of Calani if they have it in stock. Its my my #2 soap behind Klar Seifen, and above MdC. It's phenomenal. I've never had a bad shave when using it

[UngerWoo]

This is great information. Thank you. I ordered a puck of Calani Plum last night and have an email in to see if I can add the Klar travel tin to my order. Glad to hear it's so good. MdC is probably my favorite soap, so I'm eager to try these German soaps based on your comparison.

In general, how do German soaps compare to French? Is it possible to make such a generalized comparison?

[Cochese2323]

I have tried two German soaps, Tabac and Speick. Both are pretty much legendary and almost anyone on this board will tell you they are top tier performers. Tabac is still my favorite out of a rotation that contains MdC, MWF, AOS sandalwood, Castle Forbes lavender, Mystic Water lavender, DRH Arlington and a couple RazoRock soaps.

To sum it up: Germans make good stuff. All you need is a Thater brush to lather it and you are all set :thumbup:

[petr]

I think the French soaps were the first to use veggie bases and Shea heavily. I think IK is the best of that genre. I've seen IK marketed specially for men over 60. Joris coming in second (w/o Shea). Then MdC came around and shocked everyone with good simple ingredients.

The German stuff is creamier overall. Blade protection from the most aggressive blades. Gold Dachs is fairly plain much like Joris and a veggie shaver. These are ver good, but not in the league of Tabac and Calani.

You wont regret Calani. I've been using the Honey, Malabar and Plum all week. Phenominal. Looks like Klar is next on my list to try.

[lt114]

I just placed an order at Royal Shave for some Klar Seifen and some Calani soap based on the recommendations in this thread.
I got the Spanish Sun scent. The only other scent available was Tea Time and Spanish Sun sounded better to me. I'll post my thoughts once I get the soaps.

[GreekGuy]

I just placed an order at Royal Shave for some Klar Seifen and some Calani soap based on the recommendations in this thread.
I got the Spanish Sun scent. The only other scent available was Tea Time and Spanish Sun sounded better to me. I'll post my thoughts once I get the soaps.

You're in for a treat! Hope you don't love your other soaps too much :wink2:

[GreekGuy]

In general, how do German soaps compare to French? Is it possible to make such a generalized comparison?

I think its difficult to make such a sweeping generalization. Not because I'm against generalizing, as it is helpful in many instances, but I'll try anyway.

First, most of the german soaps are "hard" soaps. While the vast majority of italian soaps are croaps, I don't know of any soft german soaps. The French tend to be in the middle. That may be a starting place to think about it. While the french do make some very good soaps, I find, in general, they tend to be more moisturizing and less slick and dense. There aren't THAT many french soaps. Some of the ones I've tried and can comment on are:

Cade. Ubiquitous at malls everywhere. Decent performer, pleasant scent. Can be a little tricky to lather, but worth the effort

MdC. The soap all soaps aspire to be, even if the other german ones I mentioned I personally find better. Makes copious amounts of yogurty lather. I like the scent, but it isn't for everyone. Note that this is actually a bit of a sticky paste and not a hard soap as the jar leads you to believe

Monsavon. A drugstore goodie of france. Cheap in france, expensive stateside. This is actually more of a croap. Good performance, but the smell is polarizing and unique

Savon du Midi. A very good yet obscure on the forums soap. It's a hard soap, similar to the german ones.

Others I know about that I haven't tried:

Pre de Provence and institute Karite. Joris is actually english made if I recall correctly.

I use a straight and face lather, and I prefer my german ones to my french ones, except for MdC. While some people go gaga over the italian soaps, I personally choose the soap, not the country of origin. It just so happens some of my absolute top performers are german made. MdC, Cade, and Savon du Midi are all soaps I can recommend, however. Also, I should note that in terms of Shea Butter, the only ones that contain shea butter are PdP and IK. Surprisingly, Cade does not, nor does MdC, monsavon, or savon du midi.

While Tabac is the heavy hitter of the german soaps, I personally don't care for it that much. Not really the scent, but the performance is a little lacking for me. I know there are TONS of tabac fans here, so I'll chalk it up to YMMV. It is popular in my estimation for 2 reasons. 1) It is a good soap. But mainly 2) its easily available. A lot of these soaps are only found from 1-2 sellers, so they just aren't nearly as easy to get as adding a puck to your usual online order. I'm always looking for hard to find soaps, and the ones I've mentioned are well worth the effort.

[GreekGuy]

You wont regret Calani. I've been using the Honey, Malabar and Plum all week. Phenominal. Looks like Klar is next on my list to try.

What do you think of the Malabar scent? It sounds good, can you describe it at all or compare it to anything?

[Face&Head]

I just placed an order at Royal Shave for some Klar Seifen and some Calani soap based on the recommendations in this thread.

I did as well, in "Sport" & "Oriental Plum".

[lt114]

You're in for a treat! Hope you don't love your other soaps too much :wink2:

The anticipation is killing me already.
Thank you for the recommendations!

[GreekGuy]

It's my pleasure! I look forward to hearing your thoughts on them. Here are a couple poor photos in the meantime :wink2:

BTW: These are my top 5, in order

Klar:

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Calani:

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MdC:

248255


Dr. Dittmar:


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"TFS":

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[lt114]

Very nice lather pics Nick.
I will report back with reviews and pics after I get the soaps and try them out.

[UngerWoo]

Thanks again for the great information. I've now added Dittmar and Klar to the Calani order. Really looking forward to getting all these. Glad to hear these are something like Savon du Midi, as that's a favorite of mine.

I'm with you on Tabac. While I like it, there are others -- MdC, Savon du Midi, Cade, IK, Provence Sante, PdP, MWF -- that I like more. I've only used it once, but I really enjoyed Zi' Peppino, too.

[GreekGuy]

I've only used it once, but I really enjoyed Zi' Peppino, too.

While I normally use boars for my soft soaps, despite having a preference for badgers, try using a badger with the ZP. I find it loads more similarly to MdC than Cella. Meaning, load for maybe 20 seconds or so, and then work up the lather, as opposed to predominantly lathering on the "puck". If you haven't tried this already, it may really "kick it up a notch" for you

[UngerWoo]

While I normally use boars for my soft soaps, despite having a preference for badgers, try using a badger with the ZP. I find it loads more similarly to MdC than Cella. Meaning, load for maybe 20 seconds or so, and then work up the lather, as opposed to predominantly lathering on the "puck". If you haven't tried this already, it may really "kick it up a notch" for you

That's my usual method of application. How do you load Cella?

[GreekGuy]

That's my usual method of application. How do you load Cella?

I actually don't care for cella, but for the traditional Italian soft soaps I load heavily with a boar, essentially building the lather on the puck

[Vlad]

Another great post, Nick. Which also makes me sad, since I'll have to ban you for disrespecting Tabac.


I think its difficult to make such a sweeping generalization. Not because I'm against generalizing, as it is helpful in many instances, but I'll try anyway.

First, most of the german soaps are "hard" soaps. While the vast majority of italian soaps are croaps, I don't know of any soft german soaps. The French tend to be in the middle. That may be a starting place to think about it. While the french do make some very good soaps, I find, in general, they tend to be more moisturizing and less slick and dense. There aren't THAT many french soaps. Some of the ones I've tried and can comment on are:

Cade. Ubiquitous at malls everywhere. Decent performer, pleasant scent. Can be a little tricky to lather, but worth the effort

MdC. The soap all soaps aspire to be, even if the other german ones I mentioned I personally find better. Makes copious amounts of yogurty lather. I like the scent, but it isn't for everyone. Note that this is actually a bit of a sticky paste and not a hard soap as the jar leads you to believe

Monsavon. A drugstore goodie of france. Cheap in france, expensive stateside. This is actually more of a croap. Good performance, but the smell is polarizing and unique


Savon du Midi. A very good yet obscure on the forums soap. It's a hard soap, similar to the german ones.

Others I know about that I haven't tried:

Pre de Provence and institute Karite. Joris is actually english made if I recall correctly.

I use a straight and face lather, and I prefer my german ones to my french ones, except for MdC. While some people go gaga over the italian soaps, I personally choose the soap, not the country of origin. It just so happens some of my absolute top performers are german made. MdC, Cade, and Savon du Midi are all soaps I can recommend, however. Also, I should note that in terms of Shea Butter, the only ones that contain shea butter are PdP and IK. Surprisingly, Cade does not, nor does MdC, monsavon, or savon du midi.

While Tabac is the heavy hitter of the german soaps, I personally don't care for it that much. Not really the scent, but the performance is a little lacking for me. I know there are TONS of tabac fans here, so I'll chalk it up to YMMV. It is popular in my estimation for 2 reasons. 1) It is a good soap. But mainly 2) its easily available. A lot of these soaps are only found from 1-2 sellers, so they just aren't nearly as easy to get as adding a puck to your usual online order. I'm always looking for hard to find soaps, and the ones I've mentioned are well worth the effort.

[GreekGuy]

Another great post, Nick. Which also makes me sad, since I'll have to ban you for disrespecting Tabac.

I should have just claimed to not like the scent :lol:

[petr]

What do you think of the Malabar scent? It sounds good, can you describe it at all or compare it to anything?

The Malabar scent is as strong and fantastic as Plum. It's a bit more foodie I suppose - strong in cinnamon, but the other elements saffron and spice come though. It's dark, warm and smooth. Easy to like. In other words, she did it again. It's a "in the mood" type scent.
248360

Honestly guys, Calani has killed my soap hunt for a while. They are that good. The aftershave is fantastic also - strong scented though - but good. My lady freaked over the honey AS complimenting how much she liked it. It took me a few days to get used to the strength, but it's good stuff - very healing. I'll be ordering more of the AS also.

[OhMeWhiskers]

Klar Seifen, or what you are referring to as Klar, is a phenomenal soap. My #1 out of many great performers. I think its better than MdC. Its THAT good. The sandalwood is a very nice take, and the sport is a refreshing clean scent.

Are you saying you do not care for the Classic scent or that the Classic scent is the better of the three scents?

A quick search does make it seem that royalshave is the only (known) supplier in the states.

Being the cheapskate that I am, it would be nice if you could just get a puck - the tin is pretty cool looking though - of Klar Seifen at royalshave. The description for the tin states that there is such a thing ("a separate disc"), but it does not seem to actually exist (on the site).

As for the Calani - I would have guessed it was Italian, that is until I read its subtitle: Seifenmanufaktur - it seems that the Cadre Noir scent is no more. At least for royalshave. The other many choices sound pretty intriguing though.

I'm a fan of Gold Dachs myself and since it is the only non-ubiquitous German soap that I have tried it has me wanting to find out if there are more "hidden" German gems out there. And I stumble upon this! Thanks for the thread!

[GreekGuy]

Are you saying you do not care for the Classic scent or that the Classic scent is the better of the three scents?

I do like the classic scent, but it has been discontinued. That being said, Klar mades pretty small batches as its a family run operation, and so I'm trying to see if they will start producing it again or at least do another run.



A quick search does make it seem that royalshave is the only (known) supplier in the states.

As far as I know, they are the only ones carrying both Klar and Calani. Bullgoose used to carry Klar, but stopped as it wasn't selling well enough. In my opinion, its one of the very best soaps out there but it doesn't get nearly the attention it deserves



Being the cheapskate that I am, it would be nice if you could just get a puck - the tin is pretty cool looking though - of Klar Seifen at royalshave. The description for the tin states that there is such a thing ("a separate disc"), but it does not seem to actually exist (on the site).

RoyalShave was able to get Klar to produce a refill puck. However, they all sold out. It isn't listed on the Klar website as it was a special order for RoyalShave. They did reduce the price on the tin however. When I purchased mine it was $32 I believe



As for the Calani - I would have guessed it was Italian, that is until I read its subtitle: Seifenmanufaktur - it seems that the Cadre Noir scent is no more. At least for royalshave. The other many choices sound pretty intriguing though.

RoyalShave has never carried the Cadre Noir. HOWEVER, It is very much still in production and they should have it in with their next order of Calani which will hopefully arrive soon



I'm a fan of Gold Dachs myself and since it is the only non-ubiquitous German soap that I have tried it has me wanting to find out if there are more "hidden" German gems out there. And I stumble upon this! Thanks for the thread!

Gold Dachs is pretty much the only German shaving soap I know of that I haven't tried. I've heard its similar but not as good as Dr. Dittmar. Although since I've tried most everything out there I might as well try the Gold Dachs. Which one(s) are you using in terms of scent? Can you describe it at all?

[OhMeWhiskers]

I have only used the Gold Dachs Classic.

I believe the Classic scent is a very subtle lavender. With that said, there is no mistaking that it is a soap - so I guess a somewhat soapy scent too. Unless you are hyper-sensitive to scents, I don't see the scent as being a deal-breaker.

I'm pretty new to this game, so my performance critique may be questionable... It lathers fast and easy and holds up well to the heat from my brush scuttle. It is a dense lather as opposed to an airy lather - this though, I am finding out, can be a result of water-to-product ratio, brush specifics, etc. And I believe it would be considered "slick".

All I know for sure is that I have gotten my closest (and with comfort) shaves with it. It also seems to do well with my skin after the shave. Obviously post products have more of an effect on how your skin feels as the day wears on, but regardless of which post product I use the days I use GD my face seems to feel better.

I am really looking forward to trying these new Germans, especially since your (GreekGuy) comments here on other soaps (that I have used) really match my feelings toward them. So, extrapolating that makes me think that these new Germans - along with MdC (one of these days I'll have to open the wallet for it) and TFS - are going to do well for me too.

Oh, as for the Klar Seifen Classic, it seems that RoyalShave does now have it in stock. At least it is currently sitting in my shopping cart.:w00t:

[petr]

Gold Dachs is pretty much the only German shaving soap I know of that I haven't tried. I've heard its similar but not as good as Dr. Dittmar. Although since I've tried most everything out there I might as well try the Gold Dachs. Which one(s) are you using in terms of scent? Can you describe it at all?

Gold Dachs: This soap is easy to like, but I don’t love it. It was a soapy lavender type scent.

I'm looking forward to trying the Klar. Can anyone describe the Sandalwood scent better?

[pdillon]

Awesome thread! Thanks for clearing up the Dr Dittmar vs Gold Dachs confusion.

[greenerock]

So can someone describe the "classic" and "sport" scents? Thanks!!!

[petr]

So can someone describe the "classic" and "sport" scents? Thanks!!!

Klar Classic arrived freakishly fast from Royal. The scent! It's ... soapy. IT IS a bit more complex than just soapy with a strong wood note, some tobacco/leather and citrus/spice. This is the kind of scent a guy could use for years - work horse kind of stuff. No flowers. Not foodie. Not offensive neither glamorous. It reminded me of deodorant.

Update: I had this on my desk and a gal in the office picked it up. She absolutely loves it. She says it's manly and amazing - wood and spice. "Yummy" was the word she used. I didn't get all that from it, but ... there it is. Guess I'll look into the AS :blush:

[Songwind]

How much soap is in the Klar tin?

[GreekGuy]

How much soap is in the Klar tin?

110 grams

[UngerWoo]

I received my order today, too. Not sure what to try first -- Klar, Dittmar, Calani or Gold Dachs. An embarrassment of riches. I'm sure to come up with something tomorrow morning.

[GreekGuy]

I received my order today, too. Not sure what to try first -- Klar, Dittmar, Calani or Gold Dachs. An embarrassment of riches. I'm sure to come up with something tomorrow morning.

Go with my #1, the Klar

Although the oriental plum is magnificent as well

[GreekGuy]

Klar Classic arrived freakishly fast from Royal. The scent! It's ... soapy. IT IS a bit more complex than just soapy with a strong wood note, some tobacco/leather and citrus/spice. This is the kind of scent a guy could use for years - work horse kind of stuff. No flowers. Not foodie. Not offensive neither glamorous. It reminded me of deodorant.

Update: I had this on my desk and a gal in the office picked it up. She absolutely loves it. She says it's manly and amazing - wood and spice. "Yummy" was the word she used. I didn't get all that from it, but ... there it is. Guess I'll look into the AS :blush:

The AS is very nice. It's a little heavier than the soap, and wears very well. Longevity is not in the frag territory, but its not fleeting either.

BTW, I want to make a quick correction. I spoke with the kind folks at RoyalShave and the classic has NOT been discontinued, they are just out of the refills they carried for a while. It was a special order for them, hence why it isn't on the manufacturers website

[lt114]

I tried the Klar Seifen this morning for the first time.
My only regret is that I didn't try this amazing soap sooner. To start, I loaded with a drier than normal boar brush (Semogue 1520). I loaded the brush for about 30-45 seconds and proceeded to face lather. I needed to dip the tips of the brush 4 times to get the soap properly hydrated. Looking back I probably should have put some water on the puck to soften it up a bit or loaded with a wet brush. Once I got enough water in the soap, the lather was outstanding. Both the slickness and protection were top notch. I can easily say that this soap belongs in my top 10 after the first use. The shave was great; three pass WTG, XTG, ATG with only one very small weeper and no irritation.

I also like the scent of the soap. It's spicy, woodsy, with a hint of citrus. I don't describe scents well, especially scents like this that have a lot going on. I would say this is a cooler weather scent.

My only complaint, and this is really minor, is that the tin is a bit small. I used a smaller brush so I didn't have problems loading, but if you like big brushes loading straight from this tin might be a bit troublesome. This is really nit-picking and does not in any way cause me to reconsider this purchase.

Thanks to Nick for recommending this great soap!

[GreekGuy]

Lucas,

I'm glad to hear that you liked it :thumbup:

It really is a shame that it doesn't get more attention. It's my #1 soap. And the smell :001_wub:

[lt114]

It is a shame it doesn't get more praise around here. It's a bit puzzling.

The smell is great. I found myself wandering by the bathroom over the weekend just to to open up the tin and smell it.
Next up is the Calani. I'm going to try it out either tomorrow or Tuesday morning.


Lucas,

I'm glad to hear that you liked it :thumbup:

It really is a shame that it doesn't get more attention. It's my #1 soap. And the smell :001_wub:

[GreekGuy]

It is a shame it doesn't get more praise around here. It's a bit puzzling.

The smell is great. I found myself wandering by the bathroom over the weekend just to to open up the tin and smell it.
Next up is the Calani. I'm going to try it out either tomorrow or Tuesday morning.

I actually really like the complex scent. It's intriguing, unlike so many kinda "one dimensional" scents out there in shaving products.

Which Calani did you get?

I hope you don't love your other soaps too much, I have a feeling they won't be getting much use from now one :wink2:

[lt114]

I got the Spanish Sun. Royal Shave was down to this one and Oriental Plum when I ordered about a week ago.
I checked again tonight, and not they only have Spanish Sun.

I'm not crazy about the scent right now just smelling the soap, but I certainly am not put off by the smell of the Spanish Sun. My opinion about the scent could also change once I lather up the soap. I will report back with my thoughts after I try it out this week.
How are the other scents of the Calani?


I actually really like the complex scent. It's intriguing, unlike so many kinda "one dimensional" scents out there in shaving products.

Which Calani did you get?

I hope you don't love your other soaps too much, I have a feeling they won't be getting much use from now one :wink2:

[GreekGuy]

I got the Spanish Sun. Royal Shave was down to this one and Oriental Plum when I ordered about a week ago.
I checked again tonight, and not they only have Spanish Sun.

I'm not crazy about the scent right now just smelling the soap, but I certainly am not put off by the smell of the Spanish Sun. My opinion about the scent could also change once I lather up the soap. I will report back with my thoughts after I try it out this week.
How are the other scents of the Calani?

The scent comes through much more when lathered. So there may be hope yet

I've tried Dubai, Spanish Sun, Cadre Noir, Oriental Plum, and Gentlemen

The Dubai is incredible. It is truly frag quality. A very sensual, mysterious, intriguing spicy scent. It sounds cliche, but it almost takes you on an olfactory journey

Spanish Sun is a nice, citrus, summer kind of scent. I'm not a big citrus fan, and I have a few others, so while I like it, I don't like it enough to buy a puck

Cadre Noir is very dark and spicy. Its been compared to Drakkar Noir. The fragrance is pretty heavy. If you don't like DN, you probably won't like Cadre Noir

Oriental Plum is another sensual, foodie kind of scent. I wasn't sure if I would like it, but its great. It reminds me of the holidays. Gingerbread, cinnamon cider. Worth trying. I think it also contains Lanolin

Gentlemen is said to be a mix of spice and woods. I've only tried it once and I didn't get either. All I got was soapy smell. But I may just not have gotten deep enough into it yet.

[petr]

How are the other scents of the Calani?

I liked the honey enough to order the AS. It's sweet and strong though. My 7 year girl old picked it up and said "honey ... yum" Unique. Honey. The flowers throw me off a bit, but the top note dies away in the soap and AS soon enough. My woman loves the highland honey AS on me ... so ... I'll finish the bottle for sure.

Malabar is interesting. It's very good. A mood scent. Delicious really.

Next on deck to try is Havana (her most popular), tea time spanish sun. So far, I think the Plum shaves the best.

[pipskicks]

No wonder everyone here has too many soaps, there are like a ridiculous amount of soaps here that are getting so many good reviews the temptation is terrible.


Anyways, I agree about your "generalization" of French soaps in the Sante de Provence Green Tea I tried. I haven't tried the rest, but if they're at all similar then they would be very moisturizing, a great feel, but you're right the glide is lacking. I would say they're more similar to cushioning lather, almost would think it was tallow if I didn't know it, usually the veggie soaps glide better. But it does make thick good cushioning lather and I've had a few great shaves with it, so I guess maybe that's a negative, although I really like the moisturizing part.


I haven't tried any German soaps yet. Is there anything special? Like the French seem to be moisturizing, the Italians seem to make a nice Croap (I guess if you like it which you clarified you do not :001_tongu ) is it mostly the lather or the scent?

[GreekGuy]

David,

I think the problem is that so many people have favorites they recommend. As a result, I've tried pretty much all the popular ones out there. I like to know first hand what the differences are, the only way to truly believe is to try it yourself.

My personal opinion, is that these are a whole different level than Cella, Tabac, and MWF. The big three that everyone recommends. Sure, they are ok. Nearly every vendor carries them. But had I stopped at those, I never would have found these. And as Lucas so eloquently stated about buying Klar: "My only regret is that I didn't try this amazing soap sooner"

[pipskicks]

David,

I think the problem is that so many people have favorites they recommend. As a result, I've tried pretty much all the popular ones out there. I like to know first hand what the differences are, the only way to truly believe is to try it yourself.

My personal opinion, is that these are a whole different level than Cella, Tabac, and MWF. The big three that everyone recommends. Sure, they are ok. Nearly every vendor carries them. But had I stopped at those, I never would have found these. And as Lucas so eloquently stated about buying Klar: "My only regret is that I didn't try this amazing soap sooner"


Yeah I guess it is really hard to tell, but it's more the lather than the scent right?


I have a theory (at least for me, YMMV) that tallow soaps are great for cushioning (some glycerin too) but give very little glide, which causes the blade to skip and more irritation. Some pre-shave oil will fix that, but if you use a glycerin-heavy soap, usually there is enough glide to not need the pre-shave.

[Vlad]

David,

I think the problem is that so many people have favorites they recommend. As a result, I've tried pretty much all the popular ones out there. I like to know first hand what the differences are, the only way to truly believe is to try it yourself.

My personal opinion, is that these are a whole different level than Cella, Tabac, and MWF. The big three that everyone recommends. Sure, they are ok. Nearly every vendor carries them. But had I stopped at those, I never would have found these. And as Lucas so eloquently stated about buying Klar: "My only regret is that I didn't try this amazing soap sooner"

Ok, Nick, maybe I missed it. Do I have to put down the coin for the higher end Klar, or does Kabinett also give me this mythical Unicorn farts lather. :mad3: (Curse you, enabler)

[lt114]

Vlad,

The main difference between the performance of the two soaps, for me, is slickness. I find Klar Seifen lather slicker than the Kabinett.
The scents are completely different. Kabinett has a nice, light rose scent. Seifen is a rich and complex scent that is spicy, woodsy, with a hint of citrus. For me, the scent is as difficult to describe as it is excellent.

A good compromise is to buy both soaps. :smile1:

[pipskicks]

Vlad,

The main difference between the performance of the two soaps, for me, is slickness. I find Klar Seifen lather slicker than the Kabinett.
The scents are completely different. Kabinett has a nice, light rose scent. Seifen is a rich and complex scent that is spicy, woodsy, with a hint of citrus. For me, the scent is as difficult to describe as it is excellent.

A good compromise is to buy both soaps. :smile1:

Such enablers :P You need to give us 1 to buy, I can't afford the money and space for all these 250g blocks :P

[UngerWoo]

I bought Klar Seifen, Calani and Dr. Dittmar on Nick's recommendation and I'm posting to say thanks for the excellent information. These three soaps have quickly become favorites. While they may not have displaced my favorite -- MdC -- all three are excellent and I find more satisfying than many other great soaps in my den. I think I'd put all three in my top 5 or 6.

[TallyShave]

I feel like I don't want to buy these soaps now...not because they won't be good, but because they won't live up to the hype/descriptions. Maybe I will just wait several months, not read this thread again, and give it/them a shot.

[GreekGuy]

Ok, Nick, maybe I missed it. Do I have to put down the coin for the higher end Klar, or does Kabinett also give me this mythical Unicorn farts lather. :mad3: (Curse you, enabler)

Vlad,

The Kabinett is good. I'd say its in my top 10. But the Klar Seifen is my #1, and there is a noticeable performance difference.

When I bought it from Royal Shave, it was $32, even more than it is now. And I remember balking at the price, thinking to myself, for $32, I don't see how it could be that good considering I bought 500 grams of KK from Bullgoose when he still carried it.

But like Lucas said, I regret not buying it sooner. If it is an consolation, the puck is 110 grams, which is a bigger than many soaps. I think once you try it, you will completely forget about the price

[GreekGuy]

I feel like I don't want to buy these soaps now...not because they won't be good, but because they won't live up to the hype/descriptions. Maybe I will just wait several months, not read this thread again, and give it/them a shot.

I agree with you, that many soaps are hyped well beyond what they deserve. But until this thread, there really hasn't been much talk about them. If you buy them sooner as opposed to later, you'll be taking a chance more so than buying into the hype :wink2:

Or at least thats how I'd like to think about it :lol:

[bruc]

Klar Seifen deal of the week at Royal Shave cant beat the price