I don't get it...

[thoughtcriminal]

The near worship of tallow soaps on these boards. When I ordered my blade sampler I got a sample of Cella soap. After a little deliberation, I decided it would be best for me to use it rather than throw it away. Decided to give it a fair trial too, just to see what all the fuss is about.
On opening the little sample, I instantly did not care for the smell. While I can see its trying to smell like almonds, its not trying very hard.
I think it must have been the little sample jar, but I had the hardest time getting the brush well loaded. Between every pass I was returning to the puck to pick up more lather.
The lather itself... good enough, but not above and beyond. I definately prefer Proraso, and I can get a better lather with VDH if I apply a little elbow grease.
I've still got most of the sample, so I will continue to use it in rotation and post any improvements (little jar has to go)
Long story short
Tallow: I came, I shaved, I wasn't that impressed.

[azmark]

I love Cella and lathers beautifully. If you're using a boar brush, load the brush longer. Another word on the brush is to make sure it is damp with it. Cella is very soft and I'd if the brush is too moist it will not load. I always do a quick pass on my arm with the brush to make sure it's damp.

Cella is some good stuff but can be finicky if it's new to someone.

[Bulldawg]

I'm not sure I understand the big deal with tallow either. What I do know is Tallow first English Fern and AOS are two of the best soaps I've ever tried and they both contain tallow. On the flip side, Pre de' Provence doesn't contain tallow and it produces a lather of equal quality in my opinion.

[Ignatius]

The near worship of tallow soaps on these boards. When I ordered my blade sampler I got a sample of Cella soap. After a little deliberation, I decided it would be best for me to use it rather than throw it away. Decided to give it a fair trial too, just to see what all the fuss is about.
On opening the little sample, I instantly did not care for the smell. While I can see its trying to smell like almonds, its not trying very hard.
I think it must have been the little sample jar, but I had the hardest time getting the brush well loaded. Between every pass I was returning to the puck to pick up more lather.
The lather itself... good enough, but not above and beyond. I definately prefer Proraso, and I can get a better lather with VDH if I apply a little elbow grease.
I've still got most of the sample, so I will continue to use it in rotation and post any improvements (little jar has to go)
Long story short
Tallow: I came, I shaved, I wasn't that impressed.

But you've only tried one...

And yes, Cella is a bit of a weird soap anyway; soft soap/hard cream.

If you do try a number of tallow and palm oil based soaps, I'd guess you will notice a difference in favour of the tallow soaps; lots of guys do

[Sterling Cooper]

Cella is a fickle mistress. It took me quite awhile to tame her, and I had to buy a new, stiffer brush to break through. Once you do, it is well worth the effort. Incredible, lush, slick, cushiony lather. Subtle, classy bitter almond scent that won't clash with anything applied post-shave.

One thing that I have found about Cella is that the lather in the bowl goes lame pretty quickly, which makes loading the depth of your brush all the more important. For second and third passes, I sop up the bowl lather to mix with the heavy, creamy lather buried in the depths of my brush.

Out of CADE, AOS Sandalwood and Cella, I like all three, but Cella is my favorite.

[nav]

I find tallow and palm soaps to be similar in most ways BUT there are two major differences I find between the two:

1- The tallow soaps always seem to provide me with much more residual slickness where the palm soap lather just doesn't give the same level of residual slickness i.e. I can go over the same spot 2 or 3 times with tallow soaps.

2- Tallow soap lather also remains moist for longer on my face.

Having said that, I still love C&E SAO and CADE soaps. My favourite tallow soaps are MWF, DR Harris and Speick.

[Topgumby]

...
Long story short
Tallow: I came, I shaved, I wasn't that impressed.

Callow knowledge of tallow shallow.

[guitarslinger]

I agree with the OP.

I was just thinking about this yesterday. I mean, isn't Williams tallow-based?

I find tallow-based soaps "usually" make me break out from the excessive oil and moisturizing properties.

Personally, I get much better results from TGQ, HBS, MB, and C&E.

[mmack66]

What is there to get? Some folks love shaving soaps with tallow. If you are not one of them, that is okay as well.

However, to denounce all tallow soap and all tallow soap lovers based on a limited experience with a soft soap is a bit ridiculous.

[guitarslinger]

What is there to get? Some folks love shaving soaps with tallow. If you are not one of them, that is okay as well.

However, to denounce all tallow soap and all tallow soap lovers based on a limited experience with a soft soap is a bit ridiculous.

I have lots of experience, and I'm denouncing tallow soaps.

it's hype, it's worship, and it's strange.

Either way, YMMV, and most of the tallow soaps make me break out.

[michiganlover]

I was just thinking about this yesterday. I mean, isn't Williams tallow-based?

Tallow alone does not a good soap make.

Williams IMHO is absolute crap. Too difficult to lather properly, and the lather dries out super fast. It also smells disgusting.

If tallow alone were all that mattered, we would all be shaving with a bar of Palmolive bath soap, or any number of other tallow based commonly found soaps.

However, to denounce all tallow soap and all tallow soap lovers based on a limited experience with a soft soap is a bit ridiculous.

Fully agree. There are a whole lot of wonderful products the OP has never tried, to dismiss them all based upon the experience of one would be a big folly.

Not to mention, I call attention to the actual technique used by the OP with his cella. The little sample jar was never meant to be used as the holding vessel for the soap, from which you would load your brush. He would have far better results if he put the cella into a small bowl, or something similar, and then proceeded to load the brush.

[Emmett]

I love Cella and lathers beautifully. If you're using a boar brush, load the brush longer. Another word on the brush is to make sure it is damp with it. Cella is very soft and I'd if the brush is too moist it will not load. I always do a quick pass on my arm with the brush to make sure it's damp.

Cella is some good stuff but can be finicky if it's new to someone.

I was going to say Cella is hard for a cream, but then I realized you meant soft for a soap.

OP, you may like it more with more use. It really grew on me, and not b/c of the tallow, either.

[azmark]

Id shave with a stick of butter if it came in a wooden container and WCS began to stock it...

[AJ72]

I find tallow and palm soaps to be similar in most ways BUT there are two major differences I find between the two:

1- The tallow soaps always seem to provide me with much more residual slickness where the palm soap lather just doesn't give the same level of residual slickness i.e. I can go over the same spot 2 or 3 times with tallow soaps.

2- Tallow soap lather also remains moist for longer on my face.

Having said that, I still love C&E SAO and CADE soaps. My favourite tallow soaps are MWF, DR Harris and Speick.

That makes all the difference in a good shaving soap. Slickness is protection. When the razor glides and slices rather than skipping and cutting. Tallow based soaps in general are a much better soap than non tallow. I've tried many tallow based soaps and disliked very few. However, I've tried many non-tallow soaps and liked very few. The only non-tallow based soap that compares to a good quality tallow-based soap that I have tried is Provence Sante Green Tea Soap. If you want to try veggie based soaps, try the French soaps. They definitely make a better veggie based soap than the English. If tallow was such a hype, then explain how every single reformulation of tallow based soaps is inferior to the original? I've never seen a veggie based re-formulation perform better than the original tallow based formula, never. That's comparing tallow to veggie. Glycerin soaps do not compare in any category to tallow and are a much inferior product.

[SiBurning]

I find tallow and palm soaps to be similar in most ways BUT there are two major differences I find between the two:

1- The tallow soaps always seem to provide me with much more residual slickness where the palm soap lather just doesn't give the same level of residual slickness i.e. I can go over the same spot 2 or 3 times with tallow soaps.

2- Tallow soap lather also remains moist for longer on my face.

Having said that, I still love C&E SAO and CADE soaps. My favourite tallow soaps are MWF, DR Harris and Speick.

Well said.

I still feel the residual whatever-it-is from tallow after I'm done shaving. It's like a soft yet thick protective layer. DR Harris is a mixed tallow and palm soap that leaves some of this layer but it's harder than a straight tallow. Maybe it's just a difference in melting temperatures, or I don't know what, but nothing else I've tried gives the lasting, protective layer of protection that a good tallow soap does. Some creams have a good layer of slickness, but it doesn't feel thick or act like much of a protective layer. For me it matters whether I'm using a DE or a straight. I think when I use a DE I go fast, so the slickness is more valuable. With a DE, I might choose a cream or any soap. When I use a straight I go much slower, and my face feels much better afterward when I use a good tallow soap.

Give the valobra stick or AoS a chance before giving up. I'd skip tabac because it's a little different (softer) than the typical good tallow soap. I mean, if you're going to judge the whole class based on one sample...

[arghblech]

I prefer tallow soaps. I have and use some non-tallows. I feel non-tallows generally lack cushion. That said, I still like and use some non-tallows.

Cella is great stuff. Do keep trying.

[talibeard]

I agree with the OP that tallow in itself is not the holy grail and I've tried a few that didn't impress me too much; some non-tallows were better.

But in the end there are 4 tallow soaps in my current top-5 and just 1 is not....

[FiXXXer]

Tallow is an ingredient, not magic. There are great soaps made from tallow, and there are great soaps made without it. There are also many, many tallow soaps that aren't good shaving. It's just another ingredient as far as I'm concerned, but the great tallow soaps truly are something special.