Some advice on MWF

I've just got in some MWF soap, but I haven't used it yet. I've seen in recent posts that it seems to be a little harder to get a good lather out of MWF as compared to other soaps.

Have any members who have used MWF found that to be true? And might the shave brush have something to do with it?

I'm waiting on a new Vulfix 404 that should be in in a couple of days. Would this be a better brush for the MWF than my silvertips or super badgers?

I can make a good lather, its just that never having used MWF I don't want to start off on the wrong foot, and think that MWF is no good.

Regards,

Paul

I had no problem at all with MWF and my 28mm (pretty floppy) silvertip. It's one of the easier soaps I've lathered.

We've all heard these rants about such and such soap is hard to lather. I picked up MWF, and found it to be no different than any other soap. My first lather with it was with an Omega Silvertip brush. Short loft, but not a super scrubby brush. I had no problem whipping up a great lather. Just use the method in the tutorial here in the shave clinic and newbie check in, and you'll be fine.

But not as fine as you will be after that first shave with MWF. It's a fine soap, better than Tabac!

I find it easier to face-lather MWF than to bowl-lather it.

pcullens said:

We've all heard these rants about such and such soap is hard to lather.

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This is true, however a disproportionately large percentage of those threads, "such and such soap" is MWF. It's rare that you hear about Trumper's or Penhaligons being hard to lather, but there seems to be two or three active threads at any given time about MWF lathering issues.

As to OP's question, yes, there is plenty of evidence that MWF can be hard to lather. It apparently isn't difficult to lather for everybody, but it is certainly difficult for a surprisingly large number of members, and this is something a potential purchaser needs to be aware of. This difficulty also doesn't seem to be terribly well correlated to brush type, water type, experience level, face vs bowl latherer, or upside-down vs right-side-up latherer. It just seems to be sort of random.

I've actually gone through three different pucks to try and see if this seeming randomness is due to manufacturing problems, and as far as I can tell it isn't. I got lousy performing lather from all three pucks - with some effort with the brush the lather looked good, but it shaved like it was fluffy elmer's glue. After throwing away two pucks I finally got the third one to perform ok. What finally "fixed" it for me was soaking the heck out of that third puck until it stopped oozing vaseline-like lanolin, and after that it lathered and shaved ok. Not awesome, mind you (the magic of MWF is supposed to be the lanolin, and there's a good argument that lanolin-free MWF is no longer MWF at all) but it's been shaving decent enough that I have felt reasonably comfortable using the puck for the last few months.

FWIW

I used to think MWF was somewhat more difficult to lather than some of the others such as Tabac, Speick, PS, etc. I don't think that's a good way to represent it. I think MWF just has less margin of error, like if you slightly over water some it might not be too big a deal but with MWF it is. Just go slow your first couple of times and you will easily figure out this wonderful and must have soap.

My lather with MWF is hit and miss. Some days it is perfect. Creamy dense and well hydrated. Other days it's a thin, foamy runny mess. I swear I use the same brush, same procedures every time but with MWF each shave is like the proverbial "box of chocolates" - you never know what you're going to get.

Maybe check this MWF/Kent Tutorial out?

I have the Kent version in the wooden bowl, and use a Semogue 620 Boar and face lather with no issues - plenty of lather for 3-4 passes plus extra.

Good luck. It's a great soap.

Try MWF with the brushes that you have now, no need to wait for a new one. I get great lather from MWF with any brush, whether it's small and dense, large and floppy, boar hair, or synthetic. I let the water drip out of the brush, and then work the soap for about a minute. After a good amount of lather has been produced, I face lather, adding water as needed. I prefer face lathering soaps, but MWF does lather fine in a bowl. Give du212's MWF tutorial a read.

I recently tried MWF for the first time, and I think it's just slightly different from some other soaps (Trumper's, Tabac, and T&H, for example). Not in a bad way; it's just different. It didn't take me long to get used to lathering, just as it didn't take me long to adjust to Acqua di Parma cream when I first got it. Just keep trying, and you'll soon have an incredible shave.

GK

I tried a sort of superlather- just a drop of cream. Helps to make the lather not runny and it works up a whole lot faster. Plus it smells better than MWF by itself.

no problems at all, whether badger, boar, floppy, or stiff.

i face lather and always start my lather on the dry side, adding a little water as needed. with good soaps i get great lather, crappy soaps crappy lather.

mwf rules.

I don't really have any problems with an EJ BBB. I have recently started adding glycerin and it makes it a bit stiffer of a lather.

Posted this some time ago.

Yes...I admit it....I'm one of those guys who has and had off/on problems with the stuff.

Look bottomline here is that this soap is hotly debated on here as to whether it is or is not a good latherer.

A poll I did some time back was a pretty dead heat between the lovers and haters. See it here. Over time, its slanted more towards those who dont have problems...and I think if the data were extrapolated further it would probably show a slight slant in this direction.

Long winded answer...do some folks have issues lathering MWF? Yes. However the data seem to indicate more do not...than do.

mparker762 said:

This is true, however a disproportionately large percentage of those threads, "such and such soap" is MWF.

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Well they say Williams is difficult to lather as well, and I have no problems with it. I could lather unsaponified fat.


And to quote Bookamatches from another thread:

"insert difficult soap name here" is a great product, but you'll have to put your purse down to make it into a lather.

Can't say I've ever had prob with it. I'm using the Kent version which I believe is the same. I've MWF hand soap which in every way acts and smell the same. Occasionally, just for the hell of it, I super lather it with a cream.

Your face will thank you for it.

Although the other day while "faceturbating" I thought maybe its the same as looking at yourself in the mirror with shades on. They look twice as dark as they are because you are looking through them twiceblushing:doh!!)
Anyhow rubbing my soft face, (shaved with MWF), with my soft hands, (washed with MWF).

All this is hurting my head. I'm putting my shades on me and going back to looking in the mirror!

_________________
Oscar.

Don't pay attention to the the naysayers. It is a tallow/lanolin soap. There is nothing wrong with it and lotsa good feeling for the face

I'm at a loss to explain why some people have so much trouble with MWF. I've never had a bit of trouble with it.

I had read somewhere about not using hot water, but I have been using my scuttle from the beginning (quite hot), and it has performed wonderfully for me. Maybe I am just lucky.

TorzJohnson said:

I'm at a loss to explain why some people have so much trouble with MWF. I've never had a bit of trouble with it.

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Thus helping to prove the aforementioned statistical analysis