new razorock artisan soaps
- Thread starter meatman
- Start date
I pulled the trigger the first day too and expect them tomorrow or Tuesday. Tracking says that they arrived in the US on Friday. I'm purposely NOT shaving in the morning. My mail comes between 2:00-4:30pm.
Please let us know what you think when it arrives. I can only hope they are as good as the XXX
I'm sitting here with WHISKERS waiting for the mailman. Still.... I can only test one a day!
This morning I tracked my package through USPS. To my amazement, the update informed me that my package was out for delivery. Shocked, I tell you. Just a few minutes ago, I checked the tracking again. Yup, package has been missent...it has been delivered to some lucky guy in a city about hour north of me. I can only imagine the shock if they opened the package..."That must be some hairy dude. That is a lot of soap!"
I am no longer shocked by the USPS.
I am no longer shocked by the USPS.
My stash arrived today. Can't wait to shave tomorrow.
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Im in suspense here .NEED the review of the violet stat lol
It'll have to be tomorrow. I waited until 4:00pm yesterday, for the postman, to shave. Woke up this morning with not enough beard to bother. I don't want to change my schedule and shave tonight, so.... tomorrow, I'll do it and report. All of the soaps that I ordered (five) smell great. Much more subtle and refined than the scent of Cella or P.160.
which ones did you get? I see boston tea and violet at least. Did you by any chance spring for the third eye, and if so how does it smell?
I purchased Mughetto di Bologna, Third Eye, Boston Tea Party, Chianti Lavender, Mentolipto and Caprician Lemon.
I broke into the Third Eye for tonight's shave. It's definitely one of the stronger scents of the ones I have for comparison. I didn't find it to be overpowering, very nice scent in the tub and lathered. Blows away the scent of the Edwin Jagger Sandalwood Shaving Cream I have.
Matt
I broke into the Third Eye for tonight's shave. It's definitely one of the stronger scents of the ones I have for comparison. I didn't find it to be overpowering, very nice scent in the tub and lathered. Blows away the scent of the Edwin Jagger Sandalwood Shaving Cream I have.
Matt
I bought all of them except the non-tallow and the Lemon. Then, when the Limited-Edition became available, I ordered that and succumbed to the Lemon as well. Those two are still in transit. The Third-Eye is Sandalwood and seems more subtle and refined than some others I've had....like Vulfix. I've only tried "Tea Party" but, right now, I think my favorite is Mugetto di Bologna (Lily of the Valley). It's like nothing I've experienced. Scents are 100% subjective and YMMV... and my mind might change over time.
mmm. Very excited about this one. I ordered mine over the weekend, and it shipped lickety split only to get stuck somewhere in the canada post system (darn temporary volume surge delays).
That's a great disclaimer for what I have to contribute to this discussion. As far as scent is concerned, I find all of the ones I have (Boston Tea Party, Third Eye and Muguet de France) to be disappointing. To my nose they smell very synthetic, cheap, shallow (as in one simple note) and simply off-putting. I also find the scent intensity to be very low in these soaps, which is a good thing in this case. I believe focusing on other aspects of the soap, such as lathering and performance, was one of the ways IB was able to offer them at such a great price. And with that, I really don't have a problem with them because so far they have lathered like a dream in the many test sessions I've put them through and performed remarkably well in the one shave I've gotten out of them so far... which is what ultimately matters to me.
I also have the Italian Master Barber Limited Edition MCMXXIV soap from IB, but that just arrived this evening so I haven't even opened in up for a sniff yet. I'm a big fan of the classic Italian almond scents so I will probably smell this one in a different light. Gorgeous packaging. I'm really looking forward to this one!
EDIT: I thought I should add that I also got a tub of RazoRock XXX cream soap along with the artisan soaps and was completely floored by its scent. It's one of the best smelling products I've ever tried -- rich, complex, intoxicating. I hope it shaves as good as it smells.
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Got the first batch in yesterday. All the soaps share the same consistency, a bit firmer than the soft soaps but still in the same realm. The scents are understated which is fine by me but some may be disappointed in the level of fragrance.
I used the Caprician Lemon this morning. It loaded easily into my BBE. I didn't get enough product on the first build so I had to reload with a few swirls after the second pass. The scent is a bit more pronounced in the lather but still probably not enough for many B&Bers. The lather was great. It was creamy with plenty of cushion. This soap actually reminded me of another classic from Cananda: JM Frasers. Imagine Frasers with a less industrial, citrus scent but with a creamier lather.
I used the Caprician Lemon this morning. It loaded easily into my BBE. I didn't get enough product on the first build so I had to reload with a few swirls after the second pass. The scent is a bit more pronounced in the lather but still probably not enough for many B&Bers. The lather was great. It was creamy with plenty of cushion. This soap actually reminded me of another classic from Cananda: JM Frasers. Imagine Frasers with a less industrial, citrus scent but with a creamier lather.
O, it does. I got the xxx along with fresco about two months ago and was totally blown away. I'm interested in the new artisan line, but to be honest, I'm so happy with the xxx that i only want more of it. wait til you shave with it. it's amazing!
<Written, after a 2nd test... this time with "Napolean's Violet">
That's a challenge for Joe at Italian Barber; how to satisfy customers that are already 100% satisfied with his products?
To me, some of the Italian soaps are a bit overpowering in intensity. I LIKE almond but not that much almond. The new soaps are very consistent in performance.... identical to my mind after just two shaves (so I reserve the right to change this opinion).
The intensity of the scent, is also consistent and generally understated. I LIKE this. I want a pleasant scent when the jar is opened, a pleasant scent on my brush etc. But I don't want to be overpowered when the soap is under my nose in the early morning. And, I don't want my hands and face to smell of lather when I finish.
One word.... some of the new tallow-soaps might SEEM more intense than others but I think that's because of the type of scent rather than the amount of scent. For instance, the "Boston Tea Party" seems more subtle than Violet (which I used today) but that's because "tea" is a more subtle scent than violet.
In terms of performance, I'll be shocked if anyone complains (but you never know). Lathering is instantaneous, effortless and abundant. The lather is thick and moist. A sharp blade glides without effort. After 3 passes, the brush still had ample lather for more.
I do disagree with the notion that the subtle scents of these soaps is a cost-saving tactic. Arko is one of the cheapest shaving soaps and it certainly does not spare the scent. I can go to the 99 cent store and buy strong perfume by the gallon! Rather, my take is that Joe, at IB, deliberately exercised restraint with scent to build a more refined soap-line. The original RazoRock has plenty of intense scent. The more recent RazoRock XXX and Fresco are more subtle.
I doubt that we're ever going to reach unanimity on the subject of scent.
I will say this.... If Joe, at IB pulled these soaps from sale tomorrow,... in 6 months, we'd be lamenting the demise of the "world's greatest shaving soap" and speculating that this or that soap is REALLY RazoRock.
On a final note, I think we ought to acknowledge how fortunate we B&B members are to have, among us, a vendor who is building a product-line based upon OUR specific wants and needs. We are blessed with vendors who search the planet for our products and bring them to us with convenience and economy. Joe is taking that a step further and actually bringing out a full new-line that has B&B written all over it. I might be a bit bewildered by the scope of choices but I'm also grateful to have them.
What he said. 
A mild scent is not bad at all. If you want strong scents then use the QED soaps.
I can't agree more about Joe's commitment to quality, innovation, service and everything else great that he does. We are indeed a fortunate bunch.
Regarding my point about the scent aspect of the new soaps being an area of cost savings, I was speaking more to the "quality" of scent than to the quantity or intensity. I don't want to belabour a negative opinion, but it seems like perhaps each soap contains a single fragrance of low quality, like a fragrance one would find in a scented hand sanitizer or inexpensive hand cream... rather than a more textured or well rounded combination of scents built from thoughtful arrangement of various essential oils. But again, I need to make it clear that I'm not whining about this or letting it blind me to the products' other sterling virtues (or that I even have the slightest clue what I'm talking about). As I stated at the top of this post, I have nothing but respect and gratitude for Joe, his efforts and his products. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go bask in a luxurious and leisurely shave with the Italian Master Barber Limited Edition MCMXXIV Artisan Shaving Soap (I figure it's gotta be good with a name like that
).
Regarding my point about the scent aspect of the new soaps being an area of cost savings, I was speaking more to the "quality" of scent than to the quantity or intensity. I don't want to belabour a negative opinion, but it seems like perhaps each soap contains a single fragrance of low quality, like a fragrance one would find in a scented hand sanitizer or inexpensive hand cream... rather than a more textured or well rounded combination of scents built from thoughtful arrangement of various essential oils. But again, I need to make it clear that I'm not whining about this or letting it blind me to the products' other sterling virtues (or that I even have the slightest clue what I'm talking about). As I stated at the top of this post, I have nothing but respect and gratitude for Joe, his efforts and his products. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go bask in a luxurious and leisurely shave with the Italian Master Barber Limited Edition MCMXXIV Artisan Shaving Soap (I figure it's gotta be good with a name like that
).I can't agree more about Joe's commitment to quality, innovation, service and everything else great that he does. We are indeed a fortunate bunch.
Regarding my point about the scent aspect of the new soaps being an area of cost savings, I was speaking more to the "quality" of scent than to the quantity or intensity. I don't want to belabour a negative opinion, but it seems like perhaps each soap contains a single fragrance of low quality, like a fragrance one would find in a scented hand sanitizer or inexpensive hand cream... rather than a more textured or well rounded combination of scents built from thoughtful arrangement of various essential oils. But again, I need to make it clear that I'm not whining about this or letting it blind me to the products' other sterling virtues (or that I even have the slightest clue what I'm talking about). As I stated at the top of this post, I have nothing but respect and gratitude for Joe, his efforts and his products. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go bask in a luxurious and leisurely shave with the Italian Master Barber Limited Edition MCMXXIV Artisan Shaving Soap (I figure it's gotta be good with a name like that
I'm not a huge frag guy, so take this with a grain of salt. But aren't some scents, like Violets and Lily of the Valley (which I think are great) by nature less "complex." It seems like this is what he was going for. XXX on the other hand, seems like a mixture of different things. I'm just thinking out loud.
