What's new

Rarely mentioned: The Wilkinson shaving stick.

I tried the WS stick, and it's excellent. Its scent is much lighter and more neutral than Arko's (which I myself don't mind at all). It lathers easily, provides very good slickness and cushion, and left my face feeling moist and soft. In fact, I used it together with a third-shave Rapira blade (Swedish Super Steel, from a Bestshave.net sampler), and the shave was an easy, comfortable, 2-pass+touch-up DFS (which is all I aim for).

btw, the day before I had tried a Tabac stick and the day after (today) I tried an Erasmic stick (all purchased from Connaught). Sure, the Tabac is "fancier" and indeed did great, but the WS is a terrific performer at a much cheaper price. I love Arko, but would suggest WS as an excellent alternative for those who don't like Arko's scent. The (new tallow formula) Erasmic, as discussed in another B&B thread, barely lathered and dried out fast--but, interestingly, with occasional touches of my wet fingers to my face it provided a very slick, very nice shave (with a fourth-shave Rapira, so I was really pushing things) and also left my face feeling moist and soft. Even so, I can't recommend the Erasmic stick in view of the lathering problem, but I highly recommend the WS stick. I haven't tried Palmolive, but WS could be a an excellent low-cost alternative to shavers who don't like Arko.
 
Not a fan of the Euro Palmolive lather; it's not slick enough or I'm not using enough water. I'll try again, but Arko is much better. Same with La Toja. Both disappointed me the first time.

I will try the Wilkinson because I love my tallow/lanolin.

That and the Ogallala sticks I have to try.
 
This is an excellent stick. :thumbup1: To me, it's very similar in lather quality to the Palmolive stick. I like the scent of the Wilkie a bit better.
 

Marco

B&B's Man in Italy
This is an excellent stick. :thumbup1: To me, it's very similar in lather quality to the Palmolive stick. I like the scent of the Wilkie a bit better.

If it's similar to Palmolive, it's definitely a "must have". Grazie, Francesco!
 
Just left London. Got some Arlingtn, some Trumpers Limes Skin Food, and some Spanish Leather cream. Wanted to also pick up a couple of Palmolive and Wilkinson shave sticks but could not find them in any stores in the central city.
 
Since it's widely available and really cheap here in Germany (around 1.50 $) this is my favourite shaving stick. Its performance is definitely on par with the Palmolive one and the scent is light, soapy, fresh and pleasant. Not to mention the lanolin makes it rather unique.

It's definitely worth a blind purchase!
 

Luc

"To Wiki or Not To Wiki, That's The Question".
Staff member
I have one of those and it lathers very well, a must try!
 
Palmolive is more neutral and mild - it could just as easily be dishsoap. Wilks is a bit spicy or peppery: not in quite the same way as Speick, but perhaps in the same family. Palmolive is less likely to offend, but Wilks is more likely to appeal.
 
You won't find Palmolive in the gentlemens stores as its a commodity product - try the supermarkets or chemist shops.

Wilkinson stics are hard to find in the UK
 
So, who can compare the Wilkinson scent to the Palmolive scent?

I always found the Palmolive scent a tad too harsh. There's something in there - a hint of musk maybe? - that makes it a bit too old-fashioned for my taste.

The Wilkinson stick on the other hand is a rather leveled, "blueish" soap scent. Slightly aquatic and in my opinion fresher than Palmolive. Definitely not the same but somehow reminding me of Nivea Sensitive ASB.
 
I don't know where you guys are getting your Palmolive sticks. Maybe yours are much fresher, but the ones here in the states are anything but strong. They smell like soap. No spice or musk or anything
 
Quick price search and on Average I found them at about £2.50 each. Thats a whopping £1.90 more than a Palmolive stick.
 
I don't know where you guys are getting your Palmolive sticks. Maybe yours are much fresher, but the ones here in the states are anything but strong. They smell like soap. No spice or musk or anything

I found mine in Europe and I think the smell is very mild, too.
 
Probably just YMMV, as usual with scents. I should have known that I could not get away with making sweeping statements about how folks would react to any scent.
 
Palmolive is more neutral and mild - it could just as easily be dishsoap. Wilks is a bit spicy or peppery: not in quite the same way as Speick, but perhaps in the same family. Palmolive is less likely to offend, but Wilks is more likely to appeal.

I think you nailed it. I agree 100%.
 
It's a great soap and vastly under underappreciated! I grated mine into a bowl it it reminded me in every way of tabac other than the scent and with even better post shave due to the lanolin. I compared ingredients and they're almost identical.
 
Top Bottom