Tried the T&H Sampler.

So I finally got around to using my T&H samples of oil, cream, and ASB that came in the mail.

Fist off, I regularly use Proraso cream and Col Conks soaps, and love both.

My impressions of T&H are:

Shave Oil: Nice citrus smell. Felt like it lubed everything up nicely. May try pre shave oils in the future, but not sure I would pay for this one.

Shave cream: Good smell, but nothing special to me. Lathered up nice (face latherer). Slowly built up some decent lather that lasted 3 passes with more to spare. Very lubricating. All in all, a really nice cream. But sorry, no way I am buying it for $30 over a tube of Proraso.

ASB: This one was an all out flop. Seemed like a bad batch. After my cold rinse, I put some of this in my hands and admired the clean/sophisticated smell. I rubbed it in my hands to coat both evenly then went to the face. Immediately it started gumming up into little balls, like I was rubbing a wet paper towel on the carpet. Added some water to wet it down and it only got worse. Washed it off my face and threw the rest out. Again, maybe a bad batch, but this sample didn't do its job, and I will never by the ASB.

So, it was a fun trial. Didn't cost anything. And reassured me that I am using some of the best stuff (for me).

Which cream and aftershave balm did they send you? The "Ultimate Comfort"? Some of their other creams, IMHO are better.

I received the UC cream and aftershave, which I didn't like nearly as much as my 1805 or Trafalgar. I was hoping for a sample of their "regular" aftershaves.

I agree that the UC seems a bit overrated. I've used their 1805 cream before and quite honestly I couldn't see that big of a difference. At least not one to justify the price difference. However, the preshave oil they included was very nice and I'm going to be looking into those in the future.

Yeah, mine was the Ultra Comfort.

For me, it would have to do some pretty neat tricks for me to spend $30 on it over a $10 tube of Proraso. I am sure the scents are nice though, but for scents I jut rotate my $3.50 Col Conks foursome in.

I am trying to get this SSAD/SCAD thing, but I think I found an awesome lineup on my first try (Proraso and Col Conks). I will continue to sample the other stuff from time to time, but I like the budget side of things.

On the budget note, I almost picked up a puck of VanDerHagen Deluxe at Walgreen's yesterday. Tempting at the low price and brick and mortar availability.

I've just recieved the UC sampler pack and can't wait to try! The pre-shave oil is what I'm really looking forward to trying, I found the AOS oil disapponting but I feel I need some sort of extra cushion before I apply my brush as my beard is v thick.