+1 Great soap
Opinions: Best Soap for Straights?
- Thread starter AHamilton
- Start date
+1 Great soap
According to the map, you have hard to very hard water in Wisconsin. What you need is probably a soap that is easier to lather in those conditions. Or a shave cream as creams are easier in those cases IMO.
Since you are asking for soaps, I would recommend something like Tabac that is very easy to find and works wonders with hard water.
Since you are asking for soaps, I would recommend something like Tabac that is very easy to find and works wonders with hard water.
That's my favorite too.Use this:
the rest of your soaps can be then used for washing your hands after changing the oil in your car.
I swear some of you guys must work for the International Shaving Soap Guild or something.... and you are going to suck me into buying more soap. 
I am in the same group as the OP- a lot of soaps work OK but only one has really impressed me and that is Tabac, and only then because I kept going back based on recommendations from people here (I was using the stuff without enough water and am not wild about the scent). That stuff is simply the slickest soap I have yet found and it does not matter whether it is used thick, thin or anywhere in- between. I would be tempted to try Klar Kabinett just because it is another German soap that several people have said is very slick but it does not seem to be available anymore.
How is the Valobra, scent- wise? Is it anything like Cella, which to me does not smell like almonds but 100% black cherry.
Youse Guize are killin' me!
Brian
I am in the same group as the OP- a lot of soaps work OK but only one has really impressed me and that is Tabac, and only then because I kept going back based on recommendations from people here (I was using the stuff without enough water and am not wild about the scent). That stuff is simply the slickest soap I have yet found and it does not matter whether it is used thick, thin or anywhere in- between. I would be tempted to try Klar Kabinett just because it is another German soap that several people have said is very slick but it does not seem to be available anymore.
How is the Valobra, scent- wise? Is it anything like Cella, which to me does not smell like almonds but 100% black cherry.
Youse Guize are killin' me!
Brian
The sort-of objective view: Valobra soft soap is readily available in menthol and almond scents. To me, the menthol has a very light scent that is clean, cool, and mild. Supposedly, it is just menthol scented, with no menthol in it (it doesn't make my face tingle at all). I think the almond smells bitter. I don't have Cella, but I have RazoRock P.160, and to me, Valobra smells much more bitter than that, with no cherry notes. I've found that the menthol and almond perform identically.
The completely subjective view: I love the lather they produce. It feels very slick, and at the same time, quite refined and gentle, as though it's been perfected over a long period of time. When I start building lather, I find myself thinking Ahhh, so THIS is how the old-time master soap-makers thought it should be done. They were right; this stuff is spectacular.
Steve56
Ask me about shaving naked!
The Valobra almond I have has no cherry component at all. It just smells almondy. Good stuff.
Cheers, Steve
Cheers, Steve
So after going through this thread, I am glad to say I exercised restraint and did not buy all the soaps you folks recommended! I only bought:
Valobra almond (still smells like cherry to my nose??)
Barrister & Mann Vetiver et. al (long list of scent mixes on that one)
La Toya (tube)
And was given a bag that included:
Razorock third eye (I like that a lot but it is not Tabac)
Castle Forbes Lime (Like that one too and it <may> be as slick as Tabac)
New York shaving Co. creme (don't remember the scent)
AOS creme (don't remember the scent).
So far the Castle Forbes and perhaps the Valobra seem like they may perform as well as Tabac but I have only use the C.F. so far. The Valobra does make a very creamy, non- bubbly lather though that looks like Tabac, at least in the scuttle.
I have a line on some I Coloniali at a reasonable price along with some DR Harris but will wait a couple of weeks for them.
I am just glad I managed to avoid the shaving soap / creme disorder.... yet again!
Brian
Valobra almond (still smells like cherry to my nose??)
Barrister & Mann Vetiver et. al (long list of scent mixes on that one)
La Toya (tube)
And was given a bag that included:
Razorock third eye (I like that a lot but it is not Tabac)
Castle Forbes Lime (Like that one too and it <may> be as slick as Tabac)
New York shaving Co. creme (don't remember the scent)
AOS creme (don't remember the scent).
So far the Castle Forbes and perhaps the Valobra seem like they may perform as well as Tabac but I have only use the C.F. so far. The Valobra does make a very creamy, non- bubbly lather though that looks like Tabac, at least in the scuttle.
I have a line on some I Coloniali at a reasonable price along with some DR Harris but will wait a couple of weeks for them.
I am just glad I managed to avoid the shaving soap / creme disorder.... yet again!
Brian
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Now all you need is some Panna Crema, Stroppe Shoppe (with tallow) And some QCS (with tallow)
Second the Strop Shoppe with Tallow and would also add Mike's Natural Soaps in there.
Yep, Stroppe Shoppe will show up sooner or later (oh c'mon, who am I kidding- it will be soon ). I use a lot of Mike's and find it very good soap although not as slick as Tabac (which is my own personal yardstick for the slickest, best shaving soap I have ever found). I particularly like the Hungarian Lavender and the Rose and <something>.
I have seen mixed reviews on Penna Crema and oveall, I am just not impressed with some of the classic Italian soft shave soaps I have tried so far (Proraso of course and Cella). Razorock seems good at first glance but there are so many formulations that it is going to depend on the exact soap I think, and Velobra will get a test- shave tonight.
I am really starting to think there is some magic, unusual ingredient in Tabac that makes it so dense and slick. Something like south Indian elephant mucus or some other revolting but effective mammal secretion (I don't even want to go further with that thought). Really I know that is not true of course but I am just amazed that after trying dozens of shave soaps, I cannot find the equal of a relatively cheap, commercial and readily available shaving soap. ??
Brian
). I use a lot of Mike's and find it very good soap although not as slick as Tabac (which is my own personal yardstick for the slickest, best shaving soap I have ever found). I particularly like the Hungarian Lavender and the Rose and <something>. I have seen mixed reviews on Penna Crema and oveall, I am just not impressed with some of the classic Italian soft shave soaps I have tried so far (Proraso of course and Cella). Razorock seems good at first glance but there are so many formulations that it is going to depend on the exact soap I think, and Velobra will get a test- shave tonight.
I am really starting to think there is some magic, unusual ingredient in Tabac that makes it so dense and slick. Something like south Indian elephant mucus or some other revolting but effective mammal secretion (I don't even want to go further with that thought). Really I know that is not true of course but I am just amazed that after trying dozens of shave soaps, I cannot find the equal of a relatively cheap, commercial and readily available shaving soap. ??
Brian
Now all you need is some Panna Crema, Stroppe Shoppe (with tallow) And some QCS (with tallow)
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Yep, Stroppe Shoppe will show up sooner or later (oh c'mon, who am I kidding- it will be soon
I have seen mixed reviews on Penna Crema and oveall, I am just not impressed with some of the classic Italian soft shave soaps I have tried so far (Proraso of course and Cella). Razorock seems good at first glance but there are so many formulations that it is going to depend on the exact soap I think, and Velobra will get a test- shave tonight.
I am really starting to think there is some magic, unusual ingredient in Tabac that makes it so dense and slick. Something like south Indian elephant mucus or some other revolting but effective mammal secretion (I don't even want to go further with that thought). Really I know that is not true of course but I am just amazed that after trying dozens of shave soaps, I cannot find the equal of a relatively cheap, commercial and readily available shaving soap. ??
Brian
Tabac is also my yardstick. But on occaison I can get Mike's just as slick. Just takes a bit more product and the water ratio has to be juuuuust right. Tabac is a lot more forgiving. Speaking of using more product...with Proraso soap (not talking about the creams...forget about those!) particularly my favorites the white primarily and secondarily the red just use more product! A lot more product than you think you would need. Then add a bit less water then you would with Tabac or Mikes. You may find the performance improve significantly for the Proraso.
Oh, and the other base scent Mike uses with the Rose is Sandalwood. That combination is one of my favorites that he makes. Being Hungarian myself, you can guess I always have some of his Hungarian Lavender kicking around as well.
South Indian elephant mucus?? Ummmm....EW!?! But, hey...it works!
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Anyone that is slick is going to work well with a straight & they are many out there from low to high price range. PdP on the low end & MdC on the high. ( Harris, 1805, Taylor avocado, Floris, canali, Dr Selby, Queen Charlotte, LPL & I coloniali which may be the slickest of all but the scent turns a lot of folks off. Best. G
Again, I find our different responses to the same product nothing short of amazing.
One of the few products I cannot stand from both a performance as well as a scent (actually stench) point of view is MWF. There, I said it. The vaunted product is horrible in my experience. It makes a light, foamy, wispy lather that is just about useless except for imparting a smell I can only describe as 'salt' all over my face for hours. Maybe I got a bad puck. ??
Brian
One of the few products I cannot stand from both a performance as well as a scent (actually stench) point of view is MWF. There, I said it. The vaunted product is horrible in my experience. It makes a light, foamy, wispy lather that is just about useless except for imparting a smell I can only describe as 'salt' all over my face for hours. Maybe I got a bad puck. ??
Brian
That's funny. I had a sample of mwf and I always shake my head when people rave about the scent as I could barely detect any scent whatsoever. The performance was very good for me and I do plan on an eventual purchase. I do have a water softener, so that may be the difference in performance.
Yes, and I was not disputing that at all, nor was I 'jabbing' anyone who likes the product. My very point was that we can all get so many different results from the same product. Amazing. And I mean performance, not scent as that is a personal preference.
Far too many people list MWF as their top performer or at least one of them for me not to believe it works well for more than a few people. But for me, I would be better off using Dawn dishwashing detergent or a bar of Irish Spring.
Brian
Far too many people list MWF as their top performer or at least one of them for me not to believe it works well for more than a few people. But for me, I would be better off using Dawn dishwashing detergent or a bar of Irish Spring.
Brian
Mikes
Having been reasonably successful in putting off SAD, I have now tried the Velobra almond (which smells entirely like cherry to me) which was good but not the equal to Tabac. Been using Barrister & Mann with good results although again, a notch or two below Tabac for me. Two that do seem excellent though, are Speick stick and La Toya stick. Both are very slick and easily make a thick, creamy lather without any tendency to produce bubbles. Both have pleasant scents but I especially like La Toya's smell. One or both of these might be a winner for me as they seem to be close if not equal to Tabac and I like the scents much better.
Once the I Coloniali, Wilkinson Sword stick and the artisan soap I have coming get here, along with the next brush, I will have another few to try and can again congratulate myself of beating back that acquisition disorder.
Brian[FONT="][/FONT]
Once the I Coloniali, Wilkinson Sword stick and the artisan soap I have coming get here, along with the next brush, I will have another few to try and can again congratulate myself of beating back that acquisition disorder.
Brian[FONT="][/FONT]
I have recently had the pleasure and good fortune of aquiring a tin of the Cold River Shave Soap (Select Line) Sandalwood scent. Truly amazing performance (both for slickness and cushion) and ease of latharability with this soap. The only soap I have found to ever so slightly surpass the performance of Tabac and Mike's (when I get the ratio just right) for me. Really my favorite soap now.
+1
Going through several different soaps and so far, the only thing that works as well as Tabac, at least for me, is Speick stick. Outstanding soap with a pleasant, mild scent. I make five (5) passes on my neck and before this, anything other than Tabac left some amount of razor rash.
I also just got in a tub of I Coloniali and some Palmolive sticks so they will get a test shortly. The I Coloniali seems like it was sitting on the shelf for a long time- almost no scent, the whole top of the soap bar has a white coating on it and the tape on the bowl and over left glue stains on both. It seems to lather up just find though.
I am trying out several other soaps and one creme. One from a member here that lathers and feels great although I have not actually used it yet. I also found a new, favorite scent though: La Toja! The creme and the stick, which smell identical to me. That stuff is like catnip to me I used the creme once and it seemed quite good but I will have to use it for a week or so before really knowing how it performs.
Brian
I also just got in a tub of I Coloniali and some Palmolive sticks so they will get a test shortly. The I Coloniali seems like it was sitting on the shelf for a long time- almost no scent, the whole top of the soap bar has a white coating on it and the tape on the bowl and over left glue stains on both. It seems to lather up just find though.
I am trying out several other soaps and one creme. One from a member here that lathers and feels great although I have not actually used it yet. I also found a new, favorite scent though: La Toja! The creme and the stick, which smell identical to me. That stuff is like catnip to me
I used the creme once and it seemed quite good but I will have to use it for a week or so before really knowing how it performs.Brian
