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Stirling Syndicate

Yeah, I don't know if it is better than Nuavia, but it is really close. I will say that it is late in the evening and my face is incredibly smooth and feeling very nourished. My face, now 12 hours later, is smoother than sometimes right after a shave. I am very interested to try some again and see if I can duplicate the shave. I am very interested to try the Formula T in Sandalwood, Matterhorn, Gaelic Tweed, and Ol' Kentucky scents.

Tomorrow I am going to try the Stropp Shoppe. I have been very interested in this for quite some time.
 
So this morning I sampled the Strop Shoppe Russian Tea. First and foremost, I was not expecting the scent to smell like it did. It isn't bad, on the contrary...I really enjoy it. It just wasn't what I was expecting. This is from the website:

This particular scent is inspired by a holiday time treat - Russian tea, a combination of orange, clove, and other spices. This is a great cold weather soap, as the rich spice notes really awaken the senses.

That would explain why it smells like Christmas to me. Very, um...Home Sweet Home or Hotty Toddy. I know that means absolutely nothing to anyone but me, but that is what it smells like to me.

The other thing that I noticed is that this soap is really soft. I mean, it is way softer than most of the "croaps" out there. Definitely not a cream though. Russian Tea was plenty easy to load on the brush and is probably one of the easiest to spread on my face. Building a lather wasn't hard, but it took a lot of water. Now a lot of soaps say they are thirsty, but this one may have taken a long walk on a hot day and needed water badly. I don't know how to explain it. It doesn't go on dry, and it doesn't dry out. The soap is plenty wet and moist, but to build a lather it needs a lot of water. Okay, I'm confused. I guess I should have read the website:

Please be aware that our formula is quite thirsty for water, and you may need to use significantly more water during your lather building than you are used to.

Well that explains it. Anyway, this soap gave me a great shave with a great post shave feel. This was some really good stuff. Tomorrow I will post some thoughts on a couple of test lathers, and I think I might have a couple of soaps I can add to the samples that I didn't see in either box.
 
Great Review Don. Strop Shoppe is one of my favorites. They make some great soaps and their splashes are great too. (And they are geographically close enough for me to visit when I am out, or just need more)
 
The SS scents I bought were like that as well. I felt that if I left the jar on its side it would gradually slide down. Several months later and they've hardened up nicely.

I need to return to them since I'm just about done with my sample killing mission.
 
I've been using a couple samples of Stirling soap lately just to try them out. I have a sample of the peach (fantastic scent) and the Executive man. In terms of protection, I actually think it may be the best shaving product I've tried yet... I think it might displace my beloved MWF.

However, I have a couple questions because in other respects Stirling seems odd, and I'm wondering if I'm doing something wrong or if it's just the way the soap is.
  1. It doesn't seem to make a thick, fluffy lather, and doesn't generally hold a peak. It seems to be rather soupy, with weak, quick falling peaks (although it seems to protect pretty well anyway). Is that just the way the consistency of the lather is?
  2. I'm really struggling to get much lather out of the Stirling. I get enough for one pass, but that's it.

Procedure:
I let the soap have water soak on the surface for 5-10 min while I shower. I then load for about 30-60 seconds, but it just doesn't seem to be enough to give me much lather. Using this procedure on MWF will easily give me 3-4 passes worth of fluffy lather. I'm in a hotel and the water seems hard, but still, MWF in this water gets 3-4 passes. Thoughts?
 
I've not had any Stirling soaps in over a year, but I recall them making a nice slick and shiny protective lather. I rarely do anything but face lather and I always go for slick and shiny with any soap. My load time on Stirling seemed to be around 20-30 seconds and it was fine. I do think it may be a bit thirsty when you bowl lather it.
 
That does seem strange. I get very thick creamy lather with Stirling. Sounds like you might have too much water but I find Stirling to be pretty forgiving even with lots of added water.

Captain
 
That is pretty strange... I love the lather that I get from Stirling products --- thick, slick, and protective. I do notice that it isn't a voluminous lather like from a product like Tabac IMO, however, their soaps still seem to make thick lather. I typically have the same loading procedure as you do, soak for a few minutes then load for about 45 seconds, but I easily have enough lather for three passes. As stated above me, maybe try slightly less water while lathering.

I also have pretty hard water, and that really doesn't affect the performance of Stirling for me. Try starting with a slightly dryer brush when loading and see if that helps.
 
I don't have that issue at all.

I suggest you try starting with a drier brush, maybe shake more water out or give it a squeeze before you start loading. You can always add more water later if needed.
 
You may have too much water. I consistently get thick yogurty lather. I also let the puck sit in water while I shower, then apply that bloom water to my face. Don't leave it in your bowl or scuttle. At that point I start lathering and dab the tip of my brush in the sink to add water as needed to get the right consistency.
 
My opinion: too much water, not enough product, too little lathering time - permutations of these. Perhaps hotter water to the puck when it soaks? Experiment and always, have fun. ;-)>
 
I've not had any Stirling soaps in over a year, but I recall them making a nice slick and shiny protective lather. I rarely do anything but face lather and I always go for slick and shiny with any soap. My load time on Stirling seemed to be around 20-30 seconds and it was fine. I do think it may be a bit thirsty when you bowl lather it.

Yeah, I probably should mention I do bowl lather it.
 
That does seem strange. I get very thick creamy lather with Stirling. Sounds like you might have too much water but I find Stirling to be pretty forgiving even with lots of added water.

Captain
That's what I would think too, but there would have been nothing there if I hadn't added that much. Also, it took quite a bit less water to end up at the runny consistency with Stirling. Had I put in as much as I do with MWF or TOBS (to get good yogurty lathers), Stirling would have been really thing, so I definitely used less water than I normally do.
 
Load it like you hate it with a moist but not wet brush, face lather adding water when needed till you achieve desired lather. Mine is usually whipped cream texture with a pearlescent sheen to it.
 
I don't have that issue at all.

I suggest you try starting with a drier brush, maybe shake more water out or give it a squeeze before you start loading. You can always add more water later if needed.
I should also have mentioned, I use the dry brush load/hydrate method in a bowl. I don't really build any lather on the puck at all, just loading of proto lather.
 
I am sorry I haven't been as active with this box. I have been shaving daily with soaps from the box. I have also used Nancy Boy Signature, more of a cream. Soap Commander Passion, a nice Bay Rum scent I do like. And Cold River Select Bergamot and Bay, and today Rustic Black Amber Vanille, the vanilla in here is very natural, not overpowering.

All of these soaps are good performers. Not everyone would make my den. As has been said before, the quality of soap that is available now allows me to be picky on which exact soap I want. So I can pick and choose the ones with the best qualities. Scent for me is still very important, then the performance. But overall it really is a combination.

I should be getting the box into the mail sometime tomorrow. I have the info for the next person on the list. Thanks for the time with the box!
 
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