valobra hard pucks overrated?

Reevers · Jul 5, 2016

dabrock said:
I'm also not clear as to what this "clay scent" is TBH. I know Valobra has a particular scent to it but there is no clay listed that I can find yet a few people mention it. Do you know what the clay is?

I've not been able to connect anything on the ingredients list to clay... although I've only carried out a basic Google search of what the ingredients mean.

I picked up the clay description from others because it is the best description of the scent I find lurking behind the Valobra Cologne and Unscented scents... and now the C&S 88.

Maybe someone else can give some feedback on the ingredients list if there's something I've missed?

Deacon Frank · Jul 5, 2016

The clay scent is the natural scent of a true soap regardless of the fat that is used. Tallow, lard, and olive oil soaps (if left unscented) all smell like clay.

RJSquirell · Jul 5, 2016

Given YMMV...I don't think its worth the thirty bucks I paid. Its a good soap, but just not 30 bucks good.

dabrock · Jul 5, 2016

Deacon Frank said:
The clay scent is the natural scent of a true soap regardless of the fat that is used. Tallow, lard, and olive oil soaps (if left unscented) all smell like clay.

I guess my idea of what clay smells like is slightly different but I definitely agree that Valobra smells like raw soap that I smelled while volunteering at a pioneer village one summer.

dfoulk · Jul 5, 2016

The price of the soap is a bit high when compared to several others but when you compare the price per shave it's actually quite reasonable considering how long a puck lasts. I suspect I can get five to six months from a puck of Valobra while I get about a month to slightly longer from a tub of RazoRock. So figure one Valobra puck lasts as long as four to five RazoRock tubs. The Valobra costs me around $30 and the Razorock closer to $50. So in the long run the Valobra is cheaper.

The scent thing is a different story as the soap has a unique clay type scent to it. This in combination with the subtle scents they add leave the soap with a distinct clay type scent. Not terrible, but we all know that the scent could be a whole lot better. The best smelling Valobra soap is the old version AOS sandlewood tallow soap (not the one in their stores now) as the scent was strong enough to cover the clay note. If you want a great smelling Valobra soap then seek out that one and stock up on it before it's gone.

dabrock · Jul 5, 2016

dfoulk said:
The price of the soap is a bit high when compared to several others but when you compare the price per shave it's actually quite reasonable considering how long a puck lasts. I suspect I can get five to six months from a puck of Valobra while I get about a month to slightly longer from a tub of RazoRock. So figure one Valobra puck lasts as long as four to five RazoRock tubs. The Valobra costs me around $30 and the Razorock closer to $50. So in the long run the Valobra is cheaper.

The scent thing is a different story as the soap has a unique clay type scent to it. This in combination with the subtle scents they add leave the soap with a distinct clay type scent. Not terrible, but we all know that the scent could be a whole lot better. The best smelling Valobra soap is the old version AOS sandlewood tallow soap (not the one in their stores now) as the scent was strong enough to cover the clay note. If you want a great smelling Valobra soap then seek out that one and stock up on it before it's gone.

+1 AOS Sandalwood is one of my favourite scents and my favourite sandalwood of all time. Right now the NOS pucks are going for a great price to boot!

NyquistRate · Jul 5, 2016

dfoulk said:
. . . The best smelling Valobra soap is the old version AOS sandlewood tallow soap (not the one in their stores now) as the scent was strong enough to cover the clay note. If you want a great smelling Valobra soap then seek out that one and stock up on it before it's gone.

dabrock said:
+1 AOS Sandalwood is one of my favourite scents and my favourite sandalwood of all time. Right now the NOS pucks are going for a great price to boot!

Totally agree and already stocked up. Some might say I've stocked way too much and they would be correct. I counted ~30 pucks IIRC. :blushing:

This brings me to the next problem. I don't want my AoSt Sandalwood to go the way of the vintage soaps (lose scent). Ergo my interest in the current soap storage thread:
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/494634-storing-soap-for-years

Jaidmaster · Jul 6, 2016

I recently picked up a puck of AOS tallow Sandalwood. After 2 uses I was unimpressed. After some reading, it was recommended to LOAD HEAVY. I tried this last night and also didn't make it quite as wet as I do with other soaps and got great results! I was finding that it was breaking down in later passes from the extra water from my face so leaving it a bit dryer seemed to be a good idea. Was happy to get such nice results with some extra loading and less water. I was on the verge of putting it aside or getting rid of it, but wanted to give it a chance and glad I did. :001_smile

dabrock · Jul 6, 2016

Jaidmaster said:
I recently picked up a puck of AOS tallow Sandalwood. After 2 uses I was unimpressed. After some reading, it was recommended to LOAD HEAVY. I tried this last night and also didn't make it quite as wet as I do with other soaps and got great results! I was finding that it was breaking down in later passes from the extra water from my face so leaving it a bit dryer seemed to be a good idea. Was happy to get such nice results with some extra loading and less water. I was on the verge of putting it aside or getting rid of it, but wanted to give it a chance and glad I did.

My first couple shaves weren't that great either but once I dialed it in it was an amazing soap. I've noticed the same thing with a lot of other tallow soaps, they seem to have a point were one more drop of water kills the lather but if you push it just shy of that point it's a great shave.

1Vader · Jul 16, 2016

I have the old tallow formula of AOS. I beleive it's made by Valobra.

It's a good soap, not the best and I certainly wouldn't pay too much for it, but it's nice.

gagi · Jul 16, 2016

I prefer unscented puck, but can pick any clay scent... Maybe you're picking corn scent (zea mays).
As for thread, Valobra is worth of (any) price!

rhtoras · Jul 19, 2016

I too find them overrated...they also clog my razor...

Hare & Copper · Jul 22, 2016

I was underwhelmed by the Valobra puck. On the other hand I think the shaving stick is fantastic.

Mandina · Jul 25, 2016

Excellent price for the Valobra puck at Connaught (about $14 dollars [the current non-VAT price converted from British currency]), and the shipping is inexpensive. I find that the stick and puck are hard, so (for face shaving) I use a very wet brush and more loading than for softer soaps. It's a great performer for me.

mdevine · Jul 25, 2016

I have way too many soaps (36) and creams (11) plus at least a dozen back-up pucks, sticks and tubs, but of all of them, those made by Valobra are easily my favorites. While they tend to be relatively expensive, they are a very hard, dense, triple-milled soap that give more shaves per ounce than most other soaps. I was fortunate to pick up an extra nine pucks of the Valobra made Art of Shaving Sandalwood Shave Soap for $13/puck. Hopefully, I can find it steeply discounted again before running out (in a decade or so). Either that, or I find something else that tops it.

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valobra hard pucks overrated?

Reevers

Deacon Frank

RJSquirell

dabrock

dfoulk

dabrock

NyquistRate

Jaidmaster

dabrock

1Vader

gagi

rhtoras

Hare & Copper

Mandina

mdevine

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