A month (or at least 9 days) of Prarie Creations

[scoopster]

pcb01,
A very common theme in your reviews is that the scents of a lot of PC soaps you are trying are very muted. I think it would help readers to know what you are comparing the PC soaps to. For example, QED soaps are very strongly scented, IMHO the pinnacle of strongly scented soaps. The English triple milled soaps like Trumper and AOS are much more subdued. So if you let us know what your baseline for comparison is I think it would let people have a better idea of where you are coming from and more able to relate.

P.S. These are great reviews.

 

[pcb01]

pcb01,
A very common theme in your reviews is that the scents of a lot of PC soaps you are trying are very muted. I think it would help readers to know what you are comparing the PC soaps to. For example, QED soaps are very strongly scented, IMHO the pinnacle of strongly scented soaps. The English triple milled soaps like Trumper and AOS are much more subdued. So if you let us know what your baseline for comparison is I think it would let people have a better idea of where you are coming from and more able to relate.

P.S. These are great reviews.

Good question. I know nothing about QED soaps. Many of my soaps are officially "unscented," but I still get a fragrance -- lemon from Williams, a smell from MWF that I can't really describe but is an unmistakeable signature, and many others that I would only describe as "soapy." PC, with the exceptions noted in the previous posts, seem to lack even the "soapy" quality -- they have no scent I can discern.

It goes without saying that the few soaps I have that are scented -- for example, Trumper's Almond or Tabac -- are much, much stronger in scent than are the PCs I've tried. Hope that helps.

 

[pcb01]

Today's PC tub was labeled, "Tobacco." Since I've smoked a pipe for forty years, this one should be in my wheelhouse. However, if you don't smoke a pipe you may not realize that there can be as many pipe tobacco scents as there are soap scents -- anything from pineapples to roasted nuts.

"Tobacco," to me, does not smell like any of those. Nor does it smell like cigars or cigarettes (thank goodness). My first scent association was with leather, then something a little more precise -- saddle soap, which -- to me -- has a distinctive leathery-soapy scent, especially when in use. Again, this may be a stretch because there wasn't much there to register.

Returned to my VDH boar. Did the pre-hydration thing, got plenty of lather, but it wasn't my best effort. Pretty thin. I saw almost as much of my pink mug in the mirror as I did white soap. I probably overhydrated. Slickness was great, however, and with a Featherweight Schick acting as accomplice I got a great shave.

So nothing happened today that changes the impressions previously recorded.

Only two more tubs to go.

 

[Darjeeling Express]

2 to go. We're standing by.

 

[pcb01]

A great shave day. The soap was PC "Tranquil Oasis," the brush (my very first one), the AOS "Pure Badger" originally included in my $100 AOS "Everything you need to start shaving" kit, and the razor a Fatboy loaded with a fresh Feather and cranked up to 7.

I spent more time puzzling over this scent than any other so far. It smelled familiar, I repeatedly felt I was on the verge of making an association, then... nothing. Like when a name is on the tip of your tongue, and you keep feeling you're about to remember it, then it slips away. Anyway, it is pleasant and very muted (surprise). I think I picked out lime and a floral background, but it is more complex and layered than this suggests and, as with all these soaps, imagination helps.

My nothing special AOS brush and a very slow addition of distilled water while lathering resulted in a very special lather. The brush is smaller than the other badgers I have, so there was less volume, but the initial lather was lush, plentiful enough, and perfectly hydrated. I again prehydrated the puck, which I think is the right thing to do with PC product, unless you have a brush with a good amount of backbone.

4 pass shave and BBS results with absolutely no touch-up, which is very rare for me. The last time I used the Fatboy was with an IP blade and the razor set on 6, and it barely registered a DFS. Today's set-up was even more efficient than my slant+Feather, which I know is a favorite in this community. So if that's your combo and you have an old Gilette adjustable lying around, you might want to try it.

Last tub ("Sweetpea") up tomorrow. I'm thinking I'll go over Krissie's decriptions of all 9 scents and see if I came close to the intended fragrances, which should be good for a couple of chuckles. Now that I know how to get decent lathers from PC, I may go back to some of my absolute favorite other soaps and see how they compare and post impressions here. I'm thinking I'll still prefer Omega soap+cream superlather and Speick (milled into a bowl) and MWF. But I can say that, at the moment, I do not regret my purchase of -- I'm guessing here -- 3-4 years' worth of PC.

 

[pcb01]

Just got off the PC website and wanted to note a couple of things.

First, several of the scents I ordered are no longer offered. However, there is a "special order" section, with notes that Krissie will work with special requests to get your heart's desire, so if you've fallen in love with one or more of my fawning, over-the-top, extravagant descriptions of these scents, you can probably get it.

Second, something I hadn't noticed before, is that you can also specify what strength EO you want in your soap, heavier or lighter than the standard strength. You can probably guess that if I had it to do over I would request an extra dose of EO. But you might like them just as they are. Also, I understand that EO in certain quantities can be irritating, so take that into consideration.

Unrelated to this thread, but possibly of interest to some, is that I received a long-anticipated shipment from Maurice at Ardennes Coticule this afternoon -- a large "La Veinette" combination bout and a long, skinny yellow coticule I intend to use for irregular blades. I actually thought about this purchase for a long time, and consulted with Bart about it (the skinny coticule is No. 17 on his site) and, at the moment of ordering it, was stone sober. So it does happen.

 

[Darjeeling Express]

Pcb, once again, great post.

 

[Rudy Vey]

I have only one of PC's soaps in use, "Call of the Wild". An while I think it is a great shaving soap and very moisturizing, I have not figured out the scent, yet. It is a very faint scent, and I (and my wife who has better sense of scents than I) would say it has a slightly soapy smell, but that's all - why its named "Call of the Wild", beats me. It is good as shaving soap, though.

 

[Barbash]

I'm sorry I just found this thread, but some great reviews.

 

[Antique Hoosier]

I'm sorry I just found this thread, but some great reviews.

I second, third, or fourth this. Your reviews of what could be called no less than a cornacopia of soap has been thoughtful, precise, and objective. Having already established my soap favorites as MWF, Tabac, and Trumper Rose, I feel you are a better (or at least more adventurous man) than I. I like a traditional soap which I know EXACTLY what Im getting from it everytime at this stage of the game for me. Your very complete and steady reviews have convinced me that I would not be at all interested in this vendor's offerings.

 

[pcb01]

Today I shaved with a pristine pre-51 gold-plated Gillette Tech in honor of the gentleman who sold it to me last August -- Joe, aka Darjeeling Express. His support r/t to this thread is characteristic of his posts here. He does not try to impress with his knowledge, which is vast, or his cleverness, which is apparent anyway. Most of his posts compliment, encourage, and support others in this community. Lovely guy.

Up today was "Sweet Pea," and I'm happy to report that, for once, I have confidence I have identified the scent -- Grape. We're not talkin' fancy cabernet vs. burgundy vs. sangiovese here. We're talking good old Popsicle vs. Kool-Aid Grape. I lean toward the Kool-Aid. Remember how you could smell the powder, even the sugar, when you tore open the bag? I'd rate it as my least favorite of the nine I've tried and, of course, it is the strongest scent in the collection. My son, who is almost 12, will be shaving in another year, I think. I'll be saving it for him, and I think he'll love it.

I decided to apply everything I had learned about PC soaps. Used the Kent BK8, prehydrated the puck (last night and again this morning), spent a good minute swirling, then very gradually (1-3 drops at a time) added distilled water to the bowl as I built the lather. This took several minutes, but I did not want to let Joe down by hurrying it.

My reward was soap Nirvana. Perfectly hydrated gobs of bubble-less, wet, thick, creamy perfection. Smelled like grape Kool-Aid, of course, but the quality was so good I could almost ignore that.

From the bowl, the loaded brush laid down consistent layers of quarter-inch-thick lather, over and over, for 4 passes. Adding a few drops of water and re- working for a few seconds (I always do this) between passes refreshed and renewed what was left back into what was before. This is rare, in my experience.

There's no reason for me to compare this to my other favorites. It easily performed on a par with my favorite lather -- Omega soap and cream superlather. Did not outperform it (how to outperform perfection?), but I'm certain I could not do any better with any other soap I have.

Am I a "fanboy," as others have -- a little pejoratively, IMHO -- termed enthusiasts of Krissie's products? I guess so, but I'm not blind to certain issues. First, be prepared to wait a couple of weeks or longer to receive your order. That seems the universal experience. Then -- unles you order the "enhanced" EO option, don't expect much scent. Third, be prepared for a bit of a learning curve. And be prepared as well for some effort. I would say that making a lather with PC takes me twice as long as with any other soap.

But when it comes together, it cannot be bettered. And the most outstanding characteristic of this soap is, as I've said repeatedly, it's longevity. It does not dissipate, disappear, or dry out (and my straight shaves can take a full hour to do, at least on the weekends). Maybe others can do this with any number of soaps. I can't, with the exception of, again, my Omega Superlather.

It's been fun, but other adventures await. Now I'm going to see if one can really make a great lather out of pot roast with a Kent!

 

[Schwert]

Well it has been a great tour of the nine.

My wife ordered me some of these prior to Christmas. They arrived about a month ago, so she decided to hold them until Valentine's Day..

I will be giving my soaps a run soon...now somewhat disappointed in knowing that the Old Spice and Spiced Rum may be quite muted....but also knowing that a bit of determination and skill can turn these soaps into a grand shave.

Thanks for the efforts.

Enjoy teaching the skills of lathering the grape Kool-aid to your son.

 

[Hayden]

.



I decided to apply everything I had learned about PC soaps. Used the Kent BK8, prehydrated the puck (last night and again this morning), spent a good minute swirling, then very gradually (1-3 drops at a time) added distilled water to the bowl as I built the lather. This took several minutes, but I did not want to let Joe down by hurrying it.

Thank you for taking the time to post this. One question, Does really take this much time to lather this soap?

 

[Topgumby]

Great reading, thanks for the excellent reviews.

I really enjoy using my PC soaps, mainly for the quality of the shave and the nice way they leave my face feeling afterwords.

The Old Spice is no scent bomb, but it's there. Same for the Bay Rum. The Spiced Rum has the strongest scent of the three I've tried. I'd missed the detail about asking for different levels of EO. Thanks for the heads up.

In my case I got good customer service, but I can fully understand how a long wait or lack of communications can sour an entire experience. Most wet shavers want soap, not soap opera.

Once again, thanks for the thoughtful reviews.

 

[Darjeeling Express]

Alas, the grand tour is over, but what a wonderful journey. The swan song with acoustic Kool-Aid was perfectly appropriate. Sweet and wistful. Thank you for this. Darjeeling

 

[azmark]

That's it? Ah man......this was a good thread.

 

[kingfisher]

Thanks for the detailed reviews. I enjoyed reading them.

I was a beta tester for Krissy's earlier soaps. One of the main complaints the testers had was that the lather would dissipate quickly. Maybe the reason her current production soaps last forever is that she heard this complaint so frequently.

The last prototype she sent to me was a fine quality soap, and I understand she improved on it somewhat before "going live" with her current product.

Thanks, again, for the reviews.

 

[Schwert]

Valentine's Day present to me from my wife was a box containing two pucks of Prairie Creations soap and a small bottle of Golden ASB.

Soaps were the Spiced Rum and Old Spice, both aloe based soaps. I have shaved with each soap just once and other than having a fairly "big" scent, I have to agree with just about everything pcb01 has posted concerning these soaps.

Scent wise both of my soaps have a moderate to big scent presence. I can easily smell them upon opening the tubs, and lathered, the scent is pronounced through the shave, and dissipates fairly quickly post shave.

After reading this whole tour of 9 soaps I tried very hard to assure that I had loaded my brush with plenty of soap. Even so I had a less dense lather than I generally achieve with all my other soaps. Lather seemed a bit thin to me and I could not seem to get it denser. I face lather only, and used both a dense short-lofted Badger and a dense Boar for these two shaves.

The lather quality has a very very slick feel though and razor glide was higher than most other soaps for me.

I am going to use these two soaps for the rest of the week to see how they continue to perform and to see if I can find a way to increase the lather density.

Spiced Rum is my favorite of the two for scent. It has a noticeable clove scent with a mixture of other brown spices. I get a slight face tingle from the clove. Quite nice actually. The Old Spice scent is a bit powdery and volatile but otherwise approximates the Dollar Store AS for me.

The tubs look like they will last a long long time.

With only two shaves I am reserving judgement on these soaps.

 

[Darjeeling Express]

Schwert, very interesting report. Looking forward to your further updates.

 

[Schwert]

Second trial of Spiced Rum was not very much different from the first shave.

I "watered the puck" last night (with about 2mL of water), so this morning I had a soft top layer to really scrub up into my Silvertip. I know I had a very generous amount of soap loaded, but once again I got a thinner lather than I wanted.

Scent is really very very good on this soap, both the amount of scent and the interesting quality of the spicy scent are quite pleasing to me. I would not want this soap to have more scent added for me. I am guessing my versions are more highly scented than pcb01's for some reason. Again the clove oil gave my skin a tingle....any more and I would not like it. Scent and tingle dissapates rapidly.

Razor glide is excellent, but so far I am dissapointed in the density of the lather. I have expectations of a much creamer lather than I am able to create.

I put a fair amount of water (~4mL) on both of my soaps after my shave this morning to see it I can get even more of the top layer hydrated for tomorrow's attempt.

Today I followed up the shave with the Golden ASB....Old Spice scented....this is nice balm.

I cannot complain about the shave quality or the way my skin feels after the shave...I just want a bit more lather thickness.