I've used my Tabac twice and I really don't get it. There must be something wrong with me, but I'm ready to PIF it. After reading all the rave reviews, I bought it along with some Tabac EDT - noooo good, someone will be the beneficiary of this mistake very soon.
I used Tabac for the first time today...
- Thread starter mretzloff
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Tabac Well, Tabac is still a soap, so it's not something magical or anything. I like it because it tends to produce a lather which isn't as dense as some other brands are able to achieve. Still, it is a good quality shaving soap no matter how you look at it. So, out of interest, what did you find lacking---apart from the scent (if that was at all an issue)?
I could live with the scent, I suppose, if I felt I could get a good lather from it. I'm still relatively new to DE / wetshaving, so I don't have experience with dozens of soaps or creams. Prior to wetshaving I had been using brushless creams and KoS gels - not canned foams or gels, for many years. I have found the quality of the lather of the Tabac to be inconsistent in my preparation of it, and I find it to breakdown faster using my Dirty Bird brush scuttle, vs. my current favorite cream, AoS Lavender.
I've whipped up several bowls of the Tabac just to practice, and shaved with what I thought was the best mix twice. The lather did not lubricate nearly as well as the AoS cream, and I had to recharge my brush with more soap to build it up after it broke down in the scuttle for the 2nd and 3rd-passes, something I don't have to do with the AoS cream. I've tried it with a pure badger brush and an Omega professional boar brush - same results.
I have a shave scheduled for tonight - I'm going to give the Tabac one more chance and if no good, it's gone. As I don't love the scent, I'm definitely going to give the EDT the boot.
Hmm. Tabac lather is, in my experience, very stable stuff. I can make a bowl, take a shower for 10 to 15 minutes, and shave with it with just a few moments of rebuilding. It evaporates only very slowly, also when applied to the skin. Some products you can hear 'bubble' or 'fizz' in your ears if you've got some lather into them by accident, and in my (ample) experience Tabac is not among those. You writing that it does disappear, already on the 2nd and 3rd pass, indicates something is not quite right.
I doubt the brush is the cause: I'm using a silvertip now, and have used an Omega boar brush for months with Tabac without problems. The only difference I was able to discover had to do with the speed and ease of building, but not in lather quality. So if I had to guess, I think the soap/water ratio in your lather is too small.
Is this your first soap, since you are comparing it to AoS Lavender?
I doubt the brush is the cause: I'm using a silvertip now, and have used an Omega boar brush for months with Tabac without problems. The only difference I was able to discover had to do with the speed and ease of building, but not in lather quality. So if I had to guess, I think the soap/water ratio in your lather is too small.
Is this your first soap, since you are comparing it to AoS Lavender?
heyjaffy,
There are usually two causes for lack-luster results from Tabac.
Before you rid yourself of that puck of Tabac try soaking you brush and whipping up the lather using bottled water instead of tap water. I have good quality water where I am so I don't have any lathering issues but I have heard more than one person report trouble with Tabac due to water quality.
Also, as far as improving technique, check out this tutorial. You may just need practice. When loading the brush with soap, swirl it more than you think is necessary. Also, start with very little water. I find Tabac does not require much water. You want to whip it until it looks like meringue with soft peaks. It actually gets really stiff like whipped cream at one point and you want to add just a little bit more water after that. You will get the slickest lather you have ever experienced with the perfect amount of cushion.
I have tried numerous soaps (triple milled and hand made) and Tabac surpasses all of them in performance. The scent while enjoyable is much like the Ford Model T, "you can have it in any color as long as it's black." Although I suppose now Tabac comes in two scents, the second being Irisch Moos which I can attest is a clone in the performance department with a much different scent.
Best of luck. If you still can't make it work there are many on the board who would give your Tabac a nice home.
There are usually two causes for lack-luster results from Tabac.
- Poor technique/lack of experience
- Bad water.
Before you rid yourself of that puck of Tabac try soaking you brush and whipping up the lather using bottled water instead of tap water. I have good quality water where I am so I don't have any lathering issues but I have heard more than one person report trouble with Tabac due to water quality.
Also, as far as improving technique, check out this tutorial. You may just need practice. When loading the brush with soap, swirl it more than you think is necessary. Also, start with very little water. I find Tabac does not require much water. You want to whip it until it looks like meringue with soft peaks. It actually gets really stiff like whipped cream at one point and you want to add just a little bit more water after that. You will get the slickest lather you have ever experienced with the perfect amount of cushion.
I have tried numerous soaps (triple milled and hand made) and Tabac surpasses all of them in performance. The scent while enjoyable is much like the Ford Model T, "you can have it in any color as long as it's black." Although I suppose now Tabac comes in two scents, the second being Irisch Moos which I can attest is a clone in the performance department with a much different scent.
Best of luck. If you still can't make it work there are many on the board who would give your Tabac a nice home.
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It is true!! Tabac is a must have soap. If you are able to you should pick up some Irisch Moos. If I had to I could live with only those two soaps. Enjoy! 
- Thread starter
- #68
Don't give up.
You said you're new to wet shaving, so I would say that your lathering technique is probably off. After you have a few more weeks under your belt, you might find that you can get a great lather from Tabac.
Good luck.
- Thread starter
- #69
It is true!! Tabac is a must have soap. If you are able to you should pick up some Irisch Moos. If I had to I could live with only those two soaps. Enjoy!
Have you tried the Irisch Moos cream? I have the cream and am debating whether or not to get the soap (stick).
Tabac improves and the scent practically disappears with age. Lathering can be an issue if you fail to continually add water. Also suggest using a boar with plenty of water to start. Add water in increments to prevent the evaporating lather.
Tabac lather is the correct density that allows for a close and smooth shave. Restarted using Cella. While the Cella imo is a better moisturizer and produces a better lather the shave is not quite as close as the Tabac. Plan to use the cella as quickly as possible and refocus on the Tabac.
Tabac lather is the correct density that allows for a close and smooth shave. Restarted using Cella. While the Cella imo is a better moisturizer and produces a better lather the shave is not quite as close as the Tabac. Plan to use the cella as quickly as possible and refocus on the Tabac.
I have not tried the creme...I imagine it is good...the soap is great! I especially have enjoyed using it in the summer!
- Thread starter
- #72
I have not tried the creme...I imagine it is good...the soap is great! I especially have enjoyed using it in the summer!
Argh, I'll have to get some.
I found the cream to be surprisingly *lacking* given the rather effortless ease with which the soap handles the shave. Lathers well, true, but feels rather 'crispy' when actually shaving, requiring more than average care with the blade lest you injure yourself. To put it another way, if you expect a 3T cream, this ain't it, unfortunately.I have not tried the creme...I imagine it is good...the soap is great! I especially have enjoyed using it in the summer!
Cella cheats---in a way. The pH of the soap is much higher than that of normal soaps, causing the upper layers of the skin to swell a little, giving it a lovely smooth and soft feeling. (This is what you interpret as 'moisturising', don't you?) However, when you rinse with water, the pH drops again, the skin shrinks, and all of a sudden the stubble which was hiding in the skin protrudes as if nothing happened.
I plan on retrying Cella anew, but this time including a very thorough and unusual rinse on the second pass, before going ATG on the third. This should help considerably with that closeness issue.
Then again, if I can shave with Tabac, why bother
.Thanks - as mentioned, I have tried whipping up several bowls with different brushes and experimenting with water level. I do think that I *could* whip up a good bowl of it, and maybe the lather would last in my hot brush scuttle if I got it right, but...
it just seems so effortless to whip up a good bowl of a lush and lubricating lather with the AoS cream. I think this is an age-old battle of soap vs. cream that I don't mean to be a part of. I'm off to whip up some Tabac now and complete an evening shave, wish me luck.
As has been said, cream technique, and soap technique are slightly different. I would suggest that you try to REALLY load up your brush with the Tabac, none of this "I swirled it around the puck 4 1/2 times and the lather exploded out of the brush" nonsense....just get the brush to a desired level of wetness, then really swirl away at the puck until the bristles are really, really loaded up with Tabac. Don't worry, you're not going to use up all of the soap! (this is one of the beauties of using soap, you don't have to ration it out like a cream, just have at it!) I've had my puck for about a year and a half so far, and it is probably not even a third if the way done...so be bold! The Tabac can handle anything you can dish out.
I'm a HUGE Irisch Moos shaving cream fan! I recently tried the soap stick and though the scent is very similar (more discrete) it doesn't seem IMO as good as the cream. But it builds a great lather and so is definitely worth a try.
+1
Swirl your brush till you think it's ready, then, swirl that long again.
You can see on the brush bristles, where the soap has gotten to. I call it good when there is only a half inch or so between the soap that has been loaded and the brush handle.
And Tabac can take a lot of water. I kept adding to mine, and it kept soaking it up without losing density.
You just hit the real issue. Cream and soap work differently and demand different techniques. Don't worry: everyone has been there. My first soap was Tabac and my first two days were not very promising since I was used to the easiness of creams. But hang on to it and you won't be disappointed. To say the truth, no matter how hard it might seem initially that soap will give you plenty of awesome shaves. You just have to be patient and try Jim's instructions.
Good luck
Don't listen to all these good-natured gentlemen telling you to try this and that! You read about how good it was and decided for yourself! It's TERRIBLE! So, just send it to me, and stop worrying about it!
