Hello all, I have just completed 7 shaves with TSN's latest LE soap: Brutalt Bra, manufactured in Norway especially for The Shave Nook, and hereby record my experience with this product. Ordering and delivery were, as usual, very easy and satisfying from Bullgoose. My experience with Phil is always a pleasant one. No surprises here. Upon opening the box, I have to admit my first reaction was: "Where the heck is the rest of my soap?" As you can see in these screenshots, the metal tin is very small. Indeed, without the lid, the height doesn't reach 3/4" and the width is 3 5/8". Now for me, this is ridiculously small and makes for an uncomfortable loading of my brush. Soap gets everywhere and for my liking, reduces the pleasure and convenience of a wider and deeper container. The tin is solid, but the label, while very attractive, is beginning to show wear along the edges after only seven shaves. The ingredient list is very simple, with names that are easy to pronounce and are recognizable. Potassium Stearate, Potassium Cocoate, Distilled Water and fragrance oil. (Norway Spruce, or Picea Abies) Soap scent is very, very subtle. My first thoughts were that of a European spa, which are usually outfitted with spruce benches, chairs, the walls of the saunas, etc. This ethereal scent, while pleasant enough is decidedly weak. It's there, but your nose will have to search it out. My first lathering was a let-down that I must attribute to user error. I mistakenly believed that my M6 Manchurian (another TSN LE) would pick up enough soap in about a 15sec. lather...wrong! Too little product made for far too insipid of a lather. This problem was easily corrected for Tuesday's second attempt. I lathered the soap like I usually do, with no regard for saving soap, but rather like it was the last shave I'll every have. The results were very satisfying. The lather was thick, rich and protective. Slickness was above average, but not super-slick. Protection is very good, no weepers all week and together with my Hoffritz slant (the razor I used all week), I was able to get consistently close and comfortable shaves. Post shave is also above average, with my skin feeling refreshed and nourished afterwards. Value: Difficult to say. $25.00 for 100ml = approximately $8.33/ounce. Granted, these days it cannot be inexpensive to produce limited editions, personalized labels, shipping, etc. However, I do feel that the price vs. value of this soap is somewhat disproportionate. I will enjoy my shaves with the Brutalt Bra, but because of the price point, I can understand that this product may not be for everyone's wallet. Thank you to all of the TSN folks who put this together and thank you for reading my review.
I have the original version which I also bought from BullGoose. I find it very easy to lather and I really enjoy its mild lavender scent. The skincare is very good also.
No question that this is a quality soap. Can you get just as good of a soap or better for $25? I think the answer is a definite "yes".
