Review of Irisch Moos Shaving Soap January 30, 2009: I purchased 2 fresh new sticks from a seller in Germany. The cost of the soaps plus the shipping puts it right at a total cost of $15 each. Not cheap, but it's about the same as a stick of Tabac. You get 100g, 3.5 ounces. After about 10 days in transit, it was delivered to my door. When the package came in the mail, my wife opened it, and the first thing she said was "It smells good!". She's right. The fragrance is pleasant, masculine, and not excessively strong, while being unique enough to be memorable. The stick is the push-up type. The soap is firm and easy to use, and anyone who prefers to relocate the soap from the plastic holder into a bowl will be easily accomodated, if they prefer loading the brush from a puck rather than rubbing the soap onto the face. Either way, the soap works just as it was intended, with no nonsense. There was no problem with raising a nice firm lather. There is cushion, lubrication, and protection, in addition to pleasing fragrance and an enthusiastic lathering propensity, and all of that leads me to call it a no-hassle, world-class shaving soap. I must add that if you can read the ingredient label in the photo, you will see the presence of tallow. Because of the easily produced top-quality lather, the user will be able to focus on the job at hand: shaving. I had a tight, smooth lather for as many passes as I needed. I was using a relatively aggressive razor and a new blade, and I experienced no nicks, cuts or otherwise. I enjoyed the shave, and I said "Wow", after the experience was finished. As is my practice, I squeezed the remaining lather out of the brush and rubbed it over my entire face, and left it there for a few minutes while I busied myself cleaning the razor, brush, etc. Afterward, my face felt very moisturized. I've given the product high marks. This product did not disappoint. I have confidence in it. Irisch Moos soap, along with it's sibling soap from Maurer and Wirtz, has easily earned a place in my rotation.
Irisch Moos - a very, very exceptional soap Irsich Moos has pretty much the same ingredients as Tabac. Because it comes in a stick, and because the scent is different, there are some distinctions but the main ingredients are virtually identical. And so it is with the performance. You could almost say that it is Tabac with a more pleasant, traditional yet masculine soap scent. Irisch Moos feels a little bit lighter than Tabac to me. It may have something to do with the fact that I use Tabac from a puck. But the lather I get from Irisch Moos is still really great. It is certainly on par with Tabac, but like I said it is slightly less cushiony, I would say. I have face lathered with it and I have applied soap directly to the brush from the stick, and then bowl lathered. Either way, the soap yeilds a rich, pleasant smelling lather that has great staying power, good lubrication and doesn't dry out the skin (at least not my skin). It might be difficult to find, and it might be a little pricier than other soaps but as far as I'm concerned, its worth the effort and the expense to get this soap. My apologies for the references to Tabac in this review, but this stuff is pretty much only comparable to that in terms of efficacy. For those who love Tabac but aren't partial to the scent, try this stuff! For those who love Tabac, try this stuff! Irisch Moos is a premium soap that should not be overlooked by anyone that enjoys shaving with soaps. If you use Tabac, get this into your rotation.
Agreed I can't say it much better than the above reviews. IM produces a rich, protective lather that shaves wonderfully. It is comparable to Tabac and if you can obtain a stick it's worth having in rotation. Personally I give a slight edge to Tabac in the scent department, but that doesn't mean this is a stinker. It smells like a scented bath bar to me making it not quite as complex as Tabac. It was worth the wait as far as I'm concerned. As long as it remains reasonably attainable I will always keep it in rotation. Discussion thread located here.
I Like It! Well, I jumped right on that old bandwagon and got a stick of this from our good friend ZMK (see above.) I got it last night, and whipped it up this morning. A firmly GOOD decision! The lather, of course, is Tabac's lather--quick and dirty, smooth and creamy. Protective and great. 'Nuff said. The scent, which is what we all have been waiting for, is frickin' sweet. It's green, indeed--the official pyramid lists a fairly heavy citrus top end (Bergamot, Lemon, Orange and coriander, among others) which I didn't get as much as I got the cloves and cedar in the heart--which,oddly enough struck me as very similar to Tabac (they share some notes, although at different "levels"--cloves and lavender, for example). I also got a good sense of the tonka beans (an Amber/vanilla scent--also somewhat similar to Tabac). It's a very nice, complex scent, not as piney/mossy as I was expecting, much rounder and smoother and, like I said, more FRICKIN' SWEET than I thought it would be. Very good stuff.
Performance: excellent, all-around. I really do not have much complaint. This is described as Tabac with a better scent -- that it is. Have no fear regarding performance. Now scent... if you are one of the many who LOVE Tabac, then you may think that this soap has a puny weeny man scent. Fine, go use Tabac, quit milling around here complaining. Now me, I personally do not think Tabac is anything to write home about. It's fine... just... 'eh. Now Harris Arlington, on the other hand, is excellent. This Irisch Moos is much closer to the Harris end of the stick, but probably not all the way there. The scent is very Irish Springy, sort of a soapy scent at the beginning, with a bit of green and pine middle, and spicy at the end. Would I buy it? Not at $15-19 when I could have Harris. But would I buy this over Tabac? ANY day. Regards. J
This is really a great soap. Rarely do you find items that actually live up to the hype generated about them - I was highly disappointed when I actually tried Coates Lime for the first time. This stuff, though, exceeded my expectations. It is a shave stick, so the price might seem high, but it is a huge shave stick, weighing in the same as your typical soap puck. I like shave sticks, as I pretty much exclusively face lather. The lather is great - slick, protective, easy to generate (I have tried it with both my Rooney 1/2 in super and my silvertip QED Select, and both worked great), and I get at least 4 passes. The smell seemed strong at first out of the box, but it mellows when you lather, and then it is very nice. It smells fresh, yet spicey at the same time. To me, it is a warmer scent, but I wouldn't hesitate to use it in warmer weather. It is tallow-based - I don't know if it is great because it has tallow, or that it is just great, AND it has tallow. Whatever. All I know is this is wonderful stuff - a plus for guys who might feel left out with regards to Tabac soap lather because they hate the scent (as is my case). Would I buy it again? Actually, I already did! One from Zen, and another on the way from Superlather! The only product I currently have two of!
Another shaving stick I traded for, and received just this past Friday. The lather cannot be easier to create, and it's so rich and stable. The scent is delightful--refreshing and classy, and the skincare is pretty good as well, though maybe just a bit more moisturizing would make it perfect. Pricewise, I had to give it a 10, because it cost me nothing, except the items I sent this gentleman from Gut Rasiert. I definitely want this stick again, that's how much I enjoy it.
I have found what I was looking for. A soap that smells great and does everything that a soap is supposed to do with ease. Everyone compares it to Tabac which is fair, but I like IM better than Tabac. It smells better to me and by nature of being a stick is more convenient. The only down side is the price and availability. I can overlook the price since it should last a long time and compared to the premium soaps out there its right in the ballpark or cheaper.
Another winner from Maurer & Wirtz Lathers easily with everything I've come to expect from this maker. The Irisch Moos carries a clean and crisp scent that made me smile. Price and availability is the only negative points to this product. Hopefully, it will become more easily found in the future.
