Since box #4 is several weeks away, I decided to pick up some soaps and samples that I didn’t get enough time with in the first three boxes - Panna Crema Pure2O (DFS scent) and Mystic Water (3 samples). I also picked up two box #4 soaps in LE scents that are longer available - Tallow & Steel West Coast IPA, and Grooming Department Credence. Those soaps will be the subject of upcoming shave reviews...
Today’s shave was with Grooming Department - Credence, and I may have found a new top tier keeper for the den! I’ve been hard pressed to find a soap that whips up into as smooth and creamy a lather as B&M... until now. A head to head shave against B&M gave me superior lather, and very similar performance. It may have offered a tad less protection than the B&M, but a few more lathers should confirm or dispel my perception of these very minor differences. As for the scent - it’s a violet scent that isn’t exactly up my alley, but it has some complexity to it which may make it grow on me. Regardless, this soap was an exiting enough find for me that I purchased 3 scents not found in box 4 for my den. I’ll report further findings from these when they arrive.
It’s no longer listed on their website. Who knows,, maybe it’ll come back next summer, but it’s not one of their current offerings.
Today’s Head to Head shave pitted B&M Seville against Tallow and Steel West Coast IPA. I use B&M as my measuring stick for the best soaps, as it produces the creamiest lather of any soap in my den with good solid protection. T&S showed itself a worthy competitor today. The lathers were very comparable (although I’d give the slight edge to B&M) and they both provided a great shave. I found the B&M to be slightly more protective (as confirmed by a slight alum tingle on the left side of my face), but the T&S to be slightly more moisturizing, leaving my face without the “tackiness” created by some soaps. It also had some complexity in the scent, which I liked, offsetting sweet citrusy scents with hops. Another top tier keeper!
I'm in the middle of shaving head to head with some of the top tier soaps, and honestly, from a performance standpoint it's really hard to say anything terribly meaningful to compare them, as they're all excellent soaps. I will say that with both Tallow and Steel and with Grooming Department (like B&M) I do find some complexity in their scents, which I really like. The risk of this is that (1) appreciating the scent an "acquired taste" and (2) it increases the possibility that each scent in the line a "hit or miss" proposition. For me, it's worth the risk, since the payoff is sweet when you hit something you like. At this level, honestly I think these soapmakers are artisans, and art is a bit that way. Take, for example, Pop music. It's liked by most people (thus the "pop"ular title), but it's relatively simple and doesn't last very long. Contrast this with Classical Music or even an "out of the mold" band like Led Zeppelin. You may not love it the first time you hear it, but there's more complexity to the music, so if you listen to it a while and develop an appreciation for it, you'll probably listen to it over and over without getting tired of it. (Imagine having to listen to a Taylor Swift song over and over for the rest of your life - yikes!)
After several shaves to eliminate some of my early software, I’ve jettisoned several creams from the the den. Back to work on soap reviews this morning, I shaved with Mystic Water. This soap is highly acclaimed by many, so I don’t want to sound negative or curmudgeonly, but, frankly, it didn’t impress me at all. The lather whipped up quickly, but was a bit too thin and fluffy for me. I tried a second time with the same result. It had reasonably good slickness, but lacked density and protection. It also lacked scent strength for me as well. I had shaved with MW before and had this same impression, but came into today’s shave without any preconceptions. Nevertheless, it didn’t make my cut. For my third pass, I swapped it out for Cella. Night and day. This soap continues to surprise me by consistently producing rich, thick, slick lather. Updated Summary Page
Holy cow! Or should I say Wholly Kaw! This stuff is unbelievable! Let me start at the beginning. My TSD Secret Santa sent me a present from Maggards... Wholly Kaw Fougere Bouquet. I’m not sure I would have gravitated to a fougere, but apparently Santa knows his shaving soap. Creamy dreamy dense lather, plenty of protection, plenty of slickness, nice moisturizing, and it seems as if it can’t be broken down no matter how much water you throw at it. To top it off, the scent is delicate and ever changing, and it lingers for a while after the shave. Some head to head shaves are in order for comparison, but I think Wholly Kaw and Grooming Department may be in a class all by themselves. This stuff is just on a whole ‘nother level! Wow.
I just couldn't get over how good that Wholly Kaw was, so today I shaved side by side with it and Grooming Department. To me, these two soaps outperform every other soap in my den by a wide margin. I mean the difference between College and Pro wide. If you haven't tried either one of these soaps, you owe it to yourself to, as they are just on another level. OK, so gushing aside, I will say there is one other soap that approaches these two for me... Panna Crema Nuavia. I got the opportunity to sample this soap a few months ago, and it is also a truly top tier soap. I also think the fragrances are unique (in a good way) and complex. My favorite is Blu (kind of a spicy Italian Cookie Vibe) followed by Verde (a bit more aquatic vibe). Since I shaved with them a couple of months ago, it's hard for me to compare directly, but this is the only other soap that, for me, may approach my top two. Having said that, it's $60, comes in a fancy crock, and does not come in refill pucks. If this was the only soap in this class (which previously may have been the case), I might consider adding it to the den, but both Wholly Kaw and Grooming Department can be had for one third the price, come in a myriad of fantastic, complex scents, and have performance on par (and arguably better) than this soap. As such, the third best soap I've tried doesn't go on my "keeper" list, but is at the top of my Honorable Mentions.
The Shave Den - This soap isn’t discussed much in online forums, but was given to me by a friend. The soap is a solid performer with good lather good cushion and decent slickness. Lacks a bit of residual slickness, but is on par with a number of good artisan soaps. What clinches it as a keeper for me is that the barbershop scent is unique and outstanding.
Ha! When my daughters were 10 and 12 I took them to high tea one afternoon at Dublin's Shelbourne Hotel. They felt like princesses; I felt like everyone in the room could tell that I am a son of a Galway small farmer.
Today’s shave was with Jeeves of Hudson Street Bay Rum. I’m typically not a bay rum kinda guy, as I find strong bay leaf and brine smell a bit overbearing, but Jeeves does a very non traditional version of Bay Rum that I find quite nice. This is another solid artisan that is denworthy for me. Good lather, good protection, decent slickness and well crafted scents.
Next Up - L&L (Declaration) Grooming. ShavingThis morning I shaved head to head with B&M. I chose B&M Cheshire vs L&L 2017 DFS, as they are milder, similar scents. The L&L is a very soft soap, so loading the brush was a bit weird. You can’t dip it like a cream, but loading it like a soap tears it up unless you use really light pressure. Anyway, once loaded and lathered in a bowl it’s hard to tell these two apart. I’d say by reputation L&L is probably a tad less “risky” in terms of scents. Also it, may be a tad more moisturizing, but the differences are pretty negligible. By definition, it’s gotta be a first string performer, but it doesn’t have anything that “whispers” you need more of me like the other soaps above it do.
Today I went another round with Panna Crema Pure2O in response to a few folks who really like this soap and suggested I may have misread it. I purchased a tub of the LE DFS version and lathered up dead to head wit B&M Promises. From a performance standpoint, this Soap was pretty comparable, but dissapointingly, this soap doesn’t excite me nearly as much as those others that “wow” me with some element (slickness, scent, lather, etc.) Those who really like it point to its excellent moisturizing properties, but living is South Florida humidity makes moisturizing somewhat of a non issue for me as long s a soap isn’t drying. This tub will go on the trading block soon. My summary result page at the beginning of the thread is up to date.
Wholly Kaw is the best soap out there, in my opinion. I'm going to give GD another shot when the new stuff goes on sale on 12/14.
Girlfriend wants to know what I want for Christmas, thanks to you I told her Wholly Kaw! Never tried it. Told her she could pick the scent. Here's to hoping she comes through!!!!
