Soap Showdowns

Discussion in 'Shave Soaps' started by LevelupShaves, Aug 5, 2017.

  1. Paul Turner

    Paul Turner outside the quote(s) now

    in other words, one soap for one week, then its competitor for the next week, then do the final results&comments?
     
  2. LevelupShaves

    LevelupShaves Well-Known Member

    Two soaps one week I've been using them back to back Monday through Thursday then using the winner on Saturday


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  3. LevelupShaves

    LevelupShaves Well-Known Member

    I feel like using them back to back gives a great comparison

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  4. Paul Turner

    Paul Turner outside the quote(s) now

    ahhh ok, thanks.
     
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  5. Fly2High

    Fly2High Breaking Frugal

    When I was comparing soaps, I went so far as to lather each side of my face with a different soap. This way, the blade/razor is identical as well as the pass. Not sure I could get more scientific than that. Also allowed for easier lather comparisons.
     
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  6. LevelupShaves

    LevelupShaves Well-Known Member

    That’s awesome I might do that on my Saturday shave but not daily


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  7. Rhody

    Rhody Well-Known Member

    Excellent detailed review. And by chance I gave 63 and not the other one!
     
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  8. LevelupShaves

    LevelupShaves Well-Known Member

    So this was a tough one. I mean like seriously tough. I thought Stirling would be a clear winner but Razorock xXx lives up to the hype in a big way. I’ll go through the metrics to let you see what I mean.
    Scent: Both Sharp Dressed Man and xXx have great scents quite closely based on two popular colognes and both get quite close to the source. I don’t rank on scent because it’s so subjective but know both are awesome. Scent strength however is measurable and the victory slightly goes to Razorock xXx because it’s right in the middle at about a 5 or 6 on strength which is the eldest spot for me. Stirling Sharp Dressed Man is more on the 7-8 side of the scale which almost forces you to use the matching AS (not that that’s a bad thing it’s awesome). I just prefer soaps I can enjoy through the shave but move on after.

    Lather
    Razorock xXx is the easier soap to lather but Stirling isn’t that difficult to dial in so it’s almost a wash. Stirling is a denser more protective lather but Razorocks is still nice so I’m calling this round a tie.

    Slickness
    Razorock xXx is slick but Stirling Sharp Dressed Man is definitely slicker especially with a little more water. This round goes pretty easily to Stirling.

    Post Shave Feel
    Wow I really didn’t expect this to be so close. It took all the way into today’s shave to make a final call. Razorock leaves the face feeling like you’ve used a lotion most likely due to the coconut oil which is prevalent enough to make 2 on the ingredient list. That being said Stirling feels like lotion on the skin 3-4 hours later most likely due to lanolin so Sharp Dressed Man edges out a slight win here.

    Value
    Quite literally an even match both cost roughly 2.25 an ounce and both perform out side of their price range. From an availability standpoint it would look like xXx is the winner because of it’s mass availability except it sells out a lot and not all Razorock soaps perform the same. Stirling is only available from Stirling and west coast Shaving but every thing they offer is more or less a home run. I would call this round a tie.

    Overall the winner is Stirling Sharp Dressed Man but only by a hair really. If you love Stirling I would definitely recommend trying Razorock xXx and vice versa. I could easily recommend either of these soaps and feel good about it.


    [​IMG]


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  9. entropy1049

    entropy1049 Well-Known Member

    My only criticism of Stirling is the examples I've had were pretty short lived. Became unusable blobs of goop after about two years under the same storage conditions my other soaps thrived. Otherwise, a fine soap at a great price point. Just make sure you don't 3017 it...
     
    Last edited: Aug 12, 2017
  10. LevelupShaves

    LevelupShaves Well-Known Member

    The Razorock xXx you mean?


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  11. entropy1049

    entropy1049 Well-Known Member


    Wow! Daft of me, I'm sorry! Editing my post to indicate Stirling...:rolleyes:
     
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  12. LevelupShaves

    LevelupShaves Well-Known Member

    What comes from Italy in a small red tub and costs roughly $2 an ounce? This weeks show down contestants Proraso Red and Cella!


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  13. FaceScraper

    FaceScraper Well-Known Member

    Never tried the Proraso Red, will be interesting to see how this showdown goes. I just got the Cella recently, and love it - especially the scent.
     
  14. PickledNorthern

    PickledNorthern Fabulous, the unicorn

    Were these very early Stirling soaps? I only ask because I have pucks from 2014 that are as good as new. They probably haven't ever even seen 70 degrees though, so that could make a difference???
     
  15. PickledNorthern

    PickledNorthern Fabulous, the unicorn

    This is a fun thread. I am two for two so far on your choices. My pick is locked in for the next one. Giddy up!
     
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  16. FaceScraper

    FaceScraper Well-Known Member

    I think I already know the winner as well!


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  17. LevelupShaves

    LevelupShaves Well-Known Member

    Yeah there haven’t been any upsets for me though I was shocked at how close it was between Stirling and xXx. I mean it was super close I had the winner picked for PdP and Smolder after the first round of shaves.


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  18. entropy1049

    entropy1049 Well-Known Member

    They were, very early. Two pucks of Barbershop. Quite possibly several iterations ago. Maybe I should try them again. A lotta love for Stirling in the forums, it's probably time I give them another swing...
     
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  19. LevelupShaves

    LevelupShaves Well-Known Member

    They are definitely a great soap for money

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  20. LevelupShaves

    LevelupShaves Well-Known Member

    Alright so this bout is over I did my usual Saturday victory shave today instead because I'm going on vacation later today. So here's the breakdown between Cella and Proraso Red.

    Scent
    Cella has a nice sweet almond scent that isn't too strong but definitely there. I like others may not there's also a waxy smell to it as well. Proraso Red smells like a classic Italian barbershop if someone dropped a bottle of Sandalwood aftershave in it. I love this scent but more objectively it's at that sweet spot of being just strong enough. The scent round goes to Proraso Red.

    Lather
    Both of these soaps lather themselves for the most part and have a pretty big window for the water ratio so it's hard to screw up. Proraso tends to be less picky but Cella has a denser lather so I'm giving this round a tie.

    Slickness
    Cella takes an easy win in this category most likely due to the tallow and I like it. Cella wins this round pretty easily.

    Post Shave
    Cella leaves little to no trace it was ever there. I'm surprised how little post shave comes from a tallow soap. Proraso Red has an amazing post shave feel, I'm pretty sure it's got the best post shave in any soap at this price point. Easy win for Proraso Red this round.

    Value
    Both Cella and Proraso are great values in their own right. 5.2 ounces for $10 and $12 it's unbeatable. Proraso Red edges the value out a little on this round though because 1 10 is less than 12 and Proraso can be found at a discount in several places. Proraso takes the win here.

    Proraso Red is the winner with 3/5 rounds but I highly recommend both of these soaps for anyone to have in their den.


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