I now have 8 Stirling, soon to be 4 Big Easy Soaps & Tinctures (BEST), and 1 Viking soaps. Thought I would do a basic numbers review of all 3 soap makers. Doing a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the best. Keep in mind I'm not a review giving kind of guy and this is my opinion only, so here goes: Scent: Stirling- 9 (All depends on what you like, which for me is most all of them) BEST- 9 ( Scents are strong and different, and they tend to hang around a while so be ready. The more I smell them the more I love them!) Viking-8 ( I only have one, Citron. Reminds me of Thayer's Lemon Witch Hazel, love it but it's light.) Ease of lather: Stirling- 10 BEST- 8.5 - 9 Viking- 9 - 9.5 Cushion/Glide: Stirling- 10 BEST- 9.5 Viking- 9 - 9.5 Slickness: Stirling- 10 BEST- 9.5 Viking- 9 - 9.5 Menthol: Stirling- Yes BEST- No Viking- Yes Post Shave Feel: Stirling- 9 BEST- 10 plus! (It really is better!) Viking- 8 Cost per tub delivered: Stirling 5.5 oz.: $16.90 - $17.20 BEST 4-5 oz: $19.89 Viking 5 oz: $15.50 - $16.50 IMO these are great soaps. Try them, you won't be disappointed. Will be making my second order from Viking soon! Hope this review helps anyone who's been considering these fabulous soaps. Have a great shave day!
Very solid review. I've never seen or used BEST so I can't comment. I agree with pretty much you do, except I find Stirling post shave to be a 10. Good job!!
I never even heard of BEST. As Kerry said just before, I also agree these other soaps may be excellent but of all the soaps I've used Stirling gets a 10/10 in post-shave.
I here what you're saying and to a point I agree. Stirling is still my #1. I will be placing an order with Stirling in the near future. However, IMO, the post shave from Big Easy Soaps & Tinctures (BEST) is second to none. Been rotating Big Easy and Stirling for 3wks now and trust me, I thought long and hard about it before I wrote the review. What hurts Big Easy compared to Stirling is price, ease of lather, no samples to try, and scents. There's no menthol and the scents may not be for everyone. I personally like the scents I have. I feel I was fair with my review and like the idea of being able to use something different with little to no drop off in quality or performance. Is Stirling better? Absolutely!, but not by as wide of a margin as one might think.
I checked out the Viking site. Their soaps seem to be really good value and I read whatever reviews I saw. Bottom line - I'm sticking to Stirling.
I respect that. I'll always have more Stirling than any other in my den. There are some who occasionally like to try new artisans including myself. It's fun. Those are the ones who may find my review informative and these artisans worth a try.
Viking soaps are good, but I also prefer Stirling. For me, the high quality, volume if choices, matching AS and soaps, and low cost should put Stirling near or at the top of everyone's list. I've said it before and I'll say it again... Stirling is unmatched when it comes to Summer/mentholated soaps.
Couldn't agree more. The one thing I never hear anyone talk about is their witch hazel. I've got the Lemon Chill and that stuff is almost addictive to me. Ive tried a few samples of their after shave but haven't ordered any yet. Mainly because I can't decide which scent to get, lol. There will be more witch hazel, shave and bath soaps, and possibly a new brush in my next order.
Oh, don't get me wrong... whenever I use Stirling soaps...I am using a matching Aftershave as well. In fact, I often pair them up with the bath soap as well.
Oh I'm a Stirling bath soap nut! I'm just now getting far enough along in my wet shaving (6 months) to start looking at pairing soaps and after shaves. Hate to spend $ on a scent and not like it. That's what's so great about Rod's sample soaps. It just takes time for me to figure out what I like, there's just so many....
Nice review! Have not tried Big Easy soaps yet, but Viking soaps are excellent and would put them a bit above Stirling in all around performance, but Stirling is a great soap as well and I prefer many of their scents over Viking (Ironside, Tree Of Life, and Citron- with Ironside being #1).
Thanks! I think it's a very good soap. Was thinking about getting Tree Of Life, Ironside isn't listed so I guess it's sold out. Love the smell of Citron, reminds me of "Country Time" lemonade.
I actually still have lots of non-Stirling soaps. But neither of these two other brands being discussed.
I ordered 2 viking soaps and so far i find them as good as stirling. The price for stirling and viking is unbelievable.
Yea Ironside has been taken off the website, not sure if it is discontinued or just unavailable at the moment but it is a great leathery scent. Their Citron is a nice lighter citrus and the kiss of menthol is a nice added bonus. Viking soaps have very good performance and cant go wrong as long as you get a scent you like.
I agree that Viking has a very good soap and well worth the price. Haven't tried their Vegan soap. Ordered Tree of Life, should be here today or tomorrow.
Hope you enjoy the Tree Of Life, it is a sweet oakmoss sandalwood scent that is quite nice. Curious how the vegan differs from the tallow formula, many artisans these days have mastered both soap types.
