Ryan-My first puck should be here today or Monday. I am trying the Margaritas in the Arctic. If nothing else, you have to love a Texan with with sense of humor enough to describe his second scent as: Ben Franklin-"This soap smells like an older gentleman’s pantaloons at the end of a hot July day in Philadelphia, drafting important documents with no air conditioner. "
There were two of these in the Nationwide box. One was Anise and the other was Ocean I think. I tried the Anise and I thought it performed well, but I didn't really care for the licorice scent. I like licorice, but it just didn't seem appropriate for shaving. I had never heard of Stirling Soap until I saw it in the box. Imagine my surprise when I googled it and saw it was made in Killeen, TX.
I've used it and it's pretty good stuff. As you know there are of plenty of excellent artisan soaps around now. Barrister & Mann, Mike's, Mystic Water, Sterling, TSD etc. I think if you like the scent you'll be happy with the performance.
They talk about this soap a lot on The Shave Nook, and it is fairly popular. The formulation has gone through a few changes, but I believe that it is stable at this point. I grabbed the Costal scent from the box. I didn't care for the scent, but I liked it better than the Anise and it was fairly subdued, so I took a chance. It lathers up very well and feels nice on my fingers. I'll give it a go tomorrow to see how well it works. Their web site doe not list this scent any more, so I have a feeling it was abandoned, but there are plenty of other interesting scents listed.
Seems to be nice soaps...Nice to read the "scent descriptions". Sometimes funny...Are they worth a try?! Would like to try so many soaps in the near future (Nanny´s Silly Soaps,Mamma Bears,Stirling soaps,Mystic Water...) but i have too much in my den...
I just received my order from Rod at Stirling. I ordered the Margaritas in the Arctic. Yep, it smells like a margarita. That is plus here in Texas! I will be shaving with it on Monday. The pucks are 4 ounces. Rod was also kind enough to include a bar of Pink Grapefruit Bath Soap too!!
I picked up my first puck of Stirling Saturday at the Post Office. I had my first shave with it this morning. I got the new Margaritas in the Arctic scent. It smells great and the menthol blast is great for south Texas in August! I put a little hot water on the top of the puck while I showered. I lathered it on the puck using a damp brush (Omega 10066 Boar) and adding a little water as needed. I got a great lather in about 2 minutes, even with my ROCK HARD water. I had an excellent shave that left my face feeling hydrated and conditioned. I did figure out right away that I need to form the puck into my bowl so "good stuff" does not escape over the edge of the puck. Bob
10-15 secs in the microwave ought to do it, or you could just leave it outside during one of our 100° days.
I have a puck of their Sharp Dressed Man, and it's a great performer. Easy to lather, thick, slick and protective, and a nice barbershop type scent. It's a winner.
Today was my second day shaving with the Stirling Margaritas in the ARCTIC soap. It is well named, the menthol is just right, and it fills the room with the refreshing aroma of freshly squeezed lime. It lathered up even easier today after “squishing” the puck into my bowl. This keeps all the lather on the top and working. I have south Texas ROCK hard water that is very fussy to lather with. Stirling is as easy as any soap I have used to date. It gave me a smooth, slick, cushioned, and conditioned shave. Nick and burn free. I will be ordering more……… Bob
Well, I caved (somehow this is your fault, Ryan <w> ) and my order arrived today. I ordered the lime shaving puck and the Ben Franklin which I'll put through their paces next week, most likely. Generously included was a sample mini-puck of "cool" and also what looks to be a full-sized bath bar scented as banana pancakes. I couldn't get a real take on any of the scents just yet as they are well wrapped and what scent escapes is all blended with the other stuff in the box. A good test lather will solve that tho.
First shave this AM with the lime... good scent, good lather, good shave. thumbsup. The only slight detraction to the scent is that I can pick up the undertones of the tallow, but this doesn't bother me.
Oh man, I might be placing an order soon. I still have to break into my Barrister & Mann samples. So far, I'm not impressed with the scents. I hope the performance makes up for it.