Colonel Conk Amber

Discussion in 'Shave Soaps' started by Mitch, Aug 17, 2012.

  1. Mitch

    Mitch Active Member

    Just got back from a local soap shop with a puck of Colonel Conk Amber. After more than a year of wet shaving I had still never tried the Colonel. Ok I'll admit it, I really wanted to buy more shave soap but was facing some serious buyers guilt. But at $4 a puck the Colonel talked me into it. I got the amber fragrance and I just darted home to try it. Verdict? In a word... Impressed! I don't love the amber frag, but it's alright. Also it fades quickly after the rinse which is nice. I do like that it is so much different than my other fragrances which will give my den some nice balance. I was blown away actually by the lather. While I was lathering I started asking myself, "wait, is this really lathering up faster than my Cella?" Yep, it is. "Wait a second is this $4 puck giving me a shave as good (if not better) than my Cella?" I think it just might be. Happy I gave the Colonel a shot. If you haven't tried it yet, why not? It's cheap, it's nice. My shave was very close and my skin feels very soft and clean right now immediately afterwards. My only question is how my skin will hold up over the long haul. In the past I've had some skin reactions to other glycerin products (at least I suspected it may have been the glycerin). We'll see.
     
  2. swarden43

    swarden43 "It's your shave. Enjoy it your way."©

    Nice. Just shows to go ya that you don't need to spend a lot to get a lot when it comes to shave soap.
     
    awake2shave likes this.
  3. Hanzo

    Hanzo Well-Known Member

    I had a couple of pucks of amber and thought the performance was good but I thought the scent was really great.I've read for years that the company that makes VDH also produces Conk,don't know for sure.. Lather wise it doesn't match Cella to me though, I rate Cella much higher , its a particular favorite.
     
  4. Mitch

    Mitch Active Member

    Have you found the Conk to be drying for you? I've never used a glycerin soap so I'm curious about that. Also, do you keep it in the plastic container it comes in or move it to another container?
     
  5. Mitch

    Mitch Active Member

    Cella will always be a go-to soap for me along with Valobra. I tend to use it as a benchmark to measure all my soaps by. The Conk probably isn't as luxurious in its lather so far, but I felt like it did give Cella a run for its money which is huge considering its price. But I will always come back around to Cella. Old faithful.
     
    Hanzo likes this.
  6. Hanzo

    Hanzo Well-Known Member

    I didn't find it drying , seemed to leave my face feeling okay. I just left it sitting in an uncovered mug and it kept fine for me. Valobra is a great soap indeed. Right now I am planning to make Vitos Red Extra Super and Cella my everyday soaps , just haven't tried anything to match the lather from these 2. I get good shaves from glycerin soaps but I find a difference between these 2 and other soaps, the shave seems closer and my skin feels better.
     
  7. Mitch

    Mitch Active Member

    Never tried the Vitos. I may have to put that on my list too. I think my next soap purchase will likely be MWF for a winter season soap. I really need a good hydrating soap for those dry Minnesota winters.
     
  8. Hanzo

    Hanzo Well-Known Member

    Yep the MWF will work for a winter soap, smart choice, always left my skin feeling nice after a shave. Its a superior soap for a reasonable price. I always had more success face lathering it than building a lather with it. Might try the MWF soap as well, found it very skin friendly, but not wallet friendly, so my experience with it was nice but brief.
     
  9. DLreno

    DLreno Well-Known Member

    Conk Amber is a darn decent soap for the price. I used it repeatedly 2-3 yrs ago, until I tried Renaissance Man's Black Amber from Fields of Ambrosia, which one-ups Conk in both scent and lather IMHO. Regarding the link between VDH and Conk: VDH caused skin reactions for me, but Conk did not.
     
  10. Williams Warrior

    Williams Warrior Well-Known Member

    I like the Amber as well, also the Lime and Bay Rum are both good soaps from the Colonel. If your skin tends to dry out from the glycerin soaps get a little balm in your routine and you'll be good to go.
     
  11. Indiexsunrise

    Indiexsunrise Well-Known Member

    I have the conk almond and bay rum and like them both.
     
  12. SharpSpine

    SharpSpine Well-Known Member

    I'm glad it works for y'all, but it would not give me a stable and creamy lather at all. Y'all can have it! :rofl:
     
  13. Mitch

    Mitch Active Member

    I've only used it 3 times so far and I can see what you mean about the lather being less stable. I have noticed that the lather breaks down quicker than my Cella or Proraso. However, I haven't noticed that it negatively affects the quality of my shave at all so that's good. Very close, slick, irritation free shaves each time thus far.
     
  14. Indiexsunrise

    Indiexsunrise Well-Known Member

    I very rarely use the bay rum as I find the more I use it the less I enjoy the smell. But the almond I use frequently but it's usually paired with TOBS Avocado to make a nice rich super lather.
     
  15. Georgie

    Georgie Member

    I've had some Col. Conk amber for a while now, and for some reason every time I use it i cant seem to get a proper lather. The lather is also so thin? how long do you guys recommend loading the brush on the puck? I usually load my brush with Col. Conk then mix in a bowl with Proraso which turns out to be a great lather and the shaves I get from that combination are remarkable. But i tryed to go with just the Col. Conk lastnight to see how it goes and I've been having trouble with it when i choose to use it solo. Recommindations?

    Thanks men!
     
  16. Mitch

    Mitch Active Member

    Well, now that I have used mine for a longer period of time I have found this as well to be honest. I just make sure to work the puck a lot and to shake out excess water from my brush before face lathering so it doesn't get too thin. I can get a decent lather this way but it is just isn't as thick as my Cella for instance. The Conk has good slickness, but it does seem to lack in the thickness and richness of lather. It reminds me of my Truefitt in this way.
     
  17. Georgie

    Georgie Member

    Thanks for the input. Yea the lather just Isn't thick enough. Will experience more soaps.
     
  18. Ryan B

    Ryan B Knight of the Soapocracy

    My dad had a puck of Col. Conk laying around but he didn't know what the scent it was and neither do I. It was pretty good and I use it now for breaking in brushes.
     
  19. Georgie

    Georgie Member

    Thanks for the input. Yea the lather just Isn't thick enough. Will experience more soaps.
     
  20. Mitch

    Mitch Active Member

    Despite the somewhat weak lather on the Colonel, I will probably still keep a puck in my rotation because in its defense I do think you get your $$ worth (so inexpensive) and even though the lather leaves some to be desired I do still get a good shave off of it. Haven't had troubles yet with closeness or irritation, my guess is the glycerin keeps it slick enough. If the lather were thin and dry, now that would be double bad.
     

Share This Page