Broke out the sample puck of Lavender Sage this morning. I really like the scent. Very quick and easy lather. I still prefer the previous generation by a hair. It takes a little more work to lather (not much) and gives a bit better cushion. I still got a great shave with the new Lavender Sage!
Bob, I see you're using the Stirling metal container and the Anchor glass bowls. Which do you like better? Are the metal containers sturdy (I just ordered a few of the large size)? What size is the Anchor bowls (1 cup, 2 cups, etc.)? I like a larger area to load my brushes and I'm trying to decide if I should get the 1 cup or larger size Anchor bowls. Thanks for your help.
The Anchor bowls are 1 cup (3 1/2" across inside at the top). The Tins Rod has are nice. I prefer the Anchor bowls to store and lather the Stirling soaps with though.
Is Stirling as beard softening as Proraso red cream? I find Proraso really softens my beard (maybe the coconut oil?) much more than Arko. It feels like my hairs just absorb it. It isn't as slick or stable however... I'm trying to decide between this or Cella.
"decide between" ??? You mean we have an option to NOT buy everything?? We have a choice?? Oh, Dear, God, please tell me this isn't happening....
I am in the process of narrowing down my Stirling scents to four. So far, the must haves are Margaritas in the Arctic (the menthol choice), Clubman, and Spice. Working on #4. I will still probably try new soaps as Rod adds them though.......... I did try my sample puck of Ozark Mountain today. I had used the OM bath soap, so I knew I would like the scent. Great lather, great shave.
I like stirling soap for their lather but have not been overly crazy about the scents. The one exception is the Lemongrass-Cajun one that I found to be spectacular
The problem of having too many soap choices is a number of the quality soaps get neglected. I have a whole variety of Stirling (6, all new), MdC (new), Cella (new), RazoRock XXX (new), L'Occitane Cade (85%), MWF (75%), Tabac (75%), DHHarris (75%), Mikes Natural (3@85%)—so I have to resist the temptation to piling up the pucks with every deal that comes along. I already have enough soaps & creams to last until June of 2039…
My rough 'rule' is that I don't accumulate more soap than ONE year's supply. That way I 'force' myself to try and experience a smaller selection of soaps for a longer duration and hopefully that allows me to really learn how they lather and form a better understanding of how I like the soap Right now on my shelf I got some; - Arko, - Stirling, - Mystic Water, and - Proraso. That's it
I have a Stirling Black Ice in transit to me and I'm anxious to receive it and try it out. I'm as everyone knows, a hopeless menthol addict so I'd love to compare it to some of the other menthol soaps I have. Although I'm sure it's nowhere near as powerfully-mentholated as the Glacial, I heard it's pretty strong nonetheless and as soon as I can free up some extra kesef, (Hebrew for money) I'll order some more of the Glacial and some other soaps from Rod.
I had this conversation with myself tonight after my shave. It was my first shave with a Stirling soap (Rose) and it was outstanding in every way. I thought to myself, "What if every soap out there that I haven't tried yet is like this? I'll never finish anything." If you're like me, you get to the point where you're not sure you really care anymore. LOL. Jeff, have you seen this yet?? http://theshaveden.com/forums/threads/cryogenics-colloquium.35604/page-2#post-628213 We think you using this soap will be like an immovable object vs. an unstoppable force.
Just ordered stirling sample pack Sharp Dressed Man, Barber shop, Bay Rum, Cool, Electric Sheep, and Tea Tree. Also got full size glacial on clearance. These are my first soaps so I have nothing to compare to. Will let you know what I think.
Razor: Ever Ready 1912 Blade: GEM SS Lather: Stirling sandalwood Brush: HIS Synthethic post-shave: Pinaud Clubman, Target-brand hand lotion First time with the Stirling. My first impressions were that this sandalwood smells nothing like the sandalwood from the Proraso red. This one actually smells real. Not slighting Proraso it is a very nice and luxurious smell- just a lot different. However it did remind me of my (long dead) hamster's bedding. Loading took longer than Arko. But then again I don't think theres anything out there that is as easy as Arko. I did not lather directly on the bowl. I have seen the video where Rod recommends this but I did not want to do this as I thought it unfair to the soaps out there who lather well enough that this is not necessary. After all, the notorious Williams can only really be acceptable while lathering on the cake directly. Even bowl lathering Stirling it produced a lather as good enough as any. I live in Chicago- your water hardness may vary... Upon lathering it on my face I realized- its super manly! Pure testosterone embodied in a soap cake. I took a pass and rinsed my face. Hmm harder to take off than Arko and even Proraso. It appears there was a layer of oil (probably the Castor oil) underneath the lather. Thats good IMO. Going in for the second pass and it appears my face is on fire. I know it is not uncommon for people to have reactions to sandalwood so I do not fault the Stirling for this. Other than the feeling there seems to be no averse reaction on my skin. Still, I might have to trade this... It could be a temporary thing as I noticed I had the same burning when using a camwood bath soap which later went away completely. Wood ingredients tend to do that to people. Remains to be seen. Anyways, I continued the shave despite the burning sensation. Lather was stable and my skin didn't feel stripped of its oils afterwards. Smell remains after use for a while. Quite honestly, being an "artisan" soap my expectations were pretty low. Being a suspicious person I thought hmm maybe theres a bunch of shills pushing this stuff. I was dead wrong. I now see why this soap is so highly praised on this forum. It is protective, moisturizing, slick, stable, American-made, and a great value considering its very high quality. I fully intend to order some more scents and I can already see its potential to displace my use of Arko and Proraso.
I've never kept a pet that required bedding, such as a hamster, etc, but I always thought the bedding was cedar. I doubt the bedding would be sandalwood as the cost of anything sandalwood is quite restrictive. Cedarwood smells different than sandalwood.
I guess I could see that somewhat. Since I smell these scents pretty much everyday, the differences are probably too obvious to me.
Placed a large order yesterday for a few different types of their products. Looking forward to trying it out as it seems like a good company and prices. Will post review here once I have shaved a few times.
