Reviews of 85+ Soaps

Discussion in 'Shave Soaps' started by BaylorGator, Sep 2, 2017.

Tags:
  1. BaylorGator

    BaylorGator MISTER Fancypants

    The last two days I went back to my roots. Taylor of Old Bond Street was the first non canned shaving cream I ever used. When I started DE shaving I bought a sample pack from Maggards and fell so in love with the stuff that I ended up buying 5 tubs of different scents. After SAD hit, I steered away from creams because of the massive number of soap options available with great scents and performance. After revisiting two TOBS creams over the last two days (peppermint/jermyn street), I'm reminded why I fell in love with it in the first place... the richness of the lather is absolutely unbeatable, it's foolproof to whip up and the scents are fantastic. Is it a better all around performer than several soaps that didn't make my cut? No. Having said that, I enjoy the experience of shaving with it more, so I'm putting at at the bottom of my "Keepers". I'll probably always have at least one tub of TOBS in the den.

    KEEPERS
    Stirling
    - great lather, unbeatable slickness, and great scent strength. Scents are often not complex, but most are outstanding.
    Barrister and Mann - unique, complex scents and rich, thick lather. Some scents can be polarizing.
    Catie's Bubbles - Given the right scent, the performance is solid enough to be a keeper.
    TOBS (cream) - Unbeatable, creamy, foolproof lather and fantastic scents. May not outperform others that missed the cut, but wins for me in enjoyment of use.

    HONORABLE MENTIONS
    Midnight and Two
    - nice scents...although they could be a bit stronger, good lather... although it could be a bit thicker, good slickness when watered down, great face feel and moisturizing properties.

    MISSED THE CUT (YMMV)
    Mike's Natural
    - a good, solid soap choice. I pick up an off scent in the base, which is not objectionable, but very distracting to me with some scents.
    Martin De Candre - a solid, well respected soap, but nothing jumps out as being really outstanding to me. Also a bit pricey.
    I Coloniali Mango - great scent, but discontinued, too expensive, and I had issues with lathering properly from the sample.
    Wet Shave Obsession - Zaro - Good solid soap choice with thick lather, good overall performance, but a bit drying post shave feel. The scent smells like caramel, not Fougere to me, which ironically, was what I liked most
     
    Last edited: Sep 20, 2017
  2. BaylorGator

    BaylorGator MISTER Fancypants

    Thinking more about each soap and each shave has led me to a few conclusions:
    1. There are a lot of good soaps out there. Although I'm making reasonably educated picks, I haven't reviewed a soap yet that I would toss if I owned it.
    2. Performance, in my opinion, can actually be as YMMV as scents, and "ranking" each soap is totally dependent in what you value in a soap. For example, TOBS gives me the best rich, creamy lather imaginable but less slickness, as opposed to Stirling which gives great slickness but the lather is not quite as thick and rich as TOBS. Which do you prefer, or do you want a soap that allows you to make either kind of lather but is not a standout on either end of the spectrum? What are you shaving with? Are you using a DE and looking for an easy relaxing shave with great scent? Are you using a SR (or maybe a feather), and need more slickness? Do you like your lather thick and dense or wet and slick? Then what about face feel? I have skin that does not dry out and live in a tropical, humid climate. Unless I'm skiing in Colorado or at a conference in Arizona, I've never once thought about my skin needing to be moisturized. If I lived in either of those places, or had dry skin, I'd notice moisturizing properties a lot more and that would trump lather for me. As much as we talk about performance as being more "absolute" than scent, I think it's pretty subjective. Can we all recognize a soap that doesn't lather worth a dang, isn't slick and leaves our face feeling dry? Sure, but there are so many good soaps out there, if the soap has a decent following, chances are it isn't one of those. I guess my overall point is that reviews are great for finding out what the general feeling for a soap is, or if it has qualities you might or might not enjoy, but the only way to know if it works for you is to try it yourself. OK, now I'll get off my soap box and get back to the soap box.

    Today's contender out of my den is Chiseled Face. I have two scents - Santa Paula and Ghost Town Barber. Santa Paula smells exactly like the orange tree we had in our back yard when I was a kid. It's not really an "orange" scent per-se. It combines the smells of orange rind, orange tree bark, leaves, soil, etc. It smells exactly like I'm 10 again and climbing the orange tree in our backyard. If you didn't have that experience in childhood, I'm not sure what your reaction to the scent will be, but I love it. Ghost Town Barber is a tough one to describe. I didn't like it at first but it has really grown on me as a unique scent. Unfortunately, the name is probably as good a scent description as you are going to get from me. Today I chose Ghost Town Barber.

    This is a softer soap, so my Thater silvertip loaded up quickly and easily, and made quick work of lathering. I'd say this is a lather is midway between "thick and rich" and "thin and slick". As much as I love the "thick and rich" feeling, I usually end up watering down my soaps a bit to increase slickness, and Chiseled Face hit's the mid spot just right for me. The result was a 3 pass BBS, which required no AS (I forgot to use it), but as of this writing several hours later, I don't feel the need for one. For me, Chiseled Face is a solid keeper with good performance and unique scents. I'd put it about on par with Catie's Bubbles in my den.

    KEEPERS
    Stirling
    - Good, thick lather, unbeatable slickness, and great scent strength. Scents are often not complex, but most are outstanding.
    Barrister and Mann - Rich, dense lather and unique, complex scents make this a favorite. Warning: some scents can be polarizing.
    Catie's Bubbles - Unique scents and very solid performance. Given the right scent, it's a keeper.
    Chiseled Face - Good lather (midway in between dense and slick), unique scents, and solid performance.
    TOBS (cream) - Unbeatable, creamy, foolproof lather and fantastic scents. May not outperform others that missed the cut, but wins for me in enjoyment of use.

    HONORABLE MENTIONS
    Midnight and Two
    - Nice scents...although they could be a bit stronger, good lather... although it could be a bit thicker, good slickness when watered down, great face feel and moisturizing properties.

    MISSED THE CUT (YMMV)
    Mike's Natural
    - A good, solid soap choice. I pick up an off scent in the base, which is not objectionable, but very distracting to me with some scents.
    Martin De Candre - A solid, well respected soap, but nothing jumps out as being really outstanding to me. Also a bit pricey.
    I Coloniali Mango - Great scent, but discontinued, too expensive, and I had issues with lathering properly from the sample.
    Wet Shave Obsession - Zaro - Good solid soap choice with thick lather, good overall performance, but a bit drying post shave feel. The scent smells like caramel, not Fougere to me, which ironically, was what I liked most.
     
    Last edited: Sep 20, 2017
    brit, Yehuda D, jtspartan and 6 others like this.
  3. Drygulch

    Drygulch Snowballs

    I've been wanting to find a scent that smells like orange blossoms, not oranges. I grew up in Phoenix, and used to climb so far up the orange tree that my big brother couldn't get to me because the branches wouldn't hold his weight. I remember that every time I smell and orange tree, especially when they are blooming. If this soap smells like that, it just hit my must buy list.
     
    RyX, SharptoothC and Linuxguile like this.
  4. BaylorGator

    BaylorGator MISTER Fancypants

    I'll send you a small sample to try and see if you like it Adam.
     
    RyX, SharptoothC and Drygulch like this.
  5. BaylorGator

    BaylorGator MISTER Fancypants

    This morning I shaved with Viking - Fro Ragnar. I got this sample as a "freebie" along with a brush I purchased from a member on another forum. I'm not normally much of a Cologne guy (in fact I've yet to find a cologne scented shaving soap I really liked) until now. I have no idea how to describe the scent, but the Viking website says it is their take on Creed Aventus. It is absolutely fantastic. The performance of the soap was also excellent with one exception - it made my face feel dry when finished. The "Fro" indicates the vegan formula for Viking, so I will probably hold off judgement on this soap until the next pass around box arrives with all the Viking soaps/scents including their tallow based soaps. I want to shave with at least another Viking product before passing judgement on this one.
     
    SharptoothC, jtspartan and Linuxguile like this.
  6. Bob Palmer

    Bob Palmer Member

    [​IMG]
    SharptoothC I bite..........
    New
    Lexicon Devil said:
    See, but then all your soaps are "redolent of black current with a tannic finish".
    Hmmm...Today I shaved with RazoRock Puros. The nose here is a particularly refined tobacco on the front palate, graced with subtle hints of vanilla to soften the edges. The initial note lingers throughout the day, releasing a warm and pleasing aura of masculinity that radiates off of the skin and entices those around you with rugged yet refined airs. This soap pairs well with foie gras and finer cognacs.


    wait...... WHAT ?
     
    BaylorGator and Linuxguile like this.
  7. SharptoothC

    SharptoothC I bite..........

    Just a little shenaniganery.

    I think your clown and my dinosaur have been influencing each other.

    Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk
     
    Yehuda D likes this.
  8. BaylorGator

    BaylorGator MISTER Fancypants

    So not having had a lot of time to smell and test lather soaps, I chose Soap Commander for this morning's shave. I've consistently heard good reviews from guys I respect, so I knew it was a "must try". With limited time, I actually picked a scent "blind" from the description on the spreadsheet. It was Courage. Based on the description I was expecting a complex layered scent like a B&M soap, but the scent strength was a bit low and I didn't get much of that. Certainly a nice scent though. As for performance, I can see why this soap has many fans. It was easy to make thick, rich lather and it provided good slickness and cushion. I couldn't get it as rich as B&M or as slick as Stirling, but it easily occupies the 80% of the range in between the two, which is frankly where a good all around lather is generally made. Overall a great shave and a great product. At this point, whether it makes the second tier of my den or ends up an honorable mention is yet to be determined until I am able to sniff and test lather the other scents and find out if there are any I really love. I'll catch up my summary sheet once I get a little more info than the last two shaves.
     
    RyX, jtspartan, PLAla and 1 other person like this.
  9. BigMark83

    BigMark83 [...........] this space intentionally left blank

    Way to much reading up there. But I'll agree, there are way to many soaps to try. I'm debating on what to try next myself. Probably Soap Commander. I'm glad you found your keepers. And Chiseled makes good stuff.
     
    BaylorGator and PLAla like this.
  10. PLAla

    PLAla Bit Shy of a Full Puck

    I find Soap Commander to be top-notch. The scents are more straight-forward. They aren't incredibly complex and compelling as some other brands. But the performance is hard to beat.
     
    jtspartan, BaylorGator and Linuxguile like this.
  11. BaylorGator

    BaylorGator MISTER Fancypants

    RUNNING SOAP REVIEW SUMMARY

    KEEPERS
    Stirling
    - great lather, unbeatable slickness, and great scent strength. Scents are often not complex, but most are outstanding.
    Barrister and Mann - Rich, dense lather and unique, complex scents make this a favorite. Warning: scents can be "hit and miss" and some can be polarizing.
    --------------------------
    Chiseled Face - Good lather (midway in between dense and slick), very unique scents, and solid performance.
    Catie's Bubbles - Given the right scent, the performance is solid enough to be a keeper.
    TOBS (cream) - Unbeatable, creamy, foolproof lather and fantastic scents. May not outperform others that missed the cut, but wins for me in enjoyment of use.

    HONORABLE MENTION
    Midnight and Two
    - Nice scents (I prefer a little stronger), good lather (I prefer a little thicker), good slickness, great face feel and moisturizing properties.
    Soap Commander - Performance rivaling my keepers, and scents that are unique and pleasant, but didn't come out and grab me like some others do.

    JUST MISSED THE CUT (YMMV)
    Mike's Natural
    - a good, solid soap choice. I pick up an off scent in the base, which is not objectionable, but very distracting to me with some scents.
    Martin De Candre - a solid soap, but nothing jumps out as being really outstanding to me.
    I Coloniali Mango - Great scent, but discontinued, too expensive, and I botched the lather. Other reviewers say the lather is "different" - very slick but not very dense or creamy.
    Wet Shave Obsession - Zaro - Good solid soap choice with thick lather, good overall performance, but a bit drying post shave feel. The scent smells like caramel, not Fougere to me, which ironically, was what I liked most.
     
  12. BaylorGator

    BaylorGator MISTER Fancypants

    I agree with you, Perry. The difference between my Keepers and Honorable mentions, for the most part is more a matter of personal preference than performance. The keepers listed above the line are soaps that I think rival the other keepers/or honorable mentions but really stand out in some way (e.g. B&M's complex scents or Stirling's slickness), and just seem to have a "Je ne sais quois" about them that puts them over the edge for me.
     
    RyX, PLAla and Linuxguile like this.
  13. PLAla

    PLAla Bit Shy of a Full Puck

    Yep! I really enjoy this thread. As you mentioned, YMMV for anyone reading through this.
     
    BaylorGator likes this.
  14. BaylorGator

    BaylorGator MISTER Fancypants

    Today I had the best shave I've had in a week using Sudsy Soapery. Performance wise, this one is a keeper. Good lather you can make thick or thin, and really good performance in every aspect. I don't put much weight into face feel, because it's not something I really think about in a warm, tropical climate. "My face feels fine" is usually my thought, unless a soap is particularly drying or deficient. Having said that, my face is noticeably irritation free and soft. Where I struggle a bit with this soap is scent. The scent strength is really good, but most of the scents just aren't up my alley. I had a tub of Jack Frost and traded it away because great performance wasn't enough to override a scent that just didn't do it for me. I'm not a bay rum guy, and the sandalwood mixes don't really excite me either. The scents I really do like are already represented in my den. Would I replace a Stirling Almond Cream, Cella, or TOBS Peppermint when they are done with a SS Almond Cream or SS Peppermint & Lavender? Absolutely. Do I feel an urgent need to trade these out of my den? Not really. Right now, if the scents were right it'd be among my top keepers, and will still probably make its way into my den at some point. However, it's going to go at the top of my honorable mention list for now. (By the way, the difference between a "keeper" and an "honorable mention" is a matter of personal preference more than anything. These are all good soaps)

    RUNNING SOAP REVIEW SUMMARY

    KEEPERS
    Stirling
    - great lather, unbeatable slickness, and great scent strength. Scents are often not complex, but most are outstanding.
    Barrister and Mann - Rich, dense lather and unique, complex scents make this a favorite. Warning: scents can be "hit and miss" and some can be polarizing.
    --------------------------
    Chiseled Face - Good lather (midway in between dense and slick), very unique scents, and solid performance.
    Catie's Bubbles - Given the right scent, the performance is solid enough to be a keeper.
    TOBS (cream) - Unbeatable, creamy, foolproof lather and fantastic scents. May not outperform others that missed the cut, but wins for me in enjoyment of use.

    HONORABLE MENTION
    Sudsy Soapery
    - An outstanding overall soap which provides an irritation free shave and great moisturizing and outperforms some of my "keepers". Unfortunately, the scents don't line up with my tastes or the gaps in my den.
    Midnight and Two - Nice scents (I prefer a little stronger), good lather (I prefer a little thicker), good slickness, great face feel and moisturizing properties.
    Soap Commander - Performance rivaling my keepers, and scents that are unique and pleasant, but didn't come out and grab me like some others do.

    JUST MISSED THE CUT (YMMV)
    Mike's Natural
    - a good, solid soap choice. I pick up an off scent in the base, which is not objectionable, but very distracting to me with some scents.
    Martin De Candre - a solid soap, but nothing jumps out as being really outstanding to me.
    I Coloniali Mango - Great scent, but discontinued, too expensive, and I botched the lather. Other reviewers say the lather is "different" - very slick but not very dense or creamy.
    Wet Shave Obsession - Zaro - Good solid soap choice with thick lather, good overall performance, but a bit drying post shave feel. The scent smells like caramel, not Fougere to me, which ironically, was what I liked most.
     
    Yehuda D, jtspartan and PLAla like this.
  15. SharptoothC

    SharptoothC I bite..........

    I concur. Sudsy Soapery is a top shelf soap in regards to performance. I don't dislike the scents. They just don't excite me either. That said, the Peppermint & Lavender soap is seeing some action lately because it is just so good.

    Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk
     
    Yehuda D and Linuxguile like this.
  16. BaylorGator

    BaylorGator MISTER Fancypants

    Today's soap is one with which I have minimal experience - Wet Shaving Products (WSP). I have a sample of Blackbeard in my den, which smells fantastic and unique to me (cinnamon, spiced rum kinda vibe), but I haven't had time to shave with it but once. There are a ton of WSP scents/samples in the box, and there are several I really like a lot. I chose Mahogany, which was really a phenomenal scent. I'm terrible at describing scents, but this is a rich, deep, woody, scent more reminiscent of a darker tobacco or leather type scent as opposed to a lighter, brighter wood scent like cedar or sandalwood. Performance wise, I'd say WSP was better than average with no obvious flaws, but not spectacular in any one area of performance. I'm going to test lather a few scents I like and then, after the box leaves, I'll probably shave with my Blackbeard sample few times to dial it in and get a better feel for performance. I may also shave with a 1/2 and 1/2 rustic formula and formula T to compare them. Right now, I'm ranking WSP as a keeper and planning on buying a few scents to add to the den. Once I get a bit more experience with it, I'll know for sure. This one is one I'd love to get feedback on from others with more experience with the soap than me.
     
    Last edited: Sep 29, 2017
    Linuxguile and PLAla like this.
  17. BaylorGator

    BaylorGator MISTER Fancypants

    Well, I liked WSP enough that I shaved with it a second time lathering half my face with the rustic (vegan) formula and with the formula t (tallow) The scents were Black Amber Vanille and Barbershop, respectively). First of all, I like this soap and will be adding it to my second tier of keepers. Second, I felt that the performance of the Formula T was a bit better (say 10%) than the rustic in all respects - lather, slickness, moisturizing, you name it. Both were very respectable, though. If push came to shove, I'd probably rate the formula T just above Catie's Bubbles and the Rustic just below it. Honestly, it's the first time I ever gave tallow vs vegan much of a thought. Looking through my list, it's starting to look like my skin just prefers tallow. We'll see if the trend continues.

    RUNNING SOAP REVIEW SUMMARY

    KEEPERS
    Stirling - great lather, unbeatable slickness, and great scent strength. Scents are often not complex, but most are outstanding.
    Barrister and Mann - Rich, dense lather and unique, complex scents make this a favorite. Warning: scents can be "hit and miss" and some can be polarizing.
    --------------------------
    Chiseled Face - Good lather (midway in between dense and slick), very unique scents, and solid performance.
    WSP (formula T) - Another good all around performer with unique scents. To me, the Formula T base is a touch better than the rustic, but both are solid choices.
    Catie's Bubbles - Given the right scent, the performance is solid enough to be a keeper.
    TOBS (cream) - Unbeatable, creamy, foolproof lather and fantastic scents. May not outperform others that missed the cut, but wins for me in enjoyment of use.

    HONORABLE MENTION
    Sudsy Soapery - An outstanding overall soap which provides an irritation free shave and great moisturizing and outperforms some of my "keepers". Unfortunately, the scents don't line up with my tastes or the gaps in my den.
    Midnight and Two - Nice scents (I prefer a little stronger), good lather (I prefer a little thicker), good slickness, great face feel and moisturizing properties.
    Soap Commander - Performance rivaling my keepers, and scents that are unique and pleasant, but didn't come out and grab me like some others do.

    JUST MISSED THE CUT (YMMV)
    Mike's Natural - a good, solid soap choice. I pick up an off scent in the base, which is not objectionable, but very distracting to me with some scents.
    Martin De Candre - a solid soap, but nothing jumps out as being really outstanding to me.
    I Coloniali Mango - Great scent, but discontinued, too expensive, and I botched the lather. Other reviewers say the lather is "different" - very slick but not very dense or creamy.
    Wet Shave Obsession - Zaro - Good solid soap choice with thick lather, good overall performance, but a bit drying post shave feel. The scent smells like caramel, not Fougere to me, which ironically, was what I liked most.
     
    Last edited: Sep 30, 2017
    RyX, Linuxguile and PLAla like this.
  18. BaylorGator

    BaylorGator MISTER Fancypants

    Today I shaved with Viking. I have a sample of the Fro Ragnar scent in my den that was given to me, and it is absolutely fantastic. It's a copy of Creed Aventus, and although I tend not to like cologne scented soap, this stuff smells unbelievably good. I only have a couple of shaves under my belt with it and have found the performance to be solid, comparable to most of the soaps on my second tier keepers and honorable mentions. I was looking forward to trying the tallow version of this soap to compare. After sniffing through the scents in the box, honestly most of the scents didn't fire me up nearly as much as Ragnar, but I chose Iceland as a good solid choice. A bit complex, cold and forest like scent which didn't really jump out at me in the tub, but really came to life when lathered on my face. (After my Shave I did test lathers on the rest, but didn't have the same luck with other scents). Anyway, I did a three pass Shave using one of each soap on half of my face. After comparison, I felt the Iceland made a bit thicker, better performing lather and I was ready to declare tallow the winner until I looked on the spreadsheet and realized these were the 2 Viking scents represented in the vegan base in the box. D'oh! This shows the danger of any evaluation using only one Shave as the sample size. The soap was exactly the same, but I dialed in the lather better on one and was going to wrongly attribute it to the soap formula. Either way, I think Viking is good enough to be a keeper, but the lack of scents that I love (with the exception of the two I used) may keep it on the honorable mention list. It's a close call that may have to wait until later. If anyone else has experience, thoughts or perpective on Viking or on the diffeeences in the vegan and tallow bases, I'd love to hear them.
     
    Paul Turner, SharptoothC and PLAla like this.
  19. BaylorGator

    BaylorGator MISTER Fancypants

    Today's soap is Dr. Jon's. I took a whiff from all the samples, most of which didn't fire me up, and settled on the best two as Gold Label and Aphrodite. Being a sucker for citrus, I chose Aphrodite. Long story short, this is another good performer, but nothing in it screams "buy me". I guess I'm lucky in that I've been choosing soaps that are many folks' favorites and generally known to be solid performers. Go figure, they've all been solid performers. Again, the main difference between the best soap and the worst soap in my list is more a matter of "comeback sauce" than anything, as there have been no glaring performance flaws with any soap I've tried, and you can get a good shave with every one of them. Regardless, for me, Dr. Jon's didn't make my cut.

    Speaking of comeback sauce, I had planned on my last shave being with Reef Point tomorrow, but I may go half and half with Reef Point Submariner and the tallow version of Viking. I'm still unsure about Viking, and I want them to get a fair shake with their tallow version, since I tend to get better performance out of tallow soaps than veggies. Pretty sure the scents won't mix, but the box only comes around once, and an evaluation on this one is eluding me, so I have no choice.
     
  20. BaylorGator

    BaylorGator MISTER Fancypants

    RUNNING SOAP REVIEW SUMMARY

    KEEPERS

    Stirling - great lather, unbeatable slickness, and great scent strength. Scents are often not complex, but most are outstanding.
    Barrister and Mann - Rich, dense lather and unique, complex scents make this a favorite. Warning: scents can be "hit and miss" and some can be polarizing.
    --------------------------
    Chiseled Face - Good lather (midway in between dense and slick), very unique scents, and solid performance.
    WSP (formula T) - Another good all around performer with unique scents. To me, the Formula T base is a touch better than the rustic, but both are solid choices.
    Catie's Bubbles - Given the right scent, the performance is solid enough to be a keeper.
    TOBS (cream) - Unbeatable, creamy, foolproof lather and fantastic scents. May not outperform others that missed the cut, but wins for me in enjoyment of use.

    HONORABLE MENTION
    Sudsy Soapery - An outstanding overall soap which provides an irritation free shave and great moisturizing and outperforms some of my "keepers". Unfortunately, the scents don't line up with my tastes or the gaps in my den.
    Midnight and Two - Nice scents (I prefer a little stronger), good lather (I prefer a little thicker), good slickness, great face feel and moisturizing properties.
    Soap Commander - Performance rivaling my keepers, and scents that are unique and pleasant, but didn't come out and grab me like some others do.

    JUST MISSED THE CUT (YMMV)
    Mike's Natural - a good, solid soap choice. I pick up an off scent in the base, which is not objectionable, but very distracting to me with some scents.
    Martin De Candre - a solid soap, but nothing jumps out as being really outstanding to me.
    Dr. Jon's - Another solid soap with good overall performance; just nothing jumps out at me.
    I Coloniali Mango - Great scent, but discontinued, too expensive, and I botched the lather. Other reviewers say the lather is "different" - very slick but not very dense or creamy.
    Wet Shave Obsession - Zaro - Good solid soap choice with thick lather, good overall performance, but a bit drying post shave feel. The scent smells like caramel, not Fougere to me, which ironically, was what I liked most.
     

Share This Page