Twice B&M were listed Say it isn't so! The only ones I have ever had issue with have been lovely scented glycerins. Makes my face feel tight with almost a slight numbing sensation and lather dissapates to quick. But that just made them candidates for uberlather with some trumpers cream or musgo or cella or tobs or ect,,,. Just have to give a good rinse between each pass. I tend not to try any that I think of as bargan stuff and spend my money on what I think I'll really enjoy. So many variables that can affect outcomes and preference being so subjective I suspect theres only a few that really fail the majority.
There are a lot of "meh" soaps mentioned here. One I felt simply ripped off once purchased: Caswell Massey. Just abysmal as a shaving soap, simply pathetic. Pleasant scent, no other acceptable qualities as a shaving soap. I truly don't understand how they could have tried this for themselves and found it acceptable, let alone good enough to promote and sell. That said, it made a great bathing soap, which is pretty much where most of my failed shaving soaps go to provide some useful life. I think it is probably appropriate, as I am often concerned that they were bath soaps in the first place that were passed of as shaving soaps without really modifying or checking the shaving qualities.
YMMV is definitely true on this thread. For me the below are never going to be bought again: PAA Cela Taconic TOBS (moved on to better products, but a pretty good cream) Crabtree & Evelyn creams (lather is not so good, but I enjoy the balms and the scents) ABC - Outstanding performance but not a fan of almond, although nicely done, it just isn't a scent I prefer to use and due to the price I can't justify it. They should make more scents like they do on their aftershaves.
Trumper's Rose. Love the scent but it is a real pain to lather (unlike the cream). The lather I get also seems to break down very quickly.
Crabtree and Evelyn soaps!!!! I'm gonna be sad when my Sienna and original Sandalwood is gone. There new soaps are crap!!!!
I likely won't buy Cella again after my tub is gone. It has some very good qualities but the scent just not my style.
Cryogen. Yes, it's a menthol atom bomb on steroids but it can be a PITA to lather and it lacks skincare just like the Yeti Snot.
I had lassco Topanga fougre and traded it for myrkvor. Not my cup of tea either one of them. So now I'm going to trade that myrkvor soon.
I bought a puck and have used it twice. At some point I need to give it another try. I do agree the scent is not appealing.
I may buy some Williams again in the future. A couple of years of learning how to load a brush and make lather might make this notoriously difficult soap an option again. But, I'll wait until I run completely out of soap. That ought to happen around 2020.
The only two soaps I cannot buy is the RazoRock P160 and Martin De Candre (Classic and Fougere) . As much as I love these soaps and their wonderful smell and post shave feel, I developed an allergic reaction to these, as I lather up, my neck turns bead red and itches. It's truly a shame, since P160 has one of the best smells out there and MdC is so slick and cushions the shave experience.
-Erasmic shave stick (nice scent but a crumbly chalky soap with no lather, worst shave product I've used) -Modern Williams barring a reformulation -VDH (not a fan of SLS as it really dries my skin something awful) -Arko (decent performance, a tad drying, scent doesn't bother me or impress me) -JM Frasers shave cream (similar to Arko, I wouldn't kick it out of bed but wouldn't order it again) -Stirling Glacial (I enjoy Stirling but not the face numbing menthol in the Glacial line)
