I love Stirling--the company's history, the people, and the products, but I have to give the BEST to Mitchell's Wool Fat. Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk
Stirling is really top-notch. It is slick with tremendous post-shave feel. It's a very thirsty soap so you can work in a lot of water and get bright sheen. Route 66 is also tremendous. Mitchell's Wool Fat is an all-time favorite. I also think Soap Commander is fantastic. There are many, many great soaps out there!
Barrister & Mann Saponificio Varesino Castle Forbes Stirling Martin de Candre These are my tops (no order)
Ginger's Garden Glycerine Soap, Sandalwood. Excellent glide & slickness, good protection. I have tried other glycerin based soaps that were mediocre for lathering. Ginger' s soaps provide a rich, slick lather.
Sterling for straight shaving. Strop Shoppe for DE shaving, but they are no longer with us. Maggard's "home brand" is also surprisingly good all-around soap for me. Haven't tried any MdC, but have used many others.
Cremo Cooling is my go to I'm in a hurry mid week shaving cream. I prefer a brush soap later and full three pass shave when I have the time Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Mass market: Arko for foolproof and flawless face-lathering. Costs about a penny or less per shave. Small Producer: Route 66 for its glide and post shave feel, also an "easy soap".
I get good service from the Cremo Line. They keep coming out with new scents faster than I use them up. Another Over The Counter (possibly available on a store shelf near you) menthol cream - C.O.Bigelow. It's Proraso Green on the inside. Often available at Bath & Bodyworks shops.
So many options to pick from, there are tons of artisans putting out incredible soaps right now; L&L Grooming, Barrister and Mann, Uncle Jon's, Dr Jon's, Chiseled Face, Stirling, Eufros, Route 66, WSP, MDC, Catie's Bubbles, Crowne and Crane. If you put a gun to my head and made me choose one soap to use the rest of my life it would be Saponificio Varesino Arctic Tundra. I love this soap; excellent performance, great scent and its the slickest soap I've ever tried.
Outstanding answer. I have 2 cakes of the glastonbury mix I think it is...along with 13 newer ones I think. Yup I have tons of the newer Williams. If you want a cake fire me off a pm with an addy. It's a bit different formula from what they are talking about but still my favorite soap. Mostly because I get great shaves from it and can get it local and it's cheap.
Cold River Soap Works Select (pick your flavor). Nice price $15 bucks for 4 ounces of creamy, slick goodness. Love the post shave, my skin never feels tight but very soft.
Mike's natural soaps. Vetiver is fantastic. Took me awhile to get used to the scent but now I love it. The performance is the best I've used. Only problem is the ordering. He's a one man shop and the scents sell out within a couple days. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk
For me, Mitchell's Wool Fat. Reason - scent, ease of lathering, lather, comfort, cushion, slickness, post-shave feel. Running out of adjectives so I'll say a wonderful soap.