Thread: New Guy

I’m a little late. Welcome to the group. There is a lot of threads and discussions to join or start a new one.

Originally Posted by Muttley

@outback WOW!!! I think I need to go stand in the corner and be quiet!?! Envious doesn't cut it!!! The only collection I have of anything is a bag of mixed rusty nails in the shad!?!
To be honest I tend to buy just the odd quality item that I can afford when something takes my fancy or when I save enough finances for a nice piece I've had my eye on, such as brush, strops and the likes.
I did pick up this Edwardian Shaving stand on a whim just after receiving my first SR as I kind of thought it all went together nicely!?! Oh and I only paid £50 for this so an absolute bargain for a shaving enthusiast I think!?!

Attachment 350692

Oh my.! Very nice indeed.

Welcome to SRP Andy! Look forward to shooting the bull with you more! Very nice razors you
Have my friend!

Nice cabinet. Very nice in fact.

Concerning soap, 3 words: Mitchell's Wool Fat. Made in England so it should be easy to find for you. Sadly I understand that it is no longer a tallow based soap but I have some of the new formula and honestly I can't tell the difference. A big plus for me is the scent is negligible. I don't like to go around smelling like I just came from a French bordello.

Thanks I will take the soap suggestions under advisement, I think bignosekelly recommended Martin De Candre, and it may well be the mutts nuts but at a very high price that one I struggle to be able to justify that amount and two!?! Now Shuuuush keep this to yourselves guys, but I think I may have a razor on the horizon i need to start saving for!?!

Originally Posted by Muttley

Some great advice there guys....Regards shaving soap, very early on I found TOBS didn't cut it!?! (See what I did there? ) So pleid around with a few Tabac, ARROW and Proraso then settled on Saponifico Varesino, which for now works well but I will be trying others just for curiosity if nothing else!?!
@Gasman you make a good point about the use of several razors which I had not considered! And will take your advice on this matter as it makes perfect sense! With regards to your collection, VERY impressive but feel it is bordering on an illness more than a hobby with you!?!
@nessmuck if I DID that I WOULDN'T need a razor, trust me!!!

Over the past 8 years I have evaluated over 100 soap formulations from creams, to croaps, to mid-firm artisan soaps, to hard tallow pucks. While TOBS certainly has a storied past,it has been reformulated and performs rather poorly. As a cream, it lathers easily, but I rate i 8/10 on slickness, 6/10 on residual slickness, 6/10 on cushion/protection, and 6/10 on skin conditioning/post shave feel. TOBS rates as barely passing.

I used to consider traditional tallow soaps like Mitchell's Wool Fat and Tabac to be very good. They were not particularly easy to lather, but once lathered provided a nice shave. Unfortunately, both of the soaps have been reformulated to eliminate tallow. While many people seem to like Saponifico Varesino, I consider it to be an overpriced B-tier soap.

In the UK, Slickboys sells a number of artisan soaps. The ones they stock that I recommend are Ariana and Evans K2e, Barrister and Mann Omnibus, Declaration Grooming Milksteak, Grooming Dept, Nobel Otter, Wholly Kaw Siero tallow, and Zingari Man Sego tallow.

Nearly any soaps would be an upgrade to TOBS, but the ones I recommend are huge upgrades. They are so different that there may be a learning curve as you find the level of hydration that work for you. But in the end, it will be worth it.

Originally Posted by markbignosekelly

Check this thread out https://sharprazorpalace.com/soaps-c...ms-thread.html. 222 pages of great info, but if you want to cut to the chase then as mentioned, for soaps Martin De Candre is the dogs b@//@×s. For creams I personally love Trumpers, T&H, Penhaligons and DR Harris.

Obie started his soap thread in 2015. His thread captures the best soaps available at that time, but since 2017, many artisan soapmakers have come on the scene competing with one another to make the "best" shaving soaps. Furthermore, many of the soaps available in 2015 have been discontinued or reformulated to eliminate tallow. Thus, Obie's list is outdated. The best soaps in my shave den were not even available until a few years ago and my top formulations were just released in 2023.

Originally Posted by RayClem

Obie started his soap thread in 2015. His thread captures the best soaps available at that time, but since 2017, many artisan soapmakers have come on the scent competing with one another to make the "best" shaving soaps. Furthermore, many of the soaps available in 2015 have been discontinued or reformulated to eliminate tallow. Thus, Obie's list is outdated. The best soaps in my shave den were not even available until a few years ago and my top formulations were just released in 2023.

Good point, but as mentioned MDC tops the list and most on here would agree its the best performing soap. Many of the artisan soap on the list are hard to come by over here so I haven't bothered with them and the ones I have are generally poor performing. Obviously water hardness plays a big role on how a soap will perform. Where I live the water is harder than Chuck Norris so I stick to creams other than MDC.

Originally Posted by Muttley

Thanks I will take the soap suggestions under advisement, I think bignosekelly recommended Martin De Candre, and it may well be the mutts nuts but at a very high price that one I struggle to be able to justify that amount and two!?! Now Shuuuush keep this to yourselves guys, but I think I may have a razor on the horizon i need to start saving for!?!

The initial outlay would be considered expensive but as one tub will last a few years of daily use you really can't afford not to get some ( you can quote this to your wife and blame me )

PM me your address and I'll send you a chunk of MDC to try

I have never tried MDC so perhaps I would break my hand reaching for my wallet if I did...perhaps. However, it had better be very good and last a very long time for it to be worth the price difference. Maybe it is. For example. The lowest I have found MDC Nature (Again, I don't like stinky soaps) was $40 US for a 50 gm jar. That is $1.25/gm. The cheapest I have found MWF is $12.50 US for a 125gm puck. That is $0.12gm. That is more than 10 times the price. Is it 10 times as good?????

Now, I know that adage "you get what you pay for," and I also know that quality costs money and that some things are worth it. Hey, I'm a lover of fine tea. Want to part with your money? That's a great place to do it. It doesn't scare me.at all to pay $500/lb for a tea of the right quality and I have paid more than that, slmost twice ad much, for smaller quantities of really rare, once in a lifetime quality stuff while most store brand tea is $5.00/lb. Was it 100 times as good? You betcha! The big difference is that the store brand tea is hog water. MWF is pretty darn good. Is MDC 10 times as good? Maybe it is. If I tried it I might throw rocks at MWF. I know that when I got my first puck of MWF I wanted to marry it. I still do really. MDC would have to be pretty darned impressive to make up the difference. Again, maybe it is.