Thread: Castle Forbes Preshave: your thoughts?

Really tempted to pick some up, but I want to make sure it actually has a measurable effect, considering the price. I have a very coarse beard, if that makes any difference.

I would respectfully ask that we not turn this into a "is preshave worth it?" thread (there are others dedicated to that subject), cluttered w/ comments such as " I don't use a preshave" or "I use X" where X is not CF.

I want to hear from people who have actually used this & what they have noticed as far as beard softening/shave closeness.

Your thoughts, gentlemen?

Several years ago a customer brought me some of this stuff and asked me to try it on him. I remember when I opened it up and smelled it I was like ...whew, this is strong. Then when I read that it was "water soluble" and felt the consistency of it thru my fingers I thought to myself OMG this is junk. Caught between not wanting to disappoint a customer but yet wanting to try out something new, I decided to give it a go.

I applied it as preshave under hot towels for about 3 minutes,wiped it off and then applied hot lather. To say the least it worked great and on every area of the face I was able to accomplish a really smooth and very close shave.

I think its a good product and it worked well for me. Give it a try and experiment with it a little. In this hobby or art or whatever you want to call it, thats how you learn what works best for you.

I have a nice sized sample of this that I have been using for the past few shaves. I think the stuff is 50 dollars a bottle.
I think its hard to start a thread about a 50 dollar pre shave and not get comments about "is it worth it"

Now about how it works for me, I love how it is water soluble and not an oil for obvious reasons when using straights. It may produce a subtle difference in my shaves. For me, I find it really difficult to measure how effective a pre shave is anyway. I've never really heard of anyone saying that a pre shave makes an enormous difference in the shave. Some of is mental too. Since I am using a 50 dollar pre shave my shaves must be cleaner, closer, and no irritation. To many factors go into straight shaving to claim this.

In the end, its your money and the only way to figure all this out is to use the product. I would try to get a sample of some first.

Originally Posted by SRC

Several years ago a customer brought me some of this stuff and asked me to try it on him. I remember when I opened it up and smelled it I was like ...whew, this is strong. Then when I read that it was "water soluble" and felt the consistency of it thru my fingers I thought to myself OMG this is junk. Caught between not wanting to disappoint a customer but yet wanting to try out something new, I decided to give it a go.

I applied it as preshave under hot towels for about 3 minutes,wiped it off and then applied hot lather. To say the least it worked great and on every area of the face I was able to accomplish a really smooth and very close shave.

I think its a good product and it worked well for me. Give it a try and experiment with it a little. In this hobby or art or whatever you want to call it, thats how you learn what works best for you.

Scott,

Sounds like good, sound, level-headed advice to me.

Thanks for the heads up on this product...All Castle Forbes products are usually somewhat pricey, but from the feedback here at SRP they seem to be well worth it.

I'm tempted to order some of the Castle Forbes pre-shave in the very near future.

Bought a bottle at Vintage Blades about a year ago. Tried it. It now sits in a cabinet, about 95%full. I've been through several bottles of homemade (Grapeseed, Almond, Jojoba and Vit E) oil since then, at a a total cost somewhere well south of the C-F stuff.

Nuff said.

I wish this thread would have popped up a week ago. I just dropped my 90%+ full bottle into a large traveling box of shaving junk the other day. I would have sent you the thing. I tried my best to like it, but unlike the rest of the forbes lineup I don't think it's worth the price tag.

I typically shower before I shave, so, I really don't need a preshave. I got the CF for the few times when I am in a hurry and can't shower just before a shave. I just didn't find that it did anything that hot water doesn't do much better. In a pinch, I use a hot soaking wet towel over the sink a couple of times before I lather up. The results are far better than the results I got from the forbes preshave. I did not try it in conjunction with the hot towel treatment. I suppose it could somewhat improve the softness of your whiskers when used that way.

I've probably used them all, and they're all good.

Bottom Line, Castle Forbes is pricey, but it lasts a long time. I do notice a difference when I use them and when I don't.
CF was the first one I ever used, and I'd buy it again...It's not an oil like the others, that makes it unique as far as I know...

Rich

I hate this stuff so far.

I have about seven shaves under my belt.

The WORST two were the ones in which I used "The Pre-Shave."

Glad I only bought the little travel size to try it out!


~ Ryan

Originally Posted by KingOfBreifne

I hate this stuff so far.

I have about seven shaves under my belt.

The WORST two were the ones in which I used "The Pre-Shave."

Ah, nothing like the firm beliefs of a neophyte... Well, apparently CF's "The Pre Shave" is a product made by professionals for professionals, as documented by the fact that beginners like yourself hate it, and experienced members quite like it.

As an aside, and as an objective observation on my behalf, with about a handful of shaves "under my belt", I was too bloody concerned getting the blade angle right to have noticed anything but the razor, and maybe the lather. Or, more to the point, how would you know that the problems you apparently have are caused by the pre shave and not your lack of technique. Because, as our FAQ rather unambiguously states, the learning curve usually lasts months rather than years.

Regards,
Robin

I picked up the travel size available at SRD, based almost exclusively on Robin's reviews. The travel size is quite affordable and while it's a small quantity, I use so little for a shave that the price is justifiable for me.

I've had good results with it so far after a few shaves. The question for me is still whether it's noticeable from jojoba, which I have been using as my preshave and is available locally. The CF stuff does have a peculiar scent, but it's faint and has been overpowered by every lather I've used thus far. It's water soluble and does not leave any oily feeling on skin or whiskers.

I have no complaints with the purchase and think it's a good preshave.