The Obie Memorial First Tier Soaps and Creams Thread.

[Obie]

I could tell you how I feel about The Los Angeles Shaving Soap Company, but I figure this picture says it all.
Attachment 272597

Yes, I found the soap surprisingly good. I see you like it, too, with that big treasure. Enjoy.

[Augustagj]

As a SF Giants' fan, this could be unanimously thought to be the worlds best and I would have to pass.

[dimab]

this picture says it all

+1 on your kamisori holder!

[Phrank]

Thought I'd share my thoughts on today's soap: The Holy Black Gunpowder Spice Shaving Soap.

This is an excellent soap, blends a classy Old Spice type scent with the absolutely distinct and present scent of Black Gunpowder, creates a nice feeling on the face and what can you say...fantastic aroma to shave with.

In terms of the properties of this soap, it had a very thick and rich lather, the cushion was superb, glide was effortless, and there is a thick, creamy, highly substantial feel to this soap. Another way to put it, this soap has one of the highest densities I've used in a long time, massive, instant lather, with a great aroma.

Now, in terms of Tier placement, for me, Le Pere Lucien has all the makings of a Tier 1 soap, but resides in my Tier 2 - to many consistency problems, and when it does perform, there is nothing about the lather that as Obie puts it, allows it to sit with MdC or the Panna Crema, etc.,...YMMV as always.

This soap is a stellar performer, has all the ingredients and characteristics that would allow it to easily reside there. If you're a big fan of the Krokos line of soaps, this soap has that same stellar performance, but delivers far and above in the scent/aroma than the Saffron offering.

The Holy Black Gunpowder Spice is priced at under $20 USD, which is an amazing price for this fantastic soap.

The company also occasionally releases some Limited Edition soaps and aftershaves, which seem to sell out within hours to the massive frustration of thousands....

[GreenRipper]

Thanks for the review, Phrank! I've been wanting to try this one but simply haven't gotten around to it and was actually thinking about dumping it on the Christmas list. Now I think I'm going to have to pull the trigger a bit earlier.

[MODINE]

Thanks for the report Phranklin, I just ordered some Holy Black Gunpowder shave soap and the AS. I'll try out the new Shavemac flat top on it.
Mike

[Daro]

Obie,

Thank you again for this great thread, as a result of your thread I have tried many new soaps and the learning for me was to demand more from my soaps particularly when I could not initially see the reason for it being T1... perseverance is often rewarded.
I have worked my way through almost all and my view of your great choices below:

Martin de Candre soap - I was not entirely convinced with the scent but after leaving the lid open for a while it has definitely improved top of the soap pile!
Castle Forbes cream - hard to beat this cream, I like all the flavours but lime is bottom of the 3 (at the moment)
Xpec cream - I am not really taken with this one and still a T for me but will keep trying it in case I change my mind but wont buy it again.
Czech & Speak's Oxford & Cambridge soap, lovely soap right up there with MDC, I prefer the scent of the 88. To be honest I was on the fence for this one and your post made me pull the trigger on this one and is now one of my favourites. it needs more water than most soaps I find
Esbjerg cream not sure if it is the scent but have moved to T2 and would not buy again
Baum.Be - I had this before I read your post and it is an excellent cream, I find it similar to Alvarez Gomez which I prefer so am undecided
D.R. Harris soaps - agree these are T1 and I will keep at least 1 in my rotation
Alvarez Gomez cream - I love this cream and will keep it in my rotation
Penhaligon's cream -lovely creams, I prefer Blenheim, it has a robust scent so I don't use it every day (I also have the soap)
Klar Seifen soap - nice soap not a big fan of the small tin but it is nice for travel and will likely keep it in my rotation.
PannaCrema Nuavia Blu - I have not tried this one yet but may put this on the Christmas list...

Soaps not on your list that I like and will keep in my rotation are:
Floris no89 cream, Floris elite soap, The White Company soap (lovely scent), Gentleman's Tonic cream

Thanks again for your great post and helping me to purchase better quality soaps than some of the random selections I have tried in the past.
--Dave

[Obie]

I am glad the thread has been useful to you. It has been fun for me working on it. What's more, suggestions from many gentlemen following the thread have opened my own eyes. Good stuff, all this.

[Obie]

Phrank,
On your recommendation, I ordered a tub of the Holy Black Gunpowder and Spice soap. Looking forward to trying it.

[Srdjan]

I was impressed with THB gunpowder spice at first. Still have it. I was probably among the first ones to get some of their stuff when they started, or at least back then, there wasn't much talk about them. I won't say anything, see how you fare