Obie, I've noticed that you've been using Zingari Man shaving soap recently. What are your impressions. I purchased one out of curiosity, and was pleasantly surprised by it's performance and scent, as well as the matching balm.
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Obie, I've noticed that you've been using Zingari Man shaving soap recently. What are your impressions. I purchased one out of curiosity, and was pleasantly surprised by it's performance and scent, as well as the matching balm.
Richard, my friend,
Zingari Man is a remarkable soap. I have it as a First Tier soap. The glide is exceptional, cushion comfortable and the lather rich and creamy. I have two scents: The Wanderer and the Magician. Love both. The scents are quite pleasing and understated. This is one of those rare artisan soaps that I really like and recommend. This is good stuff. I have not tried the matching balm, because I have a load of balms in my stash.
You guys got me.
Obie, my friend, it's a very rare occasion when you add a new soap to Tier One.
I now have 2 of the Zingari Man soaps on the way.
The Wanderer and The Explorer.
I'll post my first impressions shortly after they arrive.
Pete <:-}
Yes. Zingari Man is great stuff. Now try Declaration Grooming with the Milksteak base. Its another step up. Hard to imagine but thats what i have found lately. That and Ariana and Evans. Master artisans of the shave soap. IMO.
Jerry you’re going to be a soap diva before you know it!
Im not sure i should like that comment or not, Steve. :rofl2:
Ive had help from one of the fine members here who sent me 15 samples of his best from his collection. Now im doing the blind lather shave test and rating them. Im learning a lot. And so is my nose!
Zingari Man is an exceptional soap and is everything that Obie stated and more.
A++ for all aspects of its performance.
I don't really get a Barbershop, Clubman Original type scent from the Wanderer.
I use that as the basis of my judgement for everything called "Barbershop."
This is light, clean and crisp with a hint of floral sweetness.
Truly a great scent.
It's no secret that I'm a big fan of earthy vetiver and woodsy scents which are usually dark, heavy and strong.
The Explorer is the very light and balanced side of this, and had me hooked about one second after I opened the tub.
Absolutely awesome to me.
I'm looking forward to getting a sampler of the other scents that they offer.
I can't imagine them being anything but terrific.
Pete <:-}
OK gentlemen, I'm happy to admit when I'm wrong about something.
When I first tried Czech & Speake soap I wasn't that enamored with the performance, I knew Obie and others rated it highly but I just didn't get it. Determined to make it work for me I let it bloom (sorry Bagister) for longer than I normally would, being triple milled I should have known this. So it's down to user error why I couldn't get it to perform. I'm still not fussed on the 88 soap scent even though I love the cologne. I much prefer the lavender and peppermint scent of C&O soap and even more so that Job15 put me onto the C&S sale.
https://www.czechandspeake.com/fragr...shaving-soaps/
Agreed - same issue with my initial use of the soap.
Triple milled was the giveaway for me as well.
Once I let it soak, it really is a spectacular soap, my two favourites are the 88 and the Oxford and Cambridge, whichever I use becomes my favourite at the time.
Thank-you Mark for selecting my soap of the day, now to pick between the two...LOL!
Morning shave: Oxford and Cambridge
Evening shave: 88
:chapeau
Make sure you use it up timely. The C&S soaps deteriorate over time. Ask me how I know.
How do you know?
Floris has reformulated their hard soaps. They actually lather easily and well now, though I only have 1 shave under my belt. No blooming needed, both 89 and Elite are available.
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Oossh! Thanks for the heads up, Steve. I love the 89 cream but it's quite pricey for 100ml, its twice the price of T&H and Trumpers.
Just tried some Zingari Man Wander shave soap. What do you guys think of this stuff ? I can tell you ..it doesnt hold a candle to Irving Park ...nevah mind Castle Forbes. Iam struggling to make a descent lather in a scuttle with my Simpson Polo 8... not impressed
Obie....maybe I need to load the brush a tad more. Just trying to figure this stuff out. Thanks Obie.
Zingari is about the easiest soap to lather that I have, although I do have excellent water and face lather rather than use it in a scuttle. I wonder if you start out with too wet of a brush rather than slowly adding water to build up a lather.
This is surprising to hear about Zingari Man.
I have The Explorer and The Wanderer. I bowl lather exclusively and have had no problems making a fantastic, rich creamy lather.
In my opinion, Obie's elevation of this soap to tier one is truly justified.
Pete <:-}
I just used Zingari Man Gatherer this eve. I think the water could be an issue. As if you get too much to start with it sure will take a lot of soap to bring the slickness back to where it should be. Then you might have enough lather for 7 men! Remember that this is a soft soap. Being soft it doesn't need as much water right away. I rank it as one of my top 10. My top 10 I can't tell that one is better than the others. Only scent.
Well ....I gave it another shot tonight. It face lathered just fine with an Omega Boar Brush. But before that, I tried making lather in a scuttle ( no hot water in it ) . Just a damp boar brush....loaded it good and started swirling in the scuttle....adding water...until I got a descent amount of suds. Then put it on my face....and that’s where it failed miserably. The more I swirled and scrubbed my face with it ....the more the lather just disappeared. So this soap will be just for face lathering for me. I have used a ton of different soaps / creams in my Straight shaving journey ....and I have good water. Heck...MWF was easy to lather for me....lol
The word Suds make me wonder. This is a creamy soap with whipped hp. Not sudsy. But you may have just miss typed. Ive used it in ths boal amd scuttle and face lathered. YMMV as they say.
Yup...suds / Lather....all the same to me. I’ll get it....if I keep messing with it
I put the Damp Thater Brush into the Zingari Man wander soap...and swirled away.loading the brush. Swirled it in the scuttle...adding drops of water....lathered up ok...but it only made enough lather for 2 passes...and left none for the top of my head. This stuff ...for me...doesn’t make more lather on your face when working it in. Smells great...slick too....but would rather get another tub of Oleo Irving Park
I recently decided to finally work my way through the several soap samples that I've accumulated over the last few years. I started with the Czech & Speake Oxford & Cambridge because there had been so much chatter here about it, and I've wanted to try it for a long time. The first shave had the clay-ish scent that some had described, but the second and third shaves had a wonderfully subtle but fragrant scent. The lather was amazing, I loved the texture, and it had excellent cushion and slickness. I really love this soap!
Good choice on the soap. That is good stuff.
Gentlemen,
Every once in a while I like to try something new. Recently I’ve tried the Haircut and Shave Co’s shave cream. This is good stuff: it creates a rich and dense lather. The glide and the cushion are impressive. The fragrance is fresh and quite mild. According to the company, the scent blends petit grain, cardamom, lemon, orange and fur with floral middle notes. No, the scent is difficult to pinpoint. I like this cream. I think it is worth the First Tier level among artisan creams.
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Catie’s Bubble shave soap in the gardenia scent is intoxicating. I am quite fond of the gardenia fragrance, and this soap serves an explosion of it. Love the stuff. The soap lathers well. Cushion and glide are good. The only drawback for me is that the lather’s texture could be more dense. Still it is good stuff. I think I’ll put it in the Second Tier. Had the lather been a wee bit more dense, the soap would have deserved to be in the First Tier.
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Aloha!
A few years ago, I was in New York City and stopped into the famous shaving emporium, Pasteur's Pharmacy. I had a nice chat with Leon the owner, and he showed me his new exclusive soap "Governor's Island". I think this is a one-off exclusive because I've not seen it anywhere else since. I obviously picked one up (Limit ONE). It's manufactured by Talbot Soap and has the following scents incorporated;
Cyclamen
Lemon
Grapefruit
Ylang-Ylang
Oakmoss
Musk
Tonka Bean
Sandalwood
Amber
Bergamot
Cardamom
Jasmine
Lily of the Valley
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Without a doubt, this is my favorite scented soap to date, and like most of you gents, I've been wet shaving for a very long time. I am glad I have 3/4 of a tub left. I only wish I had more.
My 2nd favorite scent is definitely "Ariana and Evans Asian Plum". I love this scent and it's solidly in my top 5;
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And as it happens, I also picked this up (with matching aftershave balm) from Pasteur's Pharmacy on that same trip. So my top 1 and 2 soap scents are from the same trip and the same shaving store. Odd but true. And both produce an incredible lather all around.
-Zip
Gentlemen,
I have moved Tabac into the First Tier of soaps. I’ve used this exceptional soap for years and find it to do everything it’s supposed to. I know the fragrance has its detractors, but I find it delightful. Many others do, too. Tabac is one of a kind. It’s been around for some years. I found it some years ago and have continued to use it. What made up my mind was using the soap for the first time after some months. With a Thater silvertip, the soap was an explosion of pleasure. Love this stuff.
Tabac rightfully belongs in the first tier. In my humble opinion, MWF is there as well. After all the fads fade, those 2 will always be there.
I agree. Mitchell’s Wool Fat is another soap that meets all the qualities of a fine shave soap. I know some gentlemen have trouble lathering it. I, however, don’t know what the problem is. For me, the soap lathers easily. Load the brush heavily, watch the water ratio, and you’re on your way to good lather. It always helps to bloom the soap. I have thought of moving Mitchell’s Wool Fat for some time, and this is a reminder to do so. Thanks.
I'm going to try this one tonight...
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I don't have the original that Obie talks about but with the way this company (Grooming Dept) mixes scent I bet it will be close. Wish I could compare but...
Tabac does stand for tobacco so who knows. I could be completely out in the left field here.
It was a light tobacco scent. Real tobacco scent, not like the fake pipe stuff I've smelled. Not a sweet scent and nowhere close to the scent of the clean soap that some like. Slick and mega cushion. Even the wife liked the scent. A fresh, light, tobacco scent in my opinion.
Attachment 327259
I have used the Tebac cream in the past....But just got the bowl and soap...per Obie’s advice....and WOW ...this soap just keeps on sudzing ....very nice in every way