New Floris 89 and Elite formulation - Yuk!!!

Bought these two soaps couple of months ago - E P I C F A I L!!!

Weak lather, dissolves almost instantly from the face, no cushion, no glide, just have to ask yourself WTF they were thinking when they released this disaster.

At least with some soaps that get the boot, when you throw them, you can hear the thud as they land in the shower...this one, won't lather in the bowl, so why would it lather in the shower, off to the figurative "trash".

Reason for this post as in the 1st Tier Soaps and Creams thread, there was some talk about, "Saponification", letting the soaps get some air, and I've left some tin bowls of Le Pere Lucien out for a few weeks and one of them actually performed slightly better, that would be the Cologne / Fougere....can see how some air time would improve a soap, and as mentioned, might be a reason for the wooden bowls, does allow some air to get into the soaps.

So after leaving the Floris Elite and 89 out in the air for the last 6 weeks, nothing, nada, epic fail....actually kind of pee'd off to have purchased this expensive hard soap and to basically feel completely ripped off.

Like did no-one that worked there try the stuff?

Just finished reading lot of other reviews of this junk on several sites, and that's the verdict - junk.

So if you're thinking about purchasing this once giant of a soap, don't bother with the new stuff, it's expensive garbage, and if you are going to get some - go for the cream, I understand that actually does lather. ;)

Thanks phrank!
I though it was just me. I got their samples in with a bunch of other, actually good soaps.
Couldn't get any lather to speak of, although I did like the smell of the floris 89 as I washed it out of the Scuttle.
Better to have tried the sample first.
I concur though, poor performer.

The new soap formulation is horrible, as are many of the reformulated English soaps. I have vintage (original) No. 89 soap and it's a solid Tier 2 performer with a Tier 1 scent. I only have the new No. 89 cream, which is one of my favorite creams.

Crap, 3 strikes in a row...Andrew, Mike, and Richard your posts don't bode well. I have a new bowl of Floris 89 I purchased a couple months ago but haven't yet used (others were ahead of it in the queue :w), but I'll break out it tomorrow morning and test it during my morning shave. Am using Eufros for the main event tomorrow, so will post back on how the Floris worked out and if it even came close to Eufros.

Also, will post an update in a few weeks on giving LPL soaps more time to cure. The ones I'm testing are still losing water weight: I own a balance that's accurate to 100th of a gram, so am weighing the tins weekly; once the water stops evaporating, the soaps should be pretty much fully cured.

I had the same experience with the prior to current formulation of Crabtree & Evelyn hard soap. I raised hell with C&E, demanded a complete refund or replace with their new (corrected) formulation. I sent copies of international posts like these to back me up, to show that it was not just me.

To my amazement supplied new soap and bowl plus a small cream and did not even ask for the old bowl of rubbish back.

When you're paying a lot of money for a soap it MUST perform or get your money back.

Sent from my SM-N910C using Tapatalk

Such a shame because the fragrance is simply wonderful.
Ive read a few reviews that the soap performance is sub par. I have the 89 cream and for me its one of my favourites.
Just a thought. You could always use it with a cream to make a super lather.:hmmm:

Makes you wonder if anyone in a company uses the products they sell or even gives a damn anymore. Remember the old saying "you get what you pay for", not so much these days I suppose. Seems to happen when they reformulate shave soaps and not shave creams for some reason.

Bob

Phrank, I'm so glad you've opened a new thread on this!
I've bought No.89 soap a few months ago, and boy, was I disappointed by it. I really liked the smell - well, that's why I bought it - and it was really slick, but the lather was nothing but bubbly fizzing foam that dissipated in about 10 seconds. I wrote about it on several soap-related threads, but I think it's so big a disappointment it really deserves a thread of its own.
I tried different brushes, distilled water, both bowl and face - to no avail. About a week ago I wrote a complaint directly to 89 Jermyn St. in London. Their response so far was:
"Thank you for your e mail.
I am sorry to hear you are disappointed with your recent purchase.
I have passed your comments to our Head of Product Development and will come back to you once I receive their comments.
Assuring you of our best attention at all times."
I hope to hear in the near future from their development department, and when I do, promise to update you all.

Precisely Bob, with Floris' reputation youd think they might do consumer testing and get feedback.
They might just get a 3rd party to make the soaps...

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Originally Posted by markbignosekelly

Precisely Bob, with Floris' reputation youd think they might do consumer testing and get feedback.
They might just get a 3rd party to make the soaps...

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I guess it is also possible that Floris is just a brand name owned by some larger corporation and the soaps are 3rd party made. It seems that quite a few old line English hard shave soaps recently suffered a loss of quality. Could it be that those are being made by one and the same third party maker? However this happens it is a real shame and has put me off trying current English shave soap brands.

Bob

Gentlemen,

We probably should put the Flores soap on the same level as the Trumper soap — worthless. It makes one wonder if anyone in these companies actually uses this stuff.

However, the Floris 89 cream is sublime, a superb performer. Get the cream, not the soap and you will be happy.

Cheers, Steve

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Originally Posted by Obie

Gentlemen,

We probably should put the Flores soap on the same level as the Trumper soap — worthless. It makes one wonder if anyone in these companies actually uses this stuff.

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I had the same thoughts.

It's really quite preposterous.

It would be like an motorbike company decides they need to add a car to their product line-up, but no employee ever drives cars, and no employee even takes the new car for a drive.

If they did they'd have noticed that it had no reverse gear, can't drive in a straight line, has iffy brakes and, omg, it falls onto its side when you turn corners.

Sent from my SM-N910C using Tapatalk

Floris 89 soap is a pleasantly scented, excellent product if you’re in the market to purchase a well-packaged soap bowl—the bowl’s finish is first-rate. However, there are far less expensive and equally well-made bowls for well under $55 USD (excluding shipping).

If you’re considering purchasing Floris 89 soap to shave with, save your money and instead invest it in a quality soap or cream that’s worth a damn, as this Floris formulation is not.

I did a side-by-side comparison between Floris 89 and Eufros this morning. While some may argue that comparing a tallow to a vegetal soap isn’t quite fair, in the research I’ve thus done on shaving soaps, it’s commonly asserted that there are no major differences between well-formulated tallow and vegetal products. My practical experience with both has demonstrated that this is largely true.

I bowl lathered with both products, and while I’m usually not a swirl counter, I did keep track this morning. I first lathered the Eufros with about 50 swirls and mixed it into a nice yogurt consistency. Since I hadn’t yet used this Floris formulation, I lathered the Floris with about 125 swirls to compensate for my hard water—I loaded the brush like I hated the soap. I then mixed it also into a nice yogurt consistency like the Eufros. At the start of this trial, both soaps were nearly identical in their consistency and appearance.

I first lathered the right side of my face with the Eufros and then the left side with the Floris. The Eufros went on thick and nice, the Floris went on thin—so I painted more on. The Floris quickly, like in a matter of seconds, dissipated into a very thin, bubbly consistency. I then did a simple WTG pass…at best, the lubrication was mediocre. I then lathered my left side again, even heavier this time, and the results were the same: the lather quickly broke down and the lubrication wasn’t there. At this point, I knew the Floris was a dog.

Please note in the above that at nearly every step, I used the Eufros first: I mixed it first, I lathered with it first, but that I shaved it second. After my two WTG passed with the Floris, I re-lathered my left side with the Eufros and shaved it. I then shaved my right side, which had Eufros on it for a while, and during that entire time, the right side Eufros never broke down or etc. It remained as I first mixed it.

During the time in which I did the 3rd WTG pass on my left side, the 1st WTG on my right side, and then XTG passes on both sides, the Floris had totally broken down into a shrunken bubbly mess while the Eufros remained beautifully rich and thick. I stopped at this point to take side-by-side photos of the two products.

Floris On Left; Eufros On Right
Attachment 271515

After the photos, I finished my third pass (a modified ATG) with the Eufros and then dinked around with touch ups. At the end of the shave, the Eufros remaining in my bowl was still beautifully thick while the Floris continued its break down. At this point, the Floris looked like soap that has been floating in a sink way too long…thin, anemic, and rather nasty looking.

I pitched the Floris into the trash after finishing my shave routine this morning—it’s so crappy that it’s not even suitable as a shower soap.

I do not consider this Floris formulation a third-tier product, at best, it’s a premium priced basement/trash soap. There are too many other excellent soaps and creams on the market at comparable, and much lower, price points…save your money for those—this Floris soap formulation isn’t worth it.

Just from looking at the photo I would not choose Floris.

Bob

Yep, Bob, the picture really captures the difference between the two soaps.

The avg. price of Eufros premium tallow 125 gm soaps in the list Manuel sent me a few weeks back was 23.50 €; his balms ran about 15 € each, and postage was 12.85 € (for ~2 units). At today's exchange rate, that's about $60 USD for all three.

The Floris 89 100 gm soap and bowl is $55, figure about another $5 for postage.

So for roughly the same price, I received more Eufros product that it is vastly superior in every respect. With the Floris, I wound up purchasing a very expensive soap bowl…. :gaah:

This has made me curious. I have a puck of Floris 89 that I haven't had out in at least 7 yrs. sealed up in an airtight container. Have to get it down and see how it works. Got it shortly after they stopped using tallow.

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Originally Posted by Jlander

This has made me curious. I have a puck of Floris 89 that I haven't had out in at least 7 yrs. sealed up in an airtight container. Have to get it down and see how it works. Got it shortly after they stopped using tallow.

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Probably is old stock tallow as it takes a while for new formulas to get through the supply chain to dealers shelves. I'd bet it will be excellent.

Bob

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Originally Posted by BobH

Probably is old stock tallow as it takes a while for new formulas to get through the supply chain to dealers shelves. I'd bet it will be excellent.

Bob

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I hope so. I have enough shower soap. Any way this got off my butt to try the Eufros I've been hearing about. Just emailed an order for the Sandalwood and Fougère. He has an interesting Rosa Bourbon listed. A little pricey to try at 34 euro.

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Originally Posted by SemperFi

Yep, Bob, the picture really captures the difference between the two soaps.

The avg. price of Eufros premium tallow 125 gm soaps in the list Manuel sent me a few weeks back was 23.50 €; his balms ran about 15 € each, and postage was 12.85 € (for ~2 units). At today's exchange rate, that's about $60 USD for all three.

The Floris 89 100 gm soap and bowl is $55, figure about another $5 for postage.

So for roughly the same price, I received more Eufros product that it is vastly superior in every respect. With the Floris, I wound up purchasing a very expensive soap bowl…. :gaah:

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Never been hugely impressed by some of the expensive shave soaps even if they performed well. Being not much of a fragrance guy my bench mark is how well they lather compared to Arko. So far the difference has not been vast enough to justify the extra expense for me to be bothered with the expensive stuff other than to use it up.

Bob

The older English hard soaps used to be quite good. Many if not most were reformulated a few years ago and most suffered quality problems from minor to extreme. DR Harris is an exception. Some brands fixed them and some did not. Some fixed them several times - lol.

In English products the safe bet is the cream, especially nice since most English brands offer both a soap and a cream in the same scent.

Cheers, Steve

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Jlander

This has made me curious. I have a puck of Floris 89 that I haven't had out in at least 7 yrs. sealed up in an airtight container. Have to get it down and see how it works. Got it shortly after they stopped using tallow.

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If yours is better, it should be interesting to compare the ingredients of both versions.

I know Creightons make cream for T&H, Trumpers, Taylors of old bond street and St James of London amongst others. I wonder if they make the soaps aswell? It seems odd that all the creams are great and all the soaps are pants.

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Originally Posted by Jlander

I hope so. I have enough shower soap. Any way this got off my butt to try the Eufros I've been hearing about. Just emailed an order for the Sandalwood and Fougère. He has an interesting Rosa Bourbon listed. A little pricey to try at 34 euro.

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The best rose scent out there - worth every penny!

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Originally Posted by dimab

The best rose scent out there - worth every penny!

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Thanks.

I'll keep that in mind for the next order.