Whatever happened to....

I've been around these parts for quite some time. During this time I've seen them come and go. What everyone was raving about seems to fall by the wayside and something else becomes the darling brand.

Since this is the Soaps and Creams Forum, whatever happened to Xpec? At one time it was the heavyweight champ. Nothing else came close. it was numero uno. I still have mine and I used it today and I still think it's tops.

What do you all think and and what about other contenders that have seemingly lost favor around here?

I really liked Xpec. I finished a tub of it and plan on getting another once I use some of my current soap supply.

It seems a lot of the formerly go-to soaps so many of us were recommended when I started this almost 10 years ago don't get much play anymore: Tabac, MWF, Proraso and some other old stalwarts now take a back seat to all of the amazing artisan-level soaps such as MDC, Wholly Kaw, Noble Otter and so many others I can't keep up with. They're just a whole other level in most cases even above such old-time stalwarts. Though I'm near the end of a puck of MWF, and would like another tube of Tabac cream, I've got years worth of soaps and creams in my rotation as it is! I'm sure that many if not most of the smaller makers can't last long-term, and that the market will decide which ones survive. We have such a dizzying array of choices now!

About 5 years ago I went from 2 tabac pucks a year soap budget to buying anything and everything. End of the day it's soap. It works. They all do. I'm not saying I regret it though. Now my goal is to live long enough to use all of it.

Last time I checked Xpec was sold out everywhere. I wanted to get some but never found any available. Maybe things are different now.

There is always a new flavour of the month so I have given up on the game of buying soaps. I'll just try to use up what I have and stick to the old stalwarts as they just plain work.

Bob

The market is oversaturated with too many excellent soaps for there to be a heavyweight champ. I have fun trying a lot of different soaps although most don't enter my regular rotation. I have a handful of soaps that are my personal "champs" that I use most days of the week, and probably always will as long as they are available, but I doubt that I'll ever tire of reading about and trying something new, just for the fun of it.

Xpec was (is ) something really special. From a technical standpoint it was perfect with every characteristic you would want in soap in spades. The scent was from heaven. it was a type of almost universal floral scent that everyone seemed to love. I never heard anyone ever say they didn't like it as opposed to those who dislike MDC or CF.

Eventually Obie will chime in and I'm sure he has more to say on this.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Gasman

Last time I checked Xpec was sold out everywhere. I wanted to get some but never found any available. Maybe things are different now.

---

I understand Smallflower has it in stock. Not cheap at $62 for 250ml.

I bought some from The Old Town Shaving Company two years ago ($59 + shipping). Heck, I was so tempted to buy another tub at 25% off when they ran a final clearance last year before closing shop for good.

The main reason I didn't order another tub had more to do with my preference for the cream formulation...and the constant allure of so many of other lather champs like MdC, CF, Alvarez Gomez, ....

OBTW, 250 ml is 25% more than the traditional 200ml cream/croap/soap container. Just FYI.

When they changed the formula I don’t think it was as good as the old, plus I’m not a fan of the typical Italian scent of almonds.

I think the really great soaps haven’t suffered a downfall, it’s just so many new guys selling out of their garage have saturated the market that we like to try new stuff and the new guys just starting are trying everything that is made with the new have to have. It was said earlier, soap is soap, you could shave dry, the truly great soaps will always be around while the artisans fall by the way side. Xpec will more than likely be around forever too, and also you have so many who won’t talk about it because of price. Some feel that’s the key factor in quality ( which why they buy anything but Arko still gets me ). Straight razor shavers come and go so the trend will too.

But the ones who stick with it seem to use the old standbys.

100% in agreement with you, TC -- the original XPEC formula with all of those scary parabens was much easier to lather...and slightly better lather at that.

And, like you say with all the choices, why bother? I won't be replacing my XPEC.

Interesting reminder of my own journey!

XPEC is one I've never tried, but it did remind me that I have MWF and Tabac cream in my shave den storage area. Its time to pull out the MWF and give it a go. The Tabac I really didn't like. I only squeezed a few shaves out of the tube and have never touched it again. The scent bothered me, but not sure why, and it lathered the same (or worse) than many others I had. Just got a new tub of Proraso green, and was reminded how much I loved it and how easy it is to work with. Still use some of the old classics and find them to be excellent for everyday. MdC and CF are still my "treat" soaps. Maybe I just listened (mostly) to the right folks here.

I have not tried Xpec. I don't have any doubt that it is an excellent soap. However, I hesitate to spend $60 on a single shave soap no matter how good it is. I have yet to get to the bottom of a 4 oz (113 g) tub, so what am I to do with a tub of Xpec twice that size.

Competition is fierce in the shaving soap artisan space. There are established artisans and there are upstarts coming out with new formulas and new scents, frequently better than the product they sold even a year or two ago. They are developing and revising their formulas based on performance feedback from experienced shavers. Many of those new formulations have been well received in the marketplace. Even some recent additions to the market such as CBL Premium Soaps and Murphy & McNeil are putting out excellent products.

In the case of established soapmakers, many are changing their formulas based on government regulations or political and social pressure (eliminate oakmoss, eliminate parabens, etc.) or they are outsourcing their production or using less expensive ingredients to reduce costs. In many cases, feedback on these new formulations has been neutral or even negative. I rarely hear anyone claim that the new formulation of a soap that has been around for decades is better now that it was in the past.

Another XPEC fan here. I also use the unscented to cut down strongly scented creams like Floris 89 and Dior Eau Sauvage. If you’ve ever tried the unscented it truly is unscented. One person described it as the scent of the vacuum of space... Connaught has the best price I’ve seen, ~$38 and as mentioned, it’s a big 250ml tub.

I also scented an entire tub with Domenico Caraceni 1913 EdT and it turned out really well. For those that remember, XPEC used to be made by Forrester (Sp?) Milan, and they also made the long discontinued DC 1913 shave cream, which came in the same large tub.

Cheers, Steve

As I recall the original maker ceased production and whoever took it back saw a downward spiral in it but then the original maker supposedly took it back again. Of course that was all years ago.

I have the original stuff and it beats anything out there these days by a mile and that includes MDC and CF. My opinion of course.

Gentlemen,
As I recall, the original Xpec was quite good, but not the later version. I think that's probably why I stopped using it, and subsequently forgot about it. Ironic how manufacturers can take something good and turned it into a puff of mediocrity — perhaps with an eye on financial profit. OY!

I’ll have to be the dissenting opinion here, I have a good sample of the original formula from a friend, and a tub of the current version. I really can’t tell much if any difference.

Cosmetics get re-formulated from time to time, mostly because of user wishes, eliminating parabens, and the current trend by D. R. Harris and Cyril Salter away from palm oil and back to tallow in their current hard soaps. Most of the time these don’t IME really make much difference except in internet lore. None of these companies are going to introduce an inferior version of their products unless there’s regulation involved, and they have the ability to test their products well. The idea that they intentionally released an inferior version of their own accord seems unlikely.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Steve56

I’ll have to be the dissenting opinion here, I have a good sample of the original formula from a friend, and a tub of the current version. I really can’t tell much if any difference.

Cosmetics get re-formulated from time to time, mostly because of user wishes, eliminating parabens, and the current trend by D. R. Harris and Cyril Salter away from palm oil and back to tallow in their current hard soaps. Most of the time these don’t IME really make much difference except in internet lore. None of these companies are going to introduce an inferior version of their products unless there’s regulation involved, and they have the ability to test their products well. The idea that they intentionally released an inferior version of their own accord seems unlikely.

---

You might very well have the third iteration when the original outfit went back to making it.

Could be, it gets confusing, and my original sample is not in the product packaging, but the donor is a high end soap aficionado of the first water. AFAIK, the original was made by Forrester, Milan. The current version of XPEC is made by Effimarinelli S.r.l.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Steve56

Could be, it gets confusing, and my original sample is not in the product packaging, but the donor is a high end soap aficionado of the first water. AFAIK, the original was made by Forrester, Milan. The current version of XPEC is made by Effimarinelli S.r.l.

---

No, the original was made by Fore' Te of Milan. I still have some in the original tub.

I learned something today, thank you spendur!

I had a sample of the XPEC, but I found the scent to be nauseating. The lather was good, but there's no way I would buy it because of the smell. And the lather wasn't nearly amazing enough for me to need to invest in an unscented version.

At this point in time, I probably have enough different kinds of shaving soap and creams that I doubt I will be purchasing more until I can get my stock down a bit. I also have too many straight razors since I have narrowed down to some favorites. At some point I will probably sell off a majority of what I have.

I have never tried Xpec though.

Mike

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by mglindo

At this point in time, I probably have enough different kinds of shaving soap and creams that I doubt I will be purchasing more until I can get my stock down a bit. I also have too many straight razors since I have narrowed down to some favorites. At some point I will probably sell off a majority of what I have.

Mike

---

In a similar camp as I have no need for any more software but won't go so far as to part with any....well, maybe the XPEC. :p

However, I do need to cull a third of my razors if I ever hope to grab yet another fine strop. Plus, this will make room for any razor I find I just need to add to my quiver.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Steve56

I’ll have to be the dissenting opinion here, I have a good sample of the original formula from a friend, and a tub of the current version. I really can’t tell much if any difference.

Cosmetics get re-formulated from time to time, mostly because of user wishes, eliminating parabens, and the current trend by D. R. Harris and Cyril Salter away from palm oil and back to tallow in their current hard soaps. Most of the time these don’t IME really make much difference except in internet lore. None of these companies are going to introduce an inferior version of their products unless there’s regulation involved, and they have the ability to test their products well. The idea that they intentionally released an inferior version of their own accord seems unlikely.

---

Im going to disprove that theory in 2 words.... "New Coke" :roflmao

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Magpie

Im going to disprove that theory in 2 words.... "New Coke" :roflmao

---

No not really. An outfit like coke has to continually advertise the keep up interest in their products and compete with pepsi so by introducing a new version has the potential of selling a lot more of the product. Of course if you stumble like coke did it can cost you. However either way they generated all this talk and interest in the new coke so they probably came out ahead. Who knows maybe it was all a publicity stunt and they hoped it would fail.

At any rate if you are lucky enough to have a supply of the original Xpec which goes back probably to 2005 or so it really is special stuff. Scent of course is subjective but it produces an instant lather like whipped cream with more lube and glide than you can imagine. A few twirls and you have enough lather for 3 shaves. Once on yer face it seems to stay there forever. it doesn't disappear on you. like so many other soaps do.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

At any rate if you are lucky enough to have a supply of the original Xpec which goes back probably to 2005 or so it really is special stuff. Scent of course is subjective but it produces an instant lather like whipped cream with more lube and glide than you can imagine. A few twirls and you have enough lather for 3 shaves. Once on yer face it seems to stay there forever. it doesn't disappear on you. like so many other soaps do.

---

^^^^^ THIS was my experience with '12 vintage XPEC!

The tub I purchased in 2016 only resembles the previous XPEC formula in scent (close but not quite there) but nowhere near this performance that mirrored mine from the year I began wet shaving.

XPEC as a legend lives on only in my memories but no longer in my shave den. No parabens = no good with their formula evidently. :)

I still have a little of the good Xpec. Yes the scent was great. And it cut really well too. But in the past few years I have settled into a single soap and am not finding anything that tops it. I like to think that it was a gradual weeding out of lesser soaps. When I first started to wet shave, Truefitt and Hill was tops. I added Trumpers, then DR Harris. Proraso, MDC, Cella, and everything else. And while a lot of them were good, some clearly better than others, I've dropped them all but for what is left in my stash in favor of what seems to be working best for me. I still have a bit of the Xpec kicking around but the stuff was pricey. If its still sold, I doubt I'd replace it.

Original XPEC is fantastic. It's the one product where I actually have to focus on not dropping my razor....it's that slick. I actually dropped and cracked a Thater brush when I lathered the original XPEC.

I feel very lucky to have started my wet shaving journey just about when the original was discontinued...and I still have a tub. I haven't seen an original tub for sale in years.

The replacement was good (called 'original' but just not the same), and I think has been discontinued.

I'd trade just about 90% of my shave products for a tub of Domenico Caraceni cream....made by the same company but with the heavenly DC scent. I haven't been able to locate a tub in a decade.

when its drop, I never heard the name before?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Big

Original XPEC is fantastic. It's the one product where I actually have to focus on not dropping my razor....it's that slick. I actually dropped and cracked a Thater brush when I lathered the original XPEC.

I feel very lucky to have started my wet shaving journey just about when the original was discontinued...and I still have a tub. I haven't seen an original tub for sale in years.

The replacement was good (called 'original' but just not the same), and I think has been discontinued.

I'd trade just about 90% of my shave products for a tub of Domenico Caraceni cream....made by the same company but with the heavenly DC scent. I haven't been able to locate a tub in a decade.

---

If I were rating soaps and creams the original Xpec would be number 1 in a class by itself with Castle Forbes a close second.

During the past few weeks I've been using my original version and alternating with Castle Forbes and MDC and some of the other heavy hitters. it beats em all, IMHO of course.

Now of course that doesn't mean it has the best ingredients. It's just the final result Im talking about.

It is my understanding that Xpec was made by the same manufacture that made Domenico Caraceni. Unfortunately, both my reviews from the time got lost when the review software here reached end of life.

Either way, a defective batch of Caraceni was shipped, had to be recalled, and the company that owns the brand decided to discontinue the product entirely. And that was that.

Personally, I found Caraceni to be the better of the two. I still have half a tub of it (now almost ten years old, but still as performant as it was on day one). Nevertheless, those were outstanding products. But not necessarily better than the best you can get today.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by RobinK

It is my understanding that Xpec was made by the same manufacture that made Domenico Caraceni. Unfortunately, both my reviews from the time got lost when the review software here reached end of life.

Either way, a defective batch of Caraceni was shipped, had to be recalled, and the company that owns the brand decided to discontinue the product entirely. And that was that.

Personally, I found Caraceni to be the better of the two. I still have half a tub of it (now almost ten years old, but still as performant as it was on day one). Nevertheless, those were outstanding products. But not necessarily better than the best you can get today.

---

Robin, my friend,

I remember Domenico Caraceni was hot at the time you reference. It was the shave cream to have. Unfortunately I never got the chance to try it. Just as I was beginning to order a tub, from some vendor in Hollywood, the shave cream disappeared.

The last full tub of it I saw, though, was at my friend Lynn Abrams's house when I visited him a few years back. It was unopened and I guess he was keeping it for posterity.

Indeed, you're right: that there is no guarantee Caraceni was any better than some of the shave soaps and creams on the market today. I will have to take your word for it.

Well, Obie,

I might have successfully recruited a proxy in Scotland to get that puck of Italian mystery super soap to you yet. If that works, I'll send you a sample (a small sample) of Caraceni. Because...

https://tohserver.com/~robin/SRP/DC.jpg

Oh, and the scent is still 100%. Rose and black pepper, nothing else. One of the best scents ever made (little wonder given who made it - I'll leave the research to inquisitive readers...).

:)

Kind regards,
Robin

Robin, my friend,

That sounds royally kind of you. Yes, I'd love the small sample of it. Rose and black pepper sounds intriguing. I remember that description of the scent way back when. And yes, the mystery soap sounds, well, exciting. Thanks.

Obie,

That's what friends are for. The Caraceni is maybe 50ml, but I'll gladly share it.

The Italian mystery super soap is intriguing. I've been shaving with it since February, and I've used next to none of it. Incredibly efficient (well, the T-400 with a high-powered synthetic knot certainly helps), but also very effective. And at 38p per puck... *harrumph*

:)

Robin

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by RobinK

Obie,

That's what friends are for. The Caraceni is maybe 50ml, but I'll gladly share it.

The Italian mystery super soap is intriguing. I've been shaving with it since February, and I've used next to none of it. Incredibly efficient (well, the T-400 with a high-powered synthetic knot certainly helps), but also very effective. And at 38p per puck... *harrumph*

:)

Robin

---

I look forward to the shaving treasure, Robin. Thanks.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

I've been around these parts for quite some time. During this time I've seen them come and go. What everyone was raving about seems to fall by the wayside and something else becomes the darling brand.

Since this is the Soaps and Creams Forum, whatever happened to Xpec? At one time it was the heavyweight champ. Nothing else came close. it was numero uno. I still have mine and I used it today and I still think it's tops.

What do you all think and and what about other contenders that have seemingly lost favor around here?

---

I spent a fortune on soaps and creams. I guess my favorite soaps are Tabac, Martin De Candre, Cade, Czech & Speake. My Go To Is Tabac. Love the scent and it’s a great Soap.
For Creams at the moment I only have Castle Forbes Lavender, And Trumper Coconut. I’m almost out of Castle Forbes. I plan to try the lime next.