Opinion: Soap

[jamiedaniel]

Ok everyone,
What is the best "luxury" soap.
The one that smells "manly" and feels silky and creamy.


Oh and another question. Does it matter if you have great soap and a Walmart bowl and brush?

What should I be looking for?


Thanks,
Jamie

[markbignosekelly]

Hi Jamie

Check out this thread http://straightrazorpalace.com/soaps...ps-creams.html

Martin de Candre is generally considered king of all soaps. Its not cheap upfront but one jar will roughly give you two years worth of everyday shaving. The Fogure or Vetiver would be considered manly.
Tabac also ranks as a great cheap soap and is definitely a man's man fragrance.

Most brushes will perform well enough. I've used brushes from both end of the spectrum and all do what they are supposed to do.

[Gasman]

Scent is a personnal thing. Remember that the scent of the soap is enjoyed by you alone while you shave. As far as the best soap on the market, read that link given. MDC is the top if you ask me but there are some soaps thar are creams that are very nice as well. A few artisans are making quality soaps now too. Id say try out a few of the first tier soaps on Obies list to learn what a good soap is about. Then after youve learned that, then try others. But scent is what you like. Its not something others will be enjoying as a scent on you. A.S. is what others will smell.

BTW, welcome to SRP. The best place on the web to learn this thing we call a hobby.

[BobH]

You have been given some excellent advice already so not much to add there from me.

I am curious as to why you are asking about the best luxury soap though. Are you not getting a good lather with the soap you are now using and what soap are you using? The reason I am asking is that I have had perfectly good lathers from soaps/creams ranging from inexpensive to expensive luxury ones. The difference in performance is not as huge as I would have thought in that range considering the price differences but there is a difference. OTH some soap/creams are just terrible but not all that many fall into that category.

Bob

[RayClem]

Although getting reviews from others on soap performance is useful, you might not agree when you try the product. Soap is a very personal thing. Your preference for what constitutes a great, manlly scent will differ from mine.

Also, soap performance depends a lot on your water quality, your shaving brush and your lathering technique. What you want is to produce a lather that is very slick and also very protective. Some products achieve one, but not the other.

I have purchased some soaps based on glowing reviews. Some I love. I love the performance of some, but are turned off by the scent. I love the scent on some, but do not get great performance.

The terms "luxury" and "deluxe" are strictly a marketing ploy with no real meaning, so do not think that a product labeled as such is guaranteed to be good.

In a niche marketplace such as wet shaving and with forums such as this one to provide multiple reviews of products, you will frequently find that price and quality are usually well correlated. Martin de Candre could not charge their high price if their product were not excellent. Likewise, there is a reason that canned shaving foam sells for less than $2 at your local store. That being said, there are lot of quality soaps and creams that can be purchased for $10 - 20.

If you can afford to do so, I suggest you purchase several and see which works best for you. Once you find a product you like, read the ingredient list and see what is in the product. Then look for other products with similar ingredients.

As far as a brush is concerned, there are several types. For a newcomer, I would suggest getting a good synthetic brush. They usually are soft, yet have enough backbone to lather hard soaps. They often can be purchased somewhere between $15-30. I would not suggest purchasing a cheap badger brush from you local discount store; I made that mistake.

[thebigspendur]

Probably Castle Forbes is the equal of MDC however read over the thread on top tier soaps and there are many to choose from.

[lslick23]

The manliest soap I’ve used is from Henri Et Victoria called Duc de Santal. I can’t get enough of the smell even after using the asftershave balm.

[JBHoren]

The manliest soap I’ve used is from Henri Et Victoria called Duc de Santal. I can’t get enough of the smell even after using the asftershave balm.

I'm one for investigating stuff, and this is what Henri Et Victoria have to say about Duc de Santal.

Fendrihan has it (here in the US) for 20% less.

[MichaelS]

Martin de Candre and it's so good it will turn any brush into a star performer too.

[nun2sharp]

I love Colleens soaps at the Gentlemans quarter, handcrafted with the right blend of fragrances. If you haven't tried any of hers I highly recommend it. I love the oak and moss as well as her highlander and bay rum. Its not the "usual" stuff. Definitely a step up in fragrance, latherabilty and glide.