Printable View
Man, everyone on the forum was sooo right about Mama's Bear soaps. Decided to get myself a gift of two soaps, and just got done using the "Dragon's Blood" soap. :rock:
Stuff is amazing - smell isn't over-the-top and it makes ridiculous lather in seconds.
Momma Bear makes good soap. I currently have her Awakenings and it a cooling blast for the summer heat.
Thanks to some horse trading I have the Barbershop and Spellbound woods.
I like the barbershop better. They both are good soaps.
Isn't it good stuff. I don't think her soaps get enough props on the forum. They're just great, Everybody I've told to check them out, loves them. Her fragrances are off the hook, and the lather is some of the best I've seen, with little effort needed. plus their glycerin based. I think I have 14 of her soaps....Yeah, I like em.....
I have the Spellbound wood, I like it, It kinda reminds me of Sandalwood Vanilla...
posts like this is what got me to order several mambear soaps, i wasnt particuarly impressed. 2 out of the 3 scents were Very bland. it doesnt lather particuarly well(like a bar of regular soap).
TGQ is a step up in both scent and latherability.
id also say that ToOBS and olivia's are a step up as well.
dont get me wrong, its not Bad soap, ive experienced worse, but its not the greatest.
newbiehippie, pm me if youd like to try some samples of a bunch of different soaps.
I have many different soaps/creams, more than I care to list, but TQC is good, TOBS is excellent, AOS, CZeck and Spieck, (may have mispelled) Tabac, to name a few...Ironically, I think Mama Bear's soap is better than Colleen's, Lather, moisture, fragrance, and packaging, (I like that each soap comes in a tub with a screw top lid..) But as they say, To each his own...Quote:
Originally Posted by The0ctopus
What works for me, may not work well for you, and that's Ok...
well its not just me, all my friends are hooked on TGQ scents, and are even havin me place orders for her bath soaps and other products, noone was impressed with the mamabears, i had to give them away on here. in fact, i got several crinkled noses when presenting the MB's.
and your the first ive heard to say MB is better than TGQ, but like you said to each his own.
:)
so far ive showed olivia's to a few people and they say there the best theyve smelled yet. I must say they all smell good, and she has a big choice of scents. i havent showed olivia's to my friends hooked on tgq yet.
its fun to see how different ppl react to scents, ive heard that dragons blood was one of the worst
I definitely hear your complaints Octopus, but I've only been shaving for a few weeks so far.
I actually emailed Sue at Mama Bears, and she recommended the Dragons Blood from what I was looking for (arabic/more exotic smelling). I actually like how it isn't over-the-top powerful in the smell, but I'm still grooving on the purchase.
What about TGQ makes it better? MBs have a lot more scents to pick from, and more out of the way mixes. Curious to hear your thoughts.
the scents themselves are better.
the rose cavendish or the lime margarita are way better than the MB's i had. like no comparison, and all my friends agree, men and women of all ages. its unanimous, about a dozen people i showed the MB's too were turned off, not impressed at the least, but Everyone has liked the TGQ.
plus MB seems to have alopt of scents, but alot of them are similair. just slight tweaks.
youd have to smell them to see. also , aside from scent, there are other things that factor in. for instance, you might like tabac if your into the exotic smells, very arabic. it is a little over the top until lathered, but OMG out of this world smooth shave, no razor burn. in fact i use it after using other soaps because it actually seems to reverse razor burn.
and then theres the world of Creams...... i could go on all night about the differences in the dozens of soaps on my shelf....
MB isnt Bad, but its not the best. far from it. to me anyways.
woops......
I think both are fine for what they are, glycerine soaps. I do agree with Zib that MB's outperforms TGQ from a latherability standpoint as well as providing scents that are more in line with my liking. Both provide a nice array of scent choices from both a traditional side as well as floral and other options. As it stands today, and it should be noted that I have not tried SRD's new soap yet, that QED outperforms any glycerine soap on the market in my opinion in both performance and scent, but I like a stronger scented soap, which QED is know for.
Joe
I personally love them both. I haven't had a bad soap from either of them. Great scents and great lathers. Have you tried MB's Elements of Bamboo. super and Coleens Cavendish Black. These are just two of my favorites.
I really like both the MB and TGQ soaps. I get a great lather and a great shave from both, and they both have some super scents. "Leatherneck" from TGQ is an outstanding fragrance, so be sure to include that in your sample set when you order. MB's "Rosemary Mint" and "Dublin Tweed" are worth trying too.
Is it just me, or are there too many patchouli scents out there in soapdom? Can't abide the stuff unless it's really well hidden, otherwise it's just the smell of humorless hippies.
Quote:
Originally Posted by RichZ
I totally agree with RichZ. The are both excellent in their own rights. I like the english products too. I do feel that these two are underrated especially for such a relatively short time in the business compaired to Old English options.
MikeB
+1Quote:
Originally Posted by newbiehippie
Not many, if any use natural vitamin E like MB also.
Octopus, I've seen and replied to another one of your posts, but when you say:
"Very bland. it doesnt lather particuarly well(like a bar of regular soap),"
I must say this is way off base. I have TQC Cavendish Black and Oak Moss, yea they lather well, but not any better then Mama Bear's soaps. Mama Bear's are very cushioning latherers.
"plus MB seems to have alopt of scents, but alot of them are similair. just slight tweaks."
Honestly, I like Cavendish Black and Oak Moss, but mostly because they smell very very similar, not much of a diff imho. Now take Clear skies and dublin tweed, huge difference in scents.
cheers
D
This post really helped me out. Thanks.
Yeah, thanks for your ideas, folks. I will look at Mama Bear's and The Gentlemen's Quarter for my next bar of shaving soap.
I have and use about 15 different Mama Bear's soaps and very pleased with the performance. She has more flavors than all the rest of the soap makers put together. The lather and slickness is top notch and what all the rest shoot for. I have TGQ and Oggalala and these are right up with Mama Bear's with good scents and latherability. I am just starting to use SRD soaps and I am liking them also. Octopus your lathering skills seem to be lacking and a look at the WIKI could be of help to you.
bj
For me (at this point in my shaving career) cushion and glide are the most important qualities in a shaving soap.
I've tried a couple others, and the mb's surpasses anything I've used in terms of cushion and glide.
Smell is far more subjective, and I put a lot less stock in what people say about scents than slickness.
I've got to say, though, that one of my favorite things about the MB soap is the fact that it stays slick for subsequent passes when I'm touching up. All I have to do is feel around with wet fingers. It also comes right off with a final rinse.
I can't say enough good things about the shaving qualities.
I'm a huge fan of Mama Bear soaps. What's at play here when some say they think TGQ or TOBS is better is the fact that our water differs.
I have very hard un-softened water and it renders TGQ soaps AND creams completely ineffective and cancels any lather abillity those products would otherwise have.
I'm only familiar with TOBS cream (Shaving Shop) and my water also resulted in that cream being sub par.
For MY WATER, Mama Bear soaps explode with lather and with only 25 swirls of a soaked then flicked dry brush on the top of the soap, I have enough thick thick lather for two full passes and final touch ups. Very nice slip with this soap.
But remember......it's really all about the water you have.
Chris L