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Not so much gang...I plunked down 20 bones and gave it a shot..Next to it was Proraso (a high first). Ogallala sandelwood and then a Williams puck. To be Honest I found that William and MWF seemed to be about the same? I know I will get blasted for this heretic statement, but I just had to say something. I hear all the hoopla about MWF and I jus tdon't get it?
Anyone else think that MWF is okay? But definitely not worth 20 bucks?:shrug:
Oh my gosh-you're right! Dozens of people getting excellent shave after excellent shave have all been misled by the enormous MWF marketing machine!
;)
Don't get your panties in a wad champ. It is just my opinion. I was just wondering if anyone had the same thought. All faces react differently. I don' t appreciate the sarcasm.
Jim, it looks like someone is ready to be your huckleberry :)
I haven't tried Williams soap before so I can't compare them, but the mitchells works a better lather on my face than proraso soap and/or proraso cream do. Like you said, faces are different, but different people make different lathers too
I am a Mitchells convert and I get it for 13 n change from Men's Shaving, Grooming, Skin and Hair Care - West Coast Shaving . That being said....find what works for you and stick with it cause every face is different.
Have you been going through my underwear drawer? wow...Quote:
Originally Posted by Wintchase
Wintchase,
You're not crazy. MWF does seem very similar to Williams from where I'm sitting. In fact when I first bought mine, my first thought was British Williams with a bit more slick added. I do however have to give the edge to MWF but they are quite similar. As for the price, I guess anything is worth what folks will pay for it. Which reminds me, I haven't used Williams in quite some time, it may just be time to pick up a puck. MWF does seem a bit easier to lather though and quite a bit slicker.
MWF and Williams are both tallow soaps, that is where it ends to me. Williams dries my face out, MWF and its lanolin make it smooth as...well as a smooth face.
A puck of MWF last seemingly forever. I thought tabac lasted a long time until I acquired a puck of this stuff.
I am a fan of MWF but it pays to go for the refill puck at first.
http://straightrazorpalace.com/soaps...tml#post591436
Smokers beware -- the subtle fragrance of MWF is often
lost to smokers. Me I love it in part because it is so subtle.
MWF is only one of some twenty+ FINE shave soaps and creams out there.
Since faces, water, brushes and preferences are all different ya got to try them.
I have taken to always buying a different refill puck or two
anytime I buy a larger ticket item. I have tossed some
but not many.
MWF is way overrated. As a favor, I will buy them off you, mates! :)
I did not care for the soap myself.Just about every soap/cream that I have tried performed better.
I really think water has a lot to do with success on the different shave soaps. I haven't had much luck with MWF or Tabac myself. I'm just thinking that the tallows and my water don't work well together...it's not the brushes as I have three super badger & three silvertip brushes...maybe it's me.
That is a point that is not made often enough.Quote:
Originally Posted by shooter74743
I am fortunate enough to do quite a bit of traveling, and I can assure you that it is a lottery game each and every time with a few of my soaps. MWF included.
This is why I nowadays use only the very best of creams when travelling.
Water quality has a big bearing on the end result.
Every time I read a review of a soap or cream, this is what's in the back of my head.
What soap x does at the home of person Y, will not necessary tell person z much at all.
Gentlemen:Quote:
Originally Posted by Wintchase
Williams was my first shaving soap. That was many years ago. From what I recall, I liked the fragrance as well as the lather, glide and cushion. Then I moved on to other soaps, and tucked Williams away in my memory, not because Williams was a bad soap; rather, because the world of shave soaps offered me fascinating discoveries.
Years later, after trying scores of soaps, some of which I liked and some not, I found Mitchell's Wool Fat. I love the soft and clean fragrance. The lather, glide and cushion are superb. I doubt my shave den will ever be without Mitchell's Wool Fat. Is my only puck of Williams of long ago, then, equal to my puck of Mitchell's Wool Fat of today?
Equal in what way?
I have not used Williams for years and, therefore, cannot say how I would like it today. Perhaps I would, or I would not. I am tempted to buy a puck, not to test it against Mitchell's Wool Fat, but to relive my early shaves. But even then I will not attempt to compare the two soaps, because I take things for what they are, and that includes each person's taste. Who am I to say my taste is better than anyone else's?
"To be Honest I found that William and MWF seemed to be about the same," says our good friend Wintchase. I find no argument in that, because it comes as an opinion. Another person might says he finds no comparisons between the two, that Mitchell's Wool Fat is far superior to Williams. Nor do I have an argument with that, since that statement, too, is expressed as an opinon.
I take all my shave soaps for what they are. For the most part, my soaps are of high quality: Mitchell's Wool Fat, Tabac, L'Occitane, Provence Sante Verlaine, Truefitt & Hill, and so on. I have some that I think are of a lesser quality. I take them for what they are and try to spike them with a touch of glycrin and Arko shave cream. When they are gone, they will stay gone — I just don't like throwing things away, especially if I have paid for them. I mix nothing with what I consider my top soaps. Why should I?
Our friend Witchase also says, "Anyone else think that MWF is okay? But definitely not worth 20 bucks?"
The question is fair, especially since it solicits an opinion. Mine is this: Mitchell's Wool Fat is not only okay, but also to me it is worth the money I pay for it.
Perhaps I will feel the same about Williams soap, but I will take it for what it is and not compare it to Mitchell's Wool Fat or any other soap I have.
Regards,
Obie
Well said Obie.......
+1 on that! :)
Thank you sir, that was all I was looking for....Opinions..
Quote:
Originally Posted by Obie
It's a demanding soap to get really great lather from if your water is at all "hard", but once you do, it's _really_ great lather. Two tips:Quote:
Originally Posted by Wintchase
Face lather. Leave your bowl for another shave on another day.
Use cool to cold water to lather with! MWF really likes cold water.
Yeah, I know, most folks love a hot shave but hey, it's summer here in the Northern Hemisphere. A cool water shave with some face-lathered Mitchell's on a hot summer day is a really nice shave. :)
I'm not so sure about the hard water thing.I'm just saying because Denver water is not per say soft water and I get fantastic lather from it.Again ,just my experience is all .
I have just a few thoughts here.
First to Obie: you know if you want to relive your early shaves what goes along with that, the razor burn and the cuts.
Second, producing lather is no different than using a straight. Many guys seem to have issues which are due to improper technique somewhere in the chain of skills you need.
Third, some guys enjoy using the most basic items and see no need to go further and whats more even if they use high end stuff they see no difference or feel it's not worth the money. It reminds me of my friend who drove around in a Yugo for years and always thought it was the only car he ever needed and was the best car in the world. I guess it's the ultimate YMMV thing.
I use MWF and I think it's a good soap. Yes, there are better but it's up there with best. I find it requires more water than most other soaps to produce a good lather and little more elbow grease.
QUOTE=thebigspendur;774547]I have just a few thoughts here..... I find it requires more water than most other soaps to produce a good lather and little more elbow grease.[/QUOTE]
+1 I have the same experience with Florida's hard water. But MWF feels great to me, has a nice smell and I'm glad it was recommended on this site.:soapbox:
I am not saying MWF is bad gentlemen. I just don't enjoy as much as most..From the talk o this thread, it might just be I don't have the techniques down for it? I use a Georgetown G10 Scuttle and a Omega Boar, or my Badger super.. I do like the lather better when I use the boar brush...
Saying all that, I overheard two gentlemen talking at work about DE shaving..I spoke up and started asking about their shaving routines. One of the gentlemen apparrently is on this site also (Goes By the Name" High Plains Drifter,or HPL1"?)...Any way, we got into the MWF disscusion and he said that he was generally disatisfied with soaps that he had used and was making his own! He brought some in yesterday and gave it to me in a little tub. I carefully opened it and a pleasant odor of limes wafted out. I greedily stashed the tub away (after thanking him profusely). This morning I broke it out for use...I warmed my scuttle and brush (badger) and started the process of building a lather. The lather formed into a creamy slick foam that went on smoothly. The concoction had a lot of moisturizing propeties and the razor slide dow my face with little effort. I was very pleased with the soap and its performance. Now I can only hope that he sells this soap on the side..So I can stock up!
Get his recipe! No telling how long a "batch" of soap would last...
I'm just about ready to give up on MWF. I have had zero problems getting a decent lather with other soaps and creams. I have tried all three of my brushes, loaded the brush with plenty of product(I think), tried adjusting the water and I wind up with pathetically thin lather that provides no cushion and results in terrible shaves. I know I'm doing something wrong, but I can't figure out what it is.
This from Marco, B & B's Man in Italy:
1. MWF works much better for me if the surface of the puck is previously softened with some drops of warm water;
2. Using warm (not hot) water during the entire lathering process gives me the best results;
3. To my knowledge Mitchell’s Wool Fat seems to love stiff brushes. The best lather I get is, in fact, using my boar brushes or my badger brushes that have great backbone. I like to use any of my Semogue boars and some of my favourite Simpson badgers. I particularly enjoy making lather with my Chubby 1 Super and with my Duke 3 Best;
4. My shaving brush has to be very heavily loaded. I load it for about one minute, which means making over 100 swirls on the surface of the puck. Then I slowly add a few drops of water to the mix and the lather progressively becomes thick, cushioning and slick;
5. This soap, like my beloved Cella, gives me a much, much better lather when face lathering. I do not know why, but bowl lathering with MWF for me fails miserably.
Following the five points above allows me anytime to obtain an incredibly good lather and a very close, comfortable shave. Mitchell’s Wool Fat is one of my all-time favourite shaving soaps.
__________________
I know I've posted this before, but to the OP, try this: Get some Musgo Real shave cream in the tube, and some glycerin. Whip up your MWF, transfer it to a scuttle or bowl, or mug. Add a dollop of Musgo, 5 drops of Glycerin, and I you'll have Glen's Lanolin overload. I think you'll like MWF a whole lot more....
When he spoke about the ingridients I immdiately did the Homer on him..I know nothing about chemistry. He was talking about acids and tallow..It started to sound like Charlie Browns teacher aftera bit..WHen I see him again I will tell him to come back on SRP and give up the receipe to you more savvy folk. But I can not get over how good that stuff was, and easy to use. That was by far the best shave I had yet...I used my same routine, except using a Gillette DE (Fatboy..I have been enjoying DE's lately). I'll tell ya though, I don't think I can go back to store bought again after that.
Quote:
Originally Posted by shooter74743
There have been many threads dedicated exclusively to lathering techniques for MWF, and I don't think I'll add anything except to say don't give up on it. Once you nail down a specific technique that consistantly works well you will be rewarded with some very fine shaves indeed. It's one of the best moisturizing soaps I've come aross, and I've sampled a few.
Mitchell's does take some more effort to get a lather from (at least when compared to soft soaps). I actually learned how to lather with Mitchell's ,when starting out learning how to make shaving lather. I guess as a result, some other soaps will seem much easier to lather. I like Mitchell's for the great shaves, it is mild on the skin, and the scent is nice too.
Hi,
Most of the problems with MWF seem to stem from not loading the brush enough.
One of the easiest ways to use MWF is to rub the edge of the puck on the chops like a shave stick; for me this works really well, and then you can then face lather with any brush, soft or stiff.
Have fun !
Best regards
Russ
MWF is ok but i prefer Tabac. I think Personal preferences is the factor.
gl
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wintchase
Bouncing back and forth between my home (Super soft water - Kinetico) and my girlfriend's house in wisconsin (very hard untreated water) I can certainly say that hard water affects different soaps to a greater or lesser degree.
Proraso will create a decent later in either water, but it is defintiely much richer in soft water. Tabac cream is very forgiving of hard water, and it is actually hard to see too much of a difference between the hard and soft water.
I have a puck of Caswell-Massey that is worthless in soft water, and worse in hard. In soft water you can get a half-dense foam by working it for a few minutes, but once you get it on your face it will disappear in about 20 seconds... In hard water, it will disappear before you finish moving the brush from the left side of your face to the right... The sandalwood scent, however, in the CM soap is the best I've smelled, and their body soaps are great - Or use the shave soap as a body soap (what I have been doing).
hi, anyone knows how long a puck of mfw will stay at daily use