Sandalwood Shaving Cream- Taylor of Old Bond vs. Art of Shaving

Hi there,

New to the forum and to straight razor shaving (couple months and love it). Anyhow, wanted to post my thoughts on AOS and TOBS shaving cream experiences so far. I started out with AOS and it seemed no matter what I tried, I could not get it to lather. I watched several videos on lathering, read several posts, and tried different combinations of water ratios, etc, with very poor results. I found this odd since I read several posts on SRP saying that AOS lathers well.

Eventually, I decided to try TOBS cream, and using the lather techniques I had practiced with AOS, I was able to get a tremendous amount of nice lather from TOBS(enough for 3 passes and then some).
Prior to first using TOBS, I thought the scent of its Sandalwood cream was quite overwhelming compared to AOS. But after using it I find that I like the scent very much.

I do wanna say that I really like the subtle sandalwood fragance of AOS also so it's a shame that I cant get it to lather to a satisfactory consistency and amount. Anyway...any thoughts?

PS. Since Im now using TOBS Sandalwood, I was wondering if anyone knows of a good aftershave (preferably cream type) to go with it. The AOS Sandalwood aftershave I have seems not to mesh well...thanks.

I have never tried TOBS but had a tub of AOS. I do like AOS' take on Sandalwood too. As far as lathering, I really never had any serious issues. The only thing I can think of is the cream has expired. I had a tub of Caswell Massey cream which I could not get to lather well. I am beginning to suspect the tub had gotten funky. But I am just guessing though.

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Originally Posted by Mephisto

I have never tried TOBS but had a tub of AOS. I do like AOS' take on Sandalwood too. As far as lathering, I really never had any serious issues. The only thing I can think of is the cream has expired. I had a tub of Caswell Massey cream which I could not get to lather well. I am beginning to suspect the tub had gotten funky. But I am just guessing though.

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I suppose that's possible. I had gotten the AOS cream from a kit at their store but cant say how long it may or may not have sat on the shelf. I may try the AOS cream again in the future to see if I have better luck...thanks.

Maybe you can take it to the store and see what they say. I am guessing if it is one with a barber on staff he could give you some tips too.

In retrospect, I probably should have taken it back. But it's only a 1oz bottle and it's almost gone. And at the time, I thought it was me that was doing something wrong (granted I still may have, although my success with TOBS hints otherwise). In any case next time I go to them, I'll explain what happened so they can show me a demo.

I'm a big fan of the TOBS sandalwood. Smells great and makes a great lather.

I am not trying to be funny but are you doing anything different between using either one? I have not had a cream and I must repeat cream that gave me an issue lathering...soap on the other hand I find it harder to make a good lather..I can do it but it is just a bit more work.
What kind of brush are you using? Do you have hard water issues? Because that might make a difference between the different manufacturers as well.
Just trying to throw out things for you to look at.

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Originally Posted by aespo

I am not trying to be funny but are you doing anything different between using either one? I have not had a cream and I must repeat cream that gave me an issue lathering...soap on the other hand I find it harder to make a good lather..I can do it but it is just a bit more work.
What kind of brush are you using? Do you have hard water issues? Because that might make a difference between the different manufacturers as well.
Just trying to throw out things for you to look at.

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Nope not doing anything different between the two (as far as proper lathering techniques go)..and yet TOBS yields tremendous amounts of lather compared to AOS..
Im using a small badger brush, which probably isnt the greatest but again, no issues whatsoever getting lather with TOBS. Not sure if hard water is the issue or not with my AOS cream, but at this point I'm just gonna take it to the store and see if they can get good lather out of it because I dont see any reason for it not to (aside from what was suggested previously where it may have expired)

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Originally Posted by Chalito

I'm a big fan of the TOBS sandalwood. Smells great and makes a great lather.

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Yes, totally agree..
Have you been able to find a good complementing after shave as far as scent goes?

jsnd:
I am surprised The Art of Shaving sandalwood cream didn't produce much lather for you. It produced a silky cloud of it for me. All the AOS creams do, I should add. Keep your water warm rather than extremely hot. Scoop out a dollop of cream the size of a large almond. Give your brush a couple gentle shakes. Then work the lather. Drizzle in more water if necessary. That should do it. Good stuff.

The AOS always delivered for me. Never tried the TOBS I'm sure its great I'll have to pick some up. I love the Proraso Sandalwood alot more than AOS tho. Anyone else?

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Originally Posted by Obie

jsnd:
I am surprised The Art of Shaving sandalwood cream didn't produce much lather for you. It produced a silky cloud of it for me. All the AOS creams do, I should add. Keep your water warm rather than extremely hot. Scoop out a dollop of cream the size of a large almond. Give your brush a couple gentle shakes. Then work the lather. Drizzle in more water if necessary. That should do it. Good stuff.

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Yes this is what I keep hearing, that AOS lathers well for everyone; so I'm really starting to think I just got a bad batch..

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Originally Posted by Sightless

The AOS always delivered for me. Never tried the TOBS I'm sure its great I'll have to pick some up. I love the Proraso Sandalwood alot more than AOS tho. Anyone else?

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Im hooked on the TOBS version..but definitely have Proraso Sw on my list..

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Originally Posted by jsnd

Yes this is what I keep hearing, that AOS lathers well for everyone; so I'm really starting to think I just got a bad batch..

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That could be the case, although I have never experienced it with the AOS products — I have a part time seasonal gig with the AOS shop here and am well acquainted with its products. Rather than giving up, continue to play with your water ratio, using different brushes, and see what happens.
Stay well.

I've had two tubs of AOS shaving cream (Lavender and Ocean Kelp), and had no problems with the lather, I'll stick to the idea that you had a bad batch of cream. The TOBS sandalwood smells amazing (actually one of my favorites) and it is a top performer.

It has a more velvet feeling to it... I hate the tube version so I just put it in a old AOS container. E-bay is a great place to find it I think it's 11$ with free shipping

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Originally Posted by HoracioAR

The TOBS sandalwood smells amazing (actually one of my favorites) and it is a top performer.

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I just used TOBS Sandalwood for the first time - I've been using the soap that comes with the "Premium Shave Set" since I started using a shavette back in February. I get a decent shave, but never had anything to compare it to. All I can say is this stuff is AMAZING! I need to add a little more water next time, but this is the first XTG shave I've done without any nicks at all! Well, to be honest, I did get myself a little bit, but that was more from going over my chin 3 times than it was anything with my shave. The smell is great, and it feels so much better on my skin. I'm definitely hooked on this stuff!

I have used both and while I love TOBS I haven't had any probs with AOS. Like the other guys said maybe u got a bad batch.....just my two cents FWIW.

Try a little more AOS shave cream next time you use it. Add small amounts of water as you go. Really work it. Swirl, and let the brush fan out a little. I actually mash my brush a bit sometimes if the lather isn't there. It works, and my brushes are fine. Also, different brushes will give you different results.

As long as the AOS Sandalwood hasn't seperated (looks like watery cottage cheese or soup) chances are it's ok. I had one cream out of probably 200 seperate. My AOS is about 5 years old, really, and it's still good. Just food for thought. I think with a little more work, you'll be able to get the AOS to work. It's a good cream, and it has a nice fragrance, more subtle than Tobs...

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Originally Posted by jsnd

PS. Since Im now using TOBS Sandalwood, I was wondering if anyone knows of a good aftershave (preferably cream type) to go with it. The AOS Sandalwood aftershave I have seems not to mesh well...thanks.

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TOBS has Aftershave Lotion in two sizes, a Gel and a Cologne, all in their Sandalwood.

I compared actually TOBS to D.R.Harris Sandalwood and I can say that TOBS has much better scent then D.R.Harris one.
Regarding the lather - it is the same for me from both.
Aftershave and Cologne lotions (TOBS) - I tested them but I did not like them much as their scent is kind of strong and you do not feel that it is a sandalwood really.

Awesome..thanks all for the replies..

I just tried Taylor of Old Bond Street Sandalwood Cream for the first time, and I have to say I was quite impressed! Great scent, and it made one heck of a lather. The price isn't too bad either. --Nick

Hi I completely agree it is the best I tried so far as well.