Thread: 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.

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.

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.

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.

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)

Originally Posted by Chalito

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

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.