Printable View
That is what I am asking myself after trying 14 different soaps/creams. They range from Williams to MWF and none have provided a lather that hindered getting a close and comfortable shave. Some work better than others and I have my favourites but none have been abject failures. It's a puzzle alright.
Bob
Yes there is. It's called L'Occitane Cade Shaving Cream. Impossible to lather if you ask me!!
There are some people reporting (on other forums) that the new formulation of Trumper's soaps are no more useful than paperweights, but I've yet to get my hands on such a puck.
I think if you work it most soaps will work or even excel. I guess it depends on what you are expecting from each soap.
I owned a new formulation trumpers once and after a couple of months I gave up on trying to get a good lather and used it as a shower soap instead.
Wow, high end soaps more useless than Williams, hard to believe. Just had a BBS using a Williams stick for soap this morning.
Bob
I have struggled with Trumpers pucks forever. A few different pucks. I have also had difficulty with all of the triple milled soaps so I assume it is me and not them. Maybe a combination of the two. I've tried distilled water and watched videos ...... it is hit and miss. Even with MWF and Tabac.Quote:
Originally Posted by rum
Sometimes a decent lather but more often than not a PITA. I use these with a dash of cream to get something I can use. OTOH, most all glycerine based soaps lather up wonderfully for me. :shrug:
I expect that I can work up a lather that is suitable to provide a comfortable shave and so far so good. As the cost of the soap rises I expect the same but in spades but have not found that to always be so. Sometimes you don't get what you supposedly pay for and others supply proportionately more than what you would expect based on price or reputation.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mephisto
Bob
When it comes down to it what must a soap do to provide a proper surface to shave from? Lube, moisture cushion? Water will do the same. It's just not as pleasant and luxurious and it doesn't smell nice. So when you go to soaps and spend more and more these are the qualities you are buying. Additionally, once you move to soaps then you have the issues of lather-ability, and staying power of the soap and quality of lather and scent which you don't have with water.
Marvy soaps (the company that puts out the great green rubber shaving mug) was really the only abject failure I've encountered. It smelled great, but all I could get was bubble bath-type bubbles and after a rough first pass, I switched to something else.
All 14 that I tried had no issues with lather-ablity for me with some having a little more lubricity than others. All generated enough lather with one loading for 3 passes. I don't really consider scent as there are 2 of the 14 that I do not care for in that regard but there is nothing wrong with they way they work. For me and the water we have I find it hard to believe that the majority of soaps/creams are not more than adequate. The only other thing I can think of that would make a soap unusable is having a reaction to some of the ingredients contained in it. Undoubtedly there are some unusable soaps out there but I'm gonna stop looking for that magic bullet soap wise.Quote:
Originally Posted by thebigspendur
Bob
See now I find the exact opposite of this soap it's great to me I get a nice thick leather with it! I do not like Jack Black's beard cream or creamo however. Very fond of any type of tobs creams!Quote:
Originally Posted by rum
There you go, works for one but not the other. Maybe I just trying to get at that I think there is nothing basically wrong with the soaps/creams ability to produce decent usable lather but some other factors that make them miserable for some to use. Factors like suitable water, brush type and technique. For the most part I think most all here have a good brush and technique so that really leaves water as the main culprit in poor performance. That has to be the biggest part of success, finding a soap/cream that agrees with the chemical make up of the local water supply. Some soaps/creams being much more sensitive to that than others for some reason.
Bob
Solvol. It lathers OK, but the shave is quite rough. :p
James.
I have read that the new Musgo Real shaving soap is unusable. In my experience, the Mystic Water soaps are terrible, of course YMMV...
I haven't used any brand name soaps/creams that were truly unusable, but I've tried some artisan and homemade (not by me) products that definitely fit that description. A couple were so bad that they bypassed the shower and went straight to the garbage bin.
Just got a tube of Musgo Real cream a month ago and it works as well as others I have, maybe old stock?Quote:
Originally Posted by HoracioAR
Bob
Yea, similar experience with a couple of artisan shave soaps that I tried, direct to the garbage also.
Bob
Actually, I do have an unusable soap. Dr Harris came out with an unscented, all natural soap and I tried a puck a year or so ago and it was the worst soap I ever did see. The lather was non existent and what little there was evaporated in seconds. It made VDH look like a super premium soap. I wound up using it as a bath soap.
I do have very hard water however I have a water softener so my water is in effect totally soft.
Be interesting to see what the difference in ingredients is, if any, from DR Harris Arlington. I have been using the Arlington and it lathers/performs well.
Bob
The worst soap I ever tried was Shea Moisture Shave (Shea butter & African black soap Shave Butter) While the scent is grapefruit citris heaven, The soap is impossible to generate even the hint of lather. It's almost comical they even call it shave cream.
Attachment 119722
Run dont walk away from this tub!!!
Proraso. I find it lathers too thin and it's too drying to my face.
I've had much trouble getting anything even resembling a lather out of the blue tub of Wilkinson's Sword soap.
