SMF

Or: don't believe the hype. I have a jar of this at about 95% full. I barely use it and will no doubt sell it - while a quality product, I don't believe it's the best soap you can get, and to me it certainly isn't worth the hype. Tabac/Moos, Arko, Valobra, Cella & IK, when lathered properly, ar...

My favourite soap at the moment is Claus Porto Aguia (Vetiver). Amazing scent.... but you have to like Vetiver. Really grassy/earthy scent.

I live in London and rarely, if ever, do shaving shopping here. Why? Because last time I went all the re-branded brushes were too pointy-bulby, lofty, and too floppy for my tastes. Plus, all the English creams/soaps are highly overrated in my opinion. Give me Arko, IK, and Cella any day of the week!...

I went through a phase of buying every short lofted, dense brush available. I liked the idea of them, and loved the face feel (at least on the first pass). Trouble is, they required too much effort to make and apply the lather, and were quite hard on the face during latter passes. I actually got &qu...

I've had three 3/1s Supers, all have been quite different in terms of density, loft (one was 55mm!) and hair softness. My 1/1 was also quite nice, but not exceptional. I think there is better value to be had. My current 3/1 Silvertip (or is it Super, not sure) is not as dense as my first specimen fr...

Thanks Mark, So, is it possible to request a more traditional Simpsons fan shape? I remember the Chubby and the Polo used to be a kind of hybrid fan/bulb. The bulbs I've seen and used lately have been way too pointy and uncomfortable. Shavemac can produce (rounded) bulb, fan or extreme flat top to o...

mark - while you are on here - and slightly off topic - but is there any particular reason why the new vulfix manufactured simpson brushes are no longer produced in a fan shape? a lot of folks prefer this older style of knot, particularly if they face lather. I've been wondering this too. I don't w...

Hmmm - are you sure that's a Somerset handle? Looks like a Vulfix one to me. The text looks etched rather than lamp-blacked. Also, that's just crazy loft for a Chubby! Personally, I'd be disappointed with a Chubby with a loft (and bloom!) like that. On a Chubby 2 they should be around 50-52mm max. J...

Was it ever confirmed that SR = Shavemac?

I find GFT soaps to be OK. But for all the hype and the price tag, they leave me underwhelmed. The scents are great, by far the best characteristic of these soaps - I particularly like the Sandalwood. The performance is... meh. Not bad, but nothing of note either. There are other soaps that work mu...

Hmmm. I have to say I'm not a fan of the Harris soap I've tried (Arlington). I cannot seem to get a decent lather with it. MWF, Harris, Erasmic and Saint Charles are the only soaps that have failed me to date. It think it's my London water. The Arlington lathers better than the MWF for me, yet it is...

I used to have a Vulfix Duke 3, and it was most definitely fan shaped and had a very dense, short loft, 46-47mm. It felt almost identical to the Chubby 1 I had. I regret selling it now, as every Simpsons brush I've tried since just hasn't been up to scratch. There was a thread on B&B about the m...

I'm neutral on the scent. It's dry almond and a hint of something else, I guess the natural ingredients. However, if there's a soap out there that out-performs it, I want to know. In my opinion it beats MWF, Harris, Trumpers, and even Moos/Tabac. I'd even go as far to say it performs better than MdC...

I had very high hopes for this brush based on all the positive reviews here and elsewhere. I was rather disappointed. It looks great, feels great in the hand, nice size and heft. However, I found the knot to feel rather unpleasant on the face - too prickly and "springy". To me this feels l...

David, Yeah, and interestingly, the situation in England itself is at least as spotty. There are shops in London that stock the higher end Ronney brushes but it's with their own label on them. As best as I can remember, no one over there found even one shop that sold branded 'Rooney' brushes. Regar...

After reading the initial post on this thread I was so intrigued with the Savile Row brush that I went to the QED website and ordered a 2824 best badger (24mm knot). The brush showed up in the mail today and at first sight I am impressed. The best badger is softer and more luxurious than I expected...

Thats a gorgeous brush!shavemac is doing a great job with the SR line. Was this ever confirmed? I thought it was just a rumour. I love my newer 3122 - great handle, knot shape, hair, density, softness, flow through... I sold all my Simpsons and Rooneys as I discovered my face couldn't take such den...

I love Valobra! The scent is just ok, but the performance really works for me, beating many other highly praised soaps (Tabac, MWF, GFT) I really want to try some AoS soaps as they are rumoured to be made by Valobra to the same formula yet with nicer scents! My ideal face lathering brush differs fro...

This is well in my top 5, which includes Valobra stick and Cella. I wasn't sure about the scent at first, just a clean, soapy smell. Nothing fancy. However, the performance and lather are way up there, and it's a really mild soap which doesn't sting or cause irritation even after multiple passes. Al...

Based on raw performance: - Valobra stick (simply wonderful, thick, slick, long lasting lather) - Cella - IK - Martin de Candre Based on scent: - Trumpers Limes/Rose/Coconut - Mama Bears Rosemary Mint - Cade Unlike many on here, I found I didn't get on with Tabac or MWF. Both smell "meh" t...