Soap Dilemna: Trumper Rose, MWF or DR Harris Lavender?

shmittytheloverboy · Post by **shmittytheloverboy** » Wed Sep 23, 2009 4:16 pm

If you could get only 2 of these soaps which ones would you go for and why? I'm a little torn. How do you differentiate them in areas of performance, scent, and general quality?

Gareth · Post by **Gareth** » Wed Sep 23, 2009 4:31 pm

Firstly, welcome to SMF.

All three of those products are very good, and indeed, the DR Harris is my favourite shaving soap. I would highly recommend it as an extremely high quality and traditional product from one of London's finest chemists.

I personally don't think particularly highly of MWF, however many others do. Trumper's Rose hard soap is, like the DR Harris soap, a real classic IMO.

Hoos · Post by **Hoos** » Wed Sep 23, 2009 4:35 pm

Trumper's Rose and D.R. Harris Lavender. Hands down. No doubt. No question. No kidding.

MWF is great and gives a great shave (and, rumor has it, has been known to cause miracles). But, scent-wise, it's a distant third to the other two. The scent is OK, it's just nothing compared to the other two.

However, if you're just starting out and working on your technique or dealing with irritation/nicks, then I would say go with the MWF. It will make the shave more enjoyable and less irritating, even though you won't stink quite as good at the end.

marsos52 · Post by **marsos52** » Wed Sep 23, 2009 4:37 pm

my personal soaps are mwf and trumpers

so you know what has my vote

Nitrox · Post by **Nitrox** » Wed Sep 23, 2009 5:02 pm

First of all, the Harris no questions asked.
The second is a more difficult choice. The Trumper's rose has an exquisite scent wheras the MWF has the better lather. Get all 3, I did.

Trumperman · Post by **Trumperman** » Wed Sep 23, 2009 5:30 pm

shmittytheloverboy,

I moved your post over here to a more apropos area. Trumper soaps are high on my list as well as the T&H.

Welcome aboard!

Regards,

Bill

gsgo · Post by **gsgo** » Wed Sep 23, 2009 5:58 pm

I would go for Trumper and DRH simply due to the fact that I struggled with MWF. In reality, they are all fine soaps and you should probably just get them all.

brothers · Post by **brothers** » Wed Sep 23, 2009 5:58 pm

I suggest MWF and Harris Arlington. However, in the interest of fairness and making sure, I really think you should get all 3! Definitely.

wayne06 · Post by **wayne06** » Wed Sep 23, 2009 6:37 pm

Go ahead and get all three. Evenually you,ll wind up with all three anyway, plus more.

Squire · Post by **Squire** » Wed Sep 23, 2009 7:00 pm

Hey shmitty, welcome aboard. I can recommend any of the three so get them all. Only by using the different brands can you decide what works best for you.

tester · Post by **tester** » Wed Sep 23, 2009 7:04 pm

I'll keep it simple....HARRIS

Araner · Post by **Araner** » Wed Sep 23, 2009 7:20 pm

D.R. Harris Lavender Shaving Soap would be my first and second choice.

Cigar Dan · Post by **Cigar Dan** » Wed Sep 23, 2009 7:43 pm

For me, it would be Harris Lavender and MWF. While Trumper makes an excellent soap (I have several and like them all), I've never cared that much for rose scents when shaving.

FWIW, I didn't initially particularly like MWF, but it has grown on me over time and has since become a favorite.

95% · Post by **95%** » Wed Sep 23, 2009 7:45 pm

Shmitty, you don't say how you narrowed the universe of shaving soaps down to those three particular choices. I can't recommend among them because I have tried none of them. I do have Harris Arlington, which has disappointed me a bit. I'm using it now as a bath soap.

If you're new to wetshaving, I'd suggest you start with a cream instead of a soap. In my own experience, soaps require more skill in lathering and a lot more time to load the brush. My best cream at the moment is Truefitt & Hill Lavender.

bernards66 · Post by **bernards66** » Wed Sep 23, 2009 7:52 pm

Well, Trumpers Rose is, perhaps, my favourite hard shaving soap. And the D R Harris's has no peer as far as lavender scented hard soaps are concerned, IMO. So, those two. Mitchell's is a very good shave soap, but not quite AS good as the other two I don't think. It can be a bit harder to lather well, and the scent is not in the same league. Still, you're not going to go wrong selecting from amongst that bunch.
Regards,
Gordon

2clfrwrds · Post by **2clfrwrds** » Wed Sep 23, 2009 8:51 pm

There's no doubt: go with the Tabac and AoS Lemon. Oh, wait, sorry.

But seriously, I'm with the get-all-3 crowd. If you're dead-set on keeping only 2, offer your least favorite on the Selling & Trading forum. It will surely go quickly, and you'll be more knowledgeable.

--Glenn

loueedacat1 · Post by **loueedacat1** » Wed Sep 23, 2009 9:16 pm

harris ARLINGTON and MWF

a-cut-above · Post by **a-cut-above** » Wed Sep 23, 2009 10:08 pm

Harris is the top soap. If scent is your goal, go with the GFT for number two. If superior whisker and skin softening is your goal (but a little harder to get the perfect lather before your "get it" and it becomes second nature) then go for the MWF. The scent is "pleasant" but not the reson to get it. I like it better than the GFT soaps for its unique lather. But since I have several of those, it's not that I don't the GFT soaps. Besides, the MWF glows and is known to levitate. Make your life easy and get all three.

giammi · Post by **giammi** » Thu Sep 24, 2009 12:58 am

You will end up buying and trying all three anyway, so do it now and save on shipping costs.

I would go with DR Harris and then choose the other one depending on the flavor your like more. MWF is not for everybody's nasal taste, and so is Trumper's Rose.

desertbadger · Post by **desertbadger** » Thu Sep 24, 2009 2:03 am

Get all three and then make room for more; it not going to stop at three....