DR HARRIS : OMG

gil3591 · Post by **gil3591** » Thu Feb 07, 2013 6:02 pm

ok, so i ordered tubes of dr harris creams. i ran a poll asking about harris vs. trumpers and decided to go with harris based on the poll.

up until this time i had only tried harris lavender and rose creams from samples sent to me from the kindness of smf members. i was unimpressed to say the least with a lack of scent and what i considered so-so lather.

all of that has now changed. i think it's because i finally have enough product to do the cream justice

i received harris rose, arlington and windsor. they are all superior in my opinion and the windsor is beyond belief! totally wonderful! what a joy to finally have a cream that is above the rest. i may be a harris convert for life! $\:D/$

brothers · Post by **brothers** » Thu Feb 07, 2013 7:31 pm

Good for you Gil. The Harris lineup is in it to win. I used to think GFT had their act together, but I was mistaken. Harris and Taylors seem to have some steady hands at the wheel running the show down there in England.

jww · Post by **jww** » Thu Feb 07, 2013 7:54 pm

brothers wrote:Good for you Gil. The Harris lineup is in it to win. I used to think GFT had their act together, but I was mistaken. Harris and Taylors seem to have some steady hands at the wheel running the show down there in England.

+1.

I have a couple of tubes of GFT that I am using up and when they need replacing, it'll be Harris or TOBS.

Post by **Sam** » Thu Feb 07, 2013 8:21 pm

Don't sell Trufitt short

brothers · Post by **brothers** » Thu Feb 07, 2013 9:21 pm

Sam wrote:Don't sell Trufitt short

Good point. They're having a bit of trouble with some soaps, but evidently the creams are still tip top.

bernards66 · Post by **bernards66** » Thu Feb 07, 2013 9:32 pm

One thing I learned some time ago is not to be parsimonous with these English creams; use a generous amount of cream if you want to get the optimal lather, especially if your water is less than ideal. I think I said, in that DRH vs. Trumper thread, that the pot of Harris's Rose cream that I currently have is the closest to the old English creams of a decade ago, including Coate's. This may be partially because the cream has firmed up a bit, but regardless, it is a very rich dense cream and only a little is necessary for several passes. With the current Trumpers and T&H I have to use bit more cream to do the trick. None the less, for tubed cream I will probably stick with Trumpers because I much prefer the metal tubes over the plastic. Despite all the ups and downs, the re-formulations, and iffy batches these old school English creams still represent the best overall trad. shaving products as far as I am concerned. In his tutorial on straight razor shaving Chris M. called them "the Rolls Royce of shaving products" and I agree with that. So Gil, I'm glad that you gave them another try and found out why some of us are so fond of some of this type of product.
Regards,
Gordon

fallingwickets · Post by **fallingwickets** » Fri Feb 08, 2013 5:17 am

Gil! use in good health and enjoy to the fullest

the s$t countdown is is still on

clive

Bob H · Post by **Bob H** » Fri Feb 08, 2013 8:33 am

I have'nt used Harris cream in years. Not for any particular reason. Mostly I use Taylors but having seen this post I checked out a few suppliers and see that Harris is nearly twice the price of Taylors. Is it really that much better?

gil3591 · Post by **gil3591** » Fri Feb 08, 2013 12:53 pm

bob, it's a personal call. i really like taylors lavender cream. i think for the price i would go with taylors on that one but harris rose and windsor can't be beat. i think the cream quality is a little better with harris. i'm not in this for
saving pennies. i realized that if a product doesn't wow me i get board and move on before i can use it up. so i'm going with products i know i will use in their entirety which may make then cheaper in the long run.

Nitrox · Post by **Nitrox** » Fri Feb 08, 2013 3:40 pm

bernards66 wrote:Despite all the ups and downs, the re-formulations, and iffy batches these old school English creams still represent the best overall trad. shaving products as far as I am concerned. In his tutorial on straight razor shaving Chris M. called them "the Rolls Royce of shaving products" and i agree with that.
Regards,
Gordon

Gordon, you know, I've tried almost all the English creams and soaps, various 'homemade' soaps and creams, glycerin soaps, 'croaps', etc............In my opinion, and in agreement with your statement, nothing can beat the performance of the English made stuff. I use one of those other creams for a while and say to myself, 'the performance is good' yet when I go back to the English stuff, the performance is way better. Better lather that lasts and doesn't evaporate after 3 seconds, better cushioning, better slickness for razor glide, and better protection against nicks and irritation. Harris soaps for me produce a better lather than most creams, and I hope that Harris will continue to keep this formula. The Harris creams are very close to the ones that used to be made by Coates and the Taylor's are not far behind and offer outstanding value for the money.
Bob, you're getting good quality from those Taylor's creams and the difference is not that much with the Harris creams.
A lot of us have SCAD so we have to try as many creams and soaps as we can..

Post by **Sam** » Fri Feb 08, 2013 7:48 pm

Gordon with the TH creams I got in December I find that a dollop the size of two oeas gets me six passes. I am not using any more or less than the Trumpet limes or Coates sandelwood but I find the lather a bit thicker than Trumpet.

Spenser · Post by **Spenser** » Sat Feb 09, 2013 6:57 am

I found the Taylor's Lavender a thicker lather and don't care for it. Clogs up blade, have to carefully clean blade each (EACH) pass. Went back to Lemon Lime, using same amount and it did not clog blade. Live and learn, or is it, learn and live.

bernards66 · Post by **bernards66** » Sat Feb 09, 2013 1:51 pm

Sam, Yeah, that's been my recent experiance also; I get a little richer/heavier lather with the T&H cream ( both recent pots have been Lavender ) than with the same amount of Trumpers. In fact, I just noted that to myself while shaving this morning. The D R Harris's Rose I have is a little richer still, but that may be because it is more dried out, relatively speaking. The Trumper creams do not, on the whole, seem quite as concentrated as they were when this forum was new. They still work fine, and I favour some of their scents, but I do have to use a bit more cream than with the T&H and Harris's. But, as always, there are variations. The pot of Trumpers Rose that I finished off late in 2011 was very rich and dense. So, there you are.
Regards,
Gordon

oldtrout · Post by **oldtrout** » Thu Feb 14, 2013 8:17 pm

Sam wrote:Don't sell Trufitt short

+1 T&H is very nice.

TRBeck · Post by **TRBeck** » Fri Mar 08, 2013 6:43 pm

Well, I've been a soap guy from forever, but lately I've had the itch to buy some old favorite creams, particularly T&H lavender and rose. May have to see if I can squeeze Harris lavender and rose into the mix, too. Ah, a few minutes back here and the debit card prepares to go into hiding. I've missed SMF.

sunflake · Post by **sunflake** » Sat Mar 09, 2013 11:50 pm

Hey Gil, is the Windsor a strong smelling soap or just a light smell. I really hate soaps or croaps that you can't really smell when face lathering regardless if the lather is fantastic or not. If it don't smell its a no go for me. BTW I love Tabac,Proraso,MdC. Those scents are in your face, No pun intended.

Craig_From_Cincy · Post by **Craig_From_Cincy** » Sun Mar 10, 2013 12:02 am

I need a refill of both cream and soap and based on what I'm catching up on here at SMF tonight, it will be Harris that I buy.

gil3591 · Post by **gil3591** » Sun Mar 10, 2013 3:57 pm

sunflake wrote:Hey Gil, is the Windsor a strong smelling soap or just a light smell. I really hate soaps or croaps that you can't really smell when face lathering regardless if the lather is fantastic or not. If it don't smell its a no go for me. BTW I love Tabac,Proraso,MdC. Those scents are in your face, No pun intended.

i think we share the same interest in pungent creams and soaps. i mean, if they go thru all the trouble and expense to please our noses then, by god, give me some scent!

i think harris windor cream may be the strongest harris product and marlburough second. i rate windsor as their best scent. i think trumper's rose may be a better bang for the buck than harris rose cause i am personally liking the shave i get from their sandalwood cream.

lavender creams i rate castle forbes first and taylor's second

Nate · Post by **Nate** » Sun Mar 10, 2013 7:10 pm

TRBeck wrote:Well, I've been a soap guy from forever, but lately I've had the itch to buy some old favorite creams, particularly T&H lavender and rose. May have to see if I can squeeze Harris lavender and rose into the mix, too. Ah, a few minutes back here and the debit card prepares to go into hiding. I've missed SMF.

There you have it Tim, my favorite lavender and rose creams are respectively T&H, and Harris.

Craig_From_Cincy · Post by **Craig_From_Cincy** » Sun Mar 10, 2013 9:04 pm

Lots of lather with a small amount of Forbes lavender cream from this morning