SMF

In just a couple of days I'm going to remove the cellophane wrapper from an unused puck of tallow English Fern soap and lather it up. I am so looking forward to the next few weeks of great shaves.

Gary - that sounds amazing. I love that scent. I had a puck of the reformulated stuff, gifted from a friend, and it was pretty good.

Can't wait to hear how it performs.

I've had mine for a few years now, but use it sparingly because once it's gone, it will be hard to find an equivalent.
Nice scent and an amazing lather, it was worth every penny when I bought it.

Looking forward to reading about your experience, gary

Im not sure how/why but i missed the whole penhaglion luvfest

clive

I remember it seemed outlandishly expensive at 20 quid for a puck and 30 including the wooden bowl. I'd bite your hand off for that offer now:)

This morning's shave was as good as it gets.

73 thumbs up to that gary!

clive

We're talking about a handful of super hard triple-milled shaving soap worth more than $80 for 3.5 ounces. In thinking about several famous soaps that are no longer available, I continuously wonder why someone doesn't just contact whoever owns the formulae of one or more shaving soap(s) and either license it or buy it and start producing it in limited or infinitely available fragrances and quantities. It's not extinct, it's capable of being mass produced on the assembly line and in no danger of running out in the distantly foreseeable future. For crying out loud, it's only a chemical formula, not some alien ingredient or ingredients only the deity are allowed to access. This is stupid and ridiculous. Who wouldn't spring for the cost of (you name it) legendary and highly effective shaving soap if it suddenly became available again, except in a different or non-existent scent? In my small list, I'm recalling such legends as Yardley, Williams, Penhaligons, Trumpers, AOS . . . you name it. This is BS. As I submit this post, I am asking myself this question: hasn't it already been done by accident/chance by more than one current artisans? It's soap, not supernatural alchemy. Now let's venture into the twilight zone for a moment --- how about the new formula Cyril Salter hard shaving soap that is only available at a very few retail sources, costs a pittance and performs like a grizzly bear of a shaving soap? Did someone simply go out into the lab and mix up some soap that works like a champion and start selling it for the equivalent of peanuts? Are we hypnotized by name brands to the detriment of the innocent and sincere men and women who just know how to make a hard puck of shaving soap that works at a price that is so reasonable that it almost seems accidental?

The above is offered courtesy of Jack Daniels.

You're right - it's not black magic to make a decent shaving soap. But if you have to obey EU rules about banned ingredients, and you have bean-counters who have decreed that profit will be maximised by using cheaper ingredients, plus you're selling to a generally ignorant public who can't tell the difference.....well, you begin to understand why we can't have nice soaps.

I suppose Cyril Salter's is on a mission to change the world, and I heartily commend their determination.

any hangovers, gary???

fallingwickets wrote: ↑Thu Jun 06, 2019 4:18 am any hangovers, gary???

Nope, got some good sleep though!

I do want to emphasize the wonderful slickness that presents itself after the lathering pass when I splash water on my face and make the touchup and polishing pass.

That's a great point Gary. I think that some of the artisan makers are producing soaps that are the equal of some vintage classics. Barrister and Mann for example lathers every bit as well as tallow first Pen's IMO. So do some of the other niche makers. I still like the Pen's partly because it is a legend and was hard to find - I can only handle English Fern occasionally but it is a classic scent. Some of the Al's creams are also up there in terms of performance. In terms of price there are high margins on the top tier brands - think Acqua di Parma cream. Ironically when Italian Barber started selling a cream that had a very similar scent and performance for about 30% the cost I recall a lot of dissing on some of the forums for "ripping off" AdP. I think that he still sold a lot of the cream though without all of the "hype" needed to position a big name brand that shows up in every duty free shop.

You're right. There are probably scores of wonderful shaving soaps on the market. In my experience, most of these are soft soaps.

I suppose it's probably just my subjective observation as an easily influenced vintage soap groupie, but in my experience no modern shaving soap - not a single one - can match the overall quality (lather properties, fragrance, and skin care) of the old tallow-based Penhaligon's and Floris soaps like this English Fern. And since I'm not on a strict budget, they are worth every penny I spend on them.

not a single one - can match the overall quality

There are things in life worth sacrificing for...a good shaving soap or cream is one of them!

clive

drmoss_ca wrote: ↑Wed Jun 05, 2019 4:12 am You're right - it's not black magic to make a decent shaving soap. But if you have to obey EU rules about banned ingredients, and you have bean-counters who have decreed that profit will be maximised by using cheaper ingredients, plus you're selling to a generally ignorant public who can't tell the difference.....well, you begin to understand why we can't have nice soaps.

Which ingredients are banned? And also why didn't it effect any of the great tallow soaps from germany or France.

Various scents, such as oakmoss, and linalool, which is why Eucris isn't Eucris any more.

It's been a few months since the English Fern's number was up for a few days. Now it's rotated back to the top of the list, and I'll be in tallow heaven for the next month or so.

A year later, thankfully the EF is still in my rotation. This morning's lather was perfect. After 66 shaves on the puck, it looks about half used. This is as good as it gets. Maybe someone at Pen's will have enough sense to recognize that several soap manufacturers have adopted the same new formulation as found currently in the following soaps, with kudos coming in from several of the shaving forums to date: Floris, Captain Fawcett's, D.R. Harris, Salter's, and maybe more getting on the bandwagon. All of the above made in England, as I understand. I would plead with Penhaligon's and Trumper's to wake up and smell the coffee. It's time to sell some shaving soap!