Tallow a'la Cella, not meant to be - But wait! There's more!

[paddy]

just to clarify - valobra - i have the almond scented soap which comes as a wrapped bar and which is slighly soft and somewhat pliable. i find its performance to be just ok and nothing special.

but is there another version of valobra - a harder soap version?

[woodsrider]

paddy, yes, there is a Valobra stick. I'm not a big fan of sticks, so I grate mine up with a cheese grater. As a matter of fact, I just made use of a beautiful Floris wooden bowl by filling it with a grated stick of Valobra today!

The performance of the Valobra hard stick is outstanding, as others have pointed out. It's also not terribly expensive...about US$10 per stick.

[paddy]

ahhh, i see. thanks lynn. well i guess that's another soap i'll be buying then!

[Thalay Sagar]

I just made use of a beautiful Floris wooden bowl by filling it with a grated stick of Valobra today!

I know its a bit off topic, but those bowls are truly nice. Sucked me in.

[crackstar]

If I may add a comment on the Valobra stick--I think it's the best thing Valobra ever produced. The Valobra Menthol soap is good also, although the cooling effect is almost non-existant.

[Lord Ponsenberry Smyth]

Viola!

Indeed. But can't we leave her out of it? Her French cousin Voila is so much more accommodating...

Chris

LOL !!! -
Chris perhaps that is true.... however it is rumored that "Viola" plays a sweeter tune . (seems she always hits the right note !)

"Ah ! C’est une belle hypothèse; ça explique beaucoup de choses."

Yes, I think many would agree that between the Valobra, Arko and EU Palmolive shave sticks, we have some of the finest shaving soaps ever created regardless of price or reputation.

[brothers]

The Speick Stick in combination with the big GFT Vulfix 2236 Super created an amazing lather this morning. The razor was the first test shave with my freshly honed 1812 R.Wade SR. The results were not disappointing. The razor is smooth and quiet. As I've been reminded many times, I'm a lucky guy. The Speick is penciled in for at least another 8 days, and that makes me very happy.

[brothers]

This is the April 18 2011 update to the currently manufactured tallow soap group that I use and enjoy regularly ---

• Speick makes me happy when I smell it. Even happier when I use it. It's a keeper.
  
  Harris Almond. World class soap. Too bad they only have 4 varieties. If I wanted another Harris soap, it's going to be hard to decide which one(s). I'm convinced they could make (and sell!) a rose or rose-related version if they were so inclined.
  
  Tabac/MWF. My successful experiment. Milled and blended together in equal amounts has resulted in a doubly loveable mainstay. If you recall, this is the one I could use without a doubt every day for the rest of my shaving days, without regret.
  
  Valobra. In my experience, this one sits at the summit of the small group of soaps commonly thought to be be made in the same factory: AoS, Czech & Speake, and I can't remember if there are any others. I don't seem to enjoy the AoS varieties, and haven't spent the $33 for a puck of the C&S, so I'm happy with the plain ol' Valobra. It's a classy hard soap, and delivers world class performance at a reasonable price.
  
  Palmolive Stick. Delicious, cheap, outstanding performance.

Non tallow favorite current production products are ---

• TOBS Lavender is my favorite version of Lavender, the only one I've got, and for a veggie soap, the performance is excellent. I've got it in stick form and in ample supply.
  
  JM Fraser's and COBigelow (Proraso) shaving creams make me happy, and that's worth a lot, making these two a great value to me.

There are a couple of others laying around that may eventually work their way onto my little list, I just haven't had the time or inclination to decide yet. (Arko/tallow Blenheim/tallow Yardley/Valobra Menthol soft soap, for example). I'm presuming they're good, but it's really an eye-opener for me when one product that I've enjoyed using occasionally starts turning me off when I force myself to use it exclusively for days and weeks at a time.

It's just soap, so if something I previously enjoyed starts to repulse me and make me dread having to use it to shave, then out it goes, in a heartbeat. I've thrown away a few or used them as shower soaps, but most have gone to good homes where they are hopefully more welcome.

This is the April 30th update: Earlier, I listed 4 soaps that I wanted to use so I could find out if they provided any enjoyment. Well, unfortunately Arko and Valobra Menthol gave out too many soapsuds and not enough of the good stuff, so they've moved on. The Arko went to a very good home, but the Valobra Menthol soft soap took the easy way out and just disappeared. I don't care for soapsuds. Oddly, Arko is supposed to contain tallow, but the lather, on close inspection, doesn't look right. It provided no cushion or protection and I got the only cut I've had in many months. The only non-tallow soap that's filled the bill so far is Taylor's Lavender soap. Old formula Blenheim Bouquet performed just great, and of course, is a keeper.

Upcoming tallow soap projects include Vitos Extra Cocco, Irisch Moos, old formula English Fern, and Yardley.

[drmoss_ca]

Arko will do it just fine. You have to have either less water in the brush to start, or spend more time building the lather on your face.

Oh, I bet you knew that anyway, and just didn't like the smell.

Chris

[brothers]

The smell isn't that bad for me. I still have the one partially used Arko, I just thinned out the unused ones. Maybe I'll give it another go in a day or two.

Edit: I rounded up the Arko from it's place in the shower soap cabinet, and located the Valobra Menthol in it's tomb, and gave them both another lathering this evening.

I used a mildly damp BK8 to start the lather, adding water bit by bit (distilled of course) and once again, obtained the resulting lather in bountiful quantities, no different whatsoever from my earlier experiences, the amount of thick lather is not and hasn't been the problem.

I didn't shave, of course, because I already did that this morning. However, at the end of the shave I studied the bountiful lather that remained deep within the brush. Still soapsuds, looked just like it did before.

That's my YMMV, I know others find one or both of these soaps to be very desirable, and I have no problem with that fact, at all. They're just not for me, it seems. They've now been permanently assigned to their ultimate destinations, and I feel good about having given them numerous thorough trials before deciding they're just not my particular cup of tea.

[brothers]

I've now got a Harris Arlington soap coming. I have had Irisch Moos in the past, and have now gone full circle and will soon have it again. Tried an Erasmic stick, hoping it would be on a par with Palmolive, Speick, Valobra, Harris Almond, and Taylor's Lavender, but it turned out to be more in line with the recently passed-over Arko and Valobra Menthol soft soaps, and won't be finding a spot with the more favored ones. Also have samples of Czech and Speake Oxford and Cambridge enroute, before paying retail for a 90g puck, buying blind. Haven't been able to locate samples of #88, but there's no rush about it.

[mlp2147]

So I guess the real question is.... What did ya do with yer Cella?

Mike

[brothers]

Mike, I've bought it twice, of course the performance is A+ but the scent gags me, and that's an involuntary reflex. I gave the first one away, waited a few months and tried again, second time I tried modifying the scent, but couldn't kill the one that gags me, so it went in the trash.

[mlp2147]

That is a shame. I was given some and just grabbed some more today to go along with the rest of my order....

Valobra Almond Shaving Cream Soap
Cella 1kg
P160 1kg Tipo Morbido
Vitos All'Olio di Cocco
Razo Rock XXX

I should be set for a good long while now.