Favourites as of January 2012

franz · Post by **franz** » Sun Jan 08, 2012 11:38 pm

LouisIII wrote:
franz wrote:Ew, Arko!

Just kidding. Your tastes are your tastes. I think anybody'd find something on your list to quibble with because we're all different.
Scent = somewhat subjective.
Performance = open to ranking/ objective analysis.

Just as long as you don't mean that your analysis is objective, because, well... mine is more objective than yours!!

Squire · Post by **Squire** » Mon Jan 09, 2012 5:12 am

Yes Gordon but we must keep in mind Harper actually knew Beethoven.

brothers · Post by **brothers** » Mon Jan 09, 2012 6:19 am

Just a few random thoughts. Most everything's random these days.

And, speaking of Beethoven, for example, this stuff follows the same patterns as our tastes in music, etc.

Our tastes and preferences generally become fixed on an emotional but fictional moving snapshot of our life as it existed at a number of past points in our memories, usually a hodgepodge, mixed in time and in context.

My snapshot has (just to name a few) Hank Williams Sr., Mickey Mantle, "I wanna hold your hand", Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Nicks, Jerry Lee Lewis singing "she only woke me up to say goodbye", Woodstock, "Gonna take you HIGHER", Debbie Reynolds, Goldfinger, and a few unimportant shaving products, ad nauseum.

Thank goodness for the variety. For me to declare specific shaving products that I personally use when I want to invoke that aura of pleasure and joy would be a disconnect for everyone else!

At the present time, I'm still bogging down in the weeds, haven't reached the point of near burnout or total fatigue with the shaving experience, but if and when it happens, I'll know.

Johnny · Post by **Johnny** » Mon Jan 09, 2012 8:03 am

I've tried a lot of different products so I will just say at this time, my favorites are:

Soap: MWF

Cream: Palmolive Classic and Palmolive Menthol

Would really like to set on the deck with Gary, have a cold beer, and listen to his music. Might have to add a little SRV.

Post by **Sam** » Mon Jan 09, 2012 8:15 am

I have it pared down. Right now, four creams, and a shave stick. That's it

Taylors Rose

Trumpers Lime

Coates Sandalwood (and will replace it when it runs out, who knows what with)

Truefit Lavendar

I may go with the Trumpers Lime Soap over the cream next time. And maybe have to stick with the Trumpers sandalwood soap. I generally prefer a cream over a soap for the extra cushioning, though Trumper's soaps for me are very close to that anyway.

95% · Post by **95%** » Mon Jan 09, 2012 8:31 am

Sam - for some unknown reason, I've never been able to produce a rich lather from my cake of Trumper's Limes. Yet my cake of Violet, which I obtained from the same vendor in the same order, yields a lather as rich as if it had been made from a cream. So I seldom use the Limes. It's a pity because the scent is one of the best. I hope your experience will be better if you order it.

Squire · Post by **Squire** » Mon Jan 09, 2012 10:07 am

That surprises me Porter, Trumpers Lime has always performed well for me.

jww · Post by **jww** » Mon Jan 09, 2012 10:55 am

Squire wrote:That surprises me Porter, Trumpers Lime has always performed well for me.

+1.

Gareth · Post by **Gareth** » Mon Jan 09, 2012 12:36 pm

Porter, is that the only puck of Trumper's Limes you've tried? Maybe you have a bad egg...

95% · Post by **95%** » Mon Jan 09, 2012 2:09 pm

Garth - yes, it's the only puck of Limes that I've tried. Each time I use it, I hope my results will be different. I vary my technique and choice of brush, but still I get only a thin, weak lather. It's like the lather of the new Eucris soap, which is shaveable but not very satisfying. I'm glad my experience is anomalous and that others report better results.

Rufust445 · Post by **Rufust445** » Mon Jan 09, 2012 3:58 pm

Two favorite soaps are Arko stick and vintage Williams, with Wilkinson stick waiting in the wings to try. VDH DeLuxe and Fitness (Italian soft soap) have been tried, but they irritate my skin.

Having tried The Real Shaving Co. Moisturizing cream recently, I've concluded that I could subsist for the rest of my shaving career on Arko stick and TRSC Moisturizing cream only, though it might get boring.

That after I finish what I have left of Omega Sapone da Barba, Body Shop <2009, Dettol, Godrej, and Nivea creams.

Squire · Post by **Squire** » Mon Jan 09, 2012 4:29 pm

Real Shaving Co Moisturizing cream is very good and I've seen it locally priced at $3.99 for a 150 mil tube. Hits on all cylinders as far as I'm concerned.

Gareth · Post by **Gareth** » Mon Jan 09, 2012 5:42 pm

Porter, if you have an opportunity sometime, why not try and acquire another puck of the Limes soap? Perhaps you might have a different experience.

95% · Post by **95%** » Mon Jan 09, 2012 6:01 pm

Gareth, first I might try milling the soap with a cheese grater. Sometimes this will change the properties of a very hard soap, as it did when my puck of Taylor's lavender became too hard to lather.

CMur12 · Post by **CMur12** » Mon Jan 09, 2012 8:32 pm

My favorite soaps are Valobra/AoS hard soaps and Cella soft soap, and I don't use creams.

I've been experimenting with some Edwin Jagger Sea Buckthorn soap for a couple of weeks and it is has impressed me, though I haven't yet decided if I'll add any more to the stash. Martin de Candre makes wonderful lather, but I'm one of those who can't abide the fragrance.

I have had to rule out a lot of good soaps (like D R Harris, Trumper, Tabac, ...) because of my sentivity to fragrances.

- Murray

Gareth · Post by **Gareth** » Tue Jan 10, 2012 1:42 am

Murray, shame about having to rule out Trumpers, Harris et al.

Porter, certainly worth a try. Hope it works out for you.

LouisIII · Post by **LouisIII** » Tue Jan 10, 2012 4:44 am

Rufust445 wrote:Two favorite soaps are Arko stick and vintage Williams, with Wilkinson stick waiting in the wings to try. VDH DeLuxe and Fitness (Italian soft soap) have been tried, but they irritate my skin.

Having tried The Real Shaving Co. Moisturizing cream recently, I've concluded that I could subsist for the rest of my shaving career on Arko stick and TRSC Moisturizing cream only, though it might get boring.

That after I finish what I have left of Omega Sapone da Barba, Body Shop <2009, Dettol, Godrej, and Nivea creams.

I think you will like it. WS stick is the most underrated soap. Thick, lustrous, water-logged lather, contains lanolin, leaves the skin nice and soft. Nice scent for a cheapo stick as well. In STARK contrast to the WS soap in the blue bowl, which I wouldn't use to wash a stray dog.

wvbias · Post by **wvbias** » Tue Jan 10, 2012 5:06 pm

Institut Karite Soap and RazoRock XXX.
For the past few days I've been using
the IK and really like this soap. It will
definitly be in my rotation.

Next week I will use the RazoRock.

Of course MWF and Tabac will also get
used quite often.

Once my tub of Taylor's Rose is used up I
will order a cake of Trumper's Rose soap.

But why wait??

Terry

brothers · Post by **brothers** » Tue Jan 10, 2012 7:52 pm

LouisIII wrote:
jww wrote:MWF tops all my categories. Need I say more?
It certainly is its own category.

Another unique soap is I Coloniali. The bizarre scent and menthol content assured its banishment, but the lather quality is excellent and I can see how others would love it and rate it highly.

For the record, I could easily get along just fine with both MWF and I Coloniali at the top of my list any time.

harper · Post by **harper** » Tue Jan 10, 2012 9:32 pm

Squire, I didn't actually know Beethoven ... or at least not well. He lived down the street so I saw him in passing.