What's new
The Shaving Cadre

Welcome to The Shaving Cadre, a forum dedicated to gentlemanly discourse about wet shaving and other topics of common interests. Membership is always free so register today and join in the fun

Love it or Leave it

S

Scuttlesoap

TSC Yoda
Veteran
Concierge Emeritus
Just a conversation starter - do you have a shaving product that you have fell in love with so much that you bought extra just in case the artisan stopped making it or look forward to something so much that it just didn’t meet expectations?

For me I have a couple entries for both -

Love: When I first started the hobby part back in 2019 - of course Stirling was my first stop - fell in love with their Sheep Unscented. Then reading about Baker Street and Strop Shoppe - I was so worried - what if Stirling doesn’t last and I bought a couple more pucks just to be safe 😀. My second is Wickham’s Club Cola - just an overall fun scent that often sells out so I got extra so I will always have in stock. My eldest son loves his CBL Grape Soda & Gingers Garden Cotton Candy - the former I’m really bummed that I did’t buy more when I had the chance! Lastly, aftershave -wise - As many of you know I love me some citrus - the one that does it for me is Maggard’s Limes & Bergamot- I am going to pull the trigger on it soon - been paying attention to the stock. I think I haven’t yet is that Oleo Pucker and my bespoke Ethos Lime, Tangerine, & Spearmint have held me over - but I shall add extra of L&M to my stock.

Leave it: again on the citrus front Southern Witchcraft Gravefruit was something I really wanted - Grapefruit ✅✅✅ and a badass label. When I got it - I can’t say I hate it - but it was a let down - the scent is just off - reminds me of a cornucopia that has been left out too long in the sun (their latest fougere redeemed them for me). The second is West Coast Shaving Chypre - again I don’t hate but they went somewhere in the scent direction I did not want to go. I recently got B&M Le Grand Chypre and it blew me away - so when I received the WCS - I was excited- but they added a resin note that just well meh. Both the SWC and WCS remind me of the Kids in the Hall skit about the stolen bike wheel “Well why did you do it?’ 😂


 
Tallow and Steel West Indies, Ryan swears he won’t be dropping it from the line, but if he does, I’ll buy the last crate of it.

Leave it, man, I’m in culling phase right now, and don’t see DG or A&E making the cut. Good stuff, but I can’t use it daily, too many oils, they irritate my skin with regular use. Gosh even a number of my B&M soaps have to go. TBH I’m not sure if it’s the soap or the AS that’s doing it there.
 
Great thread Brian!

Love it: Barrister and Mann Fougere Gothique is one of my all time favorite fall/winter scents. When it first came out, it was hard to get and I managed to get ahold of two first release sets including two EdP. The second is, Barrister and Mann's Lime, Lavender, and Cedarwood, UNFORTUNATELY I only have one set of this one, it is lovely, but I use it sparingly... MDC Original is always in my den, it's just fantastic and it stands on its own as a wonderful, long lasting soap. I have 2 extra tubs from trades, so about 5 years worth of shaving soap... I really enjoy De Vergulde Hand shaving soap, I have 5 pucks of it in reserve, I absolutely love this stuff! It is fresh and just explodes into a nice lather by looking at it. I also love my Hello shaving soap by @CBLindsay , its a fantastic wake up scent that energizes me. I picked up three of the sets and gave one to my father, so I need to buy another one just in case! Last on the list is vintage Crabtree & Evelyn Sandalwood, I think I have about 6 puck of this one, it has a fantastic scent is an amazing performer. I don't reach for it as much as I used to, but I'm always looking for more.

Leave it: I was not a big fan of Cella and RazoRock P160, they were really in the legendary range when I bought them, back in the day, but I was underwhelmed and I seem to have an issue with Sweet almond oil as it leaves me with hot red cheeks. Alt Innsbruck aftershave was said to be a prime luxury aftershave. I just could not get over the fact that I paid $30+ and it was just an alcohol aftershave with a nice fragrance. I could get better face goodies in a $4 bottle of Skin Bracer. Newer production of the now defunct Crabtree and Evelyn, it barely works as bath soap... Old mentions that just could not make the cut, even with their legendary status, D.R. Harris Arlington & Marlborough, Mitchell's Wool Fat, & SV, but all these soaps are only on the list due to their need for soft water, I think each are worthy of a revisit. ALSO: THE HOLY BLACK, completely underwhelming in every way. The prices and the hype are crazy for what you are getting. Granted, they do lather and the scents are pretty good, but they just didn't meet my expectations and have all been sold off.
 
Scuttlesoap said:
I have always wanted the Angelique flanker of this


I think this is a modern classic - lavender done well! Which is hard to do


Do you have in if their huge shave bowls?


I have it but I never use it
Click to expand...
The Angelique is one of Iryna's favorite scents that I wear. I only have one set of it, but I save it for special occasions. I like it a lot, but its scent is a bit strong for me.

Couldn't agree more about Hello, I hope Chris is selling a lot of it!

I have the MDC in Le Cannele' glass bowl, with a golden @uacowboy lid on it as well as 2 of the 200G Jars of Original, one 200G Vetyver, one 200G Fougere. I passed on Agrumes to my father otherwise, I'd be willing it to my son when I pass away.
 
i was just thinking about this the other day..

there were items i bought doubles of to help offset with shipping or discounts when no other item was available, like Arko 12 pack. otherwise, i don't have doubles of much of anything becuase i love it nor do i find that i'd want a second as it's been so long and i've managed to almost finish very few of what i have in the drawer. For me, they all seem to fall into the love it and leave it, no sleepless nights or days of despair over a formula change or discontinuation...

i was even thinking last night how i'd like to make a batch of soap for myself after all these years, i mean it feels like when people make shave soap they make like 5 pounds of it, maybe i'd l'd really enjoy the process and experience..
 
global_dev said:
i was just thinking about this the other day..

there were items i bought doubles of to help offset with shipping or discounts when no other item was available, like Arko 12 pack. otherwise, i don't have doubles of much of anything becuase i love it nor do i find that i'd want a second as it's been so long and i've managed to almost finish very few of what i have in the drawer. For me, they all seem to fall into the love it and leave it, no sleepless nights or days of despair over a formula change or discontinuation...

i was even thinking last night how i'd like to make a batch of soap for myself after all these years, i mean it feels like when people make shave soap they make like 5 pounds of it, maybe i'd l'd really enjoy the process and experience..
Click to expand...
Along the lines of Ark - I know a lot of folks on the site get Williams in bulk

I thought about making my own soap but Infigured that the artisans will always do it better than I could
 
HMan said:
Tallow and Steel West Indies, Ryan swears he won’t be dropping it from the line, but if he does, I’ll buy the last crate of it.

Leave it, man, I’m in culling phase right now, and don’t see DG or A&E making the cut. Good stuff, but I can’t use it daily, too many oils, they irritate my skin with regular use. Gosh even a number of my B&M soaps have to go. TBH I’m not sure if it’s the soap or the AS that’s doing it there.
Click to expand...
I moved to 90% triple-milled soaps and haven't looked back.
 
Oh yes. I absolutely buy multiples of stuff I really love, especially seasonal releases (because there's never a guarantee it'll return next year). If I'm buying multiples it's usually just aftershave, I will usually get anywhere between 3-5 backup bottles. I know I'm going to forget something, but I'll try to list everything I have purchased backups for that reason alone, and not items I purchased multiples of just because of ease of ordering or to get a better deal.

CBL Soap - Roasted Oatmeal Stout (Soap & AS)
CBL Soap - Dragon's Blood (Soap & AS)
CBL Soap - Dragon's Milk (Soap & AS)
Central Texas Soap - SAW AS
Oz Shaving Co - Full Moon
ETHOS - Dragonsbeard AS
Caties Bubbles - 322 AS
Booster - Mosswood AS
Master - Jade AS
Captain's Choice - North AS
Williams Soap (Both Modern and Vintage)
RazoRock - Mudder Fokker AS
Jeeves Of Hudson Street - Conservatory/Mountain Rain (Soap & AS)
Mystic Water - Lily of the Valley Soap
Pinaud - Lilac Vegetal
Superior 70 - Bay Rum
Superior 70 - Mentholated
Thayers Medicated Witch Hazel
Thayers Gentlemen's Aftershave
Pitralon Classic
Agua Brava
Osage Rub
Skin Bracer
Brut
Aqua Velva
4711 (AS & Cologne)



On the other side, B&M Hallows is one that just didn't cut it for me. I wanted to love it, but it's too "Old Church" smelling for me. I think it's the Labdanum in it that is killing my nose. Everything else in it is something I like.
Mitchell's Wool Fat soap is another that just didn't live up to the hype. Airy lather that dried out my face. Burned through the whole puck trying to get it to work.

Scuttlesoap said:
Southern Witchcraft Gravefruit was something I really wanted - Grapefruit ✅✅✅ and a badass label. When I got it - I can’t say I hate it - but it was a let down - the scent is just off - reminds me of a cornucopia that has been left out too long in the sun (their latest fougere redeemed them for me).

Their Fougere is another one that just didn't work for me. It's the only scent of theirs I cannot stand. In fairness, I don't like many Fougeres. I've tried a bunch, and they just have a note that goes into my nose and pokes my brain. I thought a darker fougere would work, but I don't really detect the "darkness" that their scents are known for. I should have expected it, but it was a disappointment.
Click to expand...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top