dkeester
"TSC's Master of Bourbon"
TL;DR - This soap is Elite and should be in your den.
I want to be objective, but I am not sure I can be. This soap is really great stuff. It wowed me from the moment I opened the tub.
Artisan Info: Founded by Frank Misa, Strike Gold Shave is another artisan that comes to us from Etsy.Com. However, it is now being distributed through WestCoastShaving if you prefer. The products are available in both places with a few things only available on the Etsy store. They have been around since at least 2016, but haven't received much exposure.
Cost: This soap goes for $19 on the Etsy store and $20 on WCS. The Old Hickory scent is available in both places. For a 5 ounce pour I think this is a reasonable price to pay for the level of quality in the tub.
Packaging: The soap is a 5 ounce hot pour into a plastic tub. The tub is a good quality plastic as is used by many artisans. I think it is the same tub that Sudsy Soapery uses. The label is water-proof with attractive graphic design. I really like the somewhat austere but classy look of the label. It is obvious that some time and energy was spent on packaging the product.
Scent: "Holy s**t this stuff smells great!" Those are the words that came out of my mouth several times during my first shave with this stuff. Here are the scent notes from the Strike Gold webstore:
Top: Fresh, herbal, orange
Middle: Rose, oakmoss, grapefruit
Base: Sandalwood, blonde woods, amber, musk, tonka
This scent is sweet orange up front with good support from the sandalwood, amber, and rose. The scent accord is fabulous. It is sweet and floral with an herbal background. I could just sit there with my nose in this all day. Strike Gold calls this one a unisex fragrance, and I agree with them. I think this one is definitely a crowd pleaser.
Soap Base: This is a tallow soap with Shea Butter, Kokum Butter, and Castor Oil. Nothing too exotic here.
Shave Performance: The soap is a firm artisan soap. Attempting to load with a lightly damp brush did not pull much out of the tub. A wetter brush was required to get a good load. In my Turkish shave mug the lather the lather built quickly, but did require lots of water. This soap can definitely be described as "thirsty." The lather applied easily to the face and gave good, thick coverage. I used a vintage OLD Type for the inaugural shave and was not disappointed. The soap provided a very slick and very protective medium for the blade to do its work with much more than adequate residual slickness for blade buffing. I only used two passes, but I am firmly convinced that I could have had a third pass with little to no adverse result. (I have sensitive skin, so the third pass can often leave my face feeling raw.) The soap performed so well that there was next to zero alum sting after the shave, much less than I normally get.
Post Shave Performance: The soap rinsed off my face and out of my shave mug easily. It left my skin feeling soft and hydrated. I did use the matching Strike Gold Shave AS splash with this soap. The combination of soap and splash left me with a big grin on my face. My face really likes this soap.
Overall Quality: This is a high quality product in every respect. The packaging is distinctive yet classy. The soap in the tub is Elite Tier, Box 1 on the @Cvargo soap scale. The scent is a well designed accord that remained pleasing throughout the shave and still is when I catch hints of it. This is a product that I will heartily recommend to anyone wanting a top notch artisan shaving product.
I want to be objective, but I am not sure I can be. This soap is really great stuff. It wowed me from the moment I opened the tub.
Artisan Info: Founded by Frank Misa, Strike Gold Shave is another artisan that comes to us from Etsy.Com. However, it is now being distributed through WestCoastShaving if you prefer. The products are available in both places with a few things only available on the Etsy store. They have been around since at least 2016, but haven't received much exposure.
Cost: This soap goes for $19 on the Etsy store and $20 on WCS. The Old Hickory scent is available in both places. For a 5 ounce pour I think this is a reasonable price to pay for the level of quality in the tub.
Packaging: The soap is a 5 ounce hot pour into a plastic tub. The tub is a good quality plastic as is used by many artisans. I think it is the same tub that Sudsy Soapery uses. The label is water-proof with attractive graphic design. I really like the somewhat austere but classy look of the label. It is obvious that some time and energy was spent on packaging the product.
Scent: "Holy s**t this stuff smells great!" Those are the words that came out of my mouth several times during my first shave with this stuff. Here are the scent notes from the Strike Gold webstore:
Top: Fresh, herbal, orange
Middle: Rose, oakmoss, grapefruit
Base: Sandalwood, blonde woods, amber, musk, tonka
This scent is sweet orange up front with good support from the sandalwood, amber, and rose. The scent accord is fabulous. It is sweet and floral with an herbal background. I could just sit there with my nose in this all day. Strike Gold calls this one a unisex fragrance, and I agree with them. I think this one is definitely a crowd pleaser.
Soap Base: This is a tallow soap with Shea Butter, Kokum Butter, and Castor Oil. Nothing too exotic here.
Shave Performance: The soap is a firm artisan soap. Attempting to load with a lightly damp brush did not pull much out of the tub. A wetter brush was required to get a good load. In my Turkish shave mug the lather the lather built quickly, but did require lots of water. This soap can definitely be described as "thirsty." The lather applied easily to the face and gave good, thick coverage. I used a vintage OLD Type for the inaugural shave and was not disappointed. The soap provided a very slick and very protective medium for the blade to do its work with much more than adequate residual slickness for blade buffing. I only used two passes, but I am firmly convinced that I could have had a third pass with little to no adverse result. (I have sensitive skin, so the third pass can often leave my face feeling raw.) The soap performed so well that there was next to zero alum sting after the shave, much less than I normally get.
Post Shave Performance: The soap rinsed off my face and out of my shave mug easily. It left my skin feeling soft and hydrated. I did use the matching Strike Gold Shave AS splash with this soap. The combination of soap and splash left me with a big grin on my face. My face really likes this soap.
Overall Quality: This is a high quality product in every respect. The packaging is distinctive yet classy. The soap in the tub is Elite Tier, Box 1 on the @Cvargo soap scale. The scent is a well designed accord that remained pleasing throughout the shave and still is when I catch hints of it. This is a product that I will heartily recommend to anyone wanting a top notch artisan shaving product.
