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The Non-Artisan Soap & Cream Thread

dkeester

dkeester

"TSC's Master of Bourbon"
Valobra, PdP, Provence Sante, Institut Karite, LEA, La Toja, MWF, TOBS, Proraso, Dr. Harris, MdC, Cella, Arko, etc.

If it is a one of the commercially available, non-artisan, classic shaving soaps or creams of the shaving world I want to discuss it.

What are your favorites? What are you using for the first time, or rediscovering? What are the pros and cons?

Let's talk about it.



This thread was inspired by @dangerousdon.
 
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So, my current 3017 project is LEA Classic soap in the wooden bowl.

It is a tallow and lanolin soap so it has a bit in common with MWF, except I don't think it is as finicky. So far it loads easily and with plenty of water will produce a stellar lather. So far I am really happy with it.

The main downfall, as with many of the non-artisan soaps, is the scent. I love it. It is pleasant and subdued. However, it doesn't last long and it is maybe too subtle. It is also the singular scent for this particular product.

If I am rating it just on performance alone it would get 5 stars out of 5, but the lack of longevity of the scent is going to knock it down a half or full star. The soap is great, so much that I started a thread about it. I will be buying more when I have freed up some storage space in the den.

Here is the thread I started on this soap:

LEA Classic Shaving Soap in wooden bowl

A few pictures: https://www.productosleatienda.com/en/113-lea-classic The review: Like many wet shavers, I am a fan of hard soaps. However, so far in my wet shaving career I have found only a few that are worthwhile but there are many that I haven't tried yet. The rest suck. (I am looking at...
theshavingcadre.com theshavingcadre.com
 
One thing that I like about the non-artisan soaps is the cost. They tend to be less expensive per gram than the modern artisan soaps, so when I load hard to build a good lather and end up with 5-6 (or more) passes worth of lather I don't feel as bad about wasting money.

I need to spend more time exploring these products.
 
I’ve tried a few - Proraso, La Toja, Cella, DR Harris, TOBS, AOS creams, Vito’s, and I guess SV might fit in this group too? Idk. The last few listed might be outliers or I feel they will eventually be thought of as commercial classics if they aren’t yet.

Most of them are pretty decent soaps, not as bad as artisan purists might have you believe at least. For instance, I’m sure it’s still passed around that Proraso is a no-no for SR shaving, but I found it just adequate enough.

In comparison to artisan soaps, most I’ve tried to feel lacking in one or more of the major categories (usually residual slickness and post-shave feel)...as I said, in comparison. If you can appreciate it for what it is on it’s own though and not fuss over lack of obscure or hoity toity scent profiles, the vast majority will do you better than just fine for shaves and will probably save you some cash in the long run.

Except for SV, since my introduction to artisan soaps, most classics have been a one and done for me, given the choice.
 
GearNoir said:
I’ve tried a few - Proraso, La Toja, Cella, DR Harris, TOBS, AOS creams, Vito’s, and I guess SV might fit in this group too? Idk. The last few listed might be outliers or I feel they will eventually be thought of as commercial classics if they aren’t yet.
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Vito's I would agree on. I am not sure about SV. But, you are probably right that SV will be in that group eventually.

GearNoir said:
Most of them are pretty decent soaps, not as bad as artisan purists might have you believe at least. For instance, I’m sure it’s still passed around that Proraso is a no-no for SR shaving, but I found it just adequate enough.
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I don't know if I have ever used Proraso for SR shaving, but I wouldn't hesitate to do it. I didn't realize that it was considered a no-no by some people.

These soaps all have something to recommend them, and like many artisans, if you take the time to learn the soap you will get great results.

GearNoir said:
In comparison to artisan soaps, most I’ve tried to feel lacking in one or more of the major categories (usually residual slickness and post-shave feel)...as I said, in comparison. If you can appreciate it for what it is on it’s own though and not fuss over lack of obscure or hoity toity scent profiles, the vast majority will do you better than just fine for shaves and will probably save you some cash in the long run.
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I agree that these products don't have as much superfatting and post-shave goodness. But, as I am finding with the LEA Classic, that doesn't really matter if you have a good post-shave regimen. There are plenty of aftershave products out there that will make up for any lack post-shave conditioning in the soap or cream. I can get just as good of a shave, and in some cases, a better shave with some commercial soaps than with some artisan soaps. It just takes some time. The LEA Classic is a fabulous product the tallow and lanolin formula works well on my face. My face doesn't feel quite as conditioned after the final rinse, but the aftershave products that I use remedy that.

Also, it seems like there are fewer adverse skin reactions with the commercial products than with the artisan products, but that could just be me.
 
dkeester said:
I don't know if I have ever used Proraso for SR shaving, but I wouldn't hesitate to do it. I didn't realize that it was considered a no-no by some people.
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I heard it a lot over at the other place when I was began learning SRs. Overall less slickness than it was felt was ideal I guess.
dkeester said:
Also, it seems like there are fewer adverse skin reactions with the commercial products than with the artisan products, but that could just be me.
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Yes I would agree. Probably because they don’t go crazy with scent profiles, so more people can use the products. Classics are probably the shaving epitome of “stick to what works”.
 
I like the classics because they basically work. All of my top shelf soaps are classics, with the sole exception being Mystic Water. CBL is the only more recent artisan that I think has a decent shot, but I need to actually invest in a whole soap first.

I wholeheartedly agree on the value question, and when you’re not loading it like you hate it (especially the triple milleds), it literally works out to pennies per shave.
 
So far I have used Proraso Red, PdP 63 and MWF of the classics. I had a short run with Tabac, but the scent gave me a headache.

The first three I mentioned will always have a place in my rotation. I love the sandalwood scent of Proraso. It has Shea Butter to replenish skin and I can get it slick enough to use an SR.

With The Fat, I have no lather problems. Love the soap. I also get great post shave feel from it. Maybe it’s the Lanolin. With the light scent I can pair it with any AS.

The PdP should last some time and I do like the scent. I’m kinda on the fence with the balm. It has left my face greasy feeling in the past. But I need to queue it up again soon.

I also tried a couple of shaves with Arko. Urinal puck ... gone.

I started out using classics because that’s what our forefathers used. Thought I would try them to experience them. And they are still around for a reason, so that speaks to thier quality. I still need to try Vintage Williams also.
 
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I think, to some extent, one's view of non-artisan soaps depends on when you "came of age" in wet shaving. I just looked at my list of soaps that I've tried (220+) and there are 2 non-artisan makers in my top tier - Haslinger and AOS Tallow/Valobra. I began wet shaving in 2015. So by the time I really started looking at soaps critically, I was right at what I think was the great Artisan leap - mid 2016 through mid 2017. What I thought was top soap at the beginning of the period (e.g., WSP Formula T) seemed to be eclipsed and knocked down a tier or two by Pannacrema Nuavia, Tallow & Steel, Grooming Dept, etc. within the year. I think that had I settled on what I found to be "top tier" a year or two sooner, I'd be much more likely to have stayed with the soaps that were around then rather than jumping around. I would have also been more skeptical and hesitant to buy the next new thing. (That's about where I am with soaps these days.)

To be sure, I'm not saying that people who like older non-Artisan soaps don't have good taste. Rather, I'm saying that those who found "their" non-artisan soaps have mastered those soaps and get what, in their opinion, are the top shaves. It may just be a matter of timing as to what people prefer.
 
MilkCrate said:
So far I have used Proraso Red, PdP 63 and MWF of the classics. I had a short run with Tabac, but the scent gave me a headache.

The first three I mentioned will always have a place in my rotation. I love the sandalwood scent of Proraso. It has Shea Butter to replenish skin and I can get it slick enough to use an SR.

With The Fat, I have no lather problems. Love the soap. I also get great post shave feel from it. Maybe it’s the Lanolin. With the light scent I can pair it with any AS.

The PdP should last some time and I do like the scent. I’m kinda on the fence with the balm. It has left my face greasy feeling in the past. But I need to queue it up again soon.

I also tried a couple of shaves with Arko. Urinal puck ... gone.

I started out using classics because that’s what our forefathers used. Thought I would try them to experience them. And they are still around for a reason, so that speaks to thier quality. I still need to try Vintage Williams also.
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Proraso Red and Tabac are both awesome. I love the Proraso Red AS and Tabac AS splashes as well.

MWF is great stuff.
 
bobmsp said:
I think, to some extent, one's view of non-artisan soaps depends on when you "came of age" in wet shaving. I just looked at my list of soaps that I've tried (220+) and there are 2 non-artisan makers in my top tier - Haslinger and AOS Tallow/Valobra. I began wet shaving in 2015. So by the time I really started looking at soaps critically, I was right at what I think was the great Artisan leap - mid 2016 through mid 2017. What I thought was top soap at the beginning of the period (e.g., WSP Formula T) seemed to be eclipsed and knocked down a tier or two by Pannacrema Nuavia, Tallow & Steel, Grooming Dept, etc. within the year. I think that had I settled on what I found to be "top tier" a year or two sooner, I'd be much more likely to have stayed with the soaps that were around then rather than jumping around. I would have also been more skeptical and hesitant to buy the next new thing. (That's about where I am with soaps these days.)

To be sure, I'm not saying that people who like older non-Artisan soaps don't have good taste. Rather, I'm saying that those who found "their" non-artisan soaps have mastered those soaps and get what, in their opinion, are the top shaves. It may just be a matter of timing as to what people prefer.
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I got into this hobby in 2016. I wish I had gotten into it sooner, before the artisan explosion. It is getting a little tiring chasing the newest artisans with their limited release, or one-off, only scents. The non-artisan classics are getting more and more appealing because they are stable and reliable. With all the artisans coming and going and the scents always changing it is like a never ending treadmill.
 
Cvargo said:
I want to love MWF but I can never get the leather right. For me with commercial soaps it's all about the shave sticks! I love em! La Toja, Lea, Tabac, Palmolive, Speick, and Derby.
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I really need to try those sticks. I have only used Tabac out of that list.
 
The Monkey said:
I found MWF to be just MEH. Tabac, just can't get past the smell. Lea and Arko and vintage Williams are great.
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I still have several sticks of Arko from the 12 pack that I bought in 2016. It is good, but can be a bit drying to my skin. Modern Williams is great. I haven't yet tried vintage Williams, but have a couple of pucks in my stash.

It really bums me out when people have a bad reaction to the scent of Tabac. It is sensational soap, one of my top tier choices. The performance is so, so good. I wish I worked for more people, but I guess that just leaves more for me. I have two of the ceramic dishes of it and a shave stick in my stash, all slightly used.
 
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