Dave in KY
Shave Newbie
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The Shaving Cadre
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What are your “Elite” soaps?
- Thread starter Spider
- Start date
ELITE soaps in my den (no particular order after the first one):
-B&M Reserve line
-Arianna & Evans
-Wholly Kaw
-Shannon's Soaps
-Sudsy Soapery
-WSP Formula T
-CBL Soaps
-B&M Reserve line
-Arianna & Evans
-Wholly Kaw
-Shannon's Soaps
-Sudsy Soapery
-WSP Formula T
-CBL Soaps
Wow, I haven't tried Arianna & Evans, Wholly Kaw, or CBL Soaps! I guess I really have been out of the hunt. I want to go grab all of them, but I have so many soaps left from my when I fell hard down the shaving soap rabbit hole, tumbled past Alice, and landed eyeballs deep in shaving soap. So, I have been limiting my purchases. Doesn't mean I don't want to buy, Buy, BUY!!!
Wow, I haven't tried Arianna & Evans, Wholly Kaw, or CBL Soaps! I guess I really have been out of the hunt. I want to go grab all of them, but I have so many soaps left from my when I fell hard down the shaving soap rabbit hole, tumbled past Alice, and landed eyeballs deep in shaving soap. So, I have been limiting my purchases. Doesn't mean I don't want to buy, Buy, BUY!!!
A shaving den without either Wholly Kaw or A&E is definitely incomplete!!! These two along with B&M are probably my top 3 soap makers
Jellodancer
Shave Member
My elites are:
A&E - love the St. Bart’s scent
Sudsy Soapery Tallow - Blizzard is darn near addicting to me.
Oleo/WCS canard : I don’t see enough love for the performance of this soap, but for me it is near perfection.
Just my 2¢.
A&E - love the St. Bart’s scent
Sudsy Soapery Tallow - Blizzard is darn near addicting to me.
Oleo/WCS canard : I don’t see enough love for the performance of this soap, but for me it is near perfection.
Just my 2¢.
Dave in KY
Shave Newbie
Welcome to the Cadre @Jellodancer Glad you found us. I LOVE A&E, haven't tried Oleo although I got a few Aftershaves of there's in a trade, Sandalwood,Jacmel and Empire. AS's are okay but I prefer A&E and CFG . Again, welcome aboard !!
Jellodancer
Shave Member
Thanks! It's good to be here!
dmshaver
0
Welcome @Jellodancer, it's good to have the Cadre back, & good to have you with us!
I've been enjoying a lot of soaps in my almost one year of using soaps. I can rattle off a lot of brand names we all know, but won't. For the past few months, in my humble opinion, CBL Soaps has been in the elite category for me. Several of his soaps are elite for me: Outlaw, Dragons Blood, & Orange Dirt. Chris makes an outstanding soap that always makes my shaving experience quite pleasing. I will occasionally use other soaps to make sure I'm not missing something with other soaps, but I always come back to CBL as my #1. I'll continue trying other soaps off & on, but I'll be very surprised if CBL is removed as my #1 soap.
I've been enjoying a lot of soaps in my almost one year of using soaps. I can rattle off a lot of brand names we all know, but won't. For the past few months, in my humble opinion, CBL Soaps has been in the elite category for me. Several of his soaps are elite for me: Outlaw, Dragons Blood, & Orange Dirt. Chris makes an outstanding soap that always makes my shaving experience quite pleasing. I will occasionally use other soaps to make sure I'm not missing something with other soaps, but I always come back to CBL as my #1. I'll continue trying other soaps off & on, but I'll be very surprised if CBL is removed as my #1 soap.
I am guided too much by my emotions. 
Jellodancer
Shave Member
I have never used CBL soaps, but I’m sure I will in the future. One of the best things I love about wet shaving is the excitement of trying new brands.
dmshaver
0
Agreed. It's like Christmas anytime we get a new package!
Welcome!
Grooming Dept and WK are the 2 ELITE soaps that are way above anything else IMO. As mentioned, some other artisans come close and it boils down to personal opinion.
Wholly Kaw King of Bourbon (Bufala base)
Declaration Grooming Dirtyver (Icarus)
The Club Signature (new A&E/Club base)
B&M Beaudelaire (Excelsior)
Grooming Dept* (various bases)
Tallow & Steel Madgascar and Sicily (newest T&S base)
CBL Rosa Bourbonia (Wagyu base)**
Lisa's NHC Doc Holiday (Artisan)
Australian Private Reserve Ozymandias
All of these are Elite soaps. Since for me the scent is an integral component of an Elite soap experience, I have included, with one exception, specific scents. The one exception is GD--I have tried 6 different scents and none ring the Elite scent bell. Too bad because this soap is seriously good. When coupled with Mohammad's new pre-shave products (which can be used with other manufacturers' soaps), the shaving experience is absolutely stellar and slicker than whale snot. I have the Eucalyptus-Spearmint and that scent is really nice.
Just missing the cut are Noble Otter The Noir et Vanille, WSP Olympus, SV Opuntia, CRSW Glide (can't seem to find my scent here), Mike's Natural Orange, Cedarwood & Black Pepper, Eufros Zanzibar and others. I would be perfectly happy shaving with any of these soaps.
*Superior bases esp. Lusso but mediocre scents and terrible business plan (too many ever changing soaps bases/scents which are seldom in stock)
**Rosa Bourbonia was a hit while California Sunrise is just not making it (hemp base).
Declaration Grooming Dirtyver (Icarus)
The Club Signature (new A&E/Club base)
B&M Beaudelaire (Excelsior)
Grooming Dept* (various bases)
Tallow & Steel Madgascar and Sicily (newest T&S base)
CBL Rosa Bourbonia (Wagyu base)**
Lisa's NHC Doc Holiday (Artisan)
Australian Private Reserve Ozymandias
All of these are Elite soaps. Since for me the scent is an integral component of an Elite soap experience, I have included, with one exception, specific scents. The one exception is GD--I have tried 6 different scents and none ring the Elite scent bell. Too bad because this soap is seriously good. When coupled with Mohammad's new pre-shave products (which can be used with other manufacturers' soaps), the shaving experience is absolutely stellar and slicker than whale snot. I have the Eucalyptus-Spearmint and that scent is really nice.
Just missing the cut are Noble Otter The Noir et Vanille, WSP Olympus, SV Opuntia, CRSW Glide (can't seem to find my scent here), Mike's Natural Orange, Cedarwood & Black Pepper, Eufros Zanzibar and others. I would be perfectly happy shaving with any of these soaps.
*Superior bases esp. Lusso but mediocre scents and terrible business plan (too many ever changing soaps bases/scents which are seldom in stock)
**Rosa Bourbonia was a hit while California Sunrise is just not making it (hemp base).
Great post, I have very much the same tastes in soaps.
I knew I was forgetting some really nice soaps in my post above. Two that belong are Declaration Grooming Yuzu Rose Patchouli (Elite and in the old Bison Tallow base) & Long Rifle Bay Rhum and Wholly Kaw Lav Sublime (both Just Missing the Cut).
HMan
Doften Savant
Being in Finland, I've not had the luxury to try lots of soaps. I've used these kinds of threads to make informed choices, but found I don't always agree.
So far for me the only soap of the handful I've tried that is elite for me is Tallow and Steel, West Indies and Himalaya in particular.
Whowly Kaw for me just isn't as good, especially in post shave. I've only got the Chypre Rose Concerto and it might just be that rose is a little drying, but for sure this is the most drying soap in I have. Not horrible, but nothing like the rich skin feel T+S leaves.
I think there's just something about soaps with lanolin in general that feel funny to me, though I will continue to try them. I know lanolin is natural, but it kind of feels unnatural to me so far.
So far for me the only soap of the handful I've tried that is elite for me is Tallow and Steel, West Indies and Himalaya in particular.
Whowly Kaw for me just isn't as good, especially in post shave. I've only got the Chypre Rose Concerto and it might just be that rose is a little drying, but for sure this is the most drying soap in I have. Not horrible, but nothing like the rich skin feel T+S leaves.
I think there's just something about soaps with lanolin in general that feel funny to me, though I will continue to try them. I know lanolin is natural, but it kind of feels unnatural to me so far.