Pick the One Soap You'd Recommend to a Newbie
- Thread starter Len
- Start date
Yes, #2 covered that issue for sure. An easy to lather soap/cream is high on the list but a newbie can certainly make a hash of it even with those by not having the ability to lather. If I wanted to drive a newbie nuts I give them a puck of modern Williams soap.
OTH when they finally mastered that one they likely could lather any soap.Bob
Rusty Blade
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Haslinger Schafmilch. Or MWF. Both are winners that I would take with me on a one-way trip to Mars.
Uncle Bertie
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OSP Neroli ticks all those boxes as does SdV Manna di Sicilia.
halvor
a most elusive fish
Haslinger schafsmilch would indeed be a safe bet. Doesn't set you back by much, and easily whips up. MdC would be equally good or better, but investment cost is somewhat prohibitive.
At the very least I'd go with either a hard soap or a cream, not a sticky croap, which may be more tricky to load.
If I were baiting a TWS recruit, I'd likely try to figure out his scent preference and factor that in. Scent really is part and parcel for me (because, as you say, most all soaps can be good performers) and it might add to the experience. (With schafsmilch I dare say I would tire after a while, though, cf combining your points four and five, Len.)
At the very least I'd go with either a hard soap or a cream, not a sticky croap, which may be more tricky to load.
If I were baiting a TWS recruit, I'd likely try to figure out his scent preference and factor that in. Scent really is part and parcel for me (because, as you say, most all soaps can be good performers) and it might add to the experience. (With schafsmilch I dare say I would tire after a while, though, cf combining your points four and five, Len.)
Len
Forum GOD!
Martin de Candre and Haslinger Schafsmilch were my two runners up behind C&S Oxford and Cambridge.
MdC lathers perhaps easier than any other soap ever made. The scents are mild and very pleasant, non-tiring. The one downfall of MdC is that it can be somewhat drying on the skin, during or post shave. And this dryness can lead to skin irritation. For someone with oily or naturally well hydrated skin, MdC might just be the perfect soap. Concerning cost, although the initial outlay is high, it is a large 200 gram soap that depletes slower than any soap I've ever used. I'd be willing to stake that the price per shave of MdC is on par, or perhaps even lower than most artisanal soaps
Haslinger Schafsmilch is also a strong choice, lathers among the best, and is inoffensive. But, as you say, lacking a scent may diminish the experience, and it does fall short ever so slightly in cushion in comparison to the Valobra made C&S.
I would also list Barrister & Mann in the 'runner up' list, in one of their classic scents. Without even trying or skill involved, B&M makes the best looking, most stable lather out there.
But again, I'm not sure any soap can beat the cushion/protection of the Valobra family of soaps, and cushion/protection, in my mind, is the most important characteristic a soap should have for a newbie. The other criteria, while important, are secondary.
halvor
a most elusive fish
All with you on the value for money with MdC, but it's still a tall initial investment on someone who doesn't know whether this 'pastime' of ours is something for him or whether he will revert to carts. (The same applies to C&S, of course.) B&M - yes, I have plenty and enjoy them, yet in terms of latherability for a rookie, it's not no 1. IMO.
Funny about Valobra. I have tried a sample only, admittedly, and did so early in my 'career', but it didn't do it for me. I may have to try again, perhaps via C&S on your recommendation.
celestino
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+1, with this in mind, there are just too many very good soaps available. However, I would still have to go with my favourite for so many reasons, Mystic Water.
