When Will first came on the scene I made the suggestion to him that since he has so many scents he should sell a scent sampler of the After Shaves so people could order one and decide what they liked. Will was receptive to the idea and said he'd figure out a way to do it. He then sent me a sampler of the scents (small vials with enough AS for one use). He graciously popped in a small tub of the 1907 soap. I loved the scents and the soap and so ordered 3 tubs of soaps and 3 AS splashes during his 20% Veteran's Day sale. I had not planned on any more purchases this year (really could not afford it) but these scents were out of this world.
First, here are my takes on the scents available:
Peppermint and Clove - Zoinks, you better like peppermint
Bay Rum - Not bad at all. I already have 2 Bay Rums, but otherwise this may have been ordered.
Old Fashioned Soda - Smells like Root Beer to me
Lime and Mint Rum - Very nice Lime scent. When I run out of my current CF Limes and Trumper's essence of Limes AS, this may be the replacement
And now What I did order:
Signature 1907 - My favorite. Very distinct and classy. Somewhat sweet but also very spicy. A great combo for me.
1911 - Very reminiscent of an old fashioned barber shop. Citrus, woody, spicy. Another classic.
Heartwood - To me very woodsy. I guess the name should imply that.
I held off on doing a review until I received my order as I didn't want anyone thinking I was giving a good review based upon having been given some soap. I actually ordered the large tub of the soap I was given.
Now the review:
As Johnny said in his review of 1911, this soap does take a little experimenting to find the right balance. It is not the easiest soap out there to lather. Once you hit upon it though, it does provide a very fantastic shave. I have found that it is much easier to grab soap and build the initial lather in the 8oz jar instead of the 4 oz tin. There is some depth to the jar and much more width so there is plenty of room to swirl the brush around. I chose my SOC 2 band as my brush, and while it was soaking I let some hot water sit on top of the puck of soap. A good 60 seconds of loading and I moved to my scuttle to build the lather. After building adding some water I got a good thick lather out of the brush. As you can see, I used a badger brush and still had no issues building a lather. I still have some experimenting to do to get a perfect lather but this one more than did the job with excellent results.
I used a Gillette Red Tip with a Personna Red blade. The shave was great. Wonderful protection, nice slickness to the lather. I probably could have gotten 5 passes out of the lather easily. There was still plenty left over in the brush.
I very much like this soap. Will has been great to deal with, fast answers to e-mails. While the soap is pricy, I do find it very hard and will most likely last a very long time so the cost per shave should be normal. The AS .... well I do wish the AS was a 6oz portion for the cost as opposed to a 4 oz amount. It is however very soothing. Now all Will needs is a EdT and he'll be set.
Both products are recommended.
First, here are my takes on the scents available:
Peppermint and Clove - Zoinks, you better like peppermint
Bay Rum - Not bad at all. I already have 2 Bay Rums, but otherwise this may have been ordered.
Old Fashioned Soda - Smells like Root Beer to me
Lime and Mint Rum - Very nice Lime scent. When I run out of my current CF Limes and Trumper's essence of Limes AS, this may be the replacement
And now What I did order:
Signature 1907 - My favorite. Very distinct and classy. Somewhat sweet but also very spicy. A great combo for me.
1911 - Very reminiscent of an old fashioned barber shop. Citrus, woody, spicy. Another classic.
Heartwood - To me very woodsy. I guess the name should imply that.
I held off on doing a review until I received my order as I didn't want anyone thinking I was giving a good review based upon having been given some soap. I actually ordered the large tub of the soap I was given.
Now the review:
As Johnny said in his review of 1911, this soap does take a little experimenting to find the right balance. It is not the easiest soap out there to lather. Once you hit upon it though, it does provide a very fantastic shave. I have found that it is much easier to grab soap and build the initial lather in the 8oz jar instead of the 4 oz tin. There is some depth to the jar and much more width so there is plenty of room to swirl the brush around. I chose my SOC 2 band as my brush, and while it was soaking I let some hot water sit on top of the puck of soap. A good 60 seconds of loading and I moved to my scuttle to build the lather. After building adding some water I got a good thick lather out of the brush. As you can see, I used a badger brush and still had no issues building a lather. I still have some experimenting to do to get a perfect lather but this one more than did the job with excellent results.
I used a Gillette Red Tip with a Personna Red blade. The shave was great. Wonderful protection, nice slickness to the lather. I probably could have gotten 5 passes out of the lather easily. There was still plenty left over in the brush.
I very much like this soap. Will has been great to deal with, fast answers to e-mails. While the soap is pricy, I do find it very hard and will most likely last a very long time so the cost per shave should be normal. The AS .... well I do wish the AS was a 6oz portion for the cost as opposed to a 4 oz amount. It is however very soothing. Now all Will needs is a EdT and he'll be set.
Both products are recommended.