I cannot say enough good things about this Canadian (Toronto, Ontario) soap maker and consider his soap one of the best being produced right now. Everything from the ease of making lather to the final face feel is superb.

The soap was incredibly easy to lather, even in my hard water. I mostly use synthetic brushes but should imagine that badger, boar, horsehair, or combination hair brushes would work just as well in producing a great lather.

For me, this is where the soap shines. The feel of the lather, even before I start to shave, is soft and gentle and feels terrific on my face.

Excellent. The razor, no matter which one I am using, just glides across my face.

I find the scent not particularly strong. However, for some reason, it seems to get better with each use. Peter has done a fantastic job of balancing the lemon with the lavender and the result is excellent.

Post shave, my skin feels slightly moisturized where, if I didn't want to use it, an aftershave balm would not be necessary.

The price is a fair value and in line with other top quality artisan soaps. The price per tub varies slightly depending on the scent and prices on the site can be listed in Canadian dollars, U.S. dollars, British pounds, euros, or Australian dollars.

Absolutely top notch. Peter uses high quality ingredients and the proof of that is in the final product.

Some might complain about the soap being in a tin tub instead of a plastic one but not me. The tin was well wrapped for mailing and arrived unscathed. I especially like that the tin is wide and the soap does not rise too far to the top making any size brush easy to use without making a mess.

I also like the artwork on the label. The clean lines and almost whimsical picture are just flat out fun.

Slick and protective nature of this soap makes for a very efficient and comfortable shave.

I ran the soap thru the ultimate torture test: Feather DX, Mild Blade - Day 3, No Prep. The resulting shave was extremely comfortable and I got a BBS with three passes and zero stinging with the alum pass.

On my short list of 'desert island' soaps.

Softer nature renders a super quick and easy load without any need to ‘bloom’.

Resulting lather is super dense and cushioning, which is unsurprising since ‘Scrithnscrub’s’ was my go to in this category (but I refrained from referencing it since the soap was not widely available).

Conversations with Peter revealed that Desmond’s Barrow was slightly reformulated from previous scritchnscrub soap iterations to increase the density and ‘grip’ which Peter defines as “the ability of the foam to hold the blade to your skin for closeness”.

I will say the slight formulation change does in fact yield a thicker and slicker lather that is VERY water stable. This slickness rivals all the current artisans and main stream soap makers and has propelled DB to the top of my ‘desert island soap’ list.

Lovely clean scents mostly made from essential oils. Scent quality is very natural with no hints of ‘artificialness’. I’ve got the whole collection here and my favorites are ‘Mossy Lime’ and ‘Orange Patchouli’.

Some scents are complex and cerebral, while others are simple and emotional. Both types have it’s place, and Desmond’s Barrow is of the latter category.

Extremely moisturizing even in the winter weather. I can get away with using no after shave products with this soap without much trouble and my skin tends to be dry.

Values is hard to judge. Based on the softness of the soap it's not going to last as long as triple milled or hot poured soap, but the quality of the shave is top notch.

Superb.

Soap comes packed in an EXCELLENT metal can. Wide enough for my biggest brushes and deep enough that the whole load stays contained and relatively mess free. Cap of can fits in the bottom of the container (for those of you who care about that stuff). Label is waterproof.