Barrister and Mann

Marko , I've been going through the same 'crisis of badger' stage myself. I have several badger beauties that I dearly love. A few months ago, I had trouble lathering a particular soap (SMN v3) and someone suggested a synthetic and bowl lathering. I grudgingly took one out, got my Captain's Choice bowl, and the difference was marked-there was the immediate 'explosion' of lather after the addition of some water.

Although I still use my badgers, I have to admit that the good synthetics (any of the modern 'Plissofts' or the Tuxedo knots) make short work of any soap for me, tallow or not.  They're not as pleasurable to use as the natural-hair brushes, or as luxurious feeling as a large badger knot, but the ease with which they get the job done is impressive, much as I hate to admit it.

So I had that shave this morning with B&M Cologne Russe and it was incredibly wonderful as I expected it would be.  

Theres something I have to get off my chest and it pains me to say this but I have a tub of Barrister's Reserve Cool and I cannot get it to work for me.  I don't know what it is but it won't lather the way I want it to and it won't even brush on to my face  properly, its like oil and water.  Maybe its my water which is softened.  I've tried different brushes and techniques, more water, less water.  I'm not a rookie at this and I've overcome challenges in the past but I'm tapping out on this one.  I'm ok with it but only because there are so many fantastic soaps in my cupboard including 50+ Barrister and Mann soaps so its not that bitter a pill to swallow.  I can tell from the posts I've seen on DFS that I'm in the minority (the only one?) on the BR soaps and I can't quite figure it out.  Karma?  I think I'm a good person but maybe I'm not as good as I think I am.

Mark, I have already stated elsewhere that Will's glissant formula remains my favorite.  Bowl lathering should definitely help, at least it did for me.  I have hard water where I live but trying to build a lather from the puck, my preferred way, is almost impossible and I truly dislike face lathering.  The reserve formulation reminds me of soaps like L&L Grooming that are superb but give that stringy gooey mess before finally turning into great lather.  However, (and I am speaking only for myself here) why go through the unnecessary steps of going through goo, then bowl lathering and playing with certain amounts of water when the glissant formula gives me creamy protective lather that is very easy to whip up?  Again, as I posted elsewhere, the Reserve Cool will get used because the scent, for me, is fantastic and when I finally get that perfect lather with it, it is terrific.  It's as good as the glissant formula but requires more work.

Do give bowl lathering a try and let us know how it works out for you.  I shall also be curious as to how much water you needed to work in to get a great lather.

B&M has always been one of my favorite artisans for soap and aftershave. There are others I enjoy as much, but none surpass it. I will sum up what makes B&M one of my all time favorites in 4 categories.

1) Scents - Almost every scent I have tried has been a winner, and the ones that haven't been are quality scents still but just not for me.
2) Scent strength - I realize not everyone likes a strong scent, but when I pay a premium price for an artisan soap I feel cheated if it is lacking in scent strength. Scent is the most expensive ingredient in a soap, and it's one reason I don't mind paying the higher price for B&M Glissant soaps.
3) Consistency - B&M's overall consistency is as good as it gets as far as I'm concerned.
4) Performance - B&M is as good as any and better than most.

B&M is indeed one of the best out there, but almost every soap in my den performs on par with B&M overall. Some aren't as slick while others are actually slicker, and some lather faster while others take much longer, but overall they are on par. This is a good thing as far as I'm concerned, because it gives me more scent options and I can enjoy different lathering characteristics. Nowadays when I want a new soap or aftershave I just go to one of my favorite brands and choose a scent that interests me. And when it comes time to shave I pick a soap based on which scent I'm in the mood for, rather than which brand.

I agree there are soaps performing on a same level as B&M, hell, Tabac's been having the superb perfromance for decades now. It's the combination with unique scents and perhaps the ever evolving forumula that makes B&M stand out for me.

Theres something I have to get off my chest and it pains me to say this but I have a tub of Barrister's Reserve Cool and I cannot get it to work for me.  I don't know what it is but it won't lather the way I want it to and it won't even brush on to my face  properly, its like oil and water.  Maybe its my water which is softened.  I've tried different brushes and techniques, more water, less water.  I'm not a rookie at this and I've overcome challenges in the past but I'm tapping out on this one.  I'm ok with it but only because there are so many fantastic soaps in my cupboard including 50+ Barrister and Mann soaps so its not that bitter a pill to swallow.  I can tell from the posts I've seen on DFS that I'm in the minority (the only one?) on the BR soaps and I can't quite figure it out.  Karma?  I think I'm a good person but maybe I'm not as good as I think I am.

Marko, you are not the only one with these issues. I have heard of a couple of others, and if you go to Barrister and Mann’s web page and look at the customer reviews for the Reserve Spice soap, there is a two-star review that is based on similar issues. Why this is happening to you and that reviewer, I cannot say, but I would contact Will to see if he has any additional tips.

I have used the Cool soap once so far. Softened water, badger brush, face-lathered — no issues whatsoever, really enjoyed the shave. I hope you will find a way to enjoy the soap, too!

Better than I Coloniali?

By Far Man! it like comparing a ferrari to a toyota

Better than I Coloniali?

By Far Man! it like comparing a ferrari to a toyota

Hahaha

I have yet to find a better soap than I Coloniali in terms of protection and post shave feeling... B&M may be great, but I Coloniali is( was) excellent. This is a B&M thread, so I won't get into further comparisons.

So I had that shave this morning with B&M Cologne Russe and it was incredibly wonderful as I expected it would be.  

Theres something I have to get off my chest and it pains me to say this but I have a tub of Barrister's Reserve Cool and I cannot get it to work for me.  I don't know what it is but it won't lather the way I want it to and it won't even brush on to my face  properly, its like oil and water.  Maybe its my water which is softened.  I've tried different brushes and techniques, more water, less water.  I'm not a rookie at this and I've overcome challenges in the past but I'm tapping out on this one.  I'm ok with it but only because there are so many fantastic soaps in my cupboard including 50+ Barrister and Mann soaps so its not that bitter a pill to swallow.  I can tell from the posts I've seen on DFS that I'm in the minority (the only one?) on the BR soaps and I can't quite figure it out.  Karma?  I think I'm a good person but maybe I'm not as good as I think I am.

Hi Marko,

I did an experiment today and I was able to reproduce your experience with the B&M Reserve Cool - the brush did not release the soap to my skin AT ALL! And after a few test runs I realized that the reason was:

TOO MUCH soap with too little WATER.

During one of the trials I severely overloaded the brush and could not get it to start face-lathering until I brought out my faithful captain choice bowl and added a LOT of water. Suddenly everything changed -  tons of dense, slick and shiny lather, which remained stable for more than 15 minutes after I finished my usual  3-pass shave.

So I am pretty much sure that you are a good person... you just did not add enough water... or loaded too much... or both.

but this soap is not just crazy good - it is SCARY GOOD!  And it pairs so wonderfully with my favorite Floid Blue

Theres something I have to get off my chest and it pains me to say this but I have a tub of Barrister's Reserve Cool and I cannot get it to work for me.  I don't know what it is but it won't lather the way I want it to and it won't even brush on to my face  properly, its like oil and water.  Maybe its my water which is softened.  I've tried different brushes and techniques, more water, less water.  I'm not a rookie at this and I've overcome challenges in the past but I'm tapping out on this one.  I'm ok with it but only because there are so many fantastic soaps in my cupboard including 50+ Barrister and Mann soaps so its not that bitter a pill to swallow.  I can tell from the posts I've seen on DFS that I'm in the minority (the only one?) on the BR soaps and I can't quite figure it out.  Karma?  I think I'm a good person but maybe I'm not as good as I think I am.

Marko, you are not the only one with these issues. I have heard of a couple of others, and if you go to Barrister and Mann’s web page and look at the customer reviews for the Reserve Spice soap, there is a two-star review that is based on similar issues. Why this is happening to you and that reviewer, I cannot say, but I would contact Will to see if he has any additional tips.

I have used the Cool soap once so far. Softened water, badger brush, face-lathered — no issues whatsoever, really enjoyed the shave. I hope you will find a way to enjoy the soap, too!

It sounds like this soap lathers like Crown King. Is that a safe assumption? If so, I look even more forward to it. The trick with CK is to add a ton of water, more than any soap I have ever owned. I read the directions for use on B&M's site and it says to add a lot of water. None of the other soap formulas on B&M say add a lot of water, so it sounds like that is the key.

I'll be ordering my first reserve today most likely, or as soon as I can decide between Cool and Spice. I will report back to this thread with my results afterward.

So I had that shave this morning with B&M Cologne Russe and it was incredibly wonderful as I expected it would be.  

Theres something I have to get off my chest and it pains me to say this but I have a tub of Barrister's Reserve Cool and I cannot get it to work for me.  I don't know what it is but it won't lather the way I want it to and it won't even brush on to my face  properly, its like oil and water.  Maybe its my water which is softened.  I've tried different brushes and techniques, more water, less water.  I'm not a rookie at this and I've overcome challenges in the past but I'm tapping out on this one.  I'm ok with it but only because there are so many fantastic soaps in my cupboard including 50+ Barrister and Mann soaps so its not that bitter a pill to swallow.  I can tell from the posts I've seen on DFS that I'm in the minority (the only one?) on the BR soaps and I can't quite figure it out.  Karma?  I think I'm a good person but maybe I'm not as good as I think I am.

Hi Marko,

I did an experiment today and I was able to reproduce your experience with the B&M Reserve Cool - the brush did not release the soap to my skin AT ALL! And after a few test runs I realized that the reason was:

TOO MUCH soap with too little WATER.

During one of the trials I severely overloaded the brush and could not get it to start face-lathering until I brought out my faithful captain choice bowl and added a LOT of water. Suddenly everything changed -  tons of dense, slick and shiny lather, which remained stable for more than 15 minutes after I finished my usual  3-pass shave.

So I am pretty much sure that you are a good person... you just did not add enough water... or loaded too much... or both.

but this soap is not just crazy good - it is SCARY GOOD!  And it pairs so wonderfully with my favorite Floid Blue

I echo this advice, Marko. Push the soap to the point where you think you will drown it. Then push it more. Trust me.