How do you think about soap base quality?

Some of the best threads on DFS are ones where everyone can comment and no one is right or wrong.

So, what I came up with is asking how folks thing about soap base quality. By that I mean the performance of the soap unrelated to the scent.

Here is how I view it:

I've come to think of soap base quality in tiers.

Tier 1 - the best soaps
Tier 2 - Not as good as tier 1, but still good soap.
Anything below these tiers: I throw it away.

I have used any soaps that cost more than $20, possibly $25 other than Castle Forbes shaving cream.

Some of my tier 1 soaps:

Tabac
B&M
Stirling
Soap Commander
Fuzzy Face
Music City Suds
Castle Forbes shaving cream
Wet Shaving Products tallow based
TFS (No one talks about TFS much. I'm not crazy about their scents, but the soap is awesome.)

Some of these may perform a tiny bit better than others, but not enough make me strongly desire one over the other. Some people strongly pursue hard to get soaps. That doesn't make sense to me as there are so many that readily available and awesome.

Second tier:

Taylor and Bond shaving cream
Cella

So, how do you think about soap base quality

For me it would be

1. Castle Forbes

2.
a. Mystic Water
b. Mike's

3. (some are better than others)
a. AoS Tallow
b. B&M Glissant
c. B&M Latha Line
d. Stirling
e. Haslinger

3. (some are better than others)
a. B&M
b. MWF
c. L&L
d. Shanon
e. AoS Creams
f. Nivea Creams
g. Speick Cream
h. CRSW Select V2
i. Tabac

4.
a. Dr. Jon
b. Wholly Kaw
c. Soap Commander

5.
ToBS (some creams are better than others)

6.
Cade Soap
K Shave Worx
7.
a. Poraso

Tier 100.
a. Fuzzy Face
b. Scottish Fine Soap
c. Stache Soap Works
d. Pinaud Soap


I may have forgotten a few.

In no particular order, these are my favorite soaps and creams, based on performance only:

SOAPS
Desmond's Barrow
Barrister & Mann
Tallow + Steel
L&L Grooming
Stirling
Chiseled Face
Mickey Lee Soap Works
Dapper Dragon
iColoniali

CREAMS
MEM
Taylor of Old Bond Street
Geo. F. Trumper

There may be more that I have forgotten but these are always reliable, especially the artisan soaps.

I've tried many and I'm pretty picky about soap, especially when it comes to slickness.

Tier 1
MWF, RazoRock Mudder Focker, iColoniali, Valobra

Tier 2
D.R. Harris, Institute Karite, Tabac/Fine Accoutrements, Mike's, LaToja Cream, Mundus, Stirling

Tier 3
TOBS, Mama Bears Soaps, L'Occitane Cade, Speick, Proraso, QCS, TFS

The for sale, bin, pif pile
Barrister & Mann, Arko, LEA, Derby, Trumpers, various other artisan soaps

I have very limited exposure. Soaps I have tried are as follows-

BM Glissant
BM White Label
MLS New Formula
MLS Old Formula
Fine
DD
Stirling
Chiseled Face
TOBS Cream
DR Harris Cream
Dr Jon's version 1
LASSCo

Of these I would Create a tier list something like this-
Tier one - Great lathers - in order
BM Glissant
Fine
Stirling
Chiseled Face
BM White Label
DD

Chiseled Face seemed to work fantastically for me, unfortunately none of the scents I've tried work for me at all. (Sherlock, Ghost Town Barber, Tradewinds, Midnight Stag)

Tier 2 - Worked ok
MLS both formulas - I've read the new formula has great slickness, but I'll be darned I can find it. Cushions well though.
Dr Jon's v1 - Too soft for me, clumps of soap everywhere, subpar post feel.

Tier 3 - I'm glad these were samples.
TOBS Cream
DR Harris Cream
LASSCo

I'm not a cream guy I guess, watery bubbly lather. I'm probably going to try the Windsor hard puck in the future because Windsor is a heck of scent.
LASSCo lathers were dry and left my face feeling dry.

I've tried many and I'm pretty picky about soap, especially when it comes to slickness.

Tier 1
MWF, RazoRock Mudder Focker, iColoniali, Valobra

Tier 2
D.R. Harris, Institute Karite, Tabac/Fine Accoutrements, Mike's, LaToja Cream, Mundus, Stirling

Tier 3
TOBS, Mama Bears Soaps, L'Occitane Cade, Speick, Proraso, QCS, TFS

The for sale, bin, pif pile
Barrister & Mann, Arko, LEA, Derby, Trumpers, various other artisan soaps

Which formulation of BM for the bin? White label, or all?

B&M going in the trash is absurd, unless you really don't like the scent in which case you could easily sell it. Anyway here's my list:

Tier 1:
• Mike's
• Mystic Water (some scents lather better than others oddly enough)
• Barrister and Mann - White Label, Glissant and Latha all perform the same for me (i.e. great)
• Stirling

Tier 2:
• Dapper Dragon
• Shannon's Soaps
• Mickey Lee
• Dr. Jon's
• TTFFC/Maggard
• Soap Commander
• RazoRock The Dead Sea

I will say there is very little difference in performance between Tier 1 and 2. They are all really good soaps, but those in the top tier are just a cut above and always give me that thick, slick, shiny, yogurty goodness. Also, I have not tried all brands, obviously, but I do have a sample of L&L Harmony that I'm eager to use. I expect it to be top tier based on others' experience with the bison tallow soap base. We will see...

Talk about YMMV
Soap
1. Barrister and Mann
2. Tallow + Steel
3. L&L Grooming
4. Mystic Waters
5. Mike's Natural
6. LASSC
7. Reef Point Soaps
8. The Holy Black

Cream/Croap
1. Cyril R. Salter
2. I Coloniali
3. Tabula Rasa
4. TOBS
5. GFT

Obviously not everyone agrees on this and people will definitely have differing opinions on the scents but how, based purely on base performance, you could relegate any of those soaps listed on this thread to the trash can is beyond me.

I've tried many and I'm pretty picky about soap, especially when it comes to slickness.

Tier 1
MWF, RazoRock Mudder Focker, iColoniali, Valobra

Tier 2
D.R. Harris, Institute Karite, Tabac/Fine Accoutrements, Mike's, LaToja Cream, Mundus, Stirling

Tier 3
TOBS, Mama Bears Soaps, L'Occitane Cade, Speick, Proraso, QCS, TFS

The for sale, bin, pif pile
Barrister & Mann,  Arko, LEA, Derby, Trumpers, various other artisan soaps

Which formulation of BM for the bin?  White label, or all?

So far, all that I've tried (Seville and Baudelaire). One was in a white tub, the other in a clear tub.

Tier 1
Mikes
Jabonman Eufros (Tallow)
CRSW (New Base)

Tier 2
Haslinger
CRSW Select V2
Sudsy Soapery

Tier 3
Mystic Waters
Tallow & Steel
MdC
Stirling
Wholly Kaw

Tier 4
Soap Commander
Uncle Jon's
Caties Bubbles
Nuavia

Tier 5
Far too many to list