Mitchell Wool Fat shaving soap - my opinion

Before I share my personal opinion on this classic - by a lot considered - great shaving soap, I need to stress, that this is my personal opinion based on my experience through a couple of years of testing this soap on and off.

I think I have used Mitchell Wool Fat, from now on called MWF, between 15-20 times.
I have a large rotation of soap and creams, several 100, and I try to rotate them all pretty much evenly through out the year.

I began using MWF for the first time in 2012, at that time lived in Copenhagen, where the water is hard and rough. Could not get MWF to lather. Tried all the advice, soaking MWF for 10-15 minutes in warm water, soaking it completely covered in the ceramic dish. Did not work.

Only way MWF worked for me was in a Superlather with another soap/cream, and I could then see the benefits from the great post shave feel, MWF provides.

Then I moved in 2013, and could now actually SOMETIMES get a decent lather from MWF, used by itself. Still had to work extra long time on my face lathering

Also found MWF works better with a boar brush, than anything else.
But still MWF was a fickle shaving soap.

I saw YouTube shavers having trouble with it, Nick Shaves and others. I saw shavers creating a great lather from MWF without problems.

I moved back Copenhagen in a new condo in 2014, and once again MWF went for being tolerable to use, to almost unbearable and lousy.

But MWF was NEVER EVER what I would call even an acceptable shaving soap.
I had been in denial, knowing MWF fans I respected HIGHLY, loves their MWF and gets fantastic results from it day in and day out.

I was living in denial.

Used MWF 6-8 weeks ago again, soaked the puck, loaded my Stirling KONG brush for a good 5 minutes. The MWF ceramic bowl was filled with lather.
Got rid of the excess starting thin bubly lather. Continued loading the brush heavily. Face lathered adding water slowly 4-5 drops to the brush at a time.
Lather was almost crashing, thin bubly low quality lather. I was again stubborn. Continued face lathering for 10 minutes, got a barely acceptable kind of thick lather. Shaved, ok result. Post shave feel great. Everything else not so great.

Then on to this mornings shave. The 25.th of December 2016. The day Claus, not Santa-Claus, but just Claus, finally stopped living in denial in order to try to please others, the day Claus got rid of both his pucks of MWF and took the Savonniere du Moulin shaving soap and placed in the fantastic MWF ceramic dish, the only really amazing thing about the MWF shaving soap, besides the post shave feel.

Used my Thäter 30 mm 4125 2-band bulb brush. I did purposely not soak the MWF this time. I was testing it, and if I/MWF failed, we were to not live together any longer.

To compensate for not soaking MWF, I added much water to the brush, and I loaded the brush very heavy. I looked at the clock while loading it with MWF.
This is not a joke.
I loaded the brush with MWF for 11 minutes until lather was dripping out of bowl. The brush was totally loaded with MWF.
I then face lathered.
Started out thin. Continued to be somewhat think looking. Added water to the brush several times. Same thin looking lather. Continued to face lather for 15 minutes, yes 15 minutes.
Once I got a good looking lather on the right cheek, the lather on the left cheek dissipated. Just like MWF lather does on me and for me.
Once I got a good looking lather on my neck, the lather was bubbles and airy on my cheeks.

As said, I face lathered for 15 minutes.

15 MINUTES MWF FACE LATHERING AFTER 11 MINUTES OF MWF BRUSH LOADING !

MWF so called lather looked like only one other shaving soap, which I binned months ago: Lea Classic.

I was thinking this to myself:
Stop living in denial, Claus.
MWF and you just are not a good match.
Accept it. MWF has got to leave. Now.

Consequently wiped off the so called poor excuse for a 'lather' on my face, took the MWF puck and threw it out in the trash, where it rightfully belong.

I own 100's of shaving soaps. Only 2 have caused me problems : MWF & Lea Classic.
Out they went, both of them.

Rinsed my brush. Thoroughly.

Took my CRSW v2 Le Chypre Sombre shaving soap in the blue ceramic CRSW dish, loaded the same brush for 1-2 minutes. Brush was heavily loaded with CRSW soap. Began face lathering. In 1 minute I had the most amazingly looking thick, dense lather full of volume and shine on my face.
I could have taken so many other soaps from my den, but I felt like reaching for something, which also comes in a beautiful ceramic dish, so Larry's CRSW Le Chypre Sombre, a very well made Drakkar Noir clone, was the first soaps I thought about. Boy, does Larry's shaving soaps perform like magic. MAGIC. They are as close to a PERFECT 10/10, as possible.

MWF Rating:
Lather creation: 1/10
Lather quality: 1/10
Overall rating: 1/10

Goodby MWF, I will not miss you at all.

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Haven't gotten around to trying MWF and, after reading this, will not go out of my way to do so. I've got maybe 15 soaps in my rotation. Most were purchased as a result of recommendations on these forums. I think there are a lot of good soaps out there. Sounds like you own all of them. No point in wasting shaves on any that don't stack up.

Thanks for the review.

MWF is one soap that I haven't tried yet. with all of the reports throughout the years of people having trouble lathering it up, I don't know if it's worth the effort for me to even bother with it..

I've never had that much luck with MWF myself. Had to load it a while to get a somewhat decent lather. Haven't used mine in over a year.

Haslinger Schafmilch.
MWF's good looking brother.

Maybe it's the soft Scottish water or a case of ymmv but MWF lathers like nothing else I've tried. It's super slick and best used with a boar brush.

I tried a sample of MWF early on and I don't remember having any trouble lathering it, but I wasn't that impressed performance or scent wise, IIRC. I think I might revisit it though. I'm thinking about doing primotenore's cavendish-infused MWF outlined in this thread: https://damnfineshave.com/thread-tobacco-tallow

Much the same here. I can't be bothered with it!

Much the same here. I can't be bothered with it!

I have a water softener. I have usef MWF several times and get some of the best lathers around. It's too bad hard water and MWF don't work well. It really is a great lather & shave.


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Although I have never had any issues with MWF and it's my reference point for all hard/triple-milled soaps that I try, I thought this was one of the better write-ups I've read in a while. I was grinning the whole time I was reading it. Thanks for the cheer up on an otherwise gloomy day.