Murphy and McNeil soaps

M&M St. James (Irish Oatmeal Stout Beer) in the Slainte Base

Southsider (and anyone else):

What's your assessment now of AON vs. Kodiak vs. Slainte, particularly in slickness and post-shave conditioning?

I like Slainte better--a richer lather.  All three are about as slick as the others as I recall and the post shave is similar although I think Slainte is slightly better here.  One thing I don't like about Kodiak is that the soap crystalizes over time.  Also, there seems to be a lot of hype associated with Kodiak releases. The one Aon soap I have tried, Cliffs of Moher, seems well-done though not extraordinary.

Right now you can get an M&M soap in Slainte that I really like at a good price, $16.25, for quality soap:  Murphy's India Pale.  Really nice scent--the description given is accurate:  "This shaving soap features an intriguing scent profile that captures the essence of a well-crafted citrus India Pale Ale. The top notes of beer and citrus create a refreshing and invigorating start, reminiscent of your favorite hoppy beverage.  As you lather, the scent evolves into a heart of pine and sweet florals, offering a great balance and lets you know the scent is deceptively more complex than it would seem at first glance. The experience is rounded out with a base of hops, adding depth and a subtle bitterness that complements the initial citrusy zest like any great IPA."

I like Slainte better--a richer lather.  All three are about as slick as the others as I recall and the post shave is similar although I think Slainte is slightly better here.  One thing I don't like about Kodiak is that the soap crystalizes over time.  Also, there seems to be a lot of hype associated with Kodiak releases. The one Aon soap I have tried, Cliffs of Moher, seems well-done though not extraordinary.

Thanks for sharing your experience, Southsider.

In case anyone wants to add NOS AON tubs, there are four flavours for $8.79 each at M&M: https://murphyandmcneil.com/products/mur...aving-soap.


Green Man in AON

Not sure this is at all informative, but soap volume used approximated the size of a medium-smallish almond.  Lather had rested a few minutes before photo.

Confusing, seemingly contradictory data points emerged from this experience.  Soap showed nice fattiness coming out of the sample pouch, yet the first pass was rough (cool shower as pre-shave), not seeming to offer much more lubrication and softening than water.  However, upon dilution (moderate rinsing), there was some residual slickness left behind, enough to do some shaving with.

Results were good—excellent above the jawline—and the post-feel is full, soft, plump, moisturized, much as it is from the butter bombs which find favour at my house.  Not sure how we got here from there.

What's your assessment, FlashOne, of the Kodiak base vs. AON and Slainte, especially, as well as vs. Joserra and maybe some of the other premium bases?

I've been using these for the last days, resurrected from the bottom of my sample bag to refresh my memory:



Not much good or bad to say about the Aon base, average mechanics and quite ordinary post shave to me, kinda reminds me a slightly improved Australian Private Reserve base - without reaching those olfactory heights.
Scent on these two is almost gone but I'm not really missing too much since Trinity is an Aventus dupe and Triskele reminds me about many other barbershop I've already sniffed.
Even though I prefer the Kodiak base - for both greater water tolerance, lubricity and post-shave feel - I'm not sure any of these could find a place in my den if I actually decide to shrink my entire collection to 3-4 soap bases only (yeah I know... delusional). Don't get me wrong, those who prefer non excessive conditioning effects have plenty to be happy with, but post shave whores (like who's writing) are harder to satisfy.
Never tried anything in Slainte base as I've never found any scent appealing to me.

Post-Shave Whores

Sub-forum material there . . . band name, too.

I've been using these for the last days, resurrected from the bottom of my sample bag to refresh my memory:



Not much good or bad to say about the Aon base, average mechanics and quite ordinary post shave to me, kinda reminds me a slightly improved Australian Private Reserve base - without reaching those olfactory heights. Scent on these two is almost gone but I'm not really missing too much since Trinity is an Aventus dupe and Triskele reminds me about many other barbershop I've already sniffed.

Even though I prefer the Kodiak base - for both greater water tolerance, lubricity and post-shave feel - I'm not sure any of these could find a place in my den if I actually decide to shrink my entire collection to 3-4 soap bases only (yeah I know... delusional). Don't get me wrong, those who prefer non excessive conditioning effects have plenty to be happy with, but post shave whores (like who's writing) are harder to satisfy.

Thank you for the follow-up, for this insightful review; it seems consistent with my conflicted experience to-date with AON.  I've used Eleven (Julien base), Eufros, and Joserra over the last few days, and shaving with those soaps is more like surfing a tsunami of cream compared to the leaner AON experience.

Maybe a future reader will glean something from the insights.  Meanwhile, thanks for helping tamp down (for a bit, at least) the flames of SAD (soap acquisition disorder).

Wow, that is a great looking lather. I have not tried M&M soap base yet either. Glad to hear it lives up to the hype!

Wow, that is a great looking lather.

If you mean mine, thank you . . . but . . .  Looks Aren't Everything.

I have not tried M&M soap base yet either. Glad to hear it lives up to the hype!

To be clear, there are at least four bases from that house; AON the only one I've tried, so far.  I'd suggest sampling before going all-in.