New DG Base

Did a quick hand lather with some unscented today and seemed to load and bust into lather very quickly. I’ll do a full shave tomorrow to see how it really performs.

First go today was awesome with the milksteak base. I used the unscented version as I do with almost everything. While I never had a problem with any tallow funk on any soaps, this one was definitely low/no scent. Lather was quick to develop which was a nice change from all this Uber thirsty soaps out there. I also felt that the presence of the milks was evident...giving that characteristic creaminess to a lather that soaps without seem to lack. Slickness and post shave were great. Winner for me without a doubt.

My god I haven't posted here for a long time but.............milksteak lol? Only the total wackos that are in total FOMO mode are buying into this.

Unicorn tears and bigfoot sweat are next I guess. Will from B&M said it best a couple of months ago: "We have reached a point with soap bases where any "Improvement" will be so minimal you won't see any difference."

I tend to agree with this honestly, but I'm sure I'll be flamed for this post. Wait until there is a, "Limited milksteak." release. You will see people paying, well, DUMBARSE amounts of $$$ for it. I've never understood it myself, but to each their own I guess.

My god I haven't posted here for a long time but.............milksteak lol? Only the total wackos that are in total FOMO mode are buying into this.

Unicorn tears and bigfoot sweat are next I guess. Will from B&M said it best a couple of months ago: "We have reached a point with soap bases where any "Improvement" will be so minimal you won't see any difference."

I tend to agree with this honestly, but I'm sure I'll be flamed for this post. Wait until there is a, "Limited milksteak." release. You will see people paying, well, DUMBARSE amounts of $$$ for it. I've never understood it myself, but to each their own I guess.

LOL. You're so wrong about this. One, it's not limited. It replaced the other 2 Declaration soap bases. And 2, it's priced squarely in the middle of the playing field of elite soaps out there. There are soaps I've used that are $5-7 more than this and not as good. Yeah, it may be splitting hairs to most, but any hardcore hobbyists can tell the difference. Artisans are having to get creative in order to stand out in this ever growing, overcrowded space. If this is Scott's way of doing it, it worked. He sold out of every soap he made for this drop and let me just say this, it wasn't a paltry number.

Let us not lose sight of the fact that in order to stay in business a maker has to make money. The same goes for our respective employers. That is of course unless one feeds at the public "trough".

I do agree that the soaps of today are, for the most part, very good. Any incremental improvements will be minimal. That said, I am still one that loves to try the newest releases, base and scent from various artisans.

I bought two of the Milksteak soaps, Dirtyver and Massacre of the Innocents. I have yet to use the Dirtyver but off the puck is has a dominant spice/pepper to it. I plan on trying it tomorrow. As for MoI, performance was excellent. Did I find it markedly better than Grooming Department or Barrister & Mann, Nope. The scent reminded me of walking into my grandparents house as a child. It was nice but that is a flavor that I don't feel I wish to project so it will have to go.

As I stated earlier in this thread, I have really liked DG products from a performance perspective but have yet to find a scent that works for me.

I tend to agree that improvements to any of the top tier soap formulas will be incremental and difficult to discern - like audiophile quality sound.  Some claim to be able to tell the difference between digital and analog music but unless you're listening on audiophile quality sound system instead of ear buds, who can tell and does it matter?

I absolutely agree that the soap makers have to do something to stay relevant and front of mind with shavers.  Seasonals and limited releases go a long way, however, the new improved formulas of the soap bases are another way.  Its like the change over from vinyl and to a lesser extent, cassettes (sorry 8-track) to compact disc back in the 80s.  You had to basically replace your whole music library.  Right now I'd say B&M has the greatest variety of bases and I think the difference among all of them is minimal - I have soft water so maybe I just don't notice it.  I wish they would clearly mark the base on the label especially when they're simultaneously making different bases of the same soaps or at least there is simultaneous inventory around.  Good luck trying to determine the base of GD soaps.***GD has started printing formulas on the side of tubs as of 6 months ago. Thanks Mo!**  Some of the vendors don't list the ingredients and even if they do, don't update the list when bases change.  I know Scott at DG does print the base on the label so hats off to him.

Another technique for staying relevant are the novelty releases like the The Holy Black's Creeper series and B&M with releases like the first Fougere Gothique and the recent Lyssa - I thought the zombie craze had passed, maybe Will has been getting into the Day By Day Armageddon series (scary) https://www.amazon.com/Day-By-Armageddon...219&sr=8-1
In any case, the novelty releases with the various accessories appeal to a lot of shavers and I think can be a lot of fun if you're a collector of very limited release items. 

Another thing that has levelled the playing field not only between different bases of the same maker but among different makers and different "tiers" as well is the amazing performance of Grooming Dept's pre-shave.  It may not make an Ogallala Bay Rum soap perform quite as well as a B&M but pretty darn close and in my opinion, close enough to bring Ogallala back into the rotation and for those soaps that are virtually up there with the so called top tier, well, dare I say that we have parity in the league.

That said, DG released Chatillon Lux Yuzu Rose Patchouli in the milksteak formula so I had to order that.  I think I have YRP in every base its been released in which I believe is Declaration Grooming / L&L, T+S and Wholly Kaw.  If I'm missing any please let me know.

I bought Trismegistus and After the Rain scents. I used the After the Rain one today, and really like the smell. It's not overpowering, which is a plus for me. The Trismegistus smells good too, but I haven't used it yet. This soap works really well in hard water for me. I was able to whip up a nice and thick lather with ease. I over loaded my brush not knowing what to expect, but next time I will load half as much. All in all I like the soap, and will definitely purchase more. 

My god I haven't posted here for a long time but.............milksteak lol?  Only the total wackos that are in total FOMO mode are buying into this.

Unicorn tears and bigfoot sweat are next I guess.  Will from B&M said it best a couple of months ago:  "We have reached a point with soap bases where any "Improvement" will be so minimal you won't see any difference." 

I tend to  agree with this honestly, but I'm sure I'll be flamed for this post.  Wait until there is a, "Limited milksteak." release.  You will see people paying, well, DUMBARSE amounts of $$$ for it.  I've never understood it myself, but to each their own I guess.

LOL. You're so wrong about this. One, it's not limited. It replaced the other 2 Declaration soap bases. And 2, it's priced squarely in the middle of the playing field of elite soaps out there. There are soaps I've used that are $5-7 more than this and not as good. Yeah, it may be splitting hairs to most, but any hardcore hobbyists can tell the difference. Artisans are having to get creative in order to stand out in this ever growing, overcrowded space. If this is Scott's way of doing it, it worked. He sold out of every soap he made for this drop and let me just say this, it wasn't a paltry number.

No, I get that part, and I've dealt with you personally so I do respect your opinion though.  I'm just wondering where you guys keep all of this stuff lol.  Hell I've been at this for the better part of seven or eight years and haven't really bought anything lately and I have enough soap for the next 100 years.  I've been in maintenance for a while now.  I guess I've never understood the buy every new product thing.

I think most here don't buy every new soap. I know I sure don't. However, when a Top Five artisan launches a new base that more than one reviewer has stated is perfect that tends to get attention.