My favorite soap is totally unheard of because it is actually made by a forum member's wife, and is not at all distributed. I just happened to be lucky enough to be given a few pucks in exchange for a couple straights. I think I got the better end of the deal...
As for available soaps that I don;t hear much about--
Crowne & Crane. Fairly new, still, on the market. I have a fairly wide selection of their soaps, and ALL of them perform extremely well for me. The scents are second to none. Seriously the greatest scents on the market, in my opinion. Both tallow and vegan formulas produce excellent lather with fantastic slickness. LOVE it, and they are a participating member here.
PAA. Now...I know why nobody talks about Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements. Some people hate them. Some people love them. Everybody has an opinion. I am not a "fanboy", but I do enjoy their soap. Very good slickness and protection in a vegan formula with excellent scent profiles. If the prices were more in line with, say, Stirling, I would easily have the majority of their available scents. They get talked about in friendly company, but on open forums, most people avoid mentioning the name just to avoid the controversy that inevitably devolves into a mudslinging crap-fest...
Shaver Heaven. They enjoyed some popularity over at Google+ for a little while, but I don't hear much about them. I have a tub of Barbershop scent. The scent is fairly common in it's fragrance, but the performance of the lather is really good.
Stache Soap Works. An Etsy soapmaker. Complex scents, and good performance. As a new soapmaker on the scene, they really put the focus on performance. Easy to load and lather, and generates nice, slick, protective lather with no trouble at all.
Beaver Woodwright. Between multiple name changes and marketing changes, it's no wonder you don't hear much about BWW/Black Ship Grooming, but they do make an excellent soap, in my opinion. Very good performance.
Wet Shaving Products. I think many were put off by the primarily Amazon distribution early on, but this is actually a very good soap. Excellent lather that is easy to load and build. Good stuff!!
As for available soaps that I don;t hear much about--
Crowne & Crane. Fairly new, still, on the market. I have a fairly wide selection of their soaps, and ALL of them perform extremely well for me. The scents are second to none. Seriously the greatest scents on the market, in my opinion. Both tallow and vegan formulas produce excellent lather with fantastic slickness. LOVE it, and they are a participating member here.
PAA. Now...I know why nobody talks about Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements. Some people hate them. Some people love them. Everybody has an opinion. I am not a "fanboy", but I do enjoy their soap. Very good slickness and protection in a vegan formula with excellent scent profiles. If the prices were more in line with, say, Stirling, I would easily have the majority of their available scents. They get talked about in friendly company, but on open forums, most people avoid mentioning the name just to avoid the controversy that inevitably devolves into a mudslinging crap-fest...
Shaver Heaven. They enjoyed some popularity over at Google+ for a little while, but I don't hear much about them. I have a tub of Barbershop scent. The scent is fairly common in it's fragrance, but the performance of the lather is really good.
Stache Soap Works. An Etsy soapmaker. Complex scents, and good performance. As a new soapmaker on the scene, they really put the focus on performance. Easy to load and lather, and generates nice, slick, protective lather with no trouble at all.
Beaver Woodwright. Between multiple name changes and marketing changes, it's no wonder you don't hear much about BWW/Black Ship Grooming, but they do make an excellent soap, in my opinion. Very good performance.
Wet Shaving Products. I think many were put off by the primarily Amazon distribution early on, but this is actually a very good soap. Excellent lather that is easy to load and build. Good stuff!!
-Chris~Head Shaver~