A while back Lee from Wet Shaving Products offered up some samples of a soap he’s been working on. I jumped on, and he sent a very large sample indeed. This is my assessments after a couple of weeks of using it for shaving:
Value: N/A
Being a sample, I got it for the cost of shipping. For retail I’ll would be willing to pay quite a bit for it, since this soap is good stuff.
Quality: 5/5
It ticks off all the right boxes for me; presentation, performance, and overall feel
Packaging: 4/5
I would still prefer a tin with a wider mouth, however that is a very minor issue. Wrapped in paper would work just as well – I’m not too fuzzy on the packaging.
Scent: 5/5
Being an unscented or nearly unscented puck it sure smells good, clean but without the “hospital like” undertone a number of other unscented soaps has. The lack of a strong scent also means it will work with any combo of pre- and postshave treatment.
Lather: 5/5
The soap makes loads of it with ease, and it isn’t terrible thirsty (caveat: I got soft water).
Skin care: 4/5
The soap do leave my skin with a slightly dry feeling, but without the skin actually being dry. Makes no sense, but maybe it’s just me?
Moisturising: 4/5
Despite the initial dry feeling mentioned above, you could get away without using an aftershave or moisturiser as part of the post-shave routine. I still use one, but then Im a creature of habit when I got the time for it.
Slickness: 4/5
The lather the soap makes is not as slick as a couple of my other soaps, but it’s a minor issue. Both my Merkur 45C (which is rather fuzzy on the lather) and my Gillette ’58 TV Special (which is not) works without issue with the lather.
Cushion: 4/5
The rich, creamy lather still provides plenty of cushion without impeding on the actual cutting action, just like good lather should. It has less cushion that some of my other soaps though, so ‘only’ four out of five.
Overall impression: 4.5/5
A good soap indeed, and one to keep an eye for when Lee put it up for sale.