Review Soap Commander 'Purpose' shave soap.

[Dale.Whiley]

A quick review on Soap Commander's "Purpose". I have now used this soap three times (1 x straight & 2 x DE) so my lathering technique with this soap still needs work.

I purchased this soap in the Soap Commander Group Buy which was diligently overseen by @MrT (thanks for your great work here @MrT). Darren at Soap Commander also is worthy of shout for offering P&C members a sizable discount (a big thanks Darren).

Scent
As I've explained in my review of "Courage", I am a bit of a straight-down-the-line, none too "debonair" kind of bloke. My nose does not discern the delicate fragrances that others detect. I could not smell a scent of Bay Rum. IMO what I could smell was pine needles (like the school pine forest I used to play in at Primary School. We had between 180-200 pine trees planted up the back and the trees, needles and pine sap scent still echoes in my memory), citrus notes and sweetness (vanilla and nutmeg). My wife reckons she can smell the Bay Rum though and she really loves the scent. I thought it smelt kind of outdoors manly, but it did lack a "distinctive" Bay Rum scent. Pleasant scent though.

Lather
I found this soap not as "thirsty" as the "Courage" but the resultant lather was not as
'full/thick". Even though the lather was a bit "thin" it did seem to stay moist and not dry on my face.

Glide/slickness
Ample but as the lather could have fuller the glide may improve as I improve my lather.

The Shave
The proof is in the pudding as they say. I have now used this soap 3 times (1 x straight and 2 x DE). All the shaves were enjoyable with no major flaws or issues that presented themselves but as stated earlier as my lather building improves, so will the glide. In fact I found the soap's lack of "super slick" helped my "feel during the straight shave.

Conclusion (IMO)
Do I recommend this soap; Yes.
Do I like this soap; Yes
Am I disappointed in this soap; Yes. I really like distinctive scents in my soaps as my nose just couldn't pick up a strong Bay Rum scent. It did bring back fond memories of the school pine forest though. A good manly/outdoor scent that I would definitely use again.

 

[filobiblic]

Thanks for another thorough review mate. Nice to read your thoughts on these decent soaps. [emoji106]

 

[Monsta_AU]

Thanks for your thoughts on it Dale. At least you can make a few different scents in this one, even if they are not the ones you wanted. At least the wifey likes it and lets face it, that is important. My other half kept smelling me after shaving with the Courage - she really likes it and possibly a little too much! Not so wrapped in the Vision though.

I also have noticed the difference in latherability between the different scents. I am not sure if this is just a difference in batching of production, or if the scents actually impact the lather.

 

[MrT]

I'm with you on the bay rum not really smelling heaps like what (I think) a bay rum should smell like. Having said that, I really like the scent. Reminds me of fizzy coke bottle lollies. And if the wife likes it, that's a massive win!

 

[Dale.Whiley]

Revisiting this soap for the last 4 days. Same methodology for all these shaves.
Cold water shave
No pre-shave
Simpson Berkeley badger
Dovo Stainless Steel 5/8
DIY Bay Rum (Batch 4)

Scent
I'm beginning to pick up stronger notes of Bay Rum. Is that because my nose is becoming accustomed to stifled/delicate bay rum scents or the soap is maturing? It is still not the old-fashioned Wahl Bay Rum that our local barber used (Tony - most likely short for Antonio and my Dad took his 2 sons there for years - top bloke and a good barber). Wahl was cheap but was definitely bay rum. Citrus notes, especially limes rule this scent IMO. My wife reckons she can smell the Bay Rum though and she really loves the scent. Each time she enters the bathroom she comments on the scent.

Lather
My thoughts on the lather have not changed with the lather a little on the "Give me a drink; I need more water" side but not to the point where it dries on my face, just the initial lather-up. The lather was not as 'full/thick" as other soaps but definitely serviceable. Even though the lather was a bit "thin" it did seem to stay moist and not dry on my face.

The proof is in the pudding
The last 4 shaves have all been with my straight. All the shaves were enjoyable with no major flaws or issues that presented themselves. No nicks or cuts (the secret apart from practice, practice and more practice is a sharp blade).

Conclusion (IMO)
Yeah, the soap definitely does what it is supposed to and that is help produce a good shave. A pleasant scent while not being what I want in a bay rum scent. My wife loves this scent though and so that has to be a good thing. Yeah, overall I like this soap for attaining good marks in each category for being a good shave soap. I will not be putting this soap in my regular rotation however. There are far better soaps by local artisans. I will visit this soap on occasions as it has a good manly/outdoor scent.