Thoughts on TSW #2 Shave Soap & #1 Aftershave Lotion (Spritz)

[filobiblic]

Many thanks to @shavetheman for the samples in the goodies bag at the recent Shave Meet.
Here's my initial thoughts after using these items once or twice.

#2 Shave Soap (TSW/Crown King)
I was trying to guess the soap maker from the excellent quality of the soap. But I didn't notice the logo of Crown King until I went to take a photo of just the sample container.
The performance was EXCELLENT - slick and thick lather that kept on taking the water. The scent was delightful. I smell some florals mixed with the earthy vetiver/patchouli.

#1 After Shave Spritz (TSW)
Now this has simply a gorgeous scent - Lemon Myrtle. It's in a spray bottle but I believe it will be sold in a classic splash dispenser bottle. This is more of a cross between a post-shave splash and a tonic (think Lucky Tiger). It's got that same feel on your skin of soothing, and (similar to LT) the scent fades soon-after and makes you keep trying to sniff it some more...! It left my skin feeling great.

We were told by @shavetheman that the shave soap will have a matching aftershave and will be available shortly.
The AS spritz/tonic will be also available soon and is completely 100% Aussie made.

For others who have these samples, feel free to add to this thread your thoughts.

 

[nathan1983]

jeez...The Stray Whisker is going to send me broke! i am a sucker for good quality Aussie products, cant wait to hear the thoughts of others.

it seems you guys cleaned up at the meet up

 

[Rami]

The only product I tried ( the aftershave balm) I ended up buying. I suspect I will order the full range once the become available.

 

[Mark1966]

Nice review @filobiblic !

Sounds like some great products

 

[alfredus]

Great review @filobiblic - if the soap has an ingredients list, it would be nice if you could post it as well - just a picture of the label would do as well

 

[filobiblic]

Great review @filobiblic - if the soap has an ingredients list, it would be nice if you could post it as well - just a picture of the label would do as well

No ingredients list.

If it's the same formula as the other Crown King soaps, this is pulled from the website:
Ingredients: Saponified Stearic Acid, Aqua (Water), Glycerin, Saponificed Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Saponified Garcinia Indica (Kokum) Seed Butter, Saponified Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Saponified Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter, Saponified Ricinus Communus (Castor) Seed Oil, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Sodium Lactate, Fragrance (Essential and/or Fragrance Oil)

But I don't know...

 

[Nonick]

Phil does the a/s have menthol and is it alcohol based? Good on tsw for getting in house stuff.
I see when you sort by 'bestselling' both his balm sizes are on the first page!

 

[filobiblic]

Phil does the a/s have menthol and is it alcohol based? Good on tsw for getting in house stuff.
I see when you sort by 'bestselling' both his balm sizes are on the first page!

No menthol in this splash.

I believe it is not alcohol based but @shavetheman would have to confirm.

We were told there will be a matching aftershave for the soap (separate again) that would be alcohol based I imagine.

Yep. His balm is terrific. He spends a lot of time, energy and money in product development. The end result shows that clearly.

 

[shavetheman]

Gentlemen,

It's not alcohol based. No menthol.

Major ingredients:
Purified water, Vegetable Glycerine, Castor Oil, Lemon Myrtle Oil, lactic acid (helps reduce acne breakouts & beneficial for ageing skin).

This is NOT our alcohol based aftershave which is due in a few months time.

It can however, be used as a post shave splash (non-alcohol based alternative). The glycerine and castor oil offers an excellent post-shave feel.

 

[dewynter]

Ok, my 2¢. Used both products this morning.

#2 Shave Soap (TSW/Crown King)
Scooped a bit of soap from a tub and spread evenly on the bottom of my lather bowl. Used damp Mühle synthetic brush for lathering. It took a bit of time to make excellent lather. I thought it would be a little bit faster, but anyway at the end I got excellent lather. It was semi-gloss more like meringue than yogurt. Some people might say it was too airy, but I put it onto my face and left for one minute before I started shaving. It didn't fade at all. It was slick and very cushioning. Great performance. I cannot describe the scent, sorry. It was very pleasant and non-disturbing.

#1 After Shave Spritz (TSW)
As a side note - my skin almost always requires applying a balm after almost any splashes. Splashes itself do not work really well on their own leaving my skin a bit dry and "shrinking". Unfortunately this one was pretty much the same and I had to apply a bit of TSW balm after that. I agree with @filobiblic, this is very similar to Lucky Tiger (which is a great product to my mind).

Also I was trying new Polsilver SI blade for the first time and I had one of the greatest shaves I ever had.

 

[filobiblic]

Gentlemen,

It's not alcohol based. No menthol.

Major ingredients:
Purified water, Vegetable Glycerine, Castor Oil, Lemon Myrtle Oil, lactic acid (helps reduce acne breakouts & beneficial for ageing skin).

This is NOT our alcohol based aftershave which is due in a few months time.

It can however, be used as a post shave splash (non-alcohol based alternative). The glycerine and castor oil offers an excellent post-shave feel.

#1 After Shave Spritz (TSW)
I agree with @filobiblic, this is very similar to Lucky Tiger (which is a great product to my mind).

Yeah, it's it's easy to compare it to Lucky Tiger in many ways.
It's good as a refreshing post-shave (non-alcoholic) restorative tonic. And the scent is invigorating but not over-whelming, and then fades so you can apply a balm or cologne. Not bad at all...

 

[Monsta_AU]

I really believe that the AS spray needs a touch of alcohol. Not much, literally 1-2% should be enough. Could also use an extra soothing ingredient like witchhazel or aloe. The scent is very pleasing and does fade away but it's a nice way to finish a shave.

The soap smells great, and if @Mark says that it is filthy then you are going to want it. I always find it hard to load a sample and get a decent lather - usually the full product works much better. Yesterday's save was very sub-par because of this, today was acceptable. I do sense some fragrance oil in the soap so I will shave back-to-back with it to try and eek out any irritation from it.

That said, the TSW After Balm is an AMAZING product and you all should have some.

 

[filobiblic]

I really believe that the AS spray needs a touch of alcohol. Not much, literally 1-2% should be enough. Could also use an extra soothing ingredient like witchhazel or aloe. The scent is very pleasing and does fade away but it's a nice way to finish a shave.

It's a post-shave lotion for soothing skin and irritation. It is NOT a traditional aftershave. More of a refreshment as you say. Perhaps the addition of aloe or witch-hazel would be good, but would probably not be as quickly absorbed or as light as it currently is. You don't want it to be more than what it's claiming to be - a post-shave spritz (I called it a lotion though).

A separate aftershave that matches the shave soap will be released at the same time as the soap based on what Con said at the Sydney meet.

That said, the TSW After Balm is an AMAZING product and you all should have some.

I think there is an almost unanimous agreement on this...

 

[filobiblic]

Reposted in appropriate thread.

Pre: Occams Original Pre Shave Soap
Brush: St James of London 28mm ST
Razor: ATT R1
Blade: Feather
Soap: The Stray Whisker - #2
After:Balm

So a few thoughts on @shavetheman and his #2 that has been trialled by a few of us. I received my sample unsolicited in the post with an order I placed for some other consumables. I have used italics on the word unsolicited for effect and for no other reason. I was initially hesitant to sacrifice my weekend shave on a sample, but after opening the container and feeling the consistency of the soap itself my doubts were allayed. I have seen and felt enough soaps to know when the composition is going to make the grade in so far as it will make a' shaveable' lather of the standard I require of my soaps. Very briefly, the chap from Crown/PAA has a historical record of arguably deficient behaviours, in fact my thoughts on the man would readily stray into the realm of injurious falsehood and or defamation so I won't stray from my review other than to say that in my opinion he makes excellent splashes, I have never used his soaps.

Pre-Load
I preloaded half of the sample provided to me, around an almonds worth of the cream which shares the same consistency of Stirling Soaps and many others, always a good sign. I placed the sum of cream in the bottom of my Simpsons shave mug as per my usual routine, with a damp brush and a few drops of water set to making a thick, sticky cream to which I then add more water as I develop a lather over 2 minutes. Aside from loading from the tub, I made my lather in exactly the same way I have done so for the past 20 years. Works every time unless the soap is complete rubbish.

Scent
The scent from #2 is quite busy, a got a slight almond, floral vetiver and powdery accord that was quite pleasant if a little subdued. I am sensing that this is a soap of daily utility, not a top shelf artisan product with price to match but rather a 'Daily Driver' - in fact that's what I would call it if I were to name it. I sense it working very well with After Balm and sharing a similar scent profile. In a few words: Pleasant, unobtrusive, fresh.

Lather

Effortless to lather, a very, very easy soap to work with that beginners should have little trouble with.

Performance
Not a great deal to say here, this soap performs and performs well. Plenty of cushion, slickness and glide that is accompanied by a pleasing scent, I produced enough lather for a very generous 2 pass shave, I could have easily done 3 passes with some to spare. In this regard #2 stands up alongside comparable soaps on the market that I regularly use. The determining factor will be the eventual price point on the product in the tub. Post shave was great, plenty of moisture on the face and a nice post shave feel that did not stand out, but also did not disappoint. I finished up with some After Balm as I do on most days and the compliment was self evident, the two products fit together like lock and key.

Summary
My overall feeling on this #2 is that this is a general all rounder, I don't see it pitched as another artisan product with exotic ingredients and price to boot but rather as a soap with a nice price point that can be used day in and day out for those who want to shave with a quality product and who are not particular about certain facets of their soap. It has a pleasing, unobtrusive scent that does not jump out at you and in my mind fits a fairly middle of the road profile. The soap itself is a 'doddle' to lather, I am sure it will be popular with beginners or those struggling to make a decent lather - the soap itself lends itself to pre-loading being semi-soft and has a uniform consistency.

As I see it, we have a soap here that is a 'Daily Driver' much like B+M's 'Latha' range or other lower price point soaps that perform well. I will pick up a tub when it hits the market for those days when I feel like a change.

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I give this soap 7 razors out of 10.