Stewart said:
Ive tested all three and their lathering capacities. I also did a full shave with the forbes and taylors.
Castle Forbes: I bought the travel size for 35 dollars. This thing is very small, probably enough to last 2-3 months with the rate I use. I found that it didn't lather up to my expectations. It is a very hard cream, I wanted to just lather in the bowl, but it is to small and all the soap goes out the sides. If you take a dollop and put it in the brush or bowl you really have to work it to make it dissolve. After all that work it isn't a very creamy lather, but it does provide a lot of lubricity. The scent is where this stuff really shines. It smells very strongly of fresh lime juice! The odor sticks for a couple of hours too. This cream is advertised for skin prone to niks and cuts. I beleive this to be true. The lime in it burns a little and if you cut yourself it acts like a mild styptic. It burns a little when you go for the second/third passes. I doubt I will buy this again although I will try the lavender.
taylors Sandalwood: This stuff EXPLODES with creamy rich lather. It makes super thich richness with a lot of cushion. It's a little drier than the castle forbes though, it helps to wet your face well before. The scent is kind of artificial and smells like an old cedar closet. I can see an older male using this one.
Conk bay rum Soap: This is a cake soap and as far as mug soaps go I like this better than van Der Hagen, or Williams. The bay rum scent is very subtle. It doesn't provide as much lather as either of the creams, but does provide a lot of lubricity. More than the other two. Probably from the glycerine.
I also bought a vulfix brush, I forget the model it was 60 dollars. I previously used a boar brush from wal mart and never thought that the brush could make that much difference. Boy was I wrong! This baby makes lather like crazy and always leaves enough for probably 6 passes. It feels great on the face!
Dr Harris Shave Milk: I bought this because I ran out of CO Bigelow Black elixer aftershave. This stuff has a nice subtle scent and really feels great on the face. It doesn't sting at all and moisturizes my face very well. I bought the original scent, they also make it in arlington. I bought the smallest bottle for 30 dollars. I can see this lasting 8-10 months, so not a bad purchase! I will definitly buy again.
Thayers WitchHazel Lemon: This stuff I use immediatly after the shave. It has a great scent of lemon and doesn't burn the face at all. My only qualm with it is that if your face is wet it builds a very thin lather if you rub it in. For 7 dollars and change you get a LOT of it. I will keep this on hand as well.
Hope you enjoyed the reviews,
Mrmaroon