The River Valley Razor

Thursday, 2 April 2015

Comparing the classics: Arko vs Tabac

Arko soap from Turkey is one of our favourites here at River Valley Trading. You can read our review here.

RVT crew member Riaz has done a comparison of Arko against Tabac.

"I was presented with a refill stick of Tabac as a gift. I have heard a lot of good things about this product. It's one of only 2 shaving sticks that I am aware of that you can buy off the shelves at a regular pharmacy or supermarket in South Africa (The other stick being the Williams)

The Tabac has a strong following so I was keen to give it a try. Its packaged well and once you take the foil wrapping off the smell is strong but pleasant. Like tobacco. Earthy.

I chopped it up into pieces and pressed it into a bowl . Its hard so it took some effort. I soaked my Muhle badger brush in some hot water and got rid of the excess. Put very little water in the bowl and started to work on it. I found the Tabac soap lathers up fast and easy. Nice and rich. I applied it to my face and it was time to shave. I use a Rimei razor (it's a Gillette Tech clone) which works really well.

My first impressions of the Tabac soap were positive. A good clean shave. Decent cushion and good glide. After the shave I lathered up again as is my standard practice to let the good stuff in the lather work on my face. My plan was to use the Tabac for a week and then the Arko for a week to do a fair comparison. I used the Tabac for 3 of consecutive shaves and then on the fourth I found that the soap was causing some irritation to my skin. I had to be sure it was the soap and not any other factor so I switched to Arko.

I was really surprised. I found the Arko lather had better cushion and glide , as well as better face care properties. After a week of clean shaves with the Arko I had no irritation at all. The only thing the Tabac had over the Arko was a better scent. However, I think the ingredients responsible for the distinct Tabac scent were not in agreement with my skin. This was rather unfortunate (for me).

Overall, the Tabac is a decent product but I found the Arko soap to be superior." *

* Thanks to fellow wet shaver Riaz for taking the time to share his thoughts. As we say in the wet shaving community "YMMV - your mileage may vary". Everybody's skin is different, and the joy of traditional wet shaving is that you can find the right Razor / Soap / Blade / Brush combination that works best for you. Keep what works, and discard what does not.

For all your wet shaving needs check out our product listings on BidorBuy

Wednesday, 1 April 2015

Review: La Toja Sensitive Shave Cream

River Valley crew member Riaz has been kind enough to share his review of La Toja Sensitive shave cream:

"I was given a sample of La Toja Sensitive. This a Spanish product. That’s about all I knew about it*.

It has a nice subtle clean scent. Nice pearly appearance. Put some in my bowl and started lathering up with my Muhle Badger brush.

Lathering was nice and easy, I was not sure what to expect but I was pleasantly surprised. Good stuff off the bat. Great cushion and glide. After the shave I lathered up again and let it sit for about 1 minute then rinsed off. Went over my face with alum and was done . My face felt so good I needed no aftershave besides the Alum.

I have used the La Toja Sensitive now for 2 months. I am happy to report that its performance and face care properties are top notch. Definitely worth every cent.

I also did a comparison to a tried and tested work horse: Samsol. After 3 consecutive shaves with the LaToja on the 4th shave I went to my reference point (Samsol). Samsol as usual is a great all round performer.

However, I have to admit that the La Toja is better (marginally). Overall verdict: a great product!"

*La Toja Sensitive cream comes in a high quality 150g sealed metal tube with a screw top lid. The shave cream is manufactured in Spain and uses mineral salts from the famed hydro-thermal springs on La Toja Island.

For all your wet shaving needs check out our product listings on BidorBuy

Sunday, 1 February 2015

Review: Mitchell's Wool Fat Shaving Soap

If any shave soap has developed a cult following among wet shavers world wide it is Mitchell's Wool Fat (abbreviated MWF or also known simply as 'The Fat'). The soap is made in England using a recipe that dates back to 1893. Bradford chemist Fred Mitchell realised that sheep shearers and handlers always had exceptionally soft hands. This was down to the natural lanolin found in sheep's wool. He then devised a soap recipe using sheep's wool lanolin that performed brilliantly for all complexions and sensitive skin. It is that same soap formula that is still used today.

I reviewed the 125 gram puck. It sold as a 'refill' puck due to the fact that the soap is also sold in a white ceramic dish. The soap comes in a brown cardboard box, and is wrapped in wax paper. The scent is very mild and clean. The first thing that struck me when I unwrapped the soap puck was how hard this soap was. Definitely one of the hardest shaving soaps I have come across. I put the soap into a plastic container and while I left my badger brush to soak in warm water. I also decided wet the soap with a bit of warm water (just o ease the lathering process - very hard soap this!).

After soaking my brush and shaking off a bit of the excess water I set to work lathering up. I got a decent load on my brush after about 20-30 seconds. I decide to build up the lather directly on the face. This soap creates an extremely slick lather. It works up fairly easily and a touch of extra water may be needed to get the lather to right texture.

I then set to work with a Parker 99R razor with a Rappira blade. The slickness of the MWF soap is amazing. Incredible glide and good cushion as well. I had more than enough lather for 3 passes. One can easily see why this soap has such a large following. It has a very delicate clean scent, and it performs superbly. There's not much more you could ask for from a shaving soap (in terms of performance).

The skin care properties are also very good. The lanolin content of the soap leaves the skin feeling baby soft and smooth. The soap goes on gently and is very mild on the skin, I would highly recommend for shavers with sensitive skin.

The cost/ per gram ratio of MWF soap is a bit high (compared to Arko, Derby and Godrej), but you do get you pay for with this soap. This is a very hard soap so a puck should take you a long way.

Overall, this an excellent performing shave soap. The slickness of the lather creates very good slide and reduces blade 'skipping' (even when going against the grain). The scent might be too mild for some, but I was more than satisfied.

Verdict: Highly Recommended!

For all your wet shaving needs check out our product listings on BidorBuy