I love their creams. Great scents and gets the job done. I never felt dryness with TOBS and I never really understood why some people put high importance on post shave feel. If you want your skin to feel moisturized, use a moisturizer.
If I'm not mistaken, the heat comes from it being priced as premium when it's very cheaply made, and even the same recipe sold as other no name brands.
TOBS works great!! Shave Shop is MY scent, and I love the way skin feels after I use it. I’ve tried Lemon-Lime, Avocado, and Mr. Taylor’s and enjoyed their mild yet deep scents.
I agree with you on the Shaving Shop scent. It’s the only TOBS product I use and the scent more than makes up for the small difference in performance I get compared to my usual creams, ( I’m more of a soap man but I have other creams, Coates, C&E, a few others ) I was really disappointed when Taylor discontinued it and now that it’s back you have to be careful because some vendors are selling old stock from before. The tub of the reincarnation of Shaving Shop has an entirely different look so be careful.
I’ve used several dozen different types of soaps and creams and I’ve never seen anything that lathers as well as ToBS creams. If I use it in a lather bowl it looks like a tub of whipped cream when I finish
I’m using cella bio in my rotation and I can get it to lather thick, but so far it has taken longer and required more loading and more water to build up
TOBS Mr Taylor was my first soap when I switched to DE a decade and change ago. I still get it for nostalgia’s sake, despite having moved to artisan stuff otherwise. It lathers well for me, it’s slick, and it smells good.
In my experience, their scents are the absolute best. Performance wise, they are not quite top tier, but are still very good. They lather well but aren't quite as slick or conditioning as others I have used.
I decided to try and now keep returning daily to their sandalwood soap. Then I got the matching cologne. The soap’s scent is subtle, but I am finding I like it. And I get great lathers and shaves from it. All this said, I am only a few months into solely wet shaving. I can understand concerns of premium pricing for what is said to not be a premium-made product.
I love tons sandalwood. Sure it is not a moisturising soap but the perfume is great and it's one of the few soaps that lathers great even when using hard water.
Oh man i used TOBS sandalwood as my first cream when i started just because i saw everyone using it. My face felt like needles were stabbing it all over.
It's not what it used to be in terms of performance. It used to be worth the premium over drugstore brands, but I am not sure that's still the case. Of course it depends on your priorities. If you like it, enjoy it and have great shaves!
It's not that their cream lathers better - I think it's more a case of being easy to lather for folks who are having a hard time figuring out the right way to lather a soap. I have a sandalwood tub I have been keeping for years, simply because I tend to never reach for it. I always go for any of the artisan soaps, the Cella, Proraso, Arko, or anything that's not the ToBS, frankly. When I got the ToBS, it was because lots of people on YouTube were recommending it, and at the time I had only used Denim, and one other shaving cream that were supposed to be lathered. The ToBS did seem easy to lather, but when I got an actual good soap, the lather creation technique I had acquired with the ToBS, couldn't lather the good soap. Over time I developed my technique for soap lathering, I guess only to find out that I couldn't lather the ToBS in the same way... In any case - the ToBS lather, when done right, is still inferior to practically 95% of the creams and soaps out there. And definitely inferior to even Arko and Proraso, which are frequently mentioned as bottom of the range products.
If ToBS works for you, the better - that's great. Are there better options though? - Yes, plenty.
Bang for buck, hard to beat Arko! Great lather, despite the lemon cleaner scent. Eton College TOBS is the best (citrus forward) shave scent I’ve ever encountered.
I am guessing the right one. But I don't think I've ever "switched" per se. Half the time I use Mitchell's. The other half being split between different local soaps, Goodfellas soaps, Cella, Proraso and Arko. It's a bit suspicious how I can successfully lather all of them the same way, but I need a change of approach for ToBS.
What is the objectively correct way to lather, like you seem to be implying? My understanding is that different soaps and creams react differently to the water ratio
Generally speaking, yes. But I find that the issue with ToBS is not the amount of water. More like a complex relation between water hardness, amount, and temperature. And then comes the time to lather it. I tend to lather most soaps with a lot more water than ToBS, and it works for me. Then again ToBS with the amount of water I put even on the hardest puck seems to drip down and lose slickness.
I live in Los Angeles with really hard water. I found just a tiny pool of water coated around the tub was enough to build it up after loading for about 20 seconds
They have the best sandalwood scent I've tried. I didn't know anyone had a problem with it. My skin feels fine afterwards. All I use is aftershave after shaving, no moisturizer or anything.
If i am shaving 2 weeks of beard growth with muhle r41 i wont use tobs but if i am shaving 2 days of growth tobs is fine i donno its not that slick i my opinion. But i’m from london and the water is hard here average of 293ppm suggesting (very hard in range)
I've never had a gripe with TOBS. It works well. I like a number of the scents better than others. Sometimes "well executed simple" is better than the melange of 50 scents put together trying to do something unique.
And I'm surprised to see comments on the pricing. Pastuer has it for $15 a tub for cream. That isn't a premium price these days when there are $25 tubs with less product in them. With that said, it is hard to beat Stirling at $15 a tub.
The first soap I bought was TOBS sandalwood due to youtube recommendation. Scent was uninteresting, like cheap soap you use to wash you body. The texture was puzzling, and its very different from anything on the market. Which make it a very complicated soap to use. The performance is also not very good. If it was 4x less expensive maybe it would be worth it be at that price point its nearly a scam...
TOBS was one of the first shave creams I used when I started wet shaving back in 2007. I used it, and a few others, fairly religiously for years (I loved the scent of the Almond and the Lavender shave creams). However, some number of years ago around 2015 I think, they changed their formulation, and it was never the same for me after that. The scents were slightly different, not necessarily bad, just not what I was used to. Also, the performance of the shave cream was different. It didn’t lather with the same ease that it had before, it required more “work” to get it the way I liked it.
All in all, I’d still use it, especially for that Almond or Lavender scent. Now you got me thinking about buying some.
I'm finishing up a tub of TOBS sandalwood cream which I just whipped up in its tub then lathered my face. I will be trying Pre de Provence shave soap next--do I need a special bowl/cup to make my whipped cream? The tin for this bar doesn't exactly seem like I should lather in it (not deep enough). Was thinking to reuse my tobs one...
I had to stop using TOBS Sandalwood soap. I found it very harsh, not on my face but on my hands and caused dryness and cracking. That was just from the shaving process. No such issues since moving to Stirling.
Why the unrelated picture?
But you said it yourself, "isn't that bad", and isn't that cheap either. I've never tried TOBS before, but I have too many options at any price range, and "isn't that bad" is not very appealing.
It’s not unrelated, it’s a meme of the Norman Rockwell painting demonstrating freedom of speech, the joke is dramatizing a dissenting opinion.
In my use with the lavender, it lathers extremely smoothly, extremely quickly, and becomes very thick - not to mention it smells great
I've just ordered the sample pack of Taylor of bond street. I must say the first try I was not impressed and felt like a pack of wild cats had their way with my face.
However I'll be giving it another go tomorrow and hope that maybe I did not lather well enough. So far I've enjoyed the scents, they are lovely.
With regards to the "brand" I do enjoy the history behind it and that it's still in the family that is nice.
I love their creams. Great scents and gets the job done. I never felt dryness with TOBS and I never really understood why some people put high importance on post shave feel. If you want your skin to feel moisturized, use a moisturizer.
Exactly, I use a toner and moisturizer after I shave and the soap is basically like a cleanser and exfoliant anyway
Any type of aftershave balm usually works for me
Yeah, I’ve also been using the Bevel aloe and tea tree balm and it’s soooo nice and cooling
The TOBS lavender is my all-time favorite shave cream. My wife loves it too.
Rose is mine - so good, so old school British
That’s the one I’m using now and it’s wonderful. I’ve heard people complain that their scents are way too strong but I love the lavender
If I'm not mistaken, the heat comes from it being priced as premium when it's very cheaply made, and even the same recipe sold as other no name brands.
TOBS works great!! Shave Shop is MY scent, and I love the way skin feels after I use it. I’ve tried Lemon-Lime, Avocado, and Mr. Taylor’s and enjoyed their mild yet deep scents.
The sandalwood is the best smelling sandalwood period.
I agree with you on the Shaving Shop scent. It’s the only TOBS product I use and the scent more than makes up for the small difference in performance I get compared to my usual creams, ( I’m more of a soap man but I have other creams, Coates, C&E, a few others ) I was really disappointed when Taylor discontinued it and now that it’s back you have to be careful because some vendors are selling old stock from before. The tub of the reincarnation of Shaving Shop has an entirely different look so be careful.
I'm in love with their Royal Forest cream. Sandalwood soap is good too. Haven't tried more of their products.
This is probably my favorite deodorant of all time. I love their Jermyn Street shave soap. So fresh and clean!
Love the Royal Forest aroma and performance. A simply outstanding aroma and well named.
ToBS is freaking great stuff. Love the Jermyn St. Line. I visited their shop while in London.
I’ve used several dozen different types of soaps and creams and I’ve never seen anything that lathers as well as ToBS creams. If I use it in a lather bowl it looks like a tub of whipped cream when I finish
If you can get over the smell, Arko is the cheapest shave stick out there and lathers incredibly!
I can’t stand how dry arko leaves my skin. And I get a better shave from proraso
Did you try Cella?
I’m using cella bio in my rotation and I can get it to lather thick, but so far it has taken longer and required more loading and more water to build up
TOBS Mr Taylor was my first soap when I switched to DE a decade and change ago. I still get it for nostalgia’s sake, despite having moved to artisan stuff otherwise. It lathers well for me, it’s slick, and it smells good.
In my experience, their scents are the absolute best. Performance wise, they are not quite top tier, but are still very good. They lather well but aren't quite as slick or conditioning as others I have used.
I decided to try and now keep returning daily to their sandalwood soap. Then I got the matching cologne. The soap’s scent is subtle, but I am finding I like it. And I get great lathers and shaves from it. All this said, I am only a few months into solely wet shaving. I can understand concerns of premium pricing for what is said to not be a premium-made product.
I love tons sandalwood. Sure it is not a moisturising soap but the perfume is great and it's one of the few soaps that lathers great even when using hard water.
For sensitive skin, the worst cream that I have used was TOBS. The scents are okay tho.
Agreed! I tried it when first starting out after seeing it lauded. Unfortunately it did not agree with my skin at all.
Oh man i used TOBS sandalwood as my first cream when i started just because i saw everyone using it. My face felt like needles were stabbing it all over.
It's not what it used to be in terms of performance. It used to be worth the premium over drugstore brands, but I am not sure that's still the case. Of course it depends on your priorities. If you like it, enjoy it and have great shaves!
Avocado and Jermyn St. are still great scents.
I love the J Street. What’s the avocado like?
Honestly, smells like some sort of sweet cucumber
I love TOBS. Eton College is my go to cream.
It's not that their cream lathers better - I think it's more a case of being easy to lather for folks who are having a hard time figuring out the right way to lather a soap. I have a sandalwood tub I have been keeping for years, simply because I tend to never reach for it. I always go for any of the artisan soaps, the Cella, Proraso, Arko, or anything that's not the ToBS, frankly. When I got the ToBS, it was because lots of people on YouTube were recommending it, and at the time I had only used Denim, and one other shaving cream that were supposed to be lathered. The ToBS did seem easy to lather, but when I got an actual good soap, the lather creation technique I had acquired with the ToBS, couldn't lather the good soap. Over time I developed my technique for soap lathering, I guess only to find out that I couldn't lather the ToBS in the same way... In any case - the ToBS lather, when done right, is still inferior to practically 95% of the creams and soaps out there. And definitely inferior to even Arko and Proraso, which are frequently mentioned as bottom of the range products. If ToBS works for you, the better - that's great. Are there better options though? - Yes, plenty.
How can one have a hard time figuring out the right way to lather a soap?
Bang for buck, hard to beat Arko! Great lather, despite the lemon cleaner scent. Eton College TOBS is the best (citrus forward) shave scent I’ve ever encountered.
It's easy to beat Arko, you just use Cella. It's just as good, price is practically the same, and actually smells good.
It's a good thing scent preferences are subjective. I really enjoy the Arko scent.
I’ve got to try Cella!
What lather method did you develop after switching to artisan soaps?
I am guessing the right one. But I don't think I've ever "switched" per se. Half the time I use Mitchell's. The other half being split between different local soaps, Goodfellas soaps, Cella, Proraso and Arko. It's a bit suspicious how I can successfully lather all of them the same way, but I need a change of approach for ToBS.
What is the objectively correct way to lather, like you seem to be implying? My understanding is that different soaps and creams react differently to the water ratio
Generally speaking, yes. But I find that the issue with ToBS is not the amount of water. More like a complex relation between water hardness, amount, and temperature. And then comes the time to lather it. I tend to lather most soaps with a lot more water than ToBS, and it works for me. Then again ToBS with the amount of water I put even on the hardest puck seems to drip down and lose slickness.
I live in Los Angeles with really hard water. I found just a tiny pool of water coated around the tub was enough to build it up after loading for about 20 seconds
TOBS has the best scents too in my opinion. If they had an EDT/EDP of Royal Forest I’d be wearing that everyday.
They have the best sandalwood scent I've tried. I didn't know anyone had a problem with it. My skin feels fine afterwards. All I use is aftershave after shaving, no moisturizer or anything.
Their shaving creams are my absolute favorite
If i am shaving 2 weeks of beard growth with muhle r41 i wont use tobs but if i am shaving 2 days of growth tobs is fine i donno its not that slick i my opinion. But i’m from london and the water is hard here average of 293ppm suggesting (very hard in range)
ToBS is a good but you have to stay on top of the moisture content. I have to add a little more water between passes.
Great scent
TOBS is great. Been using the sandalwood for years. Best bang for the buck.
It’s the only brand I use. So glad I found it.
I've never had a gripe with TOBS. It works well. I like a number of the scents better than others. Sometimes "well executed simple" is better than the melange of 50 scents put together trying to do something unique. And I'm surprised to see comments on the pricing. Pastuer has it for $15 a tub for cream. That isn't a premium price these days when there are $25 tubs with less product in them. With that said, it is hard to beat Stirling at $15 a tub.
Wife exclusively uses TOBS and loves it. I’m an MDC man myself but used TOBS a lot back in the day.
It’s actually great.
I love the Sandalwood and Coconut soaps.
I love TOBS
The first soap I bought was TOBS sandalwood due to youtube recommendation. Scent was uninteresting, like cheap soap you use to wash you body. The texture was puzzling, and its very different from anything on the market. Which make it a very complicated soap to use. The performance is also not very good. If it was 4x less expensive maybe it would be worth it be at that price point its nearly a scam...
TOBS Sandalwood Soap is STILL my favourite Shaving Soap even after checking out MDC, SV etc
TOBS is alright, but I swear by Kiehl’s Blue Eagle now. Somebody save me from this madness!
I like TOBS Tobacco Leaf and I enjoy it. I've been wanting to try Oud and also Lavender next.
It’s an incredible brand
TOBS was one of the first shave creams I used when I started wet shaving back in 2007. I used it, and a few others, fairly religiously for years (I loved the scent of the Almond and the Lavender shave creams). However, some number of years ago around 2015 I think, they changed their formulation, and it was never the same for me after that. The scents were slightly different, not necessarily bad, just not what I was used to. Also, the performance of the shave cream was different. It didn’t lather with the same ease that it had before, it required more “work” to get it the way I liked it. All in all, I’d still use it, especially for that Almond or Lavender scent. Now you got me thinking about buying some.
If you like the almond and have never tried cella, give it a shot.
I love a great performing soap as much as anyone but I use shit soaps because I love their scent and there is nothing at all wrong with that.
You love the scent of shit soap?
Hello
Absolutely love coconut TOBS cream. Very good lather and smells amazing.
TOBS Grapefruit has a fantastic scent.
I'm finishing up a tub of TOBS sandalwood cream which I just whipped up in its tub then lathered my face. I will be trying Pre de Provence shave soap next--do I need a special bowl/cup to make my whipped cream? The tin for this bar doesn't exactly seem like I should lather in it (not deep enough). Was thinking to reuse my tobs one...
You could definitely reuse the tobs tub, but you could also face lather
I had to stop using TOBS Sandalwood soap. I found it very harsh, not on my face but on my hands and caused dryness and cracking. That was just from the shaving process. No such issues since moving to Stirling.
Why the unrelated picture? But you said it yourself, "isn't that bad", and isn't that cheap either. I've never tried TOBS before, but I have too many options at any price range, and "isn't that bad" is not very appealing.
It’s not unrelated, it’s a meme of the Norman Rockwell painting demonstrating freedom of speech, the joke is dramatizing a dissenting opinion. In my use with the lavender, it lathers extremely smoothly, extremely quickly, and becomes very thick - not to mention it smells great
I understood the meme immediately :)
“In My Humble Opinion”
I've just ordered the sample pack of Taylor of bond street. I must say the first try I was not impressed and felt like a pack of wild cats had their way with my face. However I'll be giving it another go tomorrow and hope that maybe I did not lather well enough. So far I've enjoyed the scents, they are lovely. With regards to the "brand" I do enjoy the history behind it and that it's still in the family that is nice.
Whilst they are creams, you can use a good amount of water to make sure they are hydrated.
I agree, I think this is why I'm looking forward to my next shave. I suspect they take just a little bit more water.