Brush: Razorock synthetic
Soap: Elberel Figaro P160
I’m not really one for synthetics, having only 3, but this brush is quite dense, has reasonable backbone and doesn’t dump its water all in one go.
I picked up around half a kilo of this long-gone soap from a forum member some time ago. It was, of course, the go-to soap of Italian barbers. It has lost its almond scent but lathers beautifully. The colour changes to white the more you lather the piece you cut from the block. Supremely slick.
I will compare with the (also discontinued) C&E sweet almond oil soap in another post.
Brush: Vie Long boar/horse
Soap: Stirling Glastonbury (tallow)
The brush is nice and scrubby. The soap, which I’ve had for a while, smelt like boot polish when I first opened it but has mellowed. A heavy patchouli scent but the lather dissipates in some of my brushes.
Soap Yaqi Lemon Lime Cedarwood Brush Yaqi 24mm Mojito 2 Band Badger
Nice enough soap with a good scent, slight cooling, and a lather that's creamy and slick enough...
Soap The Los Angeles Shaving Soap Co Topanga Fougere Brush Yaqi 22mm Ever-Helpful 2 Band Badger
Nice soap. Scent and lather qualities are just wonderful.
Brush: Shavemac (The Shave Nook) beehive picked up from, I think, a forum member here. One of my favourite brushes - quite dense with lots of backbone.
Soap: Calani Oriental Plum. Again, from a forum member. Sweet, heady and slick.
Brush: Vulfix boar and badger ('bodger') recently discontinued, to the dismay of many. Took a while to break in but seemed to change, magically, overnight. I'm a big fan of boars and boar mixes and, although I have badger brushes, I lean towards what people would regard as the lower end, as I prefer their scrub and backbone.
Soap: Nanny's Silly Soap - patchouli hard soap. A bit chalky, scent-wise and not massive in terms of lather but decent slickness, although a bit drying in winter.
Soap Shannon's Soap Silk Pajamas Brush Yaqi 24mm Ruby Tuxedo
Another new and 1st use Soap! Very nice scent...hmmm..somehow detected some tobacco? The lather was easy to create and it was just creamy and slick enough...
Brush: ? - I have 2 of these brushes, of indeterminate manufacture, declared to be boar and included in 70s/80s(?) Boots Monogram sets, which also contained a matching, short handled Contour/Atra (pivot) type handle and what is, almost certainly, a Yardley soap - again in matching bowl. One brush has been an absolute shedder but has settled down. This one has performed from the start but I see no signs of hairs splitting, so it remains a bit of a mystery.
Soap: Tabula Rasa Steam Punk - much neglected in my rotation. Scent includes cedarwood, violet and elemi. It needs a dryish brush and building. I seem to recall that the maker recommended palm lathering but this was started in my genuine Japanese Suribachi. A good, slick performer.
Soap Barrister & Mann Vespers New 1st Use Brush Yaqi 22mm Joy Butterscotch Boar
Been wanting this soap for a long time and it's finally arrived. Wow...good strong scent, is it cranberries?? The lather is rich, creamy, and slick...