Thread: Mitchell's Wool Fat

Ease of lathering

I took me about 3 shaves to get the hang of lathering this soap. But not i have on problems. Lather just explodes out of the brush

Moisturizing

This is where MWF shines for me. This soap leaves my face feeling softer than any other soap/cream I have used. I could probably skip the aftershave, but I love a good splash in the morning.

Lubrication

Not quite as slick as Da Bomb, but I was very pleased with it.

Cushion:
As I say in every soap/cream review I do. Cushion is more of a trait to look for with DE shaving, IMHO. Though there was a definite cushion I think. M razor look very comfy.

Scent

It smells like soap. I appreciate this quality in a soap.

Price

I paid $0 for my puck of MWF. I really like the price i paid.

Would you buy again? Oh definitely. It would be even better if I managed to get it for free again.

Mitchell's Wool Fat has a reputation in some quarters for being difficult to lather, and I've long been of the opinion that it is unusually sensitive to water quality. I live just a few miles down the road from where it's made, so it is no surprise that my (soft) water works just fine with it, thank you. Provided you can get it to lather up, it's unequalled in my opinion as a protective shaving medium. Nb. Wool Fat benefits from being used regularly, and if it dries out, that's disastrous.

Lee kindly sent me package of this soap. Thank you, Lee! He did it mostly out of spite, though, trying to prove that I cannot make lather from soap. Bollocks.

Packaging: Nice package. A cardboard box. I like it.

Texture: A perfect soap, firm but smooth. It really feels good.

Scent: Nice. Very nice, actually. A pleasant, clean old fashioned soapy scent. It features a fine, fern-like fragrance based around Patchouli, enhanced with extracts of Lavender, Pine and Clove and with notes of Nutmeg, Cedarwood, Sandalwood, Vanilla and Musk.

Latherability: Pretty good for a soap. Still not en par with my favourite creams (or Xpec soap). Still good enough for anyone.

Cushion: Very decent. Together with the glide I would expect from any quality soap, this makes for a pleasant shaving experience.

Moisturising: Not as much as Lee promised, but still very good. A mild after shave balm (like my new favourite, Edwin Jagger's "Aloe Vera") will do the trick even in this cold winter.

Price: n/a, but I hope Lee did not have to do anything untoward to buy it. I would be willing to pay EUR 10 for it, which puts it in the same league as Jagger/Mühle.

Overall impression:A pleasant surprise. There are soaps with similar performance, but the scent would be the main buying argument for me. Again, thanks, Lee!

I have to say I am huge fan of this soap, it truly blows away all soaps and creams that I have tried in comparison.

Here's what I've tried

TGQ all scents
Mama Bear, most of the EO's
Truefitt, most of their line
Trumpers, everyone except the sensitive skin one.
Taylors, same everything but the sensitive ones.
Speick
Proraso
Musgo
Classic Shaving soaps
Vulfix creams
Vintage blades soap
QED
Crabtree Evelyn Nomad and West Indian Sandalwood
The Real Shaving Co.


Well I could go on, but in the end when my skin is really feeling sensitive this is the puck I pull out, and Voila! Instant super uber duber lather!! For 10 bucks this stuff is a steal, and half the time you dont need an ASB, just a nice scent splash or witchazel.

This stuff to me is the best stuff going. Did I mention I hate Castle Forbes lol

Cheers
David

The standard of luxury soaps, all others are compared to this one...

Highly recommend for sensitive skin

I don't know if I would say it is my favorite soap but it is without doubt the one that I use the most. To be clear, I have soaps by DR Harris, Trumpers, QED, Tabac, Gentleman's Quarter, SCS, among others. That is to say that I have some to compare to.

I gave the packaging a 10 for the ceramic bowl. Expensive but if not dropped it will last forever and it is classy and attractive with the old school printing on the lid. The texture is creamy if lathered efficiently. My trick with that is to put a bit of tap water on top of the puck a few minutes before bringing the brush to it.

Where MWF really shines for me is as a base for a "super lather" by using with an almond sized dollop of cream. The scent is, as mentioned by previous reviewers, subtle. For me this is an advantage as it doesn't conflict with the scent of the cream. With or without the cream MWF gives plenty of slickness and cushion and the moisturizing qualities are noticeable IME.

Finally we come to price. For the size and longevity of the puck I think it is reasonable. There are cheaper soaps, and some that are as good, but IMO there are none better.

I used MWF several years back and tried a few other soaps & creams on the way.

At the end of the experimentation, I'm back to using MWF as my sole soap at home for the past couple years.

I figure a soap that has been around when straights were used exclusively has got to have something going for it.

Easy to get a great lather with minimal effort - wet brush, load tips with moist MWF & a minute of face lathering later it's time to shave.

The price of the ceramic bowl & refills are very reasonable as well.

This is the best soap ever!!!!!!!


Among those that I have tried I believe it is. I have used Prorasso, TOBS, DR Harris, Cella and P160 to name a few, though I have more experience with creams such as the Bomb, AOS and Pehnaligon's.

From what I have read and my own short experience with MWF, this soap despite regular use lasts ages. I have owned it for several months and it appears in size almost identical to the day that I unwrapped it from its box. Notice I have not rated packaging as I opted for the puck alone. The box and wrapping however, were top class.

The scent is very soap like and I detect a mild lavender note blended with other soapy smells that I can not identify exactly. Max's more experienced view that it also contains pine, cedar and cloves I do not doubt.

This is an awesome soap in use that produces mounds of meringue like lather for me, of which I have zero difficulty obtaining. I agree that it does not lather almost instantly as Castle Forbes for example, however I am of the opinion that shaving is not the 30 second chore that the modern world makes it out to be.

I often mix this with AOS lavender for that scent, or CF lime, both of which are highly complimentary in scent and lather. I even mix it with the bomb for that vetiver scent. The lather is extraordinary when I combine them.

All in all this is the best soap I have used for longevity of the puck, the beautiful lather produced and its superb moisturising effect that really is unrivaled by even the top creams.

I will certainly continue to purchase MWF, although on the basis that I have hardly succeeded in making a mere dent in the seemingly ever lasting triple milled puck; I suspect it will be a very long time before I do.

love it but $19.99 is a little to much when your first starting out. To me it's
Worth

EVERY PENY :)

+1. After reading this review, I also bought the shave soap, bath bars and hand bars as well.