A high-glycerin soap makes a superb lather in soft water: creamy, thick, and slick. Mama Bear shaving soaps are a delight, and this morning I brought out my tub of Col. Conk and enjoyed that pleasure anew. Where the Colonel falls short is in the fragrance. Perhaps the reason is that good fragrance costs more, or perhaps it is a marketing decision that mild, inoffensive, barely noticeable fragrances are not so apt to turn away potential customers as as clearly present and distinct fragrance that one cannot ignore — that sort of fragrance divides potential buyers into those who like it and those who don’t. So mass manufacturers choose the olfactory equivalent of “Least said, soonest mended.”
Fragrance aside, performance is quite good. Indeed, I now want to bring out my Mama Bear soaps, which provide the benefit of high-glycerin lather along with interesting fragrances. But today is today, and I went with the lather I had. I will say that the Kent Infinity synthetic brush does a fine job. It’s more resilient than most of my brushes, but feels good on my face, lathers like a champ, and has ample capacity.
Three passes with Maggard Razors’ excellent V3A head — a very fine razor, comfortable and efficient — left my face totally smooth and unharmed, and a small dab of Arko’s Aqua aftershave gel finished job pleasantly. Again, typical of mass-market products, the fragrance was inoffensive though more present than in the soap. Still, it’s quite a nice little aftershave. I’ll have to use it more often.
Overall result of shave: first-rate.