The Gentleman's Quarter Sample Package

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unky_gumbi

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Aug 28, 2009
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I just wanted to let everyone know that I received TGQ sample pack from Gollnick today. The package contained some Armani Black Code soap, some Bic blades to try out and a couple of cologne samples, Armani Black Code and Tom Ford Grey Vetiver EDP. All the scents are unbelievable and now I am sitting here faceterbating just waiting to have enough growth to run off and shave. I would say that will happen around 8 or 9 tonight. It is quite the coincidence that I decided that I needed to change my blade after yesterdays shave but put it off till today. I think I will hold off on the Bic blades and use something I am accustom to so I can judge the soap on its own merits.

No mater what my bathroom smells much better now then it did before the soap got here.

Thanks Gollnick:thumbup:
 
Ah, I'm glad that that arrived before your upcoming surgery so that you can try it out before that.

I'll look forward to hearing your experiences and opinions.
 
Well first off the surgery got bumped to the end of next month other wise I would have came back with one wing today to find the package and would have had to try it out and destroy all the work the doctor is going to do or my face by using my right hand:o

So here are my first impression of the soap, I love the smell. To me its a clean masculine scent is a big helping of class. The next thing was is that it is a real bugger trying to load the brush chasing that little puck around the dish, but it is worth it:p. Once I got my brush loaded and started working up a lather in my bowl it was and instant cloud of white fluffy goodness.
Now I should say that I didn't follow my usual shaving ritual, which is a hot shower or towel followed by Proraso Pre Shave Cream, letting that set for a few minutes while I whip up some lather. This time I wanted to evaluate the soap on its own so I dropped the Proraso this time. Instantly I felt the lack of the pre shave, but it wasn't much and only on the first pass. Once the main stubble was gone the silky smoothness of the soap shone through. I was able to go 5 passes including an against the grain pass with no irritation even was able to throw in a blade buffing and still nothing. On my face that is darn near a magical.
I have to run out and will continue this in a bit, I have a lot more to say about this soap and its all good:thumbup:

OK now where was I? Oh yeah, I did manage to nick myself, but it not the fault of the soap, I was talking on the phone and trying to shave around the scar on my chin. Not a good combination:o Like I said before the scent of this soap is IMO great and the guys over at the shop agree that it is one of those classic scents. Just on smell alone there may be a couple pucks added to my order because they want to have some based on smell alone. The smell isn't over powering once in use and barely noticeable while in use. That could be because with it sitting right under your nose you get use to it. The people that I ran out to have coffee with in the middle of this didn't mention any perfume smell when I got in the car, and they aren't shy about doing so. To me that means that in the 30 minutes from the time I started to shave to the time I got in the car the scent had completely dissipated, or mellowed enough not to bother anyone. I could be that there was just enough left over to be pleasing to them, but they would have mentioned that as well.

Now to rate the soap on a 1-10 scale

Scent: 15+ (I love the smell of this stuff can you tell?)
Lather: 9 (To me it is on par with the L'Occitane soap I bought, but only a step bellow the Proraso. I do have more experience with Proraso so once I experiment with the amount of water a bit I should be right there or better then the Proraso)
Quality: 10+ (If there is anything wrong with this soap I can't see or feel it TGQ has the reputation of quality for a reason)
Lubrication: 9 (This should go up to as I get the ratio of water to soap down, for a first run with a soap 9 is high)
Cost: 10 (Yes I got a free sample but I am basing this off of the price from their web site. It is cheaper then the L'Occitane soap and out performs it. In the long run free crap is still crap, but quality at a reasonable price is worth every cent. About the same price as my go to Proraso Green Tea and Aloe with a better scent and near equal performance on the first go, I think its a winner)
Moisturizing: 9 ( I could have gotten away without using my aftershave balm, but I use it out of habit. Right now my skin is softer and smoother then with any of the other soaps I have used)
Easy of Use: 7 (Well this is due to the small size of the sample but if it was big it wouldn't be a sample:p I am sure that the full sized puck will fit my dish better and not run away from the brush, but I will tell you for sure once I make the order for a full sized puck)

Average score: 10+

I say give it a try and will definitely recommend this soap and company to others, Thanks Gollnick for the opportunity to try such a great product.:thumbup:
 
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Great review! My shaving cream samples from TGQ showed up today in the mail; however, they were liquefied from sitting in a metal mailbox in 95degree heat for 3 hours, so I can't use them yet. Of course I shaved this morning with a Derby Extra blade that has reached it's end (what a painful experience!), so I won't be shaving again until Wednesday. Hopefully by then they will have set up, or Colleen will have responded to my email about what to do with them (fridge or room temp?).

So far, my impression is based solely on the smell. I bought:
Desert Ironwood: fantastic! I hope they make it into an aftershave balm and/or cologne. Very rustic. My wife really likes this one.:D
Cavendish Black: Sophisticated and subtle, but when I actually lather it up, it may have more of a smell. It's supposed to have a pipe tobacco smell to it, but I can't smell that at all.
Bay Run w Sweet Orange: I like this one, but my wife thinks it's too strong. Of course that could be because of her hypersensitive smell due to pregnancy.
Gentleman's Oak & Moss: should complement my men's "Oak" shower gel from Bath & Body Works (you smell like you've been in the wood shop covered in nice oak sawdust). The shaving cream smells like you've been sitting under a mossy oak tree waiting for the spring turkey season to start.

I may just lather up with the Desert Ironwood tomorrow just to see how it smells, even though I won't be shaving.
 
My impression of Bay Rum with Sweet Orange is:

Bay Rum with Sweet Orange


I like bay... but I just found TGQ's Bay Rum with Sweet Orange to be way too much bay.


I'm curious to hear your experiences and opinions about Desert Ironwood.
 
Just a little update on my ratings of the soap. I have used this soap 4 times now and think I hit that magical water/soap ratio on the button tonight. Since the second day I have been using it with my Proraso Pre Shave cream and that initial pass resistance in not there, so I chalk the first run to just being use to having that little extra there on the first pass. Tonight's shave was like I didn't even have a blade in the razor, from the first stroke to the final touch up the razor floated over my face. No pull, no noise, nothing I actually thought that maybe with this being my 4th shave on the same blade ( all 4-5 pass shaves) that just maybe I had dulled it without getting the tell tail pull and irritation of a dull blade, yet when I rinsed the blade the stubble was in the sink and not on my face. On the first rinse I could tell I was closer than any other first pass I had had before. I finished my usual shave routine skipped the after shave balm and my face feels great.
So it is now official that this is the best soap I have tried, knocking Proraso off the podium with one great smelling blow. The little sample puck is now stuck to the bowl so no more chasing it around to load the brush. So now to update my raings

Scent: 15+ (I love the smell of this stuff can you tell? And I like it more now then I did at first, but my rating is already off the scale)
Lather: 10 (Proraso is now the second best lather I have had, I knew I would raise this one once I got the ratio down)
Quality: 10+ (If there is anything wrong with this soap I can't see or feel it TGQ has the reputation of quality for a reason)
Lubrication: 11 (I got the ratio, and it kicked butt, super smooth shave)
Cost: 10 (Yes I got a free sample but I am basing this off of the price from their web site. It is cheaper then the L'Occitane soap and out performs it. In the long run free crap is still crap, but quality at a reasonable price is worth every cent. About the same price as my go to Proraso Green Tea and Aloe with a better scent and better performance, I know its a winner)
Moisturizing: 10 ( Really good stuff, no moisturizing need for me after shaving)
Easy of Use: 9 (The puck is staying place now, but it wasn't a throw some water at it and go soap. It took me 4 shaves to get it right and I need to see if I can repeat it tomorrow. If I can consistently repeat the lather this 9 becomes a 10 hands down)

New Average: 10.86

Almost a 1 point gain in the average, this soap is now on my must buy list and I will be making an order in a couple of weeks, I just have to wait for the other guys to get their acts together so I can make one order to come to Winnipeg and not 3 or 4. I think I will head over to B&B to see how they rate TGQ soaps in comparison. We should really do our own review threads here.
 
Gollnick said:
My impression of Bay Rum with Sweet Orange is:

Bay Rum with Sweet Orange


I like bay... but I just found TGQ's Bay Rum with Sweet Orange to be way too much bay.
Click to expand...
Well, this is my first Bay Rum shaving cream, so I don't have anything to compare it to. I didn't even know what Bay Rum smells like. I just tried it on a whim.

I'm curious to hear your experiences and opinions about Desert Ironwood.
Click to expand...
While it was still liquid I dabbed a bit on my neck and smeared it around (like a balm). My wife spent a good 20 seconds just sniffing it with a silly little grin on her face, if that tells you anything.:D When I emailed them I asked them to please make this one in an aftershave/cologne. As for how it shaves... that will have to wait until Wednesday. It seems to have solidified now that it has been at room temp for a couple hours. I think the summer heat was just too much.
 
I didn't even know what Bay Rum smells like.
Click to expand...

Go to your kitchen spice rack, find the jar of Bay Leaves, and take a sniff of that. Most Bay Rums are a bit more than that, but that is the strong basis of Bay Rum.
 
loonybin said:
Desert Ironwood: fantastic! I hope they make it into an aftershave balm and/or cologne. Very rustic. My wife really likes this one.:D
Click to expand...

It surprises me that anyone would want to call a fragrance "desert ironwood". Desert ironwood is one of the worst-smelling woods in my workshop. Smells like burning popcorn times a million, plus some extra stinkyness thrown in for fun. It's also bad for the lungs, so I'm conditioned to putting the respirator on at the first whiff.

I had seen the label before and avoided it like the plague. After hearing these good reviews, I might just have to give it a try and find out what it really smells like.
 
Keeep in mind that the fragrance Desert Ironwood isolates only one component from the sap, not the entire wood. Also keep in mind that for perfumery, substances are diluted down to parts-per-million range. Many substances change their fragrance dramatically as they become diluted.

I used to work across the parking lot from a company that made commercial/Industrial air freshener products, urinal cubes, that sort of thing. One day, they spilled five gallons of essential oil of peaches in the parking lot. We had to evacuate because it was nausiating. From about 300 feet away, the place smelled like a nice peach pie baking. From 30 feet away, it was sickening. And the hazmat crew that went to within three feet wore gas masks... not because of any hazard, but just because no person could hold his lunch down smelling that concentration of peach. Nature never intended peach to be so concentrated.
 
Gollnick said:
I'm curious to hear your experiences and opinions about Desert Ironwood.
Click to expand...

Had my first shave with it today. First, let me back up: I used it to break in my new badger brush, letting it sit with a full head of lather all night. The bathroom smelled great when I woke up this morning!

Prep: hot shower, using my B&BW men's "Oak" shower gel lather to soften the beard.
Razor: My Fat Boy
Blade: Derby Extra
Shaving cream: TGQ Desert Ironwood
Various accoutrements: new Shea Moisture badger brush (get one if you don't have a badger brush! Only $10 on their website and is getting rave reviews on B&B), "Hot Wheels" kiddy bowl

I've only been into classic wet shaving since May, and my goal has been to have shaves as good as my Titanium Quattro (which was better than my Fusion). I had the smoothest shave to date this morning, using a Derby Extra that was a little too harsh for me on Monday. I have been using C.O. Bigelow cream (made by Proraso) with good results, but still getting some razor burn most days. This morning I used the Desert Ironwood with the same blade and I had almost no razor burn. That normally only happens with a Dorco blade.

This was my first use of a badger brush, so I was uncertain how much water to squeeze out. I had it just right until the brush slipped out of my hand and landed in the sink full of water. I shook out as much water as I could, but I had to add more cream to get a good lather that wasn't too thin. I still didn't get it right the 2nd time, as it was thicker before my fumble finger "incident." I did notice that it takes a little bit more cream to get a good lather than my COB, but not by much. My 1.7oz tube of COB is only 2/3 gone, so I have a feeling that the TGQ cream will last quite a while as well. I was able to get enough lather for 3 passes with almost enough for a 4th pass that I didn't need. Here are a couple clickable thumbnails of the lather I worked up the night before when breaking in the new brush:


Similar to what unky-gumbi discovered, my razor was gliding over my face, and if I hadn't heard the whiskers being cut, I would have thought I had the wrong angle.

Scent: + pie! I didn't know that shaving cream could be an aphrodisiac. 'Nuf said.
Lather: +10 I only have VDH soap and CO Bigelow cream to compare it to, but it is light years better than VDH, and even better than COB/Proraso.
Quality: +8 My first "tub" cream, but very nice. It seems a bit dry when I scoop some out, but it sticks together just fine.
Lubrication: +9 I have a feeling that adding a pre-shave will make this slicker than whale snot. The real test will be my Super Slim Adjustable. It seems to drag on the COB at times. That may raise it to a 10.
Cost: +7 This is definitely more expensive than the COB that I'm currently using, but with the way it performs, I'm willing to pay the extra cost.

This one is definitely going into my rotation!


Phillip Dobson said:
It surprises me that anyone would want to call a fragrance "desert ironwood". Desert ironwood is one of the worst-smelling woods in my workshop. Smells like burning popcorn times a million, plus some extra stinkyness thrown in for fun. It's also bad for the lungs, so I'm conditioned to putting the respirator on at the first whiff.

I had seen the label before and avoided it like the plague. After hearing these good reviews, I might just have to give it a try and find out what it really smells like.
Click to expand...
According to their website, I don't think they use anything from the actual wood:
Essential oils only- Bergamot, Black Pepper, Patchouli, Cinnamon & Clove. Steam distilled; countries of origin B Italy, Madagascar, West Indies, Sri Lanka, Indonesia.

Highly favored for its unusual combination of being crisp, dry and complex; shifting like the desert sands and yet soothing with a heart of cinnamon and cloves.

Custom Blend available only thru "The Gentlemen's Quarter" - Best Seller
Click to expand...

Oh, and they are making it into a cologne very soon!:D
 
I may have to get a badger brush soon, even though I am happy with my boars hair brush. It is well broken in and soft yet stiff enough to actually scrub a bit with. Only thing is that it is loosing a few hairs now every time I use it:( and I will have to relearn my water soap ratios. I remember a link to some knots for making your own brushes, maybe I will just drill out the old knot and put in a badger hair one as well as buying a new brush, that way I will have two:thumbup:
 
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