Opinions Soponificio varesino

SV 70th Anniversary is probably my favorite summer scent. Lasts quite a long time on my skin and the soap performance is as good or better than just about any other soap in my den. I'd put it at the same level as B&M's Glissant base in my experience with it. I really enjoy their Tundra Artica scent as well for cooler weather.

I should add that I have not tried klar yet. But I have tried Nuavia, MDC, and LPL. And for me SV blows them all out of the water.

I don't see how you guys aren't getting great performance from SV soaps.  The scents, sure - they don't last nearly as long as I'd like but they're quite strong for a while.

I'd like to know what you guys find to be better?  I have Klar, have tried XPEC to name a couple and it's easily just as good if not better.  SCShaver mentions "Stirling, Reef Point, CRSW, WSP Tallow and Barrister and Mann (including the Latha line)..."  I've tried most of those, and have extensive amounts of CRSW and B&M and I find that SV still holds an edge. Latha does not compare.  Sure, price is a factor - but SV is triple milled and lasts a long, long time.  I load it like any other soap (25-30s).

It's not that it doesn't perform well, it's that what I get out of it does not justify it's price point. Good thing I got mine in a PIF. For me pretty much anything with tallow and/or lanolin performs way better. And when you can get soaps like B&M (Latha included), Mystic Water, Mike's, Dapper Dragon, Stirling, etc. for considerably less coin, I'll go with any of those every time.

It's not that it doesn't perform well, it's that what I get out of it does not justify it's price point. Good thing I got mine in a PIF. For me pretty much anything with tallow and/or lanolin performs way better. And when you can get soaps like B&M (Latha included), Mystic Water, Mike's, Dapper Dragon, Stirling, etc. for considerably less coin, I'll go with any of those every time.

Okay - so for some folks, price obviously has more of an impact on performance/value equation. While I value a good deal, I won't let the cost sway the actual performance metric so that it would then compare to more pedestrian soaps. Not that any of those you mention aren't fine soaps... But I'm talking about performance itself, regardless of price. And I hold SV in the same league as CRSW and B&M glissant, even a bit better in some regards (namely face feel). True, SV is a vegan offering... But I think some of it also comes from their aftershaves, which are rather unique and part of the whole experience. If you didn't use both, I think you're missing a big part of the magic.

It is easily the best non-tallow soap I have ever used. The scent, performance and post-shave skincare are all top tier for me. I have only tried the Felce and Manna versions but have the 70th Ann. soap and am considering purchasing the Tundra as well. There aren't many soaps that I have splurged and owned several varieties of and SV is on of them along with tallow-based Trumper's, Yardley and Strop Shoppe. Yeah, it's that good (to me).

Okay - so for some folks, price obviously has more of an impact on performance/value equation.  

Not me. While the cost is a factor its on the bottom of my list. I find Nuavia, SMN (in particular), ABC, and ADP to be superior in every way. No contest. Nowhere in the same league. Of course, as always said here, ymmv. And Mystic is better, at a far cheaper price, and better after shave feel.

Not me. While the cost is a factor its on the bottom of my list. I find Nuavia, SMN (in particular), ABC, and ADP to be superior in every way. No contest. Nowhere in the same league. Of course, as always said here, ymmv. And Mystic is better, at a far cheaper price, and better after shave feel.

Then I guess it's clearly a matter of YMMV.

Had a tin of Colonia. Traded it. Pretty good. I don't think it's any better than RazoRock XXX.

Okay - so for some folks, price obviously has more of an impact on performance/value equation.  

Not me. While the cost is a factor its on the bottom of my list. I find Nuavia, SMN (in particular), ABC, and ADP to be superior in every way. No contest. Nowhere in the same league. Of course, as always said here, ymmv. And Mystic is better, at a far cheaper price, and better after shave feel.

I have a couple SVs and have owned several, but I only buy them from Shaving.ie which sells them for much less than US merchants. The older formulas cost between $14 and $16, and the newer Tundra is $17.82 as of this post, while Cosmo still demands more at around $26 (I think that's what I paid). I don't notice much difference between any of the formulas, and rightly so considering how minor the differences in ingredients are. Also, SV direct has similar prices, although Shaving.ie is sometimes a little bit cheaper. The problem is SV's shipping is outrageous and no way makes up for it even if buying several. Shaving.ie of course has one of the lowest shipping rates of any merchants.

I recommend anyone looking to try SV to just buy Manna or Tundra, or any other that is reasonably priced to see how they like it first. The scents are phenomenal in my opinion, but that is entirely subjective. I wish the scents were stronger during the shave though, as some can become almost nonexistent. The strongest of all that I have is Cosmo, and it happens to be my favorite of the several I have owned.

My personal opinion is that SV soaps are excellent performers. They are slick, protective, and leave my skin feeling wonderful. However, I do find the scents fade drastically after lathering on some. The strongest scent and my favorite is Cosmo, which fortunately does remain fairly strong during the shave. Tundra does pretty good too, but the others I tried lacked severely in scent strength during shave. They all smell wonderful in the box at least. My wife likes Tundra and Manna so much she said she'd like to put one in her closet with the lid off. lol.

Is Tundra uber menthol like Arctique? I don't like that much menthol.

Is Tundra uber menthol like Arctique? I don't like that much menthol.

Tundra Artica doesn't have any menthol in it. From the description: "The name derives from the geographical area called Arctic Tundra, where the vegetable additives used in this soap find their natural habitat"