Lea Shave Stick with Lanolin and Glycerin

[@koosk41]

Thank-you Michael for getting back to me regarding the Arlington Shave Stick. Thanks too for posting this which again, gives me a great indication of the perfect way to get the best out of the stick on my travels.

[@mfreedberg]

Perfect travel option, the shave stick!

[@MauroDiLernia]

Great shaving my friend. A hug. I’m sorry for my delay

[@mfreedberg]

No worries, glad to see you are doing well and enjoying life! That foccaccia looked really really good!!

[@stuartbender5867]

Michael, Thanks for another great review and for the really helpful tip about Barrister and Mann’s Excelsior soap. More water, that’s an easy fix. Thanks for also explaining the reason to add more water. Very helpful, as always!

[@mfreedberg]

Hey, it's advice direct from the horse's mouth! I am not the only one with that post shave complaint, and so we'll see if future versions of that soap base are adjusted to account for the impact of the xantham gum. Thanks so much for watching!

[@zacbushong1344]

What a great tube for the shave stick. I’m ordering today. I wish we could buy empty tubes, will be unbeatable for travel. Thanks for another fine video. Michael, you seem to bounce back from jet lag/travel shock much better than I do. I’m still thoroughly enjoying my Captain’s Choice Coper Bowl. Thanks Again. Zac

[@mfreedberg]

I took the redeye, worked all morning, had a bit of a break, then we went out to see Avengers: Endgame @ 7:30 pm -- I slept really well that night :-) So glad you are enjoying the bowl! As for empty tubes, you can get them at Maggard Razors, OR just use up a stick or two of Lea and you are set!

[@brianb.2894]

Hi Michael. Real good review. One thing about a shave stick is you can always cut off a piece and use it in a bowl if that suits you. Just another option. Thanks for the video.👍

[@mfreedberg]

Great tip, and frankly most of them are soft enough that you can manhandle a piece into a flatter disk in the bottom of your favorite *loading* bowl, or even the entire stick if you wanted to go crazy.

[@mannyvaldez7136]

Great shave as usual Mike. I have the LEA, La Toja, and Vie-Long shave sticks. They are so compact that I only use them for when I travel. Since it is much smaller than a tub I take 2 when I travel. It may have been you who mentioned that shaving cream in a tube isn’t ideal for travel since the metal tube gets squashed and bent that it may start leaking. So I don’t travel with them either.

[@mfreedberg]

I don't think I would ever choose to travel with the metal tube. They get all bumped and crimped and I hate how they look - and I don't want to have to worry about leaking. So, I either use a small soap container or I go for the shave stick. Perfect option. Two when you travel? That gives you a bit of choice during your trip!

[@knightmare1015]

Another fabulous shave Michael. I was wondering about the Epsilon Blue aftershave. I may have to get me a bottle of it.

[@mfreedberg]

It's good, it's really good -- a classic feeling blast of aftershave and it smells amazing. You can try a sample from Maggard if you are at all nervous.

[@417Keto]

Thanks for the video and tips. I'll have to remember that tip about the excelsior base.

[@mfreedberg]

No worries, glad to help!

[@TheCrash212]

Nice shave, Michael. I'm not a gun metal finish fan on razors so I bought the Gentile in Gold. So far the gold finish is holding up well. It's not a daily driver but in my regular rotation. It's one of those razors that I know I'm going to get a great from. Have a safe and great week.

[@mfreedberg]

Well, here's the thing: you would love my razor, because it too does not have gun metal finish (grin)! It USED to, but no longer. It's fine, it still shaves great.

[@mikeh9701]

Hi Michael- Great shave and shave stick review; thank you! I will definitely add the Lea soap to my list of items to try. I also have not tried any of the Fatip razors so far, and I appreciate your thoughts on the Gentile. I hope you have a great week ahead and all the best!

[@majasmagic]

I have the Lea puck it is one of my favourites!

[@mfreedberg]

I highly recommend either of the two Fatip head designs - both are excellent razors. The Lea stick is pretty cheap, add it to an order to get free shipping and enjoy some great shaves!

[@T-R.e.x]

Tried again with Excelsior. No residual slickness again. Good lather, very creamy, tons of water added.. This base is finicky man. I also suggest getting the Epsilon Scottish Spirit. Heavy on the booze,you won't smell like a drunk man 🍺😜 and the woody tobacco smell compliments the whiskey very nice.

[@mfreedberg]

Residual slickness should not matter if the lather itself is slick, but I understand where you are coming from -- yes, it does feel like it takes a bit too much work! Practice makes perfect, they say, and that might be the trick with the Excelsior base.

[@shaunsshaveden5643]

I guess great minds think alike brother... I just did a review on a Spanish Shave Stick as well lol I used la Toja!! That looks like a good one as well great video and great shave brother

[@mfreedberg]

That's coming up, soon-ish (maybe) and I am really looking forward to it. I remember it being a very good soap.

[@ivermec-tin666]

Where did you get the neat little sampler/travel size spritzer of Epsilon Blue Mediterranean after shave? Such a bottle would be very handy. I finally got my hands on a bottle of this, and it just oozes summer to me; aquatic, ozone, a bit of powder, but not overwhelmingly powdery. I had to break down and try the Tabac shave stick. IME, it is not as slick as Palmolive, and it is far too floral for me. The scent is also far too potent for my tastes. I really like the Palmolive stick, which is why I hoarded it a while back, before the UK inventory was gone.

[@moisesbarrera2188]

Still use the Lea shave stick from time to time. No frills but very effective. Hope all is well with you Michael.

[@mfreedberg]

All is well, Moises, I hope you are doing well! Simple, effective - it's easy to lose sight of that given the ever-growing number of artisan options available today. This soap just works with no fuss or effort, and there is a lot to be said for that.

[@shavewizard4203]

Great review Michael! LEA is one shave stick that doesn't get the attention of Arko or La Toja. Haven't used LEA in a long time and will have to pull it out and give it another shot. Had trouble with their Puck (which smells great BTW) but it had lather stability issues. Really looking forward to the Maggard Meet Up coming up here on the 1st!

[@mfreedberg]

I wish I could be there to meet you in person, but I cannot make it this year, I am going to my 35th college reunion. You are going to have a great time!

[@jeremytyler7843]

Lea is a great stick. I have one in my Dopp kit and use it pretty frequently.

[@mfreedberg]

Yup, perfect option for travel and I think it should last pretty well too!

[@ktheodor3968]

Fatip Testina Gentile is said to be 'mild', but like yourself Michael I find it efficient, smooth, certainly NOT as assertive as the open comb version of it (no arguments about that for sure); but the Gentile (straight bar) is also, I think, much more assertive than the DE89 by Edwin Jagger. Fatip is a great all-round razor. The open comb for an every other day shaver like myself I just fine. Or if I want a quicker, less concentration demanding shave the straight bar is just as good. Good, classic looks from the Fatip razors. No slippery handles, good piece of gear even if the plating isn't quite 1st class in the gun metal. It adds to the quirkiness of the razor, I suppose :) Cheers Michael!

[@mfreedberg]

That finish is like a temporary tattoo!! I love those razors, and they do indeed have their individual strengths. The Testina Gentile is a perfect everyday razor, and the Grande just tears through multi-day growth with ease. I love the look and frankly you are right -- the finish loss is part of the charm (at least, that's what I tell myself).

[@borbetomagus]

After your Tabac video I would have thought you would have given that shave stick away. I remember coming across a Peter Wynegarde advertisement for Tabac, which initially mimics my sentiments about the scent (until you read all of it). Still a great soap.

[@mfreedberg]

Great soap, and I thought about giving it away, but then it would have beaten me and that's not cool. So, I still have it, and man, it smells just like it did. I fear the Tabac may yet win this battle :-)

[@theshrocknpiper2685]

Bellevue, Wa is my neck of the woods! 😎

[@mfreedberg]

I should have waved!!

[@theshrocknpiper2685]

@@mfreedberg 👍🤣

[@thorshaves489]

Great shave and tips.

[@mfreedberg]

Thanks!

[@terrym1065]

Nicely done Michael💈💈even without the "L" bowl😉 Stirling Satsuma for me this morning, glorious. No Fatip razors in my collection, seem to have skipped over them🤔 They do seem to work well though. I have both Floid Blue and Epsilon, they're close but different. Both are very nice and since obtaining Floid is questionable at best now, Epsilon is a good choice. Fine video and review as always👍 Enjoy!

[@mfreedberg]

The bowl sits on the shelf, empty and sad. Oh well! How close are the two aftershaves? Is the Floid just a bit richer and deeper? I remember it being a bit heavier scent, but I only ever had a sample of it.

[@terrym1065]

@@mfreedberg Yes! IMO, the Floid Blue is a richer, deeper more robust scent. Last longer and has a more supple face feel. That's just me though. Both are nice. If you never get to use the original, Epsilon is a killer dupe.

[@metal_slug7729]

Great video. I never knew LEA changed their soap formula. I checked my Shave stick and I have the vegan version.

[@mfreedberg]

DESTROY IT! Hey, it may well work for you, but it seems like it was clearly inferior to the tallow (new) version.

[@marcocerqueglini4441]

Nice shaving Michael,good evening!

[@mfreedberg]

Same to you, I hope you have a great week!!

[@edwardmiles6513]

I have a Lea stick and like it, but, per this video, I checked its ingredients. It has lanolin, but no tallow. (Somehow, I feel diminsihed.) You know, a soap stick that would fit perfectly into the Lea case would be Palmolive. (Woops!!) Continuing thanks for the vids.

[@mfreedberg]

Do you have the older non-tallow formulation? It's apparently pretty bad. Ah, you dog, bringing up the demise of the Palmolive stick! I have *one* that Mark from Friendship Shaving sent me, but I am going to use it nonetheless. If I run out, I can just buy one or two off PaulH!

[@edwardmiles6513]

No, my Lea stick is vegan, unless lanolin is non-vegan. I also got on E-Bay, and couldn't fine even one Lea soap with tallow. If I could find one with tallow I'd love to try it for comparison. During the penultimate set of rumors about the end of Palmolive stick, I stocked up at a favorable per unit price, and this hoard will likely last longer than I will. Perhaps I could will the residuum to you, although I have no plans to check out immediately. Anyway, keep up the good work, and take care.

[@eveandjam]

Regarding the Fa Tipp special edition iv owned mine since Nov 2018 and the coating is starting to come off as in the video you mentioned so not any better than your razor really enjoy your videos

[@mfreedberg]

If you had asked me to put money down, I would have bet on "special edition also loses its finish" :-) Thanks so much for watching, and it's great to hear you are enjoying the videos!

[@michaelpickarts7522]

Great job, Michael Freedberg, absolutely fantastic video. Lea shave stick and shave sticks in general are a manly way to shave. I guess I am implying that artisan soaps are for girly men. Well all I know is that after using Barrister & Mann’s Lavanille the beautiful scent made me smell like a French philosopher. Now a manly man smelling like a French philosopher can be disastrous. Imagine if he showed up to fix some housewife ‘s plumbing smelling like that. It would ruin her fantasy and she would question if he were competent to do the job. The opposite holds for her husband. If he shows up to work smelling all manly people would ask, “What ‘s this candyass doing smelling like an iron worker?” Thank God there is a super abundance of products so everyone can find what suits them best. Bye the way, Barrister & Mann requires much more water than you usually use. Keep the videos coming. Adios

[@mfreedberg]

Candyass iron workers unite! I am sure most French philosophers smelled just fine (I imagine they all use Martin de Candre or Le Pere Lucien), and they all were manly in their own ways. Good smelling plumber? Well, we have had the opposite in the house, and frankly, I would go for the good smelling one. I have had no issues with the other B&M soaps re water, but the Excelsior is really a different base in that regard. Live and learn!

[@yarekim5932]

Great Shave Michael . I just remembered I have at least one Mystic Water Shave Stick in Irish Traveler scent . Hmm sounds like I need to do an inventory . Have you had any luck getting the blades out ? I guess the wax or whatever on the blades melted a stuck them together , but the one I'm using is shaving great . Glad you got one out . Nice Hair Cut . Have a Great Week !

[@blade4vor905]

For NOS blades, I warm up the blade dispenser and blades with a hair dryer. The oil that coated most of these NOS blades is quite often dried out and makes the blades stick together. A couple of drops of mineral oil on the center slot of the blades in the pack can also loosen things up. Of course, the oil method will take a little longer to work than the hair dryer. YMMV!

[@mfreedberg]

I did get one out, after some gentle work with a leatherman to get the blade moving. THEN I see the comment from @Blade4vor about the hair dryer and that sounds like a damn good idea, which I will try for blade #2. I am using the blade starting this week, let's see just how long it goes!! Also, I wonder if I could re-use that blade container - can you somehow put blades back into it?

[@mfreedberg]

Excellent suggestion, thank you!!

[@yarekim5932]

@@mfreedberg Yes you can , both slide the blade back in where it came from , and put them in the back , to get them back out just pop open the dispenser and snap it closed is what I was told . Hopefully there are hundreds of fantastic shaves in that little 5 pack . I'm looking forward to seeing how they perform for you Michael .

[@T-R.e.x]

And what if you keep adding water & break down the lather of the Excelsior finally? ? Wouldn't it be possible? Also, you never mentioned your pre-shave routine. DO you use any specific face wash? (Very hot water, warm water, cold water, glycerine bar soap?) The Epsilon aftershave smells generic to me. Try if you can the La Toja lotion. Reminiscent of Drakkar Noir from Guy Laroche, but not so heavy. Hahaha! Same thing with Tabac stick for me. Smells exactly the same after almost 2 years! I am going to put it outside the house!

[@mfreedberg]

I think you could eventually break down the Excelsior lather, but it would take a long time and not be much fun :-) As for pre-shave, I generally shave after a shower (where I wash my face well), and then I just re-wet my face with warm to hot water a bit before I shave. I don't use a face wash or any pre-shave (at least not regularly), and I feel like a good lather makes up for any lack of pre-shave. Epsilon smells generic, really? Not to me, it smells like a classic European aftershave! I will try the La Toja at some point, but not sure when. That Tabac stick has not reduced in odor at all in all the time I have had it, and I don't think it will.

[@TheTeos2009]

Ciao Michael bella sbarbata e bel rasoio artigianali

[@mfreedberg]

Thanks for watching, and all the best!!

[@martinanthony05]

Nice one Michael

[@mfreedberg]

I do my best, and just hope that people will continue to watch and enjoy!

[@blade4vor905]

Very nice shave, Michael! Is this stick being made with tallow again? All I'm finding is the veggie, glycerin, and lanolin stick(2017 version.) Not that I don't have plenty of other options, though. Cheers! -Rob

[@mfreedberg]

Yes, it's now available in a tallow version. I had no idea that was the case when I bought it, that was just dumb luck.

[@gabrielstonebeckershaves3524]

Hello 👋 Michael very nice 👍🏻 shave today brother I am ilke your Razor I am ilke your Shaves stick to bro I am ilke your Aftershave 😉 bro my friend 😃 I what to say happy 😃 Cinco de Mayo Day brother 😎 my buddy 🤗

[@mfreedberg]

Same to you, I hope you are doing well and enjoying your shaves! We had a fun dinner with neighbours for Cinco de Mayo but with Irish stew :-)

[@gabrielstonebeckershaves3524]

Your welcome 🙏🏻 Michael 😉 to say to you my friend I am going very Great 👍🏻 I have a great 👍🏻 cinco de Mayo Day on Last weekend brother 😎 but Michael it was Maisie my friend 😃

[@komkom3425]

hello, Which would offer a better shave : LEA Stick or Arko stick?

[@eveandjam]

Both give great shaves as in lather but i think thd Arko just has the edge

[@mfreedberg]

We will see, I have Arko coming up at some point. I remember it being a very slick soap and SUPER easy to lather.

[@gonoszteddymaci]

I just recently bought a Lea stick and on the white cap there is a new formula sticker and I cant find tallow in the list of ingredients anymore just the lanolin and glycerin

[@mfreedberg]

Man, I hope you just got an old one, because the "new" one is tallow-based!! Is it any good or just pretty poor?

[@gonoszteddymaci]

@@mfreedberg Feels just like the La Toja stick (with better scent) but not as slick a lather as my Palmolive stick