I purchased the 1911 soap, oil, and cream for my son. He absolutely loves it. No more razor burns or breakouts from soap. He said he didn't know shaving could be so painless. The scent is clean but not overpowering.

As a single mom, I wasn't equipped to teach my son how to shave. So I did hours of reading. Shaving 101 was very helpful and lead me to these products.

They have promptly answered any questions and have been helpful. Our go to place for shaving soaps.

As Jonny has mentioned in his review, there is a trick to getting this soap to produce a wonderful slick and creamy lather. For me, when I start to soak my brush, i let a bit of hot water sit on top of the puck as the soap is very hard. Once my brush is ready I prep my face (usually just a hot water wash) drain my brush and use the brush on the puck for 60 seconds. Since the soap is very hard, it does take longer to build up soap on the brush. Don't worry about the load time since the soap is so hard you're not grabbing that much soap over 60 seconds.

Once you get past the curve of a longer load time, this soap is an amazing performer. By far the best vegetable based soap I have used. Wonderful cushioning and more than enough lather for 4+ passes.

While I do not date back to the 40s (I turned 50 this year) I can say the scent is reminiscent of going to the barber shop with my grandfather and remembering how much I loved the way he smelled when we walked home. This is a timeless classic. It's not some cheap smelling scent, but a somewhat sweet but still remarkably masculine scent. My girlfriend has remarked positively every time I have used this soap and after shave splash.

For ease of lathering I recommend the half pounder as the jar is larger and the puck takes up the whole thing. I just found it easier to build up lather with this as opposed to the 4 oz tin which I also have in another scent.

After several tries, I got the water/soap ratio figured out and have been rewarded with wonderful smooth shaves. I recommend you put some "hot" water on top of the puck and let it set while you are prepping your face. Start with a slightly damp brush, load the brush off of the puck until you are satisfied with how much soap you have, then start building your lather adding just a very small amount of water at a time to build a rich full lather. If you use to much water, you will not be pleased with the results.

Once lathered correctly, the lather is rich and creamy, which provide abundant cushion and slickness, for a great shave.

I'm not sure how to describe the scent. My wife says it smells manly and she likes it, which is the most important thing. For you guys my age (66), it reminds me of everything about the old barbershops from the late 40's early 50's. It reminds me of how my Father and Grandfather use to smell. But after reading a little bit about the company, I'm not surprised. After all, it was Bill's Grandfather that came up with the formula back in 1911.