I've used Reds' Pine Tar soap a few days on the trot now and have made a few decisions on it. Firstly, the bar was solid and didn't have the slightly greasy coating that the Grandpas' stuff had out of the packet. So far, it has stood up to use in the shower well and hasn't worn down a lot, Grandpas' isn't as worn down as others have mentioned though, so they are definitely on a par with durability! Reds' smells nice (to blokes!), but it lacks the slightly smokey smell of Grandpas' which I do like. Grandpas' just nudges into the lead with that point, for the time being.
Cleanliness wise both Reds' and Grandpas' soaps do a grand job. Reds leaves my hair squeaky clean, as does Grandpas', but I cannot run my hand though my wet hair with Grandpas' but I can with Reds'. Not entirely sure what that means, I think Reds' may be having more of a conditioning effect on my hair. Both can be used for general hair washing as well as body scrubbing. Both seem to be very good at cleaning deep down too, not just getting rid of surface crud but the ingrained stuff.
Which is the most ecologically sound? I've spent some time thinking about this and don't know enough about the process to be able to make a decision. Grandpas' is made on a grand scale with palm oil and then shipped around the world to us. Red makes his at home with products that should hopefully have a minimum impact on de-forestation. I found that Reds' soap stings the eyes a bit more than Grandpas', a test I will not be trying on the other soaps as I found that out by sheer accident! I looked at the ingredients and caustic soda is one of them. I have no idea if this is harmful after the soap making process is complete and if it is neutralised once getting into the sewage treatment plants. Energy used to produce the soap again is an unknown. Maybe I'm looking into this too much!
I'd say Reds' soap "carbon footprint" must be smaller when you take into account the shipping of Grandpas' from USA to Woodlore, then on to the end user, so Red wins there.
At the end of the day, I think that both are winners in their own rights, Reds' for the conditioning of the hair (it feels like I've just stepped out of a salon!
) but Grandpas' for the smokey smell. Both clean you up proper good and make you smell like a proper woodsman!
Finally, price: 2 quid from Woodlore for Grandpas', Reds' came from his place in the south to mine in four hours (!) via Royal Mail and he didn't charge me a bean. I've no idea if Red will be selling it for a small profit, to make up the price of his supplies or just do it for the karma, but it is definitely worth trying to get a hold of a few blocks if you can.
Many thanks to Red for the soaps, I've still got the other two to try out, I have no doubt they will clean me up good and proper, gonna have to get gunked up and try them out.
