Classic unbeatable stirling performance. A little sad that none of the Ben Franklin line smells like root beer to me. They smell like vics vapo rub to me. That being said once I used it the vapo rub scent gave way to the smell of the pitch from a Jeffreys pine back home. Im perfectly happy with that scent.

To me it smells like the inside of a drawer in an old roll top desk. Kind of an old world craftsman woodsy smell. I was excited about the root beer float description, not picking up on that at all. Not disappointed though, I still like it.

Absolutely Fantastic scent and performs great!

I ordered the sample as always curious about stirlings Ben Franklin line. It was not for me personally but my son enjoyed it. So he is keeping it to use. Thanks for the samples.

I've been wet shaving for with a DE safety razor and various blade brands for about 8 years now. I finally tried Stirling shaving soaps and now I'm asking myself "Why did I hesitate?!"

I really enjoyed the Ben Franklin scent and overall shaving experience 😊 The aftershave is also good and it stuck around for awhile. With the aftershave I immediately noticed the strong fragrance of bay rum. My skin usually reacts to bay rum but not this time. For me the fragrance of bay rum stuck around the longest which isn't a bad thing 😊

I have been using this shave soap for years and still love it.

Many people have said this smells like an old man. I agree but in the best way possible. What a wise old man smells like. An acquired taste for sure. My number 1 favorite scent by Stirling.

Love the clove and spices in this one.

My favorite scent so far (although all of Stirlings scenrs are great). Great New England kind of smell. Easy to lather, can take alot of water and get as slick as you need. Only thing I need to know is when theyre putting this scent back in the vault so I can hoard every last jar of it.

So I bought this just to try. And I was quite surprised! To nose it I got clove straight away and something I couldn't put my finger on?? What was it I 🤔 wondered. Weeks went buy before I tried the sample puck, but WOW was I not let down.
As I bloomed it in my shave cup suddenly I realized that unknown scent was, Bay Rum! However as I continued swirling other notes began to waft around inside my shave den. As I shaved I finally realized what the actual scent truly was, to me anyway. It was like being in my grandfather's den, reading one of his large very old leather back dusty old books. Usually some old fishing or hunting book he had. But that smell of old binded books and varnished wooded desks. That's what I took away from this, very nice indeed. Although the girlfriend she didn't like this one. I came out of the shave den and she went, you smell....ah...yuck. That being said, I'll probably buy a jar of this scent as I enjoyed it.

I've enjoyed every product from this company thus far. But this soap is simply disgusting to my nose. My wife and kids smelled it and all agree that it smells like body odor mixed with pickle juice. I don't ever review products, but I felt like I had to speak my mind on this soap. I've read other reviews, but I don't smell what thier talking about. Hard to handle the smell. Nauseous.

Wow, I love this sophisticated, complex scent. When it is first goes on, it is resinous and intense. Shortly after, Ben Franklin mellows into a bay rum-esque scent that will have you wondering how you got there.

Ben Franklin is a unique scent reminds me of how a museum or library when I was kid it's a pleasant scent

I get the frankincense and nutmeg first, clove second. Smells like an old man's closet at estate sales so I get the description. Kind of like mothballs and a bit potpourri smell to it. I think it's a bit intense in the mothball scent for me.

As Stirling does (and I love them for it) they sent me a 1 oz sample puck of Ben Franklin as a "bonus" with my order. I have a small bowl on my sink and I threw it in there and by the end of the week I realized that I had used it every day and that I couldn't imagine a world without it! Fantastic scent which to me is clove, clove, clove. It's not heavy or sweet or flowery, it's a manly scent evocative of a Bay Rum with extra spices and a solid base of exotic stuff like Frankincense. If you are a fan of Bay Rum and/or of stuff that Marco Polo might have brought back to Europe along the Silk Road, then give this one a try. I keep a whole puck and a bottle of the Ben Franklin Witch Hazel and Aloe nearby at all times.

Bought this because the description and the artwork are really funny. On first use did not like the scent as it is completely different from anything I have ever used. Second and third use, not sure. Now, addicted and use it everyday! As others have said, it smells sort of like a mixture of root beer, spice, and something else, varnish? Masculine. When a brush loaded with this stuff is lathered in a heated bowl you get thick creamy spicy lather with a slickness that allows straight razor shaving with no problem. Can you tell I like it?

I don't know how Ben's pants smelled but this soap smells amazing

As my title implies this scent is a lot like Bay Rum, but if a Bay Rum scent was infused with the Bill of Rights, distilled freedom, and a bald eagle screech. I love anything that pays homage to our Founding Fathers, and had to try this scent. It did not disappoint. It will be one of my go to scents along with SDM. I just wish there was a beard balm to go with it! And as said in other reviews does not have anything to do with old man pants.

Q

This was sent as an unsolicited sample with my last order, and while not expecting much going in, I am very happy Stirling sent it. The nutmeg and clove spice come to the fore, with the slightly sweet frankincense presenting as warm, smooth woods-like. Excellent! The four star rating is based on the excellent scent alone, but performance like all Stirling Soaps is a five.

When I first found Stirling, I ordered a bunch of aftershave samples and one of them was Ben Franklin of which I did not care for that much. My last order they sent a shave soap sample of Ben Franklin and I have been surprised of how much I like it. I have used it 3 times and it is an awesome winter soap. I would order a shave jar but I have too many at the moment. It is now on my list. It’s funny how you can like something in one thing and don’t like it in another. Love Stirling

This soap smells strongly of carrots to me and a hint of brine like that of a dill pickle.

Much like Franklin himself, this soap veritably EMANATES WAVES of fine spices, exotic oils, lust far in excess of chronological age, thunderstorms, and electricity. Perhaps a whiff of kite strings. The first time I used it, I began to speak French fluently and play the harpsichord with reckless abandon. My wife simply couldn’t resist me. Later, still basking in the afterglow, I wrote an almanac with a quill pen, scrabbling pithy witticisms late into the night. Will probably purchase again.

Have to agree w/the description as this one truly is an "instant favorite". At first whiff, scent is incredibly strong. Lather smells great and the scent lingers for quite a while which I enjoy. I love how unique this scent is; very spicy in a good way. Incredibly slick lather (as is the case w/all Stirling soap). Don't pass this one up! Ben Franklin has found a permanent home in my shave den.

Excellent performance as usual with all of Stirling Soaps. Slick, thick, protection. Easy to lather. Wonderful lather. The scent is just not for me. I thought it was going to smell like a root bear float. Nope did not smell anything like the root bear floats I have had. Awesome soap.

It's actually quite nice. A well crafted soap that smells very pleasant and gives a nice slick shave. What more can you ask for from a quality shave soap?

I was VERY hopeful when I read the "reminded a few of my testers of a root beer float", but unfortunately I didn't catch much of the same.

As usual the soap quality is outstanding, however something about the soap reminded me of ...sausage? Perhaps it's the clove or nutmeg. It's clearly a favorite of many other customers, but it'll be a while before I sample it again.

This was my first shave soap from Stirling that I ever used; and boy oh boy this is an excellent shave soap. I was able to load my brush in 2-3 seconds easy, and with enough to cover most my face. It’s super slick as well. My razor glides easily on my face with this soap. Now on to the scent. The scent reminds me of a root beer float, bringing back fond memories of times past. I am absolutely in love with the scent and performance of the Ben Franklin shave soap. Five stars all around.

It's impossible to get a bad lather with a Stirling soap so it just comes down to scent preference. This soap has a very nice scent, not at all like an old man's pants. (Very funny tongue in cheek description). I'll be keeping it in my rotation.

Performs well, and I do like the scent. But there's something about it that prevents me from really taking deep whiffs of the lather or puck, like a menthol kind of thing going on. My girlfriend also hates it unfortunately but its still a great soap!

I got a bunch of samples and so far, none are bad, Ben Franklin, I like it, however the essential oils linger and I find that my tongue gets numb (probably from the clove oils).

That said I am now on my second sampler pack to find my favorite scent, this one is now about third place (due to the tongue numbing effect which lingers forever and makes this one not my favorite due to the aftermath).

Top for me so far is Vanilla Sandalwood... but I will try another 7 samples to pick my favorite before I commit to it...