Anyone find Proraso overrated?

[AutoCANE]

I have the Red and White soaps and I personally hate them. I can build this incredible exploding greek yogurt dream lather and put it on my face and it still doesn't provide the slickness or cushion that I need. It must have something to do with my face, I guess.

I have tried everything (more water, less water, more product, less product, lather forever, etc etc) because I really wanted to like them...but at this point I have found that my other soap samples out-perform the Proraso in every single possible way.

Even Col Conk's stuff (which doesn't seem to be very highly regarded) out-performed Proraso on my face and it wasn't even close.

Not sure why...just my $0.02

 

[dabrock]

Is it just me, or is Proraso a little on the overrated side? I acknowledge that it's easy to work with for beginners, has a variety of Flavors to choose from, and is a step-up from Canned crap. But I find its slickness to be alright in comparison to Godrej.

Anyone else feel the same? I usually say that Proraso is good, not great.

Well if you want to compare it to one of the best creams on the market is going to come up short. A little like. Comparing a Hyundai to a Proche.

 

[SteveWY]

I've been thinking about this thread this week and for now real reason I went all Proraso "green' for my SOTD today...

Pre: Shower, Proraso green pre-shave
Brush: Badger & Blade/Omega Essential Boar
Soap: Proraso Sapone Tutte le Barbe (menthol & eucalyptus)
Razor: Fatip Piccolo
Blade: Bolzano Superinox (10?)
Post: Proraso Lozione Dopobarba (AS splash), Proraso Crema Liquida Dopobarba (liquid aftershave balm)

A very refreshing and close, comfortable "green" shave today! Bellissimo!

 

[dabrock]

If it was put into a nice glass tub, and marketed as a top shelf cream for 35 dollars a tub, I think it would still have a following. Are other creams better? I'm pretty sure some are, but I think people would not like some creams that I thought were better.

If you don't like the scents...it's highly overrated, to you anyway.

The only cream I found to be a terrible performer was the newest Indian old spice, but I'm sure someone out there thinks it's great. And since I didn't like the scent, or lack of, I probably didn't give it a fair shot really.

Actually, check out the threads on SMN V1, which was about $70 and basically Proraso Green with lanolin and even made by Martelli.

 

[Bhugo]

Actually, check out the threads on SMN V1, which was about $70 and basically Proraso Green with lanolin and even made by Martelli.

Ha, cool, thanks

 

[HexChrome]

My worthless .02 cents about the subject...

I think that many feel Proraso is overrated only because they (Proraso) have a relatively large (and successful) marketing campaign, compared to the "micro" soap makers. I compare the phenomenon to Grey Goose vodka. Grey Goose has a huge marketing campaign in the "vodka industry," so "some" people tend to say that it's over rated just because they see the name plastered everywhere. When in fact, it's genuinely a fabulous tasting booze to boot. People just get over saturated with over-marketing of a product, even if they rarely use the product if at all. Likewise, if Proraso wasn't over saturating people's eyeballs with their brand name alone, fewer people would have negative thoughts about the product.

Another comparison in my own opinion would be like a blind taste test with beer. The beer sample could be gigantically mass produced, cheap watered down canned Budweiser. However, if you take the exact same beer, slap the title of "micro brew" on it, produce an eye catching lable and then tell a person that it comes from a brewery high up in the Austrian Alps (even though it's really the same old canned Budweiser from Los Angles), the recipient psychologically thinks that the exact same beer is now the cat's meow in taste.

Same could be said about Proraso. If Proraso were marketed as a "micro soap" producer from a one-man operation high up in the Italian alps (or wherever an imagination may run wild), people would be screaming that they can't get enough of the product with its "magical shave properties," even though the formula never changed when it was produced in bulk with tons of advertising. That being said, Proraso just so happens to be a top notch product (in my own humble opinion) and really performs in the "excellent" category if I do say so myself.

In fact today was going to be Tobac Saturday. However after seeing some hate for my beloved Proraso, I think I'll make it a "white" Proraso Saturday shave day.

 

[1Vader]

Overpriced not overrated

 

[G-Dogg]

My worthless .02 cents about the subject...

I think that many feel Proraso is overrated only because they (Proraso) have a relatively large (and successful) marketing campaign, compared to the "micro" soap makers. I compare the phenomenon to Grey Goose vodka. Grey Goose has a huge marketing campaign in the "vodka industry," so "some" people tend to say that it's over rated just because they see the name plastered everywhere. When in fact, it's genuinely a fabulous tasting booze to boot. People just get over saturated with over-marketing of a product, even if they rarely use the product if at all. Likewise, if Proraso wasn't over saturating people's eyeballs with their brand name alone, fewer people would have negative thoughts about the product.

Another comparison in my own opinion would be like a blind taste test with beer. The beer sample could be gigantically mass produced, cheap watered down canned Budweiser. However, if you take the exact same beer, slap the title of "micro brew" on it, produce an eye catching lable and then tell a person that it comes from a brewery high up in the Austrian Alps (even though it's really the same old canned Budweiser from Los Angles), the recipient psychologically thinks that the exact same beer is now the cat's meow in taste.

Same could be said about Proraso. If Proraso were marketed as a "micro soap" producer from a one-man operation high up in the Italian alps (or wherever an imagination may run wild), people would be screaming that they can't get enough of the product with its "magical shave properties," even though the formula never changed when it was produced in bulk with tons of advertising. That being said, Proraso just so happens to be a top notch product (in my own humble opinion) and really performs in the "excellent" category if I do say so myself.

In fact today was going to be Tobac Saturday. However after seeing some hate for my beloved Proraso, I think I'll make it a "white" Proraso Saturday shave day.

I don't buy this, personally.

Proraso croaps simply do not provide me with an adequately slick cushion to deliver an efficient and comfortable shave. End of story. It's nothing to do with the price, or the marketing. And I flatter myself to think it's not the way I use it either, given that I've been face lathering for decades. Arko is better, and cheaper.

On the other hand, the Proraso blue cream is the best cream from a tube that I've ever used. Again, nothing to do with price or marketing.

So I'd say that the croaps are overrated but the tubes not.

All that said, I respect that others will have different experiences, but for me it's all about performance and nothing to do with the flim-flam around the marketing.

 

[tankerjohn]

Overrated?! Get behind me, Satan! Blue is the best cream I've ever used, full stop. I even like it better than most soaps. Amazing scent, awesome lather, outstanding skincare - it's the whole package. Incredible product at any price. At ten bucks (give or take), it's a steal. I don't like Green quite as much. But I must say that the All Green shave, such as Steve demonstrated above, is unequalled in its splendor. Do it with cold water on a hot summer morning, and it's just pure magic. It's possible that I might get the same feeling from SMN or another high end mentholated cream. But, again, for a ten spot, Proraso can't be beat. Red is a winter favorite of mine. I love the natural, woody sandalwood scent that lingers well after the shave. The performance is perhaps a half step below the Blue and Green, but the Shea butter kicks the skincare up a notch. I haven't tried White yet, but I'm sure I'd like it.

Two things to add: first, as Marco has posted before (and I'm sure others as well), the trick to Proraso is to use plenty of product. Think walnut, not almond. Secondly, I find that croaps, including Proraso, lather best with big boar brushes. The Omega Pro brushes are well worth the paltry investment, and the Semogue 2000 is an outstanding value as well.

 

[mglindo]

I have only used the C.O. Bigelow rendition of Poraso and I like it, especially for the warmer months. Saying that, I am using other soaps and creams right now as I have acquired so many that I have to go through them before I buy any more.


Mike

 

[gitira6]

This is a hard one. I started DE shaving years ago with C.O.Bigelow that I got at the mall. Easy to lather for a beginner, performance I found so so. Tried the sandalwood, liked it. I would say now that the white tube is my favorite out of the bunch, performance and scent wise. I keep revisiting the green, just cant find the love. Just not slick enough, after trying other creams. I'm going to try the soaps for a change, but I'm sold on the Indian creams and Tabac.

 

[mark123abc0]

I rather like the Poraso range having used the white for a while and green. I have only tried the soaps finding them to be a good soap, I agree you can get better soaps but Poraso are great for the price point and easily available.
I have found a number of people look down on Poraso because you can buy them from manly stores easily and cheaply.

 

[grim]

is Proraso a little on the overrated side?

Let me ask you this ...

Take three samples of shaving creams and put them in unlabeled sample jars, one Proraso Green, one from any of the middle of the price range, well known shaving creams (e.g., TOBS, T&H, GFT), and one from the top tier stuff.

Provide them to someone who have never tried them and ask them to pick the best. Then tell the the price of the product is the price of the most expensive cream (e.g., Castle Forbes).

How many do you think will pick Proraso as the best product from the unlabeled samples?

IMO, until you get this kind of blind sample test done, you will never get a complete answer other than "good value" for the money spent.

 

[Limekiln]

Is it just me, or is Proraso a little on the overrated side? I acknowledge that it's easy to work with for beginners, has a variety of Flavors to choose from, and is a step-up from Canned crap. But I find its slickness to be alright in comparison to Godrej.

Anyone else feel the same? I usually say that Proraso is good, not great.

Not I. Excellent performer IMO.

 

[dabrock]

Overpriced not overrated

That can vary on your supplier. I pay $7 (about $5 US) for 150g at a local B&M shop (an Italian grocer) and for me that's a pretty good deal. It lasts longer than a lot of the soft Italian soaps IME and performs fairly well so I'm happy to pay that amount. Out of curiosity, what are you paying and what would you think the price point would be on it so that it wouldn't be overpriced?

 

[dabrock]

Let me ask you this ...

Take three samples of shaving creams and put them in unlabeled sample jars, one Proraso Green, one from any of the middle of the price range, well known shaving creams (e.g., TOBS, T&H, GFT), and one from the top tier stuff.

Provide them to someone who have never tried them and ask them to pick the best. Then tell the the price of the product is the price of the most expensive cream (e.g., Castle Forbes).

How many do you think will pick Proraso as the best product from the unlabeled samples?

IMO, until you get this kind of blind sample test done, you will never get a complete answer other than "good value" for the money spent.

I would like to see this with a lot of our soaps and creams, I don't think that "you get what you pay for" applies in most cases in our hobby. A lot of lower end products punch over their weight and a lot of higher end products just aren't worth the price for the performance they deliver. Much of the added cost from what I can see is from EOs and FOs rather than the quality of the ingredients. If you are going to put in pure sandalwood EO it's going to be expensive compared to citrus and floral FOs.

 

[Edinburgh]

I believe that certain products just don't work well for certain people.

However, I also believe that if folks find Proraso (or any other product for that matter) lacking in slickness, they should first try adding more water before rushing to judgment. I myself find Proraso to be a very thirsty product.

 

[Mustafa 9]

Good day, I have tried a many Proraso products, it is just not for my type of skin. Not much slickness and leaves my skin extremely dry. On the other hand, my brother has no issues at all! Works perfectly with his type of skin. Overrated! I can not say that but for sure it is not for me.

 

[CaptainGreybeard]

Is it just me, or is Proraso a little on the overrated side?
[...]
Anyone else feel the same? I usually say that Proraso is good, not great.

Well, in my opinion "overrated" sounds a little harsh. Who overrates it? I have found Proraso red very good but not the best that money can buy. However, Proraso offers a very good VFM. It's affordable, easy to lather up and compatible with most faces, or rather skins.

 

[AbbyW2]

Eh. That's like saying Colgate toothpaste is overrated. It's a functional, inexpensive product.

Pretty good analogy. Hard to say when a toothpaste is better, but you can judge the feel of a shaving product. And I judge Proraso mediocre.