What soaps have you been disappointed with?

[Woodshaver71]

Cella is one.
It lathers good and easy but the scent is weak and not to my liking.

Proraso Red is too medicinal smelling in the tub but i have not used it yet so we will see so the jury is still out on that.

TOBS sandalwood and Stirling Executive Man are my favorites so far.

 

[Trollky]

I may be a bit odd because I prefer mainstream soaps like Proraso, TOBS, Geo F Trumper etc. Whereas, artisan soaps have pretty much always been a disappointment.

 

[borwish]

I like Cella and love Proraso red. Van Yulay's vegan base is poor while their tallow base is quite good.

There's another that I'm disappointed in even though it got very good marks here. I've been meaning to email the maker to see if mine is a dud or normal.

 

[Woodshaver71]

I may be a bit odd because I prefer mainstream soaps like Proraso, TOBS, Geo F Trumper etc. Whereas, artisan soaps have pretty much always been a disappointment.

Yeah tobs is great!

I’m not sure what is considered artisan but Is sterling considered an artisian one and ones people make at home or small business?

I use to get hard pucks off amazon and didnt even know how to lather properly but a couple months ago i got into shaving soaps and didnt know what i was missing.

 

[Anchovie666]

Not a criticism of any Soap in particular but a general wish that sizes would get smaller. I don't want a 5oz tub of Stirling and are happy they sell 1oz slices (which give me oodles of shaves). I wish more Artisans would put out 1 or 2oz tubs or even small sticks. Some of my favorite soaps are sticks now. Just shaves with a Razorock Green label stick this morning. It was fantastic and will probably last a long time. I think it cost $4.99 or less. YMMV

 

[brucered]

Yeah tobs is great!

I’m not sure what is considered artisan but Is sterling considered an artisian one and ones people make at home or small business?

I use to get hard pucks off amazon and didnt even know how to lather properly but a couple months ago i got into shaving soaps and didnt know what i was missing.

The term Artisan has been watered down and saturated over the years. It doesn't mean much any more in regards to shave soaps.

But as a general rule, small batches made by hand, high quality.

Google:
What is the true meaning of artisan?

a person skilled in a utilitarian art, trade, or craft, especially one requiring manual skill; a craftsperson. a person or company that makes a high-quality or distinctive product in small quantities, usually by hand or using traditional methods: our favorite local food artisans.

 

[Woodshaver71]

Not a criticism of any Soap in particular but a general wish that sizes would get smaller. I don't want a 5oz tub of Stirling and are happy they sell 1oz slices (which give me oodles of shaves). I wish more Artisans would put out 1 or 2oz tubs or even small sticks. Some of my favorite soaps are sticks now. Just shaves with a Razorock Green label stick this morning. It was fantastic and will probably last a long time. I think it cost $4.99 or less. YMMV

In hear ya about smaller sizes because they last so long i would prefer smaller amounts too.

 

[brucered]

In hear ya about smaller sizes because they last so long i would prefer smaller amounts too.

Haslinger does it right at 60g pucks.

 

[DEgeezer]

I of course have some soaps I like more than others, but only one that has been disappointing. Cella red (tub) went bad. Cella green (bio) is nice.

 

[Trollky]

Yeah tobs is great!

I’m not sure what is considered artisan but Is sterling considered an artisian one and ones people make at home or small business?

I use to get hard pucks off amazon and didnt even know how to lather properly but a couple months ago i got into shaving soaps and didnt know what i was missing.

I would sort of put Stirling in the "artisan" category but not because they are expensive or a small batch producer (far from it) but because their soaps have the same look & feel to what is favoured by artisan/small batch soap makers i.e. a relatively heavily scented, soft soap with skin foods, fancy fats etc. added into the mix.

I think of it as an American take on a traditional Italian croap like Omega or Cella. To be fair to those soap makers, producing a hard puck of triple milled soap is probably more complicated and will certainly take longer.

 

[Lockback]

Not a criticism of any Soap in particular but a general wish that sizes would get smaller. I don't want a 5oz tub of Stirling and are happy they sell 1oz slices (which give me oodles of shaves). I wish more Artisans would put out 1 or 2oz tubs or even small sticks. Some of my favorite soaps are sticks now. Just shaves with a Razorock Green label stick this morning. It was fantastic and will probably last a long time. I think it cost $4.99 or less. YMMV

I love the Stirling samples and have (counts out loud) ... lemme see ... YIKES ... 17 samples and two pucks.
I like all of them, love a few (Bay Rum and particularly Barbershop) but HATE Stirling Gentleman and Baker Street. Both remind me of an old lady's purse.

 

[The Blackadder]

Proraso green. Never got a consistent lather with it

 

[silverlifter]

Not really disappointed, more disgusted. You know what I'm talking about...

 

[AimlessWanderer]

La Toja - the salts irritated my face.

Martin de Candre - too dense a lather, not enough slickness (even when I threw high amounts of water at it, it just kept bulking up and never got slick), and the post shave feel was too drying.

Glycerine based tub soaps have left me underwhelmed. While usable, I'd rather be using something else.

 

[Juanmosey]

Razorock classic. Very soap but no cushion at all. Only $6 and a reason for it. Almond scent nice though.

 

[Anchovie666]

La Toja - the salts irritated my face.

Martin de Candre - too dense a lather, not enough slickness (even when I threw high amounts of water at it, it just kept bulking up and never got slick), and the post shave feel was too drying.

Glycerine based tub soaps have left me underwhelmed. While usable, I'd rather be using something else.

This is exactly an example of YMMV - I love MDC for all the reasons you hate it. In the Summer my face tends to run oily and I'm looking for a drying soap and not skin food type soap.

 

[borwish]

HATE Stirling Gentleman

That's one of my favorites and I always get a good reaction from the wife when wearing the aftershave.

 

[Lockback]

That's one of my favorites and I always get a good reaction from the wife when wearing the aftershave.

I'm not surprised. It's so interesting that we all have different triggers, loves, hates, senses of smell ... on and on, where it stops, nobody knows.

 

[Zora]

Nobody has said it, so I will -----Arko (scent, not performance)

 

[WThomas0814]

Most, if I’m being honest. I shower after my shave, so, scent isn’t overly important. Nor is post-shave skin feel.

What IS important is quality and ease of lathering, slickness, cushioning… all the things that make for a great shave.

Of secondary importance is price. Artisan soaps in cream form selling for $20+ for 5 ounces are obscene to me. Those with matching aftershaves are also of no interest; my aftershaves are either unscented menthol or they come from the drugstore. If I want a lingering smell, I wear a true fragrance (EDP or Parfum).

With all of that in mind, the soaps in my rotation are Arko (puck and stick), Cella Red, and Vitos Red. Also, en route to me are Jikoryen sticks. All are cheap and all work extremely well. For me, anyway.