Expensive vs cheap.

[Possum092]

The most important thing to remember is how good will the tub artwork look in my razor photos? The tub needs to accentuate my shave brush, bowl and razor…if it makes ice cream cone peaks even better, because I personally like to overload my brushes for my pics. Most of junk in artisan soaps actually does absolutely nothing for your skin unless you wear it around like a face mask for an hour. Your skin simply can’t absorb the whale milk fat or the unicorn tears in 5 minutes (it’s simple science), so you‘re buying hype and a false sense of a better shave...all the artwork on the tubs does look great lining the bathroom wall which makes me smile.

 

[BudgetShaverGuy]

Agree 100%. With that said, it’s very easy to go a little heavy-handed on the MdC, which will lead to a less slick and more drying lather.

 

[EclipseRedRing]

There must be some truth in cost vs performance since Williams has apparently improved immeasurably since it was discontinued and has started rising in price I use mainly vintage soaps precisely because they are vintage, that is the important thing for me, scent and performance don't really matter although some vintage soaps perform extremely well.

 

[Phoenixkh]

I'm too new to know much..... but I've asked around. I watch the SOTD threads, read the various soap/cream threads. That's one of the things I love about B&B. Lots of different people with varied experiences, likes and dislikes.

I bought two inexpensive soaps before I ever had a DE razor... it was in the mail. Both of them were $10 on Amazon. I am giving them away. I've added 6 other soaps based on recommendations here: mainly from Tomo and APBinNCA, because they were kind enough to take the time to help a new kid of the shaving block. But I have read and listened to many others from the sidelines.

Now, I don't have any of the most expensive soaps... no MdC, no AdP (as a newbie, I have to use B&B's abbreviation list on a lot of posts here because I have no idea what these abbreviations mean). The soaps/creams I now have aren't what I think of as expensive. They are generally in the $30 range: some less, some a bit more. So... you could say... my ____, they are 3 Times the price of the ones I started with.... yeah.... but we aren't talking about thousands of dollars... we're talking $20 more. You can't even eat fast food for two for $20, so it's all relative.... to me, at least.

And, they work better for me. That's what matters in the end... if a $4 or $5 dollar puck is working for you.... that's great. I'm not scent driven... so I won't be buying the latest scent or the most luxurious perfumed soap or cream. I know we can all head down any of the various rabbit holes in shaving, heck, in life in general. But that is always a choice.

 

[AlphaFrank75]

The most important thing to remember is how good will the tub artwork look in my razor photos? The tub needs to accentuate my shave brush, bowl and razor…if it makes ice cream cone peaks even better, because I personally like to overload my brushes for my pics. Most of junk in artisan soaps actually does absolutely nothing for your skin unless you wear it around like a face mask for an hour. Your skin simply can’t absorb the whale milk fat or the unicorn tears in 5 minutes (it’s simple science), so you‘re buying hype and a false sense of a better shave...all the artwork on the tubs does look great lining the bathroom wall which makes me smile.

Yeah, no fancy name or artwork for me. I kind of like the name and label of this one.

 

[ogu]

If your skin does not feel any different using a cheaper soap like Razorock compared to f.i. A&E, you may have a skin condition. Or I might. Post skin feel differences are huge for me.
I like the art work on many soaps, btw. Maybe you’re not into arts.

i have no skin condition. generally i think the 'post shave feel' of a shaving soap is a highly and hugely overreported parameter gigantically blown out of proportion. (just to offer an answer - never used razorock and a&e is upper echelon of sillyness in my book exactly regarding the things i talked about above)

regarding difference - difference yeah, i feel difference, difference for how long and how large? are we talking about the 60seconds it takes me to wrap up a shave before putting on a splash/balm? there are 86k seconds a day, these 60 seconds change really zero for me. nill. i feel disproportionally bigger difference using a quality post shave or skin care product in general compared to the 'post shave feel' of a shave soap - short & long run. i wetshve since 20y and i am 41. quality skin care combined with 'post shave feel soap' is homeopathically better at best to realistically just simply non existant compared to nice shave soap with quality skin care.

regarding art - art is subjective - i dont want to name or list brands here, but if the ones you use do something aestetically pleasant for you and get enjoyment out of them besides their primary reason of use i do respect that fully and salute you. the ones i think about right now that maybe sit in the same camp really do the exact opposite for me. i'm into nice things btw - we just differ it seems. thats ok.

generally i dont claim here being holder of universal truth - its my opinion, nothing more.

 

[NorthernSoul]

...If you have to ask if expensive soap X is worth the difference from cheap soap Y, the answer is almost always ‘No’, because only value shoppers ask this question.

 

[Phoenixkh]

The after shave feel... before I use the Neutrogena Hydro Boost Gel-Cream isn't something I even notice, truth be told. I just want soaps and creams that work well when I'm shaving... that lather well in my bowl. But they are a very inexpensive part of shaving. We're talking pennies per shave..... I get 6 shaves out of a $1 AC razor blade... also insignificant....

I've spent more money on my razor.. razors soon... since I have one on the way... brushes, etc. than I'll ever spend on soaps...

In the final analysis, we spend our money on what we choose.... I drive older cars because new cars have never been my thing. My photography equipment is worth way more than our two cars. But that's me.... I made that choice. Some people wear $800 shoes (and that's some of the men here). Or watches.... or coffee machines and coffee bean grinders. Just look at the various threads here... people spend a fortune on things that make some of us wince.... but why? B&B has people from all walks of life. We all have varying amounts of disposable income. We're retired now so we have less income than we once did. I like looking at what the people with more money purchase. It's fun.... I don't feel less than.... I get to see things I'd never buy, even if I had unlimited funds.

 

[Ron R]

I seem to like all types of soaps and a lot of soaps & creams have gone up in cost recently because of the cost of transport and storing and ......... The MFG's of soaps have a bottom line for their soap and the retailers have to make something so a puck of soap now is $8 from $6 in the last 1.5 years it seems and the Artisans supplies no doubt are harder to find & their input cost have gone up and so on.
I' m price conscious and have survived being this way most of my life because of the way our Parents brought us up, but for a extra few dollars there is always something a little better it seems always.
If you can afford it and enjoy the unique scents with added herbs, floral scents and exotic oils those just cost more so soap price just has to go up. We are living in a golden age for shaving products available from vintage to modern and every one is programmed to think differently.

 

[Possum092]

A shave takes all of fives minutes with a touch up. I started shaving with ivory bar soap and a SR…worked fine for years. I still don’t see the need to go crazy on soaps or creams; technique and blade sharpness rules the day. No soap under the sun will help a person using poor technique or junk blades. I read about folks using a hot shower, followed by hot toweling, pre shave oils, pre shave cube smears, warmed lather, on and on before the razor even touches their whiskers. The post shave routine can be even more drawn out. A person would need to be retired and block an hour for a shave. To each their own, if the five minutes of smelling a high dollar soap is the day’s highlight…do it because life is too short.

 

[Jack Goossen]

i have no skin condition. generally i think the 'post shave feel' of a shaving soap is a highly and hugely overreported parameter gigantically blown out of proportion. (just to offer an answer - never used razorock and a&e is upper echelon of sillyness in my book exactly regarding the things i talked about above)

regarding difference - difference yeah, i feel difference, difference for how long and how large? are we talking about the 60seconds it takes me to wrap up a shave before putting on a splash/balm? there are 86k seconds a day, these 60 seconds change really zero for me. nill. i feel disproportionally bigger difference using a quality post shave or skin care product in general compared to the 'post shave feel' of a shave soap - short & long run. i wetshve since 20y and i am 41. quality skin care combined with 'post shave feel soap' is homeopathically better at best to realistically just simply non existant compared to nice shave soap with quality skin care.

regarding art - art is subjective - i dont want to name or list brands here, but if the ones you use do something aestetically pleasant for you and get enjoyment out of them besides their primary reason of use i do respect that fully and salute you. the ones i think about right now that maybe sit in the same camp really do the exact opposite for me. i'm into nice things btw - we just differ it seems. thats ok.

generally i dont claim here being holder of universal truth - its my opinion, nothing more.

I have been reading some of your earlier posts. Maybe I understand your stance a bit better.
Having said that: I do feel I need to add some considerations, if I might.

As far as I'm concerned I experience significant difference in soaps, with the more expensive ones usually of higher quality. I'm sure you'll agree this obviously differs from person to person. That's why I'm quite surprised you seem to dismiss the possibility that more expensive soaps can actually be a better choice for some. You could ask @RayClem who is sort of an expert in shaving soaps.

Where we do agree somewhat is the issue of the halo of luxury and 'hipness' surrounding some expensive soaps. The difference in price in soaps may or may not reflect the gap in quality. But I'm sure a lot of people like extras, such as a more subtle scent or the design of a jar. This is the same for clothing, shoes, cars etc
Am I correct in assuming it is this specific aspect of this topic that you find offensive?
I have some friends who are like that. Even though they can afford a Lexus, the prefer driving their 'vintage' Volvo and Saab.
I don't mind, each their own and so on. At the same time I can also understand, and certainly accept, others spending more money on a product than strictly functional or necessary. The idea of luxus give them satisfaction.

Still: unlike my wife, I am a very basic person. I tend to postpone buying things as new clothes, shoes and cars until I need to. This attitude lead me to start using and collecting excellent and cheap Interbellum bakelite razors. I think those give me more satisfaction than high end razors.
Maybe this thought mellows your fierce stance on expensive soap a little. Again: for ME, the best soaps I use, are usually more expensive, give or take two or three soaps.

No intention here to dismiss your opinion, far from it. I am quite interested in our different approach towards expensive soaps. such things puzzle me.

 

[Jack Goossen]

I seem to like all types of soaps and a lot of soaps & creams have gone up in cost recently because of the cost of transport and storing and ......... The MFG's of soaps have a bottom line for their soap and the retailers have to make something so a puck of soap now is $8 from $6 in the last 1.5 years it seems and the Artisans supplies no doubt are harder to find & their input cost have gone up and so on.
I' m price conscious and have survived being this way most of my life because of the way our Parents brought us up, but for a extra few dollars there is always something a little better it seems always.
If you can afford it and enjoy the unique scents with added herbs, floral scents and exotic oils those just cost more so soap price just has to go up. We are living in a golden age for shaving products available from vintage to modern and every one is programmed to think differently.

On the other hand: my Snake Bite soap lasted 70 plus shaves. That is less than 30 eurocent per shave. One liter of gasoline brings me 16 kilometers from my home at €2,10 per liter.

 

[steveclarkus]

I only use sticks and have ARKO, La Toja, Razorock, and Palmolive and they are all good soaps. Nothing expensive in the lot.

 

[Ravenonrock]

I have an embarrassment of riches of quality soaps both cheap and expensive. There are only a few I would want to replace if I could ever use up…both cheap and expensive.

 

[Tanuki]

My problem with soaps is that I seem to use very little per shave, so they hang around forever. Even samples! At that rate I can afford any soap. Hard soaps keep better.

But... if you saw my car you would know that my shabby chic style is actually just plain shabby, so my 'purchase-price-efficient' Williams/Arko/Col Conk/RazoRock WTP core values are at least consistent.

I have enjoyed my accidental (PIF, throw in samples and reject artisan soaps from BST lots) forays into the upper end artisans, but I've learned that I'm not missing anything that I can detect, performance-wise.

Better shaves? Shower first, or give a nice wet lather the old-timey 3 minutes to soak in.

 

[GaryTha]

I see no reason to buy any soap but ARKO. I have 24 sticks and one puck.

Still, I have 27 pucks of Williams.

 

[Cannon Cocker]

It would seem to me the theme of this discussion is value. What do YOU value. Whether a soap is expensive or not it would not be around very long if a lot of people didn’t find value in it. I don’t see any commercials on tv for shaving soaps, so it would seem the driver is mostly word of mouth.

I have read a lot of posts here on why the more expensive soaps are a waste of money when so many of the cheaper soaps are just as good. Reminds me about a man I read about some time ago that would pick up dead animals (road kill) off the highway to cook and eat. He took great pride in the money he saved by not having to use “store bought“ meat.

 

[Ron R]

I see no reason to buy any soap but ARKO. I have 24 sticks and one puck.

Still, I have 27 pucks of Williams.

I'm curious, have you ever tried grating some Williams and Arko soaps together and would the result still be rich lather with a different scent?

 

[njpaddy]

My favorite, best performing, and most used soaps are in the $15-20 range: RR Plague Doctor, Captain's Choice BR & North, and Stirling Ozark are probably in my top 3. I also have some more expensive tallow soaps that are over 10 years old, but only used occasionally and won't be replaced.

After spending $80 on MdC from a US vendor about 5 years ago, I gave it to a son-in-law who wetshaves. I may have only used it 10 times. I don't ask or care if he uses it or not. I know many guys love it, but it's one of my most expensive shaving regrets.

 

[carluchi]

For me, I like variety more than I care for uber-quality.

Not dismissing those that rate that higher than anything else, but if I can get decent performance with say, a soap that costs $12 and I can get 5 varieties of it for the cost of a higher end soap like MdC, I will chose variety all day long.

I look at it like, how I want to spend the money not how much I want to spend.

I had a post a while back about my wife and I going out to eat where she likes trying new things and different places while I am not a fan of eating out - AT ALL.

It's not about spending money - for me it's would I rather spend $50 on 4 new soaps or a sack of grain for brewing versus on a steak dinner that will not be around in 24 hours? I'm gonna spend $50 anyway so I would rather spend it on something else.

Good topic with lots of different opinions!