Proraso Appreciation Society!

[chris.hale]

I love Proraso green, the scent is outstanding, it always gives me a great shave, and it's so easy a monkey could lather it. I don't like the scent of the new formula as much, but I've just opened my first of two 500ml pillows of the old stuff so I should be good for a while.

 

[sykoben]

Sign me up please.
Proraso is great stuff,found out about it while learning to wet-shave. (still new) I use the green and the white soap for almost every shave now, on their own or in combination, they work great. finishing the experience with the green after shave . I only found out about the blue and the red via this forum, just now. Thank you for that, now I am going to have to find some of that red soap which sounds delicious, have yet to see red on the shelves here, same goes for blue....

 

[Searlands]

I use Proraso Pre/Post Balm, every shave! Also use the Green Cream Tube every now and then.

Im IN!

 

[GarrettReid]

I tried lattering it tonight and it wasn't all that dense. I only used two drops, but that seems about how much I use with ToBS and AoS.

 

[UOduck]

I tried Green in the tub for the first time this morning. Amazing performance, super moisturizing. The menthol feel isn't as strong as Mama Bear's mentholated soaps, but it's still nice. I'm undecided about the scent.

 

[officerdread]

Love Proraso Green. It's my everyday Cream...

 

[Demaskee]

I used Proraso White for the first time today and was VERY pleased. I had only used C.O. Bigelow in the tube prior (which I also really enjoy).

The White has a tremendous clean smell and a nice cooling sensation that was especailly noticeable on the second and third latherings.

 

[ShaverGN]

I user per/post daily. Proraso White is great for my frequent uber lather experiments.

 

[jasonb8736]

I like to buy and try different shaving soaps, but I always go back to the Proraso White. I hate how it smells in the bowl, but once I face lather it, I thinks it smells nice and clean. I tend to add a dollop of Proraso green cream as well. I've never, ever had an unpleasant shave with Proraso.

 

[wma2]

I just recently started using the Proraso shaving cream in the green tube. Great product & excellently priced.This stuff simply blows away every canned after shave I've ever tried. I HIGHLY recommend it

 

[Redzone]

I use the green tub in rotation. Its quite different from the others I use but only in a good way. Sent a tub to a friend as a leaving present after his wife told me he was using bar soap on his brush. He thought it was pretty awesome and so it would be after bar soap

 

[JCinPA]

I guess I'm kind of snobby - I don't get an appreciation society for a decent but mid level product when are so many exceptional soaps, cremes, and scents out there. I will not be filling out an application .

I have some and it has a niche place for menthol, but I have found Mike's pepermint soaps superior for that cooling summer shave.


On second thought it must be me cause Proraso is all over the place every day, proraso this, proraso that and I just don't get it, seems very over rated to me but as much as it is hyped about so it must be me that is missing something. It's fine but is it really like rockstar shave cream status?

Yes, you are snobby, and yes it does have rock star status. I'm surprised this went without comment for so long.

We all get that some folks will be totally unimpressed by a product praised by almost everyone, and there will be some who are crazy lovers of a product most people hate. That's YMMV.

But comments like 'mid-level' product and 'rock star status' are determined by the larger population and how it reacts to something, not by any one idividual's opinion. I'm glad you like Mike's Peppermint soap. I know most of us have our pet favorites out there, and that's fine, that's part of the appeal of this game and the reason there are so many products available. You saying you prefer Mike's or any other product to Proraso for that matter, is perfectly legitimate, but Proraso is not a 'mid-level product' because you feel that way.

Williams is a mid-level product (I know some folks love it!, no offense ), based on the fact that so many have tried it and it there is such a consensus by the majority of users. The guys in the tails of the distribution don't determine a product's pecking order, the majority in the middle do. The guys in the tails are entitled to their opinion, however, no doubt about that. But nobody really argues that Williams (current) is a top-tier product.

Proraso is one of the most popular products in the world for a reason, your opinion not withstanding, especially in the new formulation, which is widely regarded as one of the only successful reformulations in history. I believe Santa Maria Novella had a slight edge over the old Proraso, but now I find them indistinguishable. Others disagree, but still admit that Proraso is a worthy contender.

The fact of the matter is that Proraso products are probably used by more shavers worldwide than any other single brand (just a guess, I could be wrong, but they would be #2 or #3 for sure if I am wrong). Almost every shaver has tried a Proraso product at some point and you can't say that about any other brand, although Taylor's may come closest. And in reviews Proraso consistently gets in the 9-ish range out of ten from most people for latherability, density, slickness, cushion, and overall effectiveness. They may have others they prefer, but so many shavers think so highly of Proraso it truly is a rock star of a soap--whether you get why it is or not.

Many folks love Martin de Candre and feel it is worth the price. I don't care for the scent at all, and while I find it wonderful to lather, I don't think it is worth the price for me ... I prefer some other products. But I don't call it mid-level! It is clearly one of the world's best shaving soaps, which you can count on the fingers of one hand. Despite the fact that I am in the tail of the distribution in my feelings about it, I would never argue that it is not a world-class soap.

I'm sorry if this sound like I took offense, it's not that important, really. But while most teasing about soaps, after shaves, or other products (Arko and Lilac Vegetal come immediately to mind) are good natured and humorous in tone your post was ... well, you said it yourself, you must have recognized how you were coming off ... snobby.

It is certainly OK to not care for Proraso, but that post came off as somewhat judgmental of the opinion of the great unwashed about this soap, IMO. I looked up the definition of snob before posting this and, yeah. I think your label fits. Not trying to poke the bear here or anything, but if you recognize a post may come off as snobbish -- why post it in the first place? That's what I don't get. I do get you are in the tail of the distribution on Proraso, and you like Mikes, and on that score you seem to be in good company. But why come into a Proraso lover's thread and be, well, snobby?

 

[LAM&P]

Absolutely love Proraso White, it's my go to soap

 

[Edinburgh]

Proraso is an outstanding product. As long as one lathers it properly, it delivers an incredibly smooth and above average shave. I suspect that many are not lathering this Italian gem to its full potential...

 

[VWGTI]

Proraso is an outstanding product. As long as one lathers it properly, it delivers an incredibly smooth and above average shave. I suspect that many are not lathering this Italian gem to its full potential...

This is very true, 4 months in and I finally realized I was not lathering Cella and Proraso properly. I thought I was loading them with enough soap and water, but in the end I was wrong on both accounts. Proraso is now performing great for me and it will be hard to get rid of it from my rotation.

 

[targa88]

Another vote for Proraso (red).
Great lather (almost a croap?)

 

[sandtrout]

I recently posted in another Proraso post but, again, I started with Proraso red with both the tube and the tub. I like them equally, they work as advertised and make my brush smell great. Oh yeah...they're priced right. Since Proraso has worked so well for me and I keep things simple, I'll stick with it. Now I'll experiment until I find something that works and then stick with it but I got a winner right from the start. Sometimes I'll mess with a puck of Williams and get great 3 pass shaves (with lather left over) but it does' t smell as nice.

 

[razorhead63]

I concur with most others here that Proraso creams are excellent and most affordable. I have used the red Sandalwood (2012) in the tube, which I love. And just today in the mail came a new tube of the C.O. Bigelows... that I recently ordered. That is reportedly the old original Proraso green formula..
It is a stellar product also, and that menthol scent and rich lather really wakes me up... I will continue to purchase Proraso as part of my cream rotation. How could anybody really hate this product?? Not me!!!
John H.

 

[Digginmich]

Even when I am not using a Proraso cream or soap, I always use the pre-shave balm which I also love and use their aftershave splash in the rotation.

 

[seanusa]

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