Which Qualities Are Most Important To You When Buying Artisan Soap

[Jetpilot]

Which 3 qualities are most important to you when choosing an artisan shave soap? Would you prefer to save a few bucks if given the choice between a higher quality more expensive container vs a cheaper container that still get the job done? Is preservative free something you look for? Or maybe you look for milk soaps or exotic butters. Are preservatives ok in the ingredient list? Maybe your decision to buy a soap is cost driven. How important is it that the container be artistic? Maybe your decision is driven solely by soap performance?

I’m primarily driven by the soap performance. I will pay extra for better performance. Fragrance is also high on my list. If I don’t like how it smells I won’t be shaving with it. Price has to be reasonable. $15-$25 for 4-5oz. Artwork.... not important to me at all!

What say you? You can choose 3. And go!

 

[HereticHermit]

Performance can be many things for people. I look for soaps with better slide and slickness and cushion or/and dense foamy peaky lather doesn't mean a thing to me. But it might be everything for someone else.

 

[les24preludes]

Scent, scent, scent, scent........

All soaps perform - they all lather well enough to shave with. Very few fail in that.

 

[1Vader]

Ingredients, Performance and Price.

Scent is only a bonus for me as long as it's not too overpowering and cloying. I tend to favor lightly scented soaps actually.

I also like a good packaging and art work, those are definitely a plus.

 

[kingfisher]

Ingredients, performance, and scent.

The best soap in the world is useless to me if I can't stand the scent.

 

[ryinzana]

Ingredients, Performance and Price.

Scent is only a bonus for me as long as it's not too overpowering and cloying. I tend to favor lightly scented soaps actually.

I also like a good packaging and art work, those are definitely a plus.

These were exactly my thoughts!

 

[PeteVK]

Ingredients, Performance and Fragrance, not necessarily in that order of importance. Ingredients is the least important of the three, but I truly feel to get the absolute best performance, you need to start with high quality ingredients so they go hand in hand.

Fragrance is for me, a big part of what makes the traditional shaving process so enjoyable. Call it man pampering, aromatherapy, whatever you want, but I absolutely love this aspect of the hobby. Unscented soaps dull the experience, no matter how they might perform. However, I'm not looking for a super long lasting fragrance in a soap that is going to interfere with my cologne for the day so there's a balance to be had.

 

[ajkel64]

Artwork, Price and Fragrance.

 

[muzichead]

I voted for performance, price, and fragrance. I was about to go with ingredients but changed my mind because to me it doesn't matter basically what they are, it either performs or it doesn't!! The only soap I've ever had a difficult time lathering was Mystic Waters but eventually got it to lather, just not optimal enough for me. I also won't shave with a soap that doesn't have a scent that I like. There are too many great scented soaps out there to be locked into one that doesn't appeal to me. Lastly, price is very important to me and I won't even consider a soap that is over $20 as I personally think every soap on the market should be below this price mark. Most soap mfg's are the same as most high priced razor mfg's and they know if they make smaller batches they can sell out quicker and therefor set a higher price and to me that's taking advantage of the buyers today.

Though I've never tried all the different bases out there I just don't think that Buffala, Duck, or any of the so called special bases can be detected in a blind lather test so it is all just hype to me at this point.

 

[Clay S]

I voted for performance, price, and fragrance. I was about to go with ingredients but changed my mind because to me it doesn't matter basically what they are, it either performs or it doesn't!! The only soap I've ever had a difficult time lathering was Mystic Waters but eventually got it to lather, just not optimal enough for me. I also won't shave with a soap that doesn't have a scent that I like. There are too many great scented soaps out there to be locked into one that doesn't appeal to me. Lastly, price is very important to me and I won't even consider a soap that is over $20 as I personally think every soap on the market should be below this price mark. Most soap mfg's are the same as most high priced razor mfg's and they know if they make smaller batches they can sell out quicker and therefor set a higher price and to me that's taking advantage of the buyers today.

Though I've never tried all the different bases out there I just don't think that Buffala, Duck, or any of the so called special bases can be detected in a blind lather test so it is all just hype to me at this point.

My exact 3 picks as well, for similar reasons. I don't care what the ingredients are, just the end result.

 

[Hyloworks]

I would have to say fragrance, performance, and price. Like other members have mentioned fragrance for me is very important because I have found so few soaps that don't get the job done as far as performance goes. Some are better than others, but they pretty much all work and balm in my case usually solves any drying the soap may have caused l. In my line of work EDT and the like are a no-no so I almost never wear cologne save for special occasions. I have never been a guy who puts on cologne everyday and I shave at night, so I love a good fragrance in my shave soap. Price does matter to me but only to an extent. I won't pay $70 for shave soap, but I can easily be talked into $25 for a soap that lasts me more than a year shaving every 3rd day as I do. Ingredients...eh, I almost never read the ingredients of my shave soaps, unless I'm getting ideas for making my own. I do love awesome containers, but it never breaks the deal if the container sucks, for me it's just icing. Cheers!

 

[BigJ]

Ingredients, Performance and Price.

Scent is only a bonus for me as long as it's not too overpowering and cloying. I tend to favor lightly scented soaps actually.

I also like a good packaging and art work, those are definitely a plus.

+1! You Sir are a man after my own heart!! Performance is first on my list.

 

[Hyloworks]

I want to add that while I consider performance important, I never noticed a big difference in soap performance while using a DE, I do notice a difference while straight razor shaving. I used DE for a long time and it was just so easy to get a good irritation free shave no matter what soap I used. Now that I primarily shave with a straight I have noticed a difference in some soaps performance. While I have my straight technique nailed down, some days having a bit more cushion and slickness goes a long way. If only because of the length of the cutting edge and having difficulty with the angle of attack in some areas due to the direction my hair growth.

 

[Glaze3]

I could shave with just straight water if I had to, so slickness is very low on my list. Scent and post shave are all Look for nowadays with post shave being the most important.

 

[Grundi]

I voted for performance, price, and fragrance. I was about to go with ingredients but changed my mind because to me it doesn't matter basically what they are, it either performs or it doesn't!! The only soap I've ever had a difficult time lathering was Mystic Waters but eventually got it to lather, just not optimal enough for me. I also won't shave with a soap that doesn't have a scent that I like. There are too many great scented soaps out there to be locked into one that doesn't appeal to me. Lastly, price is very important to me and I won't even consider a soap that is over $20 as I personally think every soap on the market should be below this price mark. Most soap mfg's are the same as most high priced razor mfg's and they know if they make smaller batches they can sell out quicker and therefor set a higher price and to me that's taking advantage of the buyers today.

Though I've never tried all the different bases out there I just don't think that Buffala, Duck, or any of the so called special bases can be detected in a blind lather test so it is all just hype to me at this point.

My exact 3 picks as well, for similar reasons. I don't care what the ingredients are, just the end result.

+3, I'm with you guys. Performance, price, and fragrance are my priorities when choosing an artisan soap, too.

 

[Hyloworks]

I could shave with just straight water if I had to, so slickness is very low on my list. Scent and post shave are all Look for nowadays with post shave being the most important.

Love me a good scent. It's honestly one of the things I enjoy most in the process.

 

[Earcutter]

Scent is obvious. If I can't get past the smell, there is no reason to even start. But the art and packaging is a big one for me too.

That might not be as obvious, and some (myself included), might wonder why that would even be a thing. I guess it's the same reasoning that went behind the placing of those awful images on cigarettes by the Canadian government. If it's unappealing visually, it's a non starter too. It's not as big a non-starter like scent, but it's a thing. marketing works on me.

 

[mrlandpirate]

Performance....................everything else

 

[bluewing]

Hi,

Depends on the day. I expect performance from any soap I use. If it don't make good lather, it ain't worth using no matter the price.

If I'm buying artisanal soap, you better bring the scent with real essential oils and it needs to be good. Weak scented soaps need not apply. It's really what separates the artisanals from commercial products.

 

[Upland]

Great thread. Really enjoy reading the difference of opinions. Mine would be ingredients, performance and fragrance with fragrance being the least important of the three. I do believe a fragrance can add to the overall enjoyment of the experience. Price can be an interesting discussing on its own. We all reach a point of "marginal utility" where the product is just not worth the price . That is a very individual issue. Some may have a price point of $10 while others may have a price of point $50 or higher. I have a certain price point. I figure if costs more than that, I simply don't need it. It does however, give me the opportunity to purchase many excellent soaps imho. Thanks again for the thread. Enjoying every ones opinion

 

[ajduplessis]

performance = slickness, cushion, scent