Time to move up in the soap world and need some recommendations.

[Cy3br_Odyssey]

Good day gents I hope you all shaved well today.

Been making out ok with my Proraso Soap but now that I mastered my technique I would like to move up in the soap world so to speak. I will cut to the chase what soap would you recommend? Before making recommendations I would ask you to read the additional information I have provided below thx

Now for the fun part, I know that there are many great choices to be had. However ordering from the majority of the specialty shave stores (even the cadadian ones) ends up costing me more than the price of the soap in shipping cost.

Also as some of you may know I am cursed with that coarse hair and sensitive / easy to burn skin.

 

[BudgetShaverGuy]

I would start with other popular drug store products! You may find yourself ending there after trying some of the “fancy” stuff out there. Are you in USA or Canada?

Arko, Tabac, La Toja, Speick....these are the best of the best as far as I’m concerned, all in shave stick format of course. If you play your cards right, you can get one of each of the above for around $25, and have hundreds of great shaves, assuming of course you don’t have any reactions to any of the bases or scents of course. Good luck!

 

[gwsmallwood]

The options are pretty much endless. I would go with some samples. Stirling is always my first stop, but you can get samples from a large number of vendors at Maggard and Groomatorium as well.

 

[Cy3br_Odyssey]

I am in Canada but my location in Canada makes my shipping rates horrendous.

I would start with other popular drug store products! You may find yourself ending there after trying some of the “fancy” stuff out there. Are you in USA or Canada?

Arko, Tabac, La Toja, Speick....these are the best of the best as far as I’m concerned, all in shave stick format of course. If you play your cards right, you can get one of each of the above for around $25, and have hundreds of great shaves, assuming of course you don’t have any reactions to any of the bases or scents of course. Good luck!

I'm in Canada but my location in Canada makes shipping rates horrendous, thus I mostly buy from Amazon.ca tabac was actually one of the the ones on my short list but I am worried about it causing some kind of rash or "break - out" on my skin.

 

[SCh5]

Since you’re in Canada ,
I strongly suggest that you should try this one :

Officina Artigiana Milano | Traditional Shaving Soap – Top Of The Chain

topofthechain.ca

An italian croap-almost a cream- with amazing lather.
Easy to lather ,with second to none cushion,glide and post shave care.
It’s scent is quite extraordinary
and has also the largest glass jar ever !

Overall quality is top-notch ,very-very close to the quality
of the much pricier and luxurious Saponificio Varesino soaps.
Trust me ...
Get one now ,before it’s price
skyrockets ,
when this soap will be widely known (as happened with SV soaps ) .

Bad thing is ,that after trying /using the OAM soap,almost every other shaving soap will seem “poor” and “lacking” ...

 

[Cy3br_Odyssey]

Since you’re in Canada ,
I strongly suggest that you should try this one :

Officina Artigiana Milano | Traditional Shaving Soap – Top Of The Chain

topofthechain.ca

An italian croap-almost a cream- with amazing lather.
Easy to lather ,with second to none cushion,glide and post shave care.
It’s scent is quite extraordinary
and has also the largest glass jar ever !

Overall quality is top-notch ,very-very close to the quality
of the much pricier and luxurious Saponificio Varesino soaps.
Trust me ...
Get one now ,before it’s price
skyrockets ,
when this soap will be widely known (as happened with SV soaps ) .

Bad thing is ,that after trying /using the OAM soap,almost every other shaving soap will seem “poor” and “lacking” ...

Yep and this is where I run into the shipping cost. That soap is $31.99 cdn and to get it shipped to me would cost me $15.99 so $50 for soap is out of my price range unfortunately

 

[Esox]

I am in Canada but my location in Canada makes my shipping rates horrendous.

Yep, it can. I'm in Ontario but there are some good options...

Maggard has a low cost international shipping option. Of all my orders in the last 3+ years, one has had a shipping cost higher than $5. Maggard has a huge stock of soaps. I'll suggest Southern Witchcrafts. I need to use mine more than the once I have so far to say but even at a single shave I'll put it up there with my top soaps. Wickham 1912, SV and CRS creams. I believe they also right now have 30% off for the low cost international shipping option. I dont have the email anymore and dont remember the end date but it was this month, I think.

The other shop I order from just as often is Connaught Shaving, which also has a low cost international shipping option. They carry Wickham 1912 soaps and CRS creams. Phoenix & Beau is another soap I have from them. Its very nearly Wickham tier for me. A really nice soap for a really great price from Connaught however is Vito's Extra Super Coco. It hits way above its price point.

I was just discussing in another thread how expensive it is for Canadians to buy US Artisan soaps.

Thats why I only shop at Connaught and Maggard. Somehow, I manage to make do with what they both carry haha. This soap as an example, is $21USD.

The Explorer Sego - https://www.zingariman.com/collections/mens-shaving-soap/products/the-explorer-sego

Thats $27.49CAD at the moment. However...

$46.92USD. Thats $61.42CAD, for one soap!

For $30 I might have tried it. For $60, no chance.

 

[Rrose Sélavy]

Yep, it can. I'm in Ontario but there are some good options...

Maggard has a low cost international shipping option. Of all my orders in the last 3+ years, one has had a shipping cost higher than $5. Maggard has a huge stock of soaps. I'll suggest Southern Witchcrafts. I need to use mine more than the once I have so far to say but even at a single shave I'll put it up there with my top soaps. Wickham 1912, SV and CRS creams. I believe they also right now have 30% off for the low cost international shipping option. I dont have the email anymore and dont remember the end date but it was this month, I think.

The other shop I order from just as often is Connaught Shaving, which also has a low cost international shipping option. They carry Wickham 1912 soaps and CRS creams. Phoenix & Beau is another soap I have from them. Its very nearly Wickham tier for me. A really nice soap for a really great price from Connaught however is Vito's Extra Super Coco. It hits way above its price point.

I was just discussing in another thread how expensive it is for Canadians to buy US Artisan soaps.



For $30 I might have tried it. For $60, no chance.

The Maggard special discount is 50% off of international shipping. The discount is good TODAY and TOMORROW only!

 

[gwsmallwood]

Check Maggard's Black Friday ad. I think they have some international shipping deals over the next couple of days.

 

[Esox]

That soap is $31.99 cdn and to get it shipped to me would cost me $15.99 so $50 for soap is out of my price range unfortunately

Over $50 if you're in Ontario and have to pay 13% tax.

 

[Esox]

The Maggard special discount is 50% off of international shipping. The discount is good TODAY and TOMORROW only!

I should have read the email more closely. Thanks for clarifying. I've been trying to think of anything I "need" to take advantage of that and keep coming up empty lol.

 

[cyberdog]

Going to toss a relatively lower priced soap out there, since you're in Canada. Razo-Rock What the Puck, which comes in several scents. There're currently on sale for Black-Friday, and dollar for dollar, a awesome soap for the money, given the sale pricing. Triple milled, lasts forever, and I'm partial to the Lime, Barbershop, and want to try the new Gold. Picked them up a couple years ago, and still have them, they last that long. Nice cushion, slickness, and just work really well.

The four pack (all four scents) is currently like $10 US, and they're up in Canada, or have a place up there.

 

[McBlade]

If Connaught are an option there are tons of great options. Pretty much every soap they sell will have a following.

Never tried an Italian soap so I'm hoping Santa is going to bring me some 3P and Vitos red (if I'm very good).

 

[Atlantic59]

You don't have to spend a lot to get a good soap. Speick, La Toja, also a relative newcomer, Ach. Brito Mogno. Haslinger is good. Tabac if you like the scent, performance is excellent. Mitchell's Wool Fat (MWF) can be a bit more work, but nice. Hard soaps last much longer than soft soaps so end up being more economical to use. With hard soaps, you are not paying to ship a lot of water around.

I have a thing for the French shaving soaps, so I always like to mention those, for example, Provence Sante Green Tea, Pre de Provence.

 

[Ridgeback]

Noble Otter Bare from Maggard...Your face will thank me!

 

[Rudy Vey]

Tabac.....

 

[flametop]

Tabac.....

I second this. Very few soaps are better than tabac...

 

[BudgetShaverGuy]

I'll echo the Maggard recommendation as per @Esox above. There's also a coupon code for 50% off international shipping that ends tomorrow. Maggards has pretty much anything you want to try, and their prices are fair.

 

[ChewyChef]

Yep and this is where I run into the shipping cost. That soap is $31.99 cdn and to get it shipped to me would cost me $15.99 so $50 for soap is out of my price range unfortunately

I will jump in for a second and talk about my experience with soap shopping/shipping in Canada. I agree that $50 CAD is a lot for a soap and I personally would not pay that much, but Top of the Chain is a located in Ontario and offer free shipping if you spend over $60CAD. They have a great selection of soaps so you can find a couple different ones to get that to a total of $60 and shipping for me is typically 3-4 days (northern AB/SK). I have had good experiences with Barrister and Mann soaps that I have purchased from them. Another option from Canada is Fendrihan.ca which has free shipping over $50 CAD, the options are a little limited but they do carry TOBS and D.E. Harris. Fendrihan has been taking about 5 days for shipping.

Maggards has a big selection and unusually low shipping costs to Canada, but it takes 4-5 weeks to arrive and the conversion rate always upsets me when I am buying from the States.

I have used Connaught and again decent shipping rates to Canada but it was a 5-week delivery on my last order and again the low Canadian dollar hurts. Amazon.ca might be your best bet if looking for the absolutely best deal with shipping included (free over $35CAD).

 

[Cy3br_Odyssey]

Thanks all, you all continue to be wonderful source for knowledge that I find my self going back to time and again.