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Using Amazon reviews to judge "Mainstream" shaving soaps?

I was going through the negative reviews for the ARKO shaving stick (2 stars and less), and there seems to be only a single one since 2016! And that does not even come from a qualified person. (Another one seems to be a mistake.)

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Ron R

I survived a lathey foreman
This is how I use Amazon as a gauge when buying any product and usually my experience you reduce the duds that way.
I do not buy a lot of shave products from Amazon, instead I like the online shave retailers better because they have better selection usually.
Ratings are from 1 -5stars, 5 star being the best and if 5-4-3stars ratings are better than 90% it usually indicates a fair product in value. I still read the worst reviews because it can indicate a flaw or bad batch of product.
I always try to leave a review if possible on my thoughts when something is purchased. If a product only has 50< reviews it can be manipulated from shills that could give false flags for potential customers IMO. Nothing is foolproof and Amazon makes sure that they jumble up products that you have no interest in and can get distracting when you use their search engine.
 
Much of the time, you can tell if the reviewer is an experienced wet shaver or not. If an opinion is needed, those are the ones I put much credence in.
Although, as far as the blades, soaps, etc. that Amazon carries, I've already used many if not most of them, and already know the ones I like.
 
Why the snobbish comments about Amazon users? Most time, the reviews equate with reviews on this forum. The only time I'm wary, is when someone says the soap is so much better than canned foam!
 

Phoenixkh

I shaved a fortune
I've been getting sound soap/cream advice here. I did follow Amazon reviews for the first two soaps I purchased. They are the least favorite of the 4 I own. Amazon reviews are decent for some things... as a starting place. Sort of like Wikipedia... not a bad start.

I just ordered some new soap/cream based on the advice from two people here. I don't like strong scents and they both recommended I try baume.be.

Baume.be shaving cream
Lightly scented, easy to lather, moderate price (shop around) and without much objection, the second highest performing cream on the market. I guess if you want to go cheaper, there are a half dozen European creams that you can find good recommendations for. By European, I don’t mean British!:001_tt2:

Castle Forbes is a great cream. It’s very concentrated and quite thirsty. It whips up into a dense stable lather that’s stick and moisturizing. Pretty big hydration window. The scents are nice but I’m afraid they probably fall into the ‘in your face’ camp.

Fitjar Islands is a much milder scent. I’ve only tried Fjellheim. Very natural and woodsy. Some have complained about lack of slickness but I think it performs very well. Like DR Harris it works best when you use more product and don’t drown the lather with water.

Baume, MWF, Klar, and Fitjar Islands are all lightly scented.

Musgo Real, SV, Castle Forbes, SMN and AdP are all pretty strong.

MdC, DR Harris, Haslinger and Speick are somewhere in the middle.
The Baume.Be pre-shave shows up tomorrow... the cream on Tuesday.
 
This is how I use Amazon as a gauge when buying any product and usually my experience you reduce the duds that way.
I do not buy a lot of shave products from Amazon, instead I like the online shave retailers better because they have better selection usually.
Ratings are from 1 -5stars, 5 star being the best and if 5-4-3stars ratings are better than 90% it usually indicates a fair product in value. I still read the worst reviews because it can indicate a flaw or bad batch of product.
I always try to leave a review if possible on my thoughts when something is purchased. If a product only has 50< reviews it can be manipulated from shills that could give false flags for potential customers IMO. Nothing is foolproof and Amazon makes sure that they jumble up products that you have no interest in and can get distracting when you use their search engine.
I typically use the same method when shopping on Amazon. I also like to use other retailers when purchasing. I do that because the retailers typically stock fresh merchandise, less chance of something being counterfeit and I'm supporting a small business. But sometimes it's gotta be Amazon because of the free Prime shipping. If I need one or two things, the small retailers charge shipping and Amazon doesn't.
Small order=Amazon
Big order=other retailers (free shipping because of amount spent)
 
Much of the time, you can tell if the reviewer is an experienced wet shaver or not. If an opinion is needed, those are the ones I put much credence in.
Although, as far as the blades, soaps, etc. that Amazon carries, I've already used many if not most of them, and already know the ones I like.
I saw a review for a good quality DE razor (I can't remember which one).
The reviewer gave it 1 star and said something like this: "I usually shave with a Gillette Mach 3 and decided to buy this razor. How can they make such a terrible razor? I used it and cut my face all up. I'm returning it right away. Avoid this razor at all costs".
I laughed!!
I also saw one for a shaving soap where the person also gave it one star. They said it was the worst shaving cream ever because they couldn't scoop it and rub it on their face, Lol!!
 

Ron R

I survived a lathey foreman
I typically use the same method when shopping on Amazon. I also like to use other retailers when purchasing. I do that because the retailers typically stock fresh merchandise, less chance of something being counterfeit and I'm supporting a small business. But sometimes it's gotta be Amazon because of the free Prime shipping. If I need one or two things, the small retailers charge shipping and Amazon doesn't.
Small order=Amazon
Big order=other retailers (free shipping because of amount spent)
I live up in Northern Alberta Canada and sometimes products are hard to find in the stores we have available so we use Amazon or other online providers to find a lot of things. Buying local makes sense if possible but it is not the only solution as most folks know. I use to like shopping at Sears when I visited bigger cities and look what has happened to them, the competition is fierce.
 

Steve56

Ask me about shaving naked!
If anyone tells you that soap X is the best soap ever, the best soap in the world, etc, they’re telling you that it’s the best soap that they’ve tried (if they’re honest on Amazon reviews, lol). But you should ask what other soaps have they NOT tried, and unless they’re a shaving soap enthusiast, the answer is ‘Most of them’.
 
My two cents here. Why not give a try to the soaps you like, ,given their scent profile?
I am not sure what you can get from Amazon, given you have already landed on the best place (B&B) to have opinions on all these products.
 

Rosseforp

I think this fits, Gents
My curiosity led me to questioning this. Since Amazon has such a huge market share (in sales), how accurate would the reviews be in order to judge a soap?
The main problem I find with Amazon reviews is they expect an answer before you even have time to use the product.

Wow, the packaging is great, you need this product, it is the best there is!!! And they haven't even opened up the box yet. For shaving stuff, I read B&B.

~doug~
 
I don't trust Amazon reviews. I feel like a lot of positive reviews are fake and purchased or posted by the sellers. Also, some people are never satisfied and leave overly negative reviews for everything they buy.

I once saw a movie on Amazon video and it was terrible but it had hundreds of positive reviews which I'm pretty sure were either purchased or posted by the film producers.
 
If anyone tells you that soap X is the best soap ever, the best soap in the world, etc, they’re telling you that it’s the best soap that they’ve tried (if they’re honest on Amazon reviews, lol). But you should ask what other soaps have they NOT tried, and unless they’re a shaving soap enthusiast, the answer is ‘Most of them’.


I have tried over 100 soap formulations and have over 200 soaps in my collection. That does not even come close to the total number of shaving soaps and creams available in the market. Because I have tried to purchase the best soaps available based on researching the products and analyzing the ingredient list, I have collected some awesome soaps. However, the best I can do is state that a particular soap is the "best soap I have ever used."
That does not necessarily mean that it will be the best soap for you. It also does not mean that it is the best soap I will ever use. I might try one a month or two from now that is even better.

If I go back and look at the soap evaluations I posted on B&B 2-3 years ago, some of those soaps were among the very best available at the time. Today, they are no longer good enough to be included in my rotation as I have found soaps that are even better.
 
Reviews of any soaps is a moving target. I remember when I joined B&B, nearly 8 years ago, there were shout outs to several soap manufacturers. The use of those soaps are rarely mentioned, or used, as many have moved on to other soaps. Too many soaps....so little time!
 
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