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!
The Baume.Be pre-shave shows up tomorrow... the cream on Tuesday.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.
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.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 saw a review for a good quality DE razor (I can't remember which one).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 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.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)
The main problem I find with Amazon reviews is they expect an answer before you even have time to use the product.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?
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’.