Poor Reviews and Influence

[SGH]

Do poor product reviews and negative posts genuinely influence your decisions to purchase, or do you just chalk them up to opinion ?
Ever been interested in a product then balked at buying after reading some negativity?

I use to let opinions sway me on certain purchases. I went a while without trying Tabac due to what I read about its scent being off putting. Boy was that a huge mistake. I remember vividly the first time I cracked open a jar and the scent hit me. For a moment I honestly thought that I had died and went to Heaven. I had never smelled anything like it. I was certain that incredible scent had to be coming from God himself and his Angels. Then I realized that incredible, dare I say heavenly divine scent was emanating for the Tabac soap.
After being wrongfully deceived about the greatest scent in the known universe, I pretty much dismiss negative reviews now.

 

[sharpstar90]

I use to let opinions sway me on certain purchases. I went a while without trying Tabac due to what I read about its scent being off putting. Boy was that a huge mistake. I remember vividly the first time I cracked open a jar and the scent hit me. For a moment I honestly thought that I had died and went to Heaven. I had never smelled anything like it. I was certain that incredible scent had to be coming from God himself and his Angels. Then I realized that incredible, dare I say heavenly divine scent was emanating for the Tabac soap.
After being wrongfully deceived about the greatest scent in the known universe, I pretty much dismiss negative reviews now.

Right on! I like Tabac too. Have you tried the cologne or the aftershave yet?

 

[SGH]

Right on! I like Tabac too. Have you tried the cologne or the aftershave yet?

Yes sir, I have. They smell as good as the soap.

 

[sharpstar90]

Yes sir, I have. They smell as good as the soap.
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Nice collection! I had to halt all purchases for a while, but I would love some of those eventually. I use Jovan Musk with Tabac for now, or Pinaud Whiskey Woods. How do the ladies like it?

 

[Twelvefret]

An experience that I have never had is needing to break in a boar brush. I've read several members needing to put razors in the refrigerator or trying different things to get the brush to load. Perhaps the problem is hard water and not the brush.

 

[Joncr]

I generally ignore the "like" or "dislike" part of a review, but do take into account any specifics of a product and it's performance---"very aggressive razor", "heavy, long lasting scent".

 

[les24preludes]

I don't have much of a problem with bad reviews. The problem I have is the level of enthusiasm shown in posts. I'm not one who is going to believe words like "awesome", "amazing", "fantastic" etc. I know these overused terms are routine these days, but if I'm going to believe a post it has to be intelligent and measured. And preferably a rank order of preference, which at least gives a basis for comparison.

I believe all serious shavers should try a DE razor and also the main SE razors - AC, GEM and injector. That's the only way of giving us balanced opinions. Results may differ - Twelvefret is always more enthusiastic about injectors than I am, which is perfectly fine - but at least we start with a level playing field where a Timeless has to compete not only with a Wolfman but with a Supply, a Mongoose and a Sabre.

 

[Ricksplace]

That might have been me! After much tuggy not sharp shaves I hated them. Then I ordered some new Astra SP blades & these turned out to be sharp & smooth.! Bad Q.C. happens!

Could have been me too. We must have purchased our Astras around the same time (early 2017?). They were consistently rough and dull with the occasional nice blade. I gave up on them and found other blades I liked. Bad QC happens for sure.

 

[SoullessSingularity]

1. Do I trust the reviewer
2. What are the qualities the review is saying about the article

For example, a negative review on the strong sandalwood scent is actually positive to me. But if I read multiple negative reviews on, say, customer service or cushioning, I’ll probably stay away.

 

[Macfrommichigan]

Yes sir, I have. They smell as good as the soap.
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Oh! Bought the AS in 1968. Loved it then. Alas, less enthralled in 2018.

 

[Boar Fighter]

It depends on the review:
1) Amazon reviews: Many reviews there are from first time users, who don't have a 2nd item to compare to. So i generally look more for repeated product defects.
2) Specialized reviews (Youtube/forums): Points to evaluate:
- Are the positive or negative comments statistically significant. Are the defects objective or subjective.
- Is the reviewer carried away from the joy that comes with a newly arrived product or has he had some time to think it over and make a more calm assessment?
- Does the reviewer's profile imply an ordinary enthusiast or someone who seems to be getting too much too often and making publicity-like reviews, which would point towards professional reviewer and/or having other conflict of interest?
- Is the reviewer known to have similar tastes with me on other common products?

 

[Ad Astra]

Observations and opinions are different things.

Use the other person's eyes, not (necessarily) their conclusions.


AA

 

[Senate515]

I think it depends, like many have said, the reviewer, what is their experience, what is their case use. When it comes to soaps formula X.Y is so much better than formula X.W. I have over 250 soaps and I can get a good shave with all of them, some are better than others so unless it lathers itself and passes the razor over my face it can only be minimally better than what's already out there. Also I'm a daily shaver and I can shave daily with an R41 but there are risks new razor to market VX can only shave so close without the risk of nicks or irritation, it's physics the closer the blade to your skin the closer the shave but the bigger the risk. I think the biggest value in reviews is did this person enjoy the experience, and what is quality control like blade alignment etc. At the end of the day it's shaving and most of us here probably take it too seriously. Remember to relax and enjoy it

 

[THall]

Yes sir, I have. They smell as good as the soap.
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Thanks a lot guys, just made me order the cologne C:

 

[Bakker1964]

Depending on the product, reviews will have zero influence on my decision. So many things are a case of "YMMV" in this hobby, that relying solely on reviews is somewhat foolish.

For a soap, or things of that nature, I will generally avoid badly reviewed products . . . more from a sense of their being so many other options, there is no need to take a risk that the reviewers results would mirror my own.

But, for a razor or blades, that is all up to personal use. What works great for Joe, will not necessarily work well for Bob, etc.

In short, let reviews provide a "guide", but make your own decisions.

 

[Raven Koenes]

It really depends on who is giving the opinion. If it is an experienced shaver that through his posts knows what he is talking about, then I may be influenced by his review. For example, I love the old formula Haslinger and when I heard they were reformulating the soap, I bought some extra pucks. However, had I seen Marco's review that the new formula was just as good, then I probably would not have loaded up with the old pucks. However, the same review from a newbie would not carry much weight.

I also pay attention to what is said about a product. I am not impressed by comments such as I love ____ razor in contrast to a cogent discussion about what makes this razor a good one.

I'm an experienced wet shaver who has tried a lot of different hardware and software. I have about 6,500 posts in the years I've been here. I would personally never buy something based off of one of my reviews. The reason? I'm crazy it says so right in my avatar.

The one negative review that has peaked my interest to try something is the notorious Graham Field Blade.

 

[Raven Koenes]

I read all positive and negative reviews. I want to know the "why" as well as the "what". What might be a negative aspect for someone else, might be a positive aspect for me, and vice versa.

People singing the praises of the Fatip Grande, put me off it. What they saw as positive, I didn't. I recently was PIFed on, and have been sharing the progress in my journal here. It turned out to be pretty much how I expected - not for me.

On the flip side, I saw some negativity about a Razorine on here, mentioning blade alignment, and showing photos that didn't look as bad as what I thought the words implied. It was that review that got me interested in the razor, and I plan to get one next year. I should add that I have also since read some very encouraging reviews too.

So it's all in the detail as to whether I think someone else's review (positive or negative), would yield the same results for me.

Al, You need to try the Fatip Testina Gentile at some point it's "awesome", "amazing", "fantastic"....

 

[KBShave]

depends on the quality of the opinion, the product in question, etc; mixed reviews won't sway my decision, but if there's an overwhelming consensus that a product stinks, generally I will most likely avoid it.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Al, You need to try the Fatip Testina Gentile at some point it's "awesome", "amazing", "fantastic"....

 

[musicman1951]

Every thing here is an opinion, so of course I'm interested in people's opinions. But the experience of the reviewer is of paramount importance, and there is the ever present YMMV.

Someone who has been shaving for less than a year and posts 57 reviews of soaps used once each is a waste of time for me. Someone who only uses $4 soaps and then get hold of a more expensive sample doesn't help me much either. Scents: forget it. Our noses are so different I need to take all of these with a grain of salt.

Any review that has an arbitrary price level for a product (I would never pay over $15 for xyz) automatically goes into the suspect pile.

On the other hand, most of my purchases have been after reading multiple good reviews and I have not been disappointed yet. I'm never the first one to jump. Every brush and soap and razor I'm currently using was "recommended" by a fairly large quantity of good reviews.

If there are a considerable number of bad reviews I don't even think about purchase. That seems crazy. Reviews are to help me play the odds.