A rant about Youtubers . . . .

[Lazarus Long]

I started out watching a few videos. Bought a razor that the reviewer was gushing on and on about. It was a terrible razor. I then noticed the same thing already mentioned in this thread - every product got a glowing review.

You have to take the reviews here with a few pounds of salt too. Performance is very subjective. I bought a blade sampler - my experiences were consistent with the reviews for a few, but most were not. You have to try them for yourself and make your own decisions.

 

[Captain Pre-Capsize]

@Kmelki you may not be aware - there are a number of online retailers who have extensive sample shops of soaps. Maggards comes to mind as being best known but I am sure there are others.

As to something smelling different well, this happened last week. A back and forth email thread with a longtime customer who insisted our soap smelled different than last time. I knew it could not possibly since it is made in large batches. But I sent him out another tub for free. After he got it he reported back that both tubs smell the same - they are both wrong. Two days later... I get an email from a now embarrassed customer saying he is on medication that he had not been on before. His food tastes different and... things smell different now, like shaving soap. He felt terrible but all to say, there can be other variables at play or maybe not.

 

[Graydog]

I’ll admit when I first started out I found a couple YouTube vids and gave them a watch. After I skipped through the first 10 minutes of crap, and got to the actual instruction they kinda did help. But I didn’t watch reviews. I needed to know how to hold the DE, angle, passes, etc. That took about…..2-3 videos and I was done. I haven’t watched a YT Shave video of any kind in YEARS.

1. They are mostly all shills
2. They are mostly all looking for some sort of fame
3. They are mostly all full of hot air that they must expel before they get to the actual shave part or review

I just can’t stand it. I tried to make a video though, I think I reviewed some Williams soap, new vs old. It was fun I gotta admit. But the whole time it was embarrassing thinking ”people are gonna watch me do this??”.

I remember you taking off your beard

 

[Toothpick]

I remember you taking off your beard

You and the one other person that watched.

 

[BigSpender]

Brad Maggard's Yute videos are remarkably objective, especially given that he is selling the products in his store, yet he mentions other retail options. There seems to be little ego/showoffism involved. He really seems to love what he is doing and wants to help inform the public. My hat's off to him. (And, thankfully, he keeps his shirt on.)

If you want to see a trove of bad advice, go to Amizon. Very few reviewers seem to know what they are talking about. Some reviews, good and bad, are obvious plants. Ignore the 1 star rants, for the most part. But if you see multiple accusations of counterfeits, especially blades and SD cards, take them seriously. Some sellers apparently add counterfeits to their mix of genuine articles, and this has been going on for yearson Amizon. Also, switch the search to chronological order, instead of numbers of likes. And always check the critical-only comments.

I'm afraid B&B advice isn't much better. Some posts have suggested looking for a consensus of opinion. But what else do you ever see on B&B but consensus? When was the last time you saw someone disagree with the popular opinion? Sure, it happens now and then, but how often does anyone have the balls to back him up? B&B is one big echo chamber, with people adding endless "Here! Here!!" one line posts, when a simple thumbs up emoticon would do. This leaves the reader wading through useless, redundant fluff trying to assess an opinion.

If you think there are no shills on B&B you are naïve. Some threads seem to be seeded and endlessly reseeded by shills. There is some truly atrocious advice on B&B that the novice can be sucked in by.

I disagree with at least 90 percent of the advice on B&B, and I suspect every member does, too. Don't think so? Then there are a lot of threads and entire sections you probably don't read.

If you were to buy EVERY product highly recommended on B&B, you would probably regret at least 90 percent of your purchases, if not more. And you would soon be out thousands of dollars.

Yes, there are people on B&B who know what they are talking about. But the posters whose opinions I most respect, sadly, tend to remain quiet most of the time.

Ultimately, this is of little concern to me, as I have already found brands of razors and blades I am entirely happy with. So my search is over.

To the rest of you, happy hunting.

 

[silverlifter]

B&B is one big echo chamber, with people adding endless "Here! Here!!" one line posts, when a simple thumbs up emoticon would do.

Couldn't disagree more

Mostly what I see is people carefully qualifying their opinions (usually with the shorthand YMMV), because they recognize that shaving, and its tools, is a pretty subjective endeavour.

Sure, some people like to contribute by just endorsing the views of others, but I think the accusation that B&B is an echo chamber is unfounded, and unfair. At least that is my experience reading the site. Read the Arko thread if you think everyone is doing the equivalent of digital nodding.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

But what else do you ever see on B&B but consensus? When was the last time you saw someone disagree with the popular opinion? Sure, it happens now and then, but how often does anyone have the balls to back him up?

Are we reading the same forum? Trying to get consensus here is like herding cats.

That said, there are individual threads which seem to attract consensus. There are Excalibur members who get high shave counts, and those "one and done" people who don't even consider reusing a blade. They might not be scuffling it out in the same threads, but both conflicting opinions are still here.

I don't tend to get accused of going with the flow on many things, and there are several aspects where I'll be head on against the current. Polsilvers were my worst blade, I have no love for Fatip, and my primary razor is made of Zamac. I'm not a fan of vintage razors either. However, I'll not be a head on antagonist in every thread. Sometimes it seems appropriate to throw in an alternate perspective, and sometimes not. It depends on the thread.

So here, the conflicting opinions are definitely present, but not competing. Thankfully, we seem go be too good at allowing space for alternate perspectives, to clash horns whenever we see them.

 

[Lefonque]

With YouTubers a number present themselves as experts and overestimated their opinion. So watch with caution, be aware that many do it and just pump up the latest freebie that has arrived. Some are just there as a form of self promotion. Remember even a broken clock is right twice a day. Take what you need a leave the rest.

 

[SydneyShaver]

Frankly, being gullible is your fault. What is amazing for one, can be awful for another. Cases in point being Arko and Tabac. I suppose they could be shills for relatively small companies on their videos that rarely get more than 1K views. I mean how much money are they earning (saving) really? These people are invested hobbiests who spend thousands upon thousands of dollars on their equipment a year. I mean how is taking the advice of people on here any different? At least in the video you can see them lather and shave with it. There is 0 proof on here that anything I have ever reviewed or provided advice or my perspective on has even entered my home. Who's to say I'm not receiving kickbacks from big soap for my input? One of my first ever posts on here was a review and breakdown of the major TOBS offerings. Like half the comments on that post are people disagreeing with my tastes. Blaming others for buying something that isn't to your taste is foolish. Unless they straight up lied about what it smells like (Which is still subjective, many people smell the same scent accords differently), the only thing you have to go off is that they liked it. Which isn't untrue just because you and your wife dislike it.

 

[thombrogan]

being gullible is your fault.

We all have so many cognitive blind spots, that it can be difficult to know when we’re thinking critically or taking someone else’s word on something. Sure, if it’s wrapped up in a sound byte or cliché, it’s easy to spot, but unintentional intellectual laziness or even fatigue happens.

 

[musicman1951]

Smell is a funny sense, what smells beautiful to you might smell disgusting to me. Outside of samples, it's really a crap shoot when it comes to soap. The good news is that I have found precious few soap scents that remain on the skin for more than a few minutes.

There are no quality controls for posting anything on YouTube. It's the wild west. This forum is the best place I've found for product recommendations. YMMV is real: almost nothing works for everyone in the world. But if you find page after page of praise for a product here it's the safest bet you're going to find.

 

[Old School TSD]

...The scented soaps are only on your face for five minutes so what difference does a scent make anyway. Performance is the only thing that really matters and Performance doesn’t cost squat. If you want a good smell, buy an aftershave you like.

I have a few soaps that the scent stays with me all day, and when I get in the shower the next morning, the scent comes alive again.
One in particular I'll shoot out to is Henri et Victoria Cognac & Cuban Cigar. For me, it's heavenly.
No affiliation here...give it a try or another of their scents. You won't be disappointed.

 

[bartje-p]

great first post..... hope you will find something you (and your wife) will like better, it's no fun sleeping in the garage ;-)

 

[Happy Jack]

The only dreadful smelling soap I ever bought was Arko. To me it smells like the sort of soap you would have expected to find in a 1960's public toilet. I bought it based on positive Amazon reviews, though, not YouTube.

 

[thombrogan]

ARKO! is my favorite soap. You must’ve been so lucky to have wonderful smelling bathrooms in the 1960s, @Happy Jack

 

[Earl_Grey]

Shaving reviews are basically useless. Your skin is different, your hairs are different, your water is different, your scent preferences are different, your sensitivities (irritants/allergies) are different. Shaving is about as YMMV as it gets.

This pretty much.

I always get a chuckle out of reviews stating "took off xyz days of growth". As if this was an objective unit of measurement. Some folks look essentially clean shaven after 2 weeks growth and some look like grizzly bears after 3 days. You'll never know how a product works for you unless you have tried it yourself.

As for Youtube: It's nice to actually SEE a product or be made aware of it. But the reviews are mostly worthless. Soap descriptions dont stray far from "smells nice/dont like the scent". Great, thanks for really giving your thoughts on the perfume lol Which I admit is difficult. I for one don't get the elaborate scent journeys that some Artisans write up, I usually just get 1 note from a shaving soap, so no opening or drying down notes.
And the comments on the various bases is hilarious as well. As if they could assign the right soap to the correct Artisan in a blind test.

Also an interesting observation from Youtube: there is always a flavour of the month. That is true for Artisans as well as vendors (for a time it was West Coast Shaving, currently it is The Razor Company), so I assume there has to be some incentives for the Youtubers and when that dies down they run to the next. You can tell when the free product is a one off and when they expect more, the tone is very very different.

 

[Whisky]

Case in point, I used Lilac Vegetal as an aftershave today. Some people will tell you it smells like a cat's litter box with a flower in it.

That’s about right, but without the flower.

 

[FarmerTan]

thombrogan, you keep this up, and you will always have a place at the Table in Arkoland.....
Possibly as Sargeant of Arms. Gotta keep the riff raff out.

I believe there is still hope for ol' Jack.... Hope springs eternal in the kingdom of Arkoland!

 

[Happy Jack]

thombrogan, you keep this up, and you will always have a place at the Table in Arkoland.....
Possibly as Sargeant of Arms. Gotta keep the riff raff out.

I believe there is still hope for ol' Jack.... Hope springs eternal in the kingdom of Arkoland!

I'm convinced that people say Arko smells great as part of some massive prank.

 

[FarmerTan]

That’s about right, but without the flower.

You keep this up and I'll put YOUR name in for Poet Lorrie-ett.

We spell different in Arkoland.