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Alum: Why so much??

I've noticed that Alum blocks cost a lot compared to how much I payed for mine. Even my go-to places for price reference (WCS, VB) have Alum starting at $8, and up to $20 if you go to AoS!! I paid $1 at the local Indian grocer (it was beside the Godrej :wink2:). So why is it so expensive elsewhere?
 
I've noticed that Alum blocks cost a lot compared to how much I payed for mine. Even my go-to places for price reference (WCS, VB) have Alum starting at $8, and up to $20 if you go to AoS!! I paid $1 at the local Indian grocer (it was beside the Godrej :wink2:). So why is it so expensive elsewhere?

My best guess is niche market.
 
Price has less to do with the cost of manufacture and more to do with people's willingness to pay for an item. Generally, clients of the AoS are not low budget purchasers but individuals with significant disposable income. Hence, they are willing to pay more for product, especially for brands
 
Price has less to do with the cost of manufacture and more to do with people's willingness to pay for an item. Generally, clients of the AoS are not low budget purchasers but individuals with significant disposable income. Hence, they are willing to pay more for product, especially for brands

This!

Most folks haven't even heard of an alum block, so it has the appearance and aura of "the unknown" or "the secret". They'll pay more. The alum blocks I've seen in South Asian groceries already had some fissures or cracks in them, but for $1 instead of $10 plus shipping, I'll be juuust fine.
 
You are paying for a brand name and getting a block that is a little more refined than the Indian ones.

Do you have anything that can serve to validate that claim? Specifically, the level of refinement would be interesting to me. By what process is Alum refined, and who does it "better"?
 
Do you have anything that can serve to validate that claim? Specifically, the level of refinement would be interesting to me. By what process is Alum refined, and who does it "better"?

I have two alum blocks. One (a lower cost one) has many more inclusions in it, plus a very rough and uneven surface. The higher priced one is much smoother and has virtually no inclusions.
 
Its quite expensive here as well in the uk, though i can get a bloc for cheap from a asian website but the postage is expensive whereas the more well known bloc from a popular online store the postage is far cheaper:001_huh:
 
Do you have anything that can serve to validate that claim? Specifically, the level of refinement would be interesting to me. By what process is Alum refined, and who does it "better"?

Alum is Alum. What I think he means by 'Refined' is the brand names ones look nicer, as in no dings or chips, and are nice and square.
 
The same reason people pay more for a shirt with a logo on it. Because people pay for a name.

While I think there is some truth to that (as to why the AoS and GFT blocks cost more than the ones from WCS) it doesn't explain why the unbranded ones costs more at WCS than those at the local Around the World Market.

southernmail said:
I have two alum blocks. One (a lower cost one) has many more inclusions in it, plus a very rough and uneven surface. The higher priced one is much smoother and has virtually no inclusions.

Drubbing said:
Alum is Alum. What I think he means by 'Refined' is the brand names ones look nicer, as in no dings or chips, and are nice and square.

This is exactly what I was asking - what quantifiable differences are present? It sounds like the more expensive blocks, to an extent, are less likely to be chippy/cracked and full of non-alum content. This is a valid consideration, because I will admit that my $1 alum block is actually three chunks, and only one side is really smooth enough to rub on my freshly shaven face.

The problem, of course, is now I have to grab one from WCS soon...
 
Its a simple matter of people paying those high prices for them. If we'd stop paying 8, 9 or 10 dollars for an alum block, I'll bet the price would come down. But of course we won't, so the prices stay high. :001_rolle
 
It sounds like the more expensive blocks, to an extent, are less likely to be chippy/cracked and full of non-alum content.

I highly doubt it; the differences will be cosmetic. I'm sure it'd cost the Indians far more to shove non-alum content in there, than just cut the alum up.

It's marketing, pure and simple.
 
This is exactly what I was asking - what quantifiable differences are present? It sounds like the more expensive blocks, to an extent, are less likely to be chippy/cracked and full of non-alum content. This is a valid consideration, because I will admit that my $1 alum block is actually three chunks, and only one side is really smooth enough to rub on my freshly shaven face.

I bought an eShave alum block and the look and feel of it is much better than my $2 Indian store alum block. The fact that the higher priced blocks are more homogeneous might be better in the long run. The Indian ones can get a little rough as they start to wear down.
 
There are weight differences among blocks. I have three: the one I use is from ClassicShaving. I got a cheaper one from QED, but it is smaller. I have a back-up Shavex, that was 25g heavier than the one I got from Classic. None of these were over $10.

I have to say there are differences in appearance: some are more crystalline, more transparent. While I'm still using that first block, my guess is that there are likely differences in how long these blocks dissolve. I'd never pay >$10/100g!
 
I was looking into this myself a little while ago and discovered I could buy powdered alum for about a pound a kilo (about $1 per lb) but I wasn't sure how easy it would be to convert into a solid block. Anybody done this?
 
I was looking into this myself a little while ago and discovered I could buy powdered alum for about a pound a kilo (about $1 per lb) but I wasn't sure how easy it would be to convert into a solid block. Anybody done this?

You can grow your own alum crystals, but I don't think there is a direct powder to block conversion.
 
Alum is alum, but to be more precise ammonium alum is ammonium alum, whereas potassium alum is potassium alum. The potassium is milder than the ammonium.
 
I highly doubt it; the differences will be cosmetic. I'm sure it'd cost the Indians far more to shove non-alum content in there, than just cut the alum up.

It's marketing, pure and simple.

I don't mean by intentional inclusion; I mean by accidental inclusion (or not being particularly stringent in manufacturing to keep the product pure). Contaminants might be a better way to say what I meant.

I'm going to grab one from WCS next time I have occasion to order. I'll also try and see if I can't get eyes-on an AoS block next time I'm at Nordstrom (though I don't recall if they even had the Alum).
 
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