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Art of Shaving- Sell out?

I'm certainly a newbie to this forum, but I have been wet-shaving for two decades. Also: I am not writing off 2 soaps. It seems that Art of Shaving (P&G) are rebranding Valobra, with very little moral authority--the whole point to my objection. That is my issue, not the actual soap itself if "unmarketed."

OK, but can you be more specific? We don't have to agree; I'm just having trouble understanding what the concern is.

The way I see things, AoS has a relationship with Valobra by which they import a great soap, spruce it up a little with some fragrance, and sell it for a little more per gram. Seems pretty innocuous.
 
AoS hasn't sold out, because they have always been like they are now.

For the uninitiated, they also sell a razor with a flashlight in the handle.
 
I don't know how any of this is Valobra's fault. But, you spend your money on what makes you happy.

AOS is just high. $75 for a $52 Merkur 38CHD. $26 puck refills, Trumpers is $18, Valobra is $10. Pucks in bowls for $45, more expensive than anything similar on WCS site. $25 pure badger brushes for $55. Merkur blade 10 pk for $12, $7 @ WCS. Then they pimp those cartridge razors. Needless to say, I'm not spending a dime with AOS.

One way of looking at it is that AOS introduces people to classic shaving which is good. Another way of looking at it is that people get the impression from AOS than one must spend a lot to get into it, which isn't true, and get discouraged from pursuing it any further.

It's simple simple capitalism. Buy a great product for cheap, then sell it in a fancy store for double what you paid for it. Unfortunately having a storefront or several almost demands suck sleazy tactics. Places who have a storefront online can afford to sell great products for a small mark-up to deal with their operating costs (rent, utilities, free shipping deals, etc).

Grooming Lounge in the DC area does the same thing as AOS does: they introduce people to wet-shaving, but they also sell inexpensive stuff for managable prices. Their storefront/barber shop also has a fairly knowledgeable staff who can help out a newbie with some questions. That's how I got started.

Like most other things, there's good and bad points. Let's hope AOS doesn't come out with a pnuematic steam-powered vibrating safety razor or a pedal-powered oscillating straight razor.
 

Whilliam

First Class Citizen
How have they sold out? Innovation is part of the business. A powered shave brush might attract some new DE shavers into the fold.

Also, Gillette and Procter (particularly Procter) have some of the best fat and soap chemists on earth. The best, bar none. Which would explain why real shavers seem to love AOS soaps. Procter is not going to get into a bricks and mortar business to lose old customers, but to attract new ones. This will be interesting to watch because they certainly have the resources to pull it off. Question is, does AOS have a strong enough champion within the corporation to make a success of it?
 
If Art of Shaving hadn't already sold out, then this is the last straw! Too bad I still like their sandalwood aftershave balm.
Is there any question? Still, power brushes (and all their other nonsense) don't reduce my opinion of their shave soap. No one's forcing me (or anyone else) to buy their overpriced equipment.

And if you're shopping for inexpensive and cost effective shaving gear and supplies then you're probably not shopping AoS to begin with. There's room for niches within any business whether you get the particular niche or not.
 
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The thing that should have tipped you off to them is the fact that they are completely comfortable charging $175 for a Fusion razor...you can buy the same one at Walmart for $10! They charge $14 for a PACK of Merkurs for cryin out loud! I don't know how they are able to sleep at night. Just goes to prove P.T. Barnum right...there IS a sucker born every minute. Yeah..glad I never bought anything from them and never will.
AoS is hardly the only company to sell obscenely priced Fusion handles.

http://www.trumpers.com/product_detail.cfm?ProductID=111547799

http://www.tayloroldbondst.co.uk/acatalog/razors-and-sharp-edges.html

http://www.truefittandhill.com/items_47.html

Most everything people complain about AoS doing is commonplace among companies in the luxury shaving business.
 
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I wonder if it's really meant for shaving.
Should work as a shoe shine brush.

This would be awesome with two or three counter-rotating brushes, a key-wound spring instead of batteries and lots of brass and ivory for the handle. Talk about steampunk.

(grabs an old key-wound mantle clock and the wife's pre-ban carved ivory statue and heads for workshop)
 
(Hurries back from workshop. Too cold out there. And probably too hot where I'll be if SWMBO finds her stuff re-purposed.)
 
I'm certainly a newbie to this forum, but I have been wet-shaving for two decades. Also: I am not writing off 2 soaps. It seems that Art of Shaving (P&G) are rebranding Valobra, with very little moral authority--the whole point to my objection. That is my issue, not the actual soap itself if "unmarketed."
This post stuck out at me for some reason, I guess because I don't have the slightest clue what you mean by "moral authority", much less what this vague (to me) concept has to do with rebranding consumer items and soaps in particular. Can you expound?
 
How have they sold out? Innovation is part of the business. A powered shave brush might attract some new DE shavers into the fold.

Also, Gillette and Procter (particularly Procter) have some of the best fat and soap chemists on earth. The best, bar none. Which would explain why real shavers seem to love AOS soaps. Procter is not going to get into a bricks and mortar business to lose old customers, but to attract new ones. This will be interesting to watch because they certainly have the resources to pull it off. Question is, does AOS have a strong enough champion within the corporation to make a success of it?

Neither Gillette nor P&G has anything to do with the creation of AoS soaps or creams.
 
For the record, and this comes straight from AoS senior staff -


AoS buys a variety of ingredients from top level producers around the world - Valobra and Creightons among them, but not exclusively. They import all the ingredients to their central factory, where their own chemists/soapmakers combine them in custom formulations to produce a specific and unique "Art of Shaving' product.

I couldn't get them to tell me specifics, but the soap, for example, has at least 4 other ingredients beyond the Valobra base. They aren't ripping off Valobra any more than Apple is ripping off the factories who sell them components. The mark-up is what they feel the market will bear, and given their expansion this year I'd say they have it down pretty close.
 
Anyone can make and sell anything they want. It doesn't mean people will buy it. I have to thank AOS because my wife bought me their travel kit and turned me onto using a shave brush, which pushed me towards using a double edge. So I'm thankful. That being said, I find their products decent but way overpriced. In many cases double the competition. For that reason, I don't buy their products anymore with so many fantastic alternatives out there to choose from at half the price. Seems like a no brainer to me.
 
Art Of Shaving is overpriced anyways.
Have you used AOS products? They do more for main stream wet shaving then any other company I know. I'm not talking B&B artisans, as most general public couldn't name any of them or know where to buy their stuff.

Two of the finest Shaving Creams I ever used were AOS. It is always widely accepted that the old AOS Tallow soaps were some of the finest available and most sought after, even now.

Sometimes you have to pay for quality. I do find the prices of their hardware to be a bit out there in terms of price.
 
I'm just here to gripe about the overpriced badger brush I bought from AOS when I was new to wet shaving. After six months of daily use it was still shedding like a nervous German Shepherd. Really put me off their products.
 
I can't speak to any of their products except the sandalwood cream and asb. Both are very solid products and smell fantastic.
 
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