Best soap yet

[D/E Bob]

I have been shaving with a mug, soap, brush & D/E razor since I was 16 (now 58) and since joining the B&B a few years ago I have tried various soaps recommended by a lot of you guys. Some are good, some I have asked myself "what don't I get" and some are good but ridiculously expensive. Remember........ the reason a lot of you wound up here was the high priced multi blade thing.

Because I have long since gone through my stash of OS and Colgate pucks, I had been using Williams (not a bad soap despite all the bad press here). I then tried at least 12 different MB soaps and while I find that they smell and lather great, they tend to dry out too fast for my liking - pricey too. The shave sticks while OK, are a p.i.t.a. to use, and so I finally got a few VDH pucks. I have to say, the VDH Deluxe is one heck of a soap, and cheap as dirt too! Not only does it give great lather, but I find it does not dry out like the MB stuff does. After using it for over a year I would highly recommend it! You can find it at any Walmart for under $2 bucks and I usually buy a half dozen at a time (since it is the ONLY reason I ever go into Walmart).

I have still not gotten around to trying Proraso but do intend to the next time I order from WCS.

Just wanted to give the guys who have not tried VDH Deluxe yet the heads up on a really reasonable, really great lathering soap. Despite the low price you won't be disappointed!

D/E Bob

 

[shave~extacy]

When you decide to try prorasso I highly recommend trying the "red" sandalwood ... The performance is very good.

 

[TheVez2]

VDH deluxe was the first shave soap I ever used. It is a solid performer, I agree. I just don't care for the scent. Luckily it melts easily and the scent can be doctored by addign some of your favorite aftershave to it. Van der Spice (Old Spice) and Van der Velva (Aqua Velva) are some nice concoctions I have made.

 

[VT_Hokie]

Nothing wrong with VdH at all. Very good soap

 

[Niles]

I used one puck of VdH. It was okay. You're going to love Proraso.

 

[ricardo9505]

Amen. I'm looking to save $$$ as well. found my cure in my daily go to product- arko soap stix mashed in a tub. dash of arko cream. heaven. uber lather, $2 - $2.50 each product

 

[SEnSE]

If you go to WalMart for VdH, then check out Bath & Body Works for CO Bigelow cream. Same as the old Proraso cream and hopefully soon they'll have the reformulated version as well. Just don't know if they plan on carrying the sandalwood or not. I prefer the Proraso soap to the cream, but that's just because I prefer to load a soap or croap and I'm not much of a shave cream user.

 

[shepdave]

Without knowing much, I got a puck of VdH Luxury at Target, and that's the main soap I've been using so far.

I last tried to work with soaps back in the 1980s, and I remember them as being a pain to use. I must second D/E Bob's review: it really does lather up quite nicely, and you can't beat the price with a stick (of Arko or any other stick...).

In anticipation of a trip next week, I went to Bath & Body Works to get some C. O. Bigelow. I was happy to see that the only size my local store had was small, which was $5.00. That was perfect, since I was just looking for a week's worth.

 

[SEnSE]

Without knowing much, I got a puck of VdH Luxury at Target, and that's the main soap I've been using so far.

I last tried to work with soaps back in the 1980s, and I remember them as being a pain to use. I must second D/E Bob's review: it really does lather up quite nicely, and you can't beat the price with a stick (of Arko or any other stick...).

In anticipation of a trip next week, I went to Bath & Body Works to get some C. O. Bigelow. I was happy to see that the only size my local store had was small, which was $5.00. That was perfect, since I was just looking for a week's worth.

Even that smaller size will last you much longer than a week!

 

[BladeDE40]

For those VDH fans, I have found Amazon to have the best deal on it by far...$1.40/ puck, no tax and free shipping if you have Prime...other flavors are available as well.

http://www.amazon.com/Van-Der-Hagen...&qid=1342634623&sr=8-4&keywords=van+der+hagen

 

[D/E Bob]

I used one puck of VdH. It was okay. You're going to love Proraso.

I read that Proraso is not really a soap, but more of a cream. How does it compare to the traditional hard soaps and who has the best prices?

Thanks.....

D/E Bob

 

[buyandhold2018]

Nothing wrong with VdH at all, a good soap for the price; the ingredients aren't the best and I much prefer other product but it definitely has a place in the wet-shaving world.

 

[BladeDE40]

I read that Proraso is not really a soap, but more of a cream. How does it compare to the traditional hard soaps and who has the best prices?

Thanks.....

D/E Bob

Proraso is a traditional soft Italian shaving soap, some refer to it as a "croap". It is extremely easy to load and lather and loading time is generally less than that of a hard soap. It performs very well and if you like menthol, the green tub version would be right up your ally. As far as prices the run about $8 USD/ tub and that price is pretty standard for any vendor. Italian Barber and West Coast Shaving would be two good places to look.

 

[JCinPA]

I read that Proraso is not really a soap, but more of a cream. How does it compare to the traditional hard soaps and who has the best prices?

Thanks.....

D/E Bob

This comes up so often. It's a 'soft soap', I think the Italians call it Crema de Sapone (cream soap), Marco explained this once.

There are three types of lather products.

1. Hard soaps like Tabac, Provence Sante, the various English soaps in bowls, MWF

2. Creams, soft stuff that comes in tubes or tubs, but is like the consistency of your average toothpaste. TOBS tubs, Proraso tubes are creams.

3. Soft soaps. Proraso in the tubs, Queen Charlotte, the RazoRocks, Mystic Water, etcetera. These are solid, they won't flow like creams do, they just are not hard finished. People call them soft soaps, or croaps, which apparently makes sense given that Italian term Crema Sapone

 

[D/E Bob]

Well I suppose I'll try it soon.
Thanks!

 

[SGB1963]

I find that VdH does the job quite well. As far as MB soaps, I have not found that they dry too fast. Try adding more water to ensure your lather is properly hydrated, and remember YMMV!

 

[deafficianado]

Art of Shaving. I thought it was hype, and after using it, I'm impressed. Overpriced, but as in anything, if you want "best" quality, it won't be cheap. If Arko smelled better than that would be the exception.

 

[n.solo88]

VDH is a great soap. It's dirt cheap, widely available, and performs like champ.

 

[mvk]

I like the scent of others including proraso better, but I still think I get the best and smoothest shave with VDH.

 

[campence]

I load up some VDH and mix it with a small amount of Proraso shave cream....simply put...it is amazing