Better Mileage: Shave Soaps Or Shave Creams? Tub Vs. Tube

[Lockback]

So in my traditional shave journey, I began with 1 shave soap (Proraso Green), then added a ton of Stirling Soaps (mainly samples at first) but also added some Cremo shave creams. Cremo claims you can get 90 shaves out of one tube but I've heard that's probably conservative and my experience would appear to mirror that.
But lately I've enjoyed a couple of other shave creams, particularly Proraso Red. It's a little easier to work with sometimes than a soap.
Using Proraso as the constant - tub vs. tube - which one is likely to garner more shaves?
I realize there are a lot of variables; i.e., how much of each product is loaded onto a brush. But both are the same price on Amazon and I'm wondering which one would yield more shaves?

 

[wldecker]

Both are the same weight. In theory you’ll get the same number of uses. In reality you’ve got control over how much is used each shave. I’d guess tub will last longer because it’s harder to over use if you load your brush out of the tub versus squeezing out of the tube.

 

[Lockback]

Both are the same weight. In theory you’ll get the same number of uses. In reality you've got control over how much is used each shave. I’d guess tub will last longer because it’s harder to over use if you load your brush out of the tub versus squeezing out of the tube.

That's pretty much my thought too.

 

[wldecker]

Not sure if it's still going on but poraso was running a 4th of July sale. Good value on their stuff. Could get both and test it out!

 

[demaro]

Tub lasts longer , more concentrated,

 

[Lockback]

Tub lasts longer , more concentrated,

Well, that does make sense ...

 

[LuckyGlenn]

I agree with everyone else. The soap will last longer. But the cream is very slightly more convenient.

 

[BurnFree]

I can't seem to put the Proraso Green down this summer.

Alternating mostly daily, I'm on track for roughly 1.5-2x the shaves from a 5oz tub of soap vs. a 5oz tube of cream. As previously noted, I tend to use more cream than necessary.

They perform identical as far as I can tell when both are adequately loaded and hydrated.

Despite generally being a puck guy, I like the metal cream tube better. Less plastic, more covenient (this soap, despite being soft, is a little slower to load than some others), and the scent doesn't leech out as fast.

The soap is an undeniable value king at European pricing, whereas a tube of Proraso is borderline on a daily cost basis at regular American pricing. The flip side is I enjoy it more, and it is still relatively cheap to keep a good-sized tube in the cabinet without bargain hunting etc.

 

[SalS]

Creams perform better simply because it’s easier to formulate them with technology superior ingredients.

 

[dan86]

I think you’ll probably get more shaves out of the Proraso tub but having said that, if you take care to only use a very small amount of cream from the tube, there may not be too much in it.

Decided to buy a tube of Proraso 2 years ago after owning a red and a green tub for several years. Went for the blue shaving cream with aloe vera, which is recommended. I also gave in and bought a tube of the green for myself when buying one for my pal as a Christmas gift,

 

[NorthernSoul]

Just remember creams and soft soaps both have a high water content. You are paying for water.

The corollary to this is, if costs matter to you, look at cost per use, not cost per gram.

The best value is usually hard milled soaps, but you don't have to spend a lot. I've gotten Pre de Provence Bergamot & Thyme for $12 / 150g tin on sale. That could last a year at 0.40g to 0.50g per shave.

Another example would be Haslinger from Europe. $4.50 / 60g could last around four months if it was your only soap.

 

[BobbyB]

From my experience(s), I seem to get more shaves from a hard puck of soap than a tube of cream.

 

[Merchant Seaman Z]

Soap in a tub. Tends to last longer. A tube seems too easy to use too much at a time.

 

[Lockback]

I came in thinking soap would yield more shaves than cream and this thread has pretty much verified that, which makes total sense. I like both formats, although I confess the cream is easier to work with. Both are excellent. And at the current price for either a tub or tube of Proraso (both are the same), even if the soap yields more shaves, it's not enough to sway me one way or the other.

 

[Lane101]

So in my traditional shave journey, I began with 1 shave soap (Proraso Green), then added a ton of Stirling Soaps (mainly samples at first) but also added some Cremo shave creams. Cremo claims you can get 90 shaves out of one tube but I've heard that's probably conservative and my experience would appear to mirror that.
But lately I've enjoyed a couple of other shave creams, particularly Proraso Red. It's a little easier to work with sometimes than a soap.
Using Proraso as the constant - tub vs. tube - which one is likely to garner more shaves?
I realize there are a lot of variables; i.e., how much of each product is loaded onto a brush. But both are the same price on Amazon and I'm wondering which one would yield more shaves?

Always interesting to evaluate the amount and quality of use we get from our various products.

I've two brands of shaving cream, Cyril R. Salter Luxury Shaving Cream in 165 gram tubs and LEA in a 250 gram tube for the Professional and a 150 gram tube for the Mentolada. Both creams have similar consistencies so I use similar quantities per shave with great results. So in my case, as noted by @widecker , it all comes down to the weight with the LEA Professional lasting the longest followed by the Cyril R. Salter tubs and then the smaller LEA Mentolada tube.

The answer could be very different when the products are not similar. It will all come down to weight divided by usage per shave to answer your question for all products.

An extension of your question is that of value which adds price and quality into the equation. Since, outside of scent all my creams deliver similar quality shaves a focus on just cost per shave makes LEA Professional the winner as I landed the large tube for under $4 U.S. At a landed cost of under $3 U.S. the Mentolada comes in second followed my Cyril R. Salter tubs that were landed for just under $10 U.S. each. Note this per fall'22 exchange rates with free shipping. Costs would be a bit higher now.

One of these days I should weight out the quantity used per shave but assuming 2 grams of cream per use the cost per shave is around 3.2 cents for the LEA Professional, 4 cents for the Mentolada and 12 cents for the Cyril R. Salter.

My hard shaving soaps range from under 2 cents per shave for Arko or Williams, roughly 3 cents for What-The-Puck to around 11 cents for D.R. Harris, my most expensive soap. Mitchell's Wool Fat and Tabac are in the middle at around 5-6 cents per shave. Again some of these are based on actual prices paid a couple of years ago, prices are higher now.

P.S. Since you are a Stirling fan at $4.10 for a one ounce sample (28 grams) a one gram per shave the cost per use is around 15 cents. Drops to 9 cents/use for the 4.5 ounce refill puck @ $11.25 each. Not counting shipping here.

 

[Lane101]

I came in thinking soap would yield more shaves than cream and this thread has pretty much verified that, which makes total sense. I like both formats, although I confess the cream is easier to work with. Both are excellent. And at the current price for either a tub or tube of Proraso (both are the same), even if the soap yields more shaves, it's not enough to sway me one way or the other.

Same in my case, see my analysis in the post above.

 

[Lockback]

Always interesting to evaluate the amount and quality of use we get from our various products.

I've two brands of shaving cream, Cyril R. Salter Luxury Shaving Cream in 165 gram tubs and LEA in a 250 gram tube for the Professional and a 150 gram tube for the Mentolada. Both creams have similar consistencies so I use similar quantities per shave with great results. So in my case, as noted by @widecker , it all comes down to the weight with the LEA Professional lasting the longest followed by the Cyril R. Salter tubs and then the smaller LEA Mentolada tube.

The answer could be very different when the products are not similar. It will all come down to weight divided by usage per shave to answer your question for all products.

An extension of your question is that of value which adds price and quality into the equation. Since, outside of scent all my creams deliver similar quality shaves a focus on just cost per shave makes LEA Professional the winner as I landed the large tube for under $4 U.S. At a landed cost of under $3 U.S. the Mentolada comes in second followed my Cyril R. Salter tubs that were landed for just under $10 U.S. each. Note this per fall'22 exchange rates with free shipping. Costs would be a bit higher now.

One of these days I should weight out the quantity used per shave but assuming 2 grams of cream per use the cost per shave is around 3.2 cents for the LEA Professional, 4 cents for the Mentolada and 12 cents for the Cyril R. Salter.

My hard shaving soaps range from under 2 cents per shave for Arko or Williams, roughly 3 cents for What-The-Puck to around 11 cents for D.R. Harris, my most expensive soap. Mitchell's Wool Fat and Tabac are in the middle at around 5-6 cents per shave. Again some of these are based on actual prices paid a couple of years ago, prices are higher now.

P.S. Since you are a Stirling fan at $4.10 for a one ounce sample (28 grams) a one gram per shave the cost per use is around 15 cents. Drops to 9 cents/use for the 4.5 ounce refill puck @ $11.25 each. Not counting shipping here.

Good stuff. I like your analytical mind.

 

[WhiskerLess]

tub vs. tube - which one is likely to garner more shaves?

I think its tub, more dense in shape and form.

Proraso is inexpensive and loved by many. Loosing 1 or 3 more shave on either tube or tub is considered acceptable.

Life is short, just enjoy the shaves instead of worrying over small matters.

 

[Lockback]

I think its tub, more dense in shape and form.

Proraso is inexpensive and loved by many. Loosing 1 or 3 more shave on either tube or tub is considered acceptable.

Life is short, just enjoy the shaves instead of worrying over small matters.

Precisely. Good advice.

 

[Lane101]

Creams perform better simply because it’s easier to formulate them with technology superior ingredients.

What is your basis for this conclusion? Many of us have been able to dial in great core shaving performance from most of the shaving soaps and creams that we use.

If you look at the primary ingredients for many shaving creams (tubs and tubes meant for brush use) they are typically the same saponified fatty acids we get in shaving soaps with added water and sometimes an emulsifier to soften the product into a cream. Look at two examples below including the premium priced Jack Black Triple Cushion (believe you are a fan of this), Cyril R. Salter Luxury and Value prices LEA Professional (two of my creams). The base ingredients (those prior to the saponification chemicals) are very similar starting with water and using Stearic Acid with Palmitic Acid and/or Mysteric acid. The main difference in the bases is the Jack Blacks' heavy use of an emulsifier, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, possibly required to blend all the trace/scent ingredients that come after the saponification chemicals.

Look at most non-tallow shaving soaps, they use the same ingredients, just without the added water and emulsifiers. Not seeing anything technologically superior in any of these ingredient lists. The main benefit of creams is that they are easier and faster to apply/lather.

Ingredients for the three creams mentioned are as follows:


Jack Black Triple Cushion Shaving Cream Ingredients: ($30 for 9.5 ounces/269 grams)
Water (Aqua), Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Stearic Acid, Myristic Acid, Palmitic Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Lauric Acid, Glycerin, Macadamia Ternifolia (Macadamia) Nut Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Oil, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil, Peucedanum Ostruthium Leaf Extract*, Buddleja Davidii Leaf Extract*, Artemisia Umbelliformis Extract*, Leontopodium Alpinum (Edelweiss) Extract*, Calendula Officinalis (Calendula) Flower Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Oil, Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Oil, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone, Perfluorononyl Dimethicone, Phenoxyethanol, Disodium EDTA, Butylene Glycol, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate, Xanthan Gum
*Certified Organic

LEA Professional Shaving Cream Ingredients Under $4 for 8.8 ounces/250 grams)
aqua, palmitic acid, stearic acid, glycerin, potassium hydroxide, coconut acid, sodium hydroxide, parfum, lactic acid, methylisothiazolinone, allantoin, hydroxyisohexyl, 3-cyclohexene carboxaldehyde, limonen, linalool

Cyril R. Salter Luxury Shaving Cream (Under $10 for 5.8 ounces/165 grams):
Water, Stearic Acid, Myristic Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Glycerin, Coconut Acid, Triethanolamine, PPG-15 Stearyl Ether, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Sodium Hydroxide, Tocopheryl Acetate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Perfume (Fragrance), Benzyl Alcohol, Magnesium Chloride, Magnesium Nitrate, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone

P.S. The trace ingredients in Jack Black don't make it technologically superior either, there are shaving soaps with similar long lists. Open question (covered in a separate thread) as to whether the trace ingredients, that are in low single digit percents of the total weight, have any material effect on performance. The key tends to be the product base.