Can any soaps made by Razorock compete with the top tier?

[Racquet]

I just have a very hard time distinguishing the performance of one soap from another. Every once in a while I think I have found a soap that is significantly better than others, but over time I find that they all do the job.

That's how I feel also, sure some of the top end soaps with the latest and greatest formulations are a step up but
they are almost too super fatted or over moisturizing. Of course I'm a southern boy and it's hot and humid in
my neck of the woods so that makes a big difference. But I get a good shave and enjoy all of my soaps from RR
to Zingari Man. I have about 40 soaps from CRSW, Stirling, Black Mountain shaving Kodiak Base, The Club, PAA,
WSP, DG, WK, etc.

 

[njpaddy]

I haven't tried that many RR soaps over the years, but my favorites of their soaps all contained Argan Oil. I don't know what Argan is, and I rarely look at ingredients when I buy soaps, so maybe it's just coincidence. My latest RR with Argan was Plague Doctor. I bought 2 just for the label, one to keep and one to give away, but I got great results and plan to order more. I gave one to my son-in-law. He liked it too and requested another when I reorder.

 

[SpannerX]

I have 6 RR soaps, so far I've used what the puck lime, and blue fougere. The wtp soap 8s okay, nothing to write home about, the blue fougere on the other hand is amazing smelling and the lather properties are great.

 

[Atlantic59]

...I don't know what Argan is, and I rarely look at ingredients when I buy soaps, so maybe it's just coincidence...

The Argan tree is native to Morocco. The oil comes from the kernels of the tree's fruits. It is considered a great moisturizer and some grades can also be used for cooking.

 

[back_to_shaving]

Just a suggestion, researching Hyaluronic Acid may give you a great tool to help your skin.

Thanks for the suggestion. Do you use it after your shave or add it your lather?

 

[never-stop-learning]

Thanks for the suggestion. Do you use it after your shave or add it your lather?

I use it per the suggestions posted by @Chan Eil Whiskers - While my face is still damp: One to two drops in my palm, rub palms together, rub into face, allow to dry before applying Aftershave and Cologne.

Hyaluronic Acid is great stuff.

 

[MrMoJoe]

It is entirely, 100% a matter of opinion, and here's mine. I think RazoRock soaps are great. I have never, ever shaved with any RR soap and thought "You know, I'm a little disappointed". In fact, it's usually more like "Man, that was a great shave!". Is "slickness" a 7 instead of a 10? Is "cushion" a 6 instead of a 9? To me all of that is ridiculous and is so highly subjective, that minus scent, I don't think most people could actually tell a difference between the lather created by most RR soaps and Tabac/MdC/SV/name your favorite.

 

[bigbrucefan]

No one has mentioned their Barbershop soap. I find it different in lathering ability from the others I have from them. It's darn near instant. I have expensive soaps from B&M and Declaration, and I find it hangs in regular rotation with them. Give Barbershop a go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[RayClem]

Whether Razorock soaps can compete with top tier soaps depends upon your framework for comparison. If you are concerned about the ratio of performance to cost, Razorock is a good value. If you are looking for top tier performance, there may be better choices.

When car shopping, some people buy minivans, some buy SUVs, some buy sedans, some buy pickup trucks, some buy sports cars. Some buy from the used car dealer, some buy only luxury brands. There are alternatives because each of us has our own needs, preferences and budgets. The right choice for you is the one that meets your needs, satisfies most of your preferences, and is within your budget. The same applies to soaps.

 

[musicman1951]

Two things:

1. At least a few people here will always insist that their $1.50 whatever is just as good as anything available.

2. You can get a great shave with any decent soap. You might need better technique, or you might not like the face feel, or the chemicals, or a few weepers. But the fact is there are people around the world getting fine shaves with any product you mention.

 

[fightingillini22]

Two things:

1. At least a few people here will always insist that their $1.50 whatever is just as good as anything available.

2. You can get a great shave with any decent soap. You might need better technique, or you might not like the face feel, or the chemicals, or a few weepers. But the fact is there are people around the world getting fine shaves with any product you mention.

Well said!

I've always operated under the assumption that for most products, the value proposition is in the eye of the beholder. Some of us don't mind spending hundreds of dollars on razors. Others use a cheap Wilkie. Some anxiously await the next B&M release credit card at the ready. Still others exclusively use pucks of Williams. I trend somewhere towards the cheaper end of the spectrum, but spent plenty money on soaps and vintage razors especially at the beginning of my wet shaving journey.

Personally I've always enjoyed the scents and performance of RR products and the low price point was a welcomed bonus. I was fortunate enough to be a part of many passaround boxes that included many expensive products like MdC and PC Nuavia and was never all that blown away by performance. Certainly not enough to justify the prices for me.

But as everything in life, that's just my experience and opinion! You'll find many here who will argue that MdC is simply the best product available!

In terms of RR, personally I'd put my favorites including For Chicago and P160 up against any other of my favorite soaps including Stirling, MW, and the Fat and say they all hold their own.

 

[JoeLr]

^^^ One of the older gents who got me into traditional shaving almost a decade ago spends a nice chunk of change each year (easily $500 annually according to him) for the latest and greatest artisan unicorn milk superfatted soap.

While using the same Tech he's had since like 1960 and using Astra SP blades. He has no other razor. Value is in the eye of the beholder, indeed!

 

[MrMoJoe]

I bit the bullet a little over a month ago and bought a jar of Matin de Candre Agrumes. This past month I used it in a 2 soap rotation alongside RozoRock XXX. I haven't done a full review of the MdC yet, but I can say that it lives up to the hype. A really hard soap that lathers like a dream, and it looks like that jar will last a loooooong time. The XXX is much softer and smaller, and I could probably go through 4 or 5 containers of XXX in the time it would take to use up the MdC. Both Have great scents, but the XXX is much stronger. I could not tell any difference whatsoever in the performance of the two soaps; both are equally outstanding in my estimation.

 

[Steve_in_CT]

Because of this thread I pulled out my RazoRock Essential Oil of Lavender soap for this morning's shave. Scent aside, (and while I like the scent it's entirely subjective), this soap contributed to an outstanding shave. Some credit is due to my Enoch SE razor with a new Proline blade, but I doubt that any other soap I own would have provided a closer and more comfortable shave. That doesn't mean that I'll stop buying soaps from A&E, Wholly Kaw, D.R. Harris, etc. but I think it does mean that my answer to the OP is, "Yes, RazoRock soaps can compete with the top tier."

 

[GR5233]

One I haven’t seen mentioned yet is their P160. From what I’ve seen on other threads here RR was able to get ahold of the recipe/formula after it was discontinued. And from what I’ve seen on the pre RR P160 threads it was a highly recommended soap

 

[bkatbamna]

Razorock Blue Fougere and Dead Sea as well as Tuscan Oud are as good as anything that I use.

 

[dfoulk]

Yeah, you're going to have a few types of people commenting. This is an outstanding forum, full of kind helpful people that genuinely want to help one another. The generalizations are not necessarily a bad thing, and not unique to this thread, but it's good to keep some things in mind when you're going over the responses. So some thoughts/guidelines to think about here:

First off, there are those that have used the same soap for the past decade and insist that it's the very best available. After all, why should anyone use anything else. In most cases it's a traditional soap and often a lower cost one. They think that they're saving you time and money recommending the items that they use and enjoy. Intentions are good here but you don't always get current information based on what's out there at the moment. You might get a recommendation for a vintage razor, or a mainstream soap that's been out for decades. More of a "If it ain't broke why fix it" attitude here. The problem with this approach is that there has been in influx of very high quality products over the past couple years that they haven't tried yet.

Then you'll get the people that have tried six soaps and are happy and even excited to share the best of what they've tried so far. Problem here is the very limited sample set. Good intentions here again, but the recommendations only go so far.

You may also get some solid advice from people that have tried a lot of what's out there but often times it's drowned out by the other responses. You can ask questions in a specific way that might give you some clarification. For example, "For those that have tried at least 15 RazoRock soaps which one did you like best and why?" Or "How many RazoRock soaps have you tried and are any of them tier one?"

My intention isn't to offend anyone, just sharing some general thoughts that are probably worth what you paid for them.

That being stated, I see Razorock soaps as more of an excellent value offering. I don't believe that it is their intention to compete with the top tier soaps out there. That being said after trying most of them I found Mudder Focker to be their very best soap by a good margin. Not as good as the very top tier for me but a really nice high quality soap with some pretty decent post shave attributes. It's definitely worth trying. The scent is a Terre d'hermes clone, so think of a woody orange scent with this one.

 

[Rhody]

I agree its a value brand thats not a negative. Their stuff is pretty darn good but
Dead Sea and Santa Maria del Fiore are top performers and are right up there with the best of them.

 

[SpannerX]

Razorock Blue Fougere and Dead Sea as well as Tuscan Oud are as good as anything that I use.

I'll get around to the other two eventually, but Blue Fougere is an excellent soap for me. Love the lather, and that they have a splash to go with it is a bonus.

 

[CzechCzar]

Yeah, you're going to have a few types of people commenting. This is an outstanding forum, full of kind helpful people that genuinely want to help one another. The generalizations are not necessarily a bad thing, and not unique to this thread, but it's good to keep some things in mind when you're going over the responses. So some thoughts/guidelines to think about here:

First off, there are those that have used the same soap for the past decade and insist that it's the very best available. After all, why should anyone use anything else. In most cases it's a traditional soap and often a lower cost one. They think that they're saving you time and money recommending the items that they use and enjoy. Intentions are good here but you don't always get current information based on what's out there at the moment. You might get a recommendation for a vintage razor, or a mainstream soap that's been out for decades. More of a "If it ain't broke why fix it" attitude here. The problem with this approach is that there has been in influx of very high quality products over the past couple years that they haven't tried yet.

Then you'll get the people that have tried six soaps and are happy and even excited to share the best of what they've tried so far. Problem here is the very limited sample set. Good intentions here again, but the recommendations only go so far.

You may also get some solid advice from people that have tried a lot of what's out there but often times it's drowned out by the other responses. You can ask questions in a specific way that might give you some clarification. For example, "For those that have tried at least 15 RazoRock soaps which one did you like best and why?" Or "How many RazoRock soaps have you tried and are any of them tier one?"

My intention isn't to offend anyone, just sharing some general thoughts that are probably worth what you paid for them.

That being stated, I see Razorock soaps as more of an excellent value offering. I don't believe that it is their intention to compete with the top tier soaps out there. That being said after trying most of them I found Mudder Focker to be their very best soap by a good margin. Not as good as the very top tier for me but a really nice high quality soap with some pretty decent post shave attributes. It's definitely worth trying. The scent is a Terre d'hermes clone, so think of a woody orange scent with this one.

I was hoping you would comment as you have a great deal of experience with great soaps!!