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Can someone fill me in on recent DE shaving trends?

Last time I was here the hot topics were as follows:
  • Tabac smells like Grandma's purse
  • Rockwell is the Saviour of the American manufacturing industry
  • 'Artisan' is not a word reserved for baked bread
  • Croap is the only relevant soap consistency
  • Gillette is soy
Can someone fill me in on what's been happening in DE shaving over the last two years?
 
I guess more recent trends I’ve noticed are:
  • Everything has to be made out of titanium, for some reason
  • Razors must clamp the blade close to the edge, above and below
  • Boar is in, horse is out
  • Synthetic brushes are good now
  • Arko can be talked about openly in a public forum, though that doesn’t mean nobody will judge you
  • Nobody has heard of Pannacrema Nuavia, even though it was the only thing people talked about two years ago
  • ‘Super-lathering’ isn’t a thing any more but apparently it used to be a thing
  • ‘Expensive’ doesn’t mean $150 any more, it means $500
 
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I am not sure on the dates here because my concept of time is off these days.

- Valobra soap was discontinued.
- Tabac is now vegan base.
- Floïd Genuine is being made again (oh it was stopped for a while. Still no Floïd Blue yet)
- Adjustable slant razor is now a thing.
- Barrister and Mann are on their "Final" soap base (Omnibus) iteration now.
- Williams Mug soap has been discontinued.
- Irish Moos was discontinued.
- FINE Soaps are no longer hard pucks.
- Speick is vegan now.
- Rockwell Finally release their Model-T razor (Their actually onto their 2nd iteration but still not made of stainless steel or completely brass).
- Dan, The nose behind the scents of Australian Private Reserve passed away earlier this year.
- The cost of soaps and everything shaving in general has gone up.
- Gillette now sells a basic DE razor that is available in many stores and supermarkets (King C Gillette Razor).
- I'm still sad I Coloniali soap was discontinued.
- Pannacrema pulled a fast one and discontinued selling their soap in the lovely larger containers and now sell it for the same price for less contents (Was 200ml but now 160ml) in a generic glass container with a metal lid. Thus ruining my collection and will to buy another one.
- Godrej Shaving soap was discontinued. (Delmy is the step in replacement as its very similar)
- Palmolive shave stick was discontinued.
- Apparently Gillette have not figured out a way to add more blades to a razor yet.
- Synthetic brushes can apparently cost the same if not more than badger brushes and people are somehow okay with that.

That's all I can think of right now.
 
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Yes.

*Shavettes are now called straight razors.…. By youtubers.

*I don’t know you, but I’m sure your lather is sh**.

*There must be enough residual slickness to shave next day with only water. Otherwise bin it.




Oh… and it‘s 6 passes now.

Didn't know about the shavettes thing, but the other three points are pretty much status quo.
 
I am not sure on the dates here because my concept of time is off these days.

- Valobra soap was discontinued.
- Tabac is now vegan base.
- Floïd Genuine is being made again (oh it was stopped for a while. Still no Floïd Blue yet)
- Adjustable slant razor is now a thing.
- Barrister and Mann are on their "Final" soap base (Omnibus) iteration now.
- Williams Mug soap has been discontinued.
- Irish Moos was discontinued.
- FINE Soaps are no longer hard pucks.
- Speick is vegan now.
- Rockwell Finally release their Model-T razor (Their actually onto their 2nd iteration but still not made of stainless steel or completely brass).
- Dan, The nose behind the scents of Australian Private Reserve passed away earlier this year.
- The cost of soaps and everything shaving in general has gone up.
- Gillette now sells a basic DE razor that is available in many stores and supermarkets (King C Gillette Razor).
- I'm still sad I Coloniali soap was discontinued.
- Pannacrema pulled a fast one and discontinued selling their soap in the lovely larger containers and now sell it for the same price for less contents (Was 200ml but now 160ml) in a generic glass container with a metal lid. Thus ruining my collection and will to buy another one.
- Godrej Shaving soap was discontinued. (Delmy is the step in replacement as its very similar)
- Palmolive shave stick was discontinued.
- Apparently Gillette have not figured out a way to add more blades to a razor yet.
- Synthetic brushes can apparently cost the same if not more than badger brushes and people are somehow okay with that.

That's all I can think of right now.

Actually amazing amount of information that I never knew about - and quite a significant amount of change over a couple of years.

Things I'm surprised and / or disappointed and / or saddened about, and / or feel like commenting on:

  • So many old established brands folding or being discontinued: Valobra, Williams, Palmolive Shave Stick, Godrej. I never got to order Godrej (it was in my ebay cart!) so that one is particularly disappointing.
  • Tabac going vegan! There's something that doesn't sit quite right about that. I am a huge fan of Tabac and have enough of it to last a decade anyway IMO.
  • Dan from APR. Toyed with the idea of buying APR's products from a local shaving supply shop - although realistically there a few products in front that I would have bought first. Can anyone shed more light on this? I read about COVID issues and also some issues surrounding product deliveries.
  • Also was keen on getting the Pannacrema but it was cost prohibitive so I don't think the downsize issue will change things (I wouldn't have bought it anyway probably).
  • Knew about the King C Gillette razor and saw no need to buy it at the time.
 
I've been wet shaving for over 10 years but took some years off from the forum only to come back and find a world of change took place.

Back in the day the English ruled the best soaps category and the only brush hair that was respected was badger. The more expensive the soap and brush the more clout you had.

There were very few "modern" razors being made or artisan soap / scent makes out there. It was all about vintage Gillette razors and name brand soaps.

Now the sky is the limit with tons of modern razors being made in all blade formats. Synthetic fibers have come a long way and there is now a pretty big variety within the synthetic category alone. We're swimming in artisan soap makers as well as brush hande makers so you can blow plenty of time researching them, But.... The good thing is, is that you could close your eyes, click your mouse and have some truly amazing gear show up at your door without worrying if what you're getting is any good.

You really can't go wrong these days. Soap bases are great. Scent options are endless. And there's tons of info out there about it all.

Welcome back. 😉
 
Yes, its very disappointing about such old established brands packing it up after all these years. I guess with the influx of artisan soap makers becoming more abundant it really squeezed out your classic brands. I almost purchased the classic Williams mug soap as well as Godrej round soap from Maggards but put it off until it was too late.

Tabac going vegan was a bit disappointing but I have a large stash of the tallow based pucks at home plus two unused soap/containers that should last me two lifetimes but nonetheless it appears most people are okay with the new vegan base.

Not much is known about Dan's passing or his illness but it was rather sad. From what I can gather here there may have been an issue regarding covid at one point but am not sure that was ultimately the issue. I ducked out of the shaving scene for a few years so I missed out on buying many of APR products but beyond that it's a shame to hear of his passing. It was apparently confirmed by his wife a month or so ago. He had passed earlier this year before. Obviously she had a lot to going on but we are very grateful for her notice.

Yes, regarding Pannacrema I was particularly keen to try their soaps and made an order from Australia direct from them in Italy and needless to say the three that I have are wonderful. I really enjoy the scents a lot not to mention the packaging. Whenever I open the box they are stored in the scents fill the room. The way I rationalized my spending was that they were a similar price point to MdC and also the same amount of soap per jar but came in a beautiful jar and also the scents and soaps were very highly regarded. Given my Italian heritage I wanted to have them. I have zero regrets only that I should have got the matching nera when I could have. If anyone from Pannacreama is reading then I implore you to go back to the old format at least for an anniversary run because it definitely does not make financial success to buy them now.

In regards to the King C Gillette razor I felt it was interesting to see Gillette attempt to come back to market with a modern DE razor. It was both sad and great. Sad because it appears they no longer have the capacity to develop a great razor they were once known for let alone one in house but also great because they appear to acknowledge the fact that traditional wet shaving is now a thing. I guess any sort of exposure is good as I have seen a few posts of people getting into traditional wet shaving based on this razor availability.

Here are a few others I remembered right after my initial post:

- Polsilver blades were actually discontinued. (Wizamet's are arguably the same if not very similar)
- Personna Israeli Red Blades are no longer Israeli. They were then made in Mexico for a short while after (could be wrong) and then finally Germany where all Personna branded blades are made now.
- Blackland released the first 3D printed stainless steel razor this year to much fanfare it has since been discontinued. (still some stock available but all the popular plates have sold out)
- Blackland released a lite version of their popular Blackbird razor.
- Tatara released a unique adjustable razor called the Muramasa. "Simultaneous adjustment of blade gap and blade exposure"
- You'll probably hear a lot about Henson razors here.
- We are all worried that Mitchells Wool Fat could be next.
- Pearl made an all brass REX Ambassador inspired razor that weighs a ton.
- Noble Otter discontinued Two Kings, Plunder and Northern Elixir
 
I guess more recent trends I’ve noticed are:
  • Everything has to be made out of titanium, for some reason
  • Razors must clamp the blade close to the edge, above and below
  • Boar is in, horse is out
  • Synthetic brushes are good now
  • Arko can be talked about openly in a public forum, though that doesn’t mean nobody will judge you
  • Nobody has heard of Pannacrema Nuavia, even though it was the only thing people talked about two years ago
  • ‘Super-lathering’ isn’t a thing any more but apparently it used to be a thing
  • ‘Expensive’ doesn’t mean $150 any more, it means $500
I guess über-lathering isn’t either huh? Both are still in my arsenal lol
 
I guess more recent trends I’ve noticed are:
  • Everything has to be made out of titanium, for some reason
  • Razors must clamp the blade close to the edge, above and below
  • Boar is in, horse is out
  • Synthetic brushes are good now
  • Arko can be talked about openly in a public forum, though that doesn’t mean nobody will judge you
  • Nobody has heard of Pannacrema Nuavia, even though it was the only thing people talked about two years ago
  • ‘Super-lathering’ isn’t a thing any more but apparently it used to be a thing
  • ‘Expensive’ doesn’t mean $150 any more, it means $500

I think it's an appropriate time to understand WHY super-lathering was a thing. I really want to know and legitimately don't know the answer. Yes, yes - I have seen the talk about slickness and creaminess. But let's face it - it's an extravagance that nobody has any need for whatsoever.
 
Welcome back!!

Great thread!

For me, the ‘traditional’ wet shaving world is always changing.

Conclusion (for me anyway): if I find a product I really enjoy, then I lay in a good stock to insure against changes in ingredients, differences in manufacturing process, or that the product may be discontinued. :popc::popc:
 
Welcome back!!

Great thread!

For me, the ‘traditional’ wet shaving world is always changing.

Conclusion (for me anyway): if I find a product I really enjoy, then I lay in a good stock to insure against changes in ingredients, differences in manufacturing process, or that the product may be discontinued. :popc::popc:
Some of the best advice offered on this forum!

marty
 

Phoenixkh

I shaved a fortune
I can't speak to any previous trends and because I don't have that experience, I can't really comment on the current trends either. I can say... my personal trend is too buy too many brushes and razors. Both of those have come to an end... the buying frenzy, that is. I plan to add another couple razors in a next few months... one a duplicate so I have two to pass down to our sons and a higher end one I have carefully selected, hopefully. ;)
 
For me the classics of 20 years ago were Proraso, the British dowdies, Tabac, MWF, Speick and Musgo, with Merkur and Muhle razors and Simpsons brushes.

I tried everything fancy since, but always once only. I always keep going back to the above. They’re not better or worse, just cozy, for me anyway.
 
Welcome back! DE Shaving benefits from technological advances. I like a lot of the "old stuff" but we're seeing Incredible improvements in both hardware and software at a fantastic rate. Shaving used to be a real chore. Now it's something I look forward to everyday and best of all I've made some great friends on this forum. It's a great time to be a DE Shaving Enthusiast!

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Great thread. I've been around five or six years and seen a few shifts. It's a good reminder that trends are temporary fashion and rarely enduring. It's fun to keep an eye out for genuine innovation in case it happens.
 
Last time I was here the hot topics were as follows:
  • Tabac smells like Grandma's purse
  • Rockwell is the Saviour of the American manufacturing industry
  • 'Artisan' is not a word reserved for baked bread
  • Croap is the only relevant soap consistency
  • Gillette is soy
Can someone fill me in on what's been happening in DE shaving over the last two years?
Hello, the recent shaving soap retrospective (link below) and multitude of responses should provide a nice update.

 
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