Please use this thread to discuss THIS REVIEW
Joel, I have to disagree with you on this one. Admittedly, the price is steep, but the soap is second to none. No soap I have ever used has come even close to providing the level of quality lather that I can get from D.R. Harris. There are other good soaps out there...QED, T&H (I'm not a fan of Tabac). But none in my opinion are as good as D.R. Harris. It's well worth the money in my opinion.
I haven't used this soap, but after your postings on just how far you're willing to go for a quality soap, I'm a little surprised at the "not worth the money" rating. FWIW, I'd bet when you compare in terms of price per shave, the Harris will come out to be a better value than the QED. It will never beat Tabac, but I've been less and less impressed with the Tabac as time goes on.
I guess we can agree to disagree.... for the cost of 3.4 oz of Harris and it's annoying wooden bowl, you can get about 15oz of QED in more practical plastic tubs. At least for me personally - 15oz of Glycerine/QED soap will last longer than 3.4 oz of triple milled soap. A triple milled soap will last me about a year with daily use.... one tob of QED (the QED tubs are 47% larger) will last me at least 6 months, and at 1/3 of the cost, and providing superior lubrication, moisturization and closeness to the Harris to me personally, they offer a superior value.
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I think you mean 5oz tubs, not 15 oz. Also, I think the value of the Harris goes down when you buy it from a US retailer, much like MWF. The Gentlemans Shop offers Harris refills for $14, which is 2 bucks more than the QED soap. Of course, you must add shipping onto that, but if you pool your orders this isn't such a disaster.
But you don't use them. Why bump up the comparison price by adding something you're not going to use (and presumably wouldn't buy)?It's only "fair" to compare the cost of the Harris with bowl, as all three tubs of QED would have plastic tubs/bowls.
But you don't use them. Why bump up the comparison price by adding something you're not going to use (and presumably wouldn't buy)?
I'm merely creating a review, and responding to questions/comments accordingly. Everyone has a right to their own opinion, and that's fine and dandy, however when someone (ScottS) who has NOT used the soap in question (which is reflected in his post) and makes an incorrect statement (anyone can go to QEDUSA.com and see a 5oz tub of soap for $12, and go to vintage blade, or knox cigar or the like and see DR Harris for $35 for a cake in a bowl and logically see you can get 15 oz of soap, versus 3.4 oz of soap) it should be corrected, as someone who hasn't used the product, and isn't able to the math accordingly, or judge the longevity of said product (considering he hasn't used it) should be corrected.
Beating around the bush, adding multiple shipping charges into the QED soap, and so on and so forth is just an annoyance and a waste of time.
Try both of the soaps for an extended period of time, then tell me it's a wash.
Everyone has a right to their own opinion, and that's fine and dandy, however when someone (ScottS) who has NOT used the soap in question (which is reflected in his post) and makes an incorrect statement (anyone can go to QEDUSA.com and see a 5oz tub of soap for $12, and go to vintage blade, or knox cigar or the like and see DR Harris for $35 for a cake in a bowl and logically see you can get 15 oz of soap, versus 3.4 oz of soap) it should be corrected, as someone who hasn't used the product, and isn't able to the math accordingly, or judge the longevity of said product (considering he hasn't used it) should be corrected.
Overall.... good stuff, but not worth the $. For the $, QED, Tabac, etc are a better value.
My mistake was thinking you were talking about a 15oz tub of QED, when I obviously knew that one tub was $12. That said, I was using YOUR numbers for the longevity of the soap--which I assume are the numbers you were using to say that QED is a better value--as I have no reason whatsoever to assume you're wrong, and your numbers as agree with my general experience of milled vs glycerin soaps. Sure, you can go to knox and pay too much, just like you can go to a US vendor and pay 60+ bucks for Mitchell's Woolfat in the dish, but you'd have to not care very much about what you're paying to do the latter when you can pay 30 bucks from CarbolicSoap. We seem to have some crazy US distributors (NOT talking about our retailers, who are forced to do business with the distributors) who seem to feel that they can charge what they want, but that doesn't mean we have to give them our business. Of course, the Harris soap isn't as dramatically jacked up in the US as the Woolfat-- 40% instead of 100%
So, you said
I agree that Tabac is a better value--but I suspect, from 90% of the rave Harris reviews by people whos other opinions I largely agree with, and my own opinion of Tabac as compared to some other soaps, that its not as good a soap. T&H, in fact, is about the same value as Harris, as Knox sells the refills of Harris at the same price Classic sell T&H refills for (wrong again??). I simply disagree that QED is a better value in terms of cost per shave. You can get the Harris at $24 a bowl from the Gentlemans shop , and even with shipping, its about the same value as QED-- and the refills are an even better value, as is buying multiple bowls. If you must buy in the US, you can get fine value if you don't buy the wooden bowl. I simply did not add multiple shipping charges to the QED. I selected some product of comparable size and value (you can't buy QEDman soap via a web shopping cart, so far as I can find), and clicked Checkout to find the shipping cost, which came to $6.95, which is about what I paid for my last QED shipment.
You're not quite on, there, about the value thing, and I'll correct it. This is how misperceptions about price get started. How many people do you think won't try AOS cream ($4.15/oz from AOS), when they'll gladly buy T&H cream ($4.65/oz from classicshaving)?
Some people just don't get it....
Some people just don't get it....
I get it just fine. You made a statement I politely disagreed with, and provided numbers to back up my opinion. Then you kept changing terms until you were right and I was wrong.
The last time I checked this was a shaving forum, not a debate forum. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and Joel feels QED is a better value. If you feel differently, I don't see a problem. Actually, I don't believe you have tried it, so give it a shot and see what you think. I like both products and there will always be room in my shaving cabinet for both of them.
Folks - Quick question on the Harris Lavender - does it perform similarly to the Arlington? I.E. Are the Harris soaps identical with the exception of scent as many vendors are?