Expensive shave soaps, do they work any better?

[Scooter1966]

I try to stick to my self imposed limit of $25 for a soap...
The 3 or 4 times I've gone over that limit, I've been sorely disappointed...
Especially the two times that I went WAY over that limit...

 

[SHAVEWIZARD420]

It depends on what you consider to be expensive. Many of my favorite soaps are around the $20 range (GD, WK, T&S, etc.) A tub of soap will last a long time so I would rather use a soap that is better for my skin, plus with a great scent. A cheap puck of Williams or Arko would be sufficient to do the job, but IMO they don't create the same "Zen" as a good artisan soap.

 

[Tester28]

Good morning Gents,

I've been mulling this over in my mind as I see guys laying out $30-40 for artisan soap.

So what I would like to know is do they make the shave better in any way other than scent?

well....I believe this is a personal journey that is different for everyone. I spent a lot of time
experimenting with various creams and soaps and Im pretty sure I only scratched the surface compared to most guys
here.

In the end Ive settled on Saponificio Varesino Beta 4.3 for my soaps and Proraso Green and Red for creams....both these products come from different ends of the price spectrum....

I was very disappointed with Nuavia soap personally and that is almost the highest Ive shelled out for a shave soap, just goes to show high price doesn't necessarily mean great quality automatically.

when it comes to scents I have a clear aversion for common designer perfumes...I like a bit of nuance, sophistication, quality ingredients and complexity so I go for niche houses that aren't housed in the common fragrance hall of the mall. But it's a very slippery slop if you aren't careful as these things have crazy price tags IMO. So it's easier to get in on a split. But if you wait you can pick up almost any niche frag at a discounters website for 40-70% off...patience and persistence is the key.

 

[cw62803]

I've tried several dozen soaps and creams; I like most of them and love a couple. I've never tried any of the super expensive luxury brands, but I would love to. I just can't bring myself to fork over the money when I already have more products than I can use in my lifetime.

 

[Russrat]

Really interesting question as I have struggled with it a bit myself. Every time I decide to use certain soaps and creams only, I end up trying samples of more expensive products because why not....and every time I decide that the more reasonable priced products are just fine. I do not see much difference at all between the products I have tried other than scent. I enjoy sandalwood alot and my favorites are Stirling and Proraso.

I am currently using a new puck of Stirling Sandalwood. After about a dozen shaves it still looks almost unused. I expect I will get lots of shaves from this. Having AS splashes and balms with like scents is a plus for me.

So, I have settled on Stirling and Proraso soaps, Proraso and Maca Root creams. All reasonably priced and work great for me. However, I also have a list of products I would like to try, based on reviews from all you fine folk......sigh.

While I am not a scotch drinker (since scotch was mentioned earlier in this thread), I have been drinking bourbon for 40 years. I have a favorite rather expensive bourbon that I enjoy but it is very hard to find so I buy my old standby, Wild Turkey 101. I enjoy Blanton's more, but sipping Wild Turkey does make for an enjoyable time. Guess it is similar with soaps/creams for me.

Try Turkey’s new Russell’s Reserve Single Barrel. It is exceptional; readily available; and can often be found for around $45 or so.

As to the soap question, I do find the post-shave feel of WK/DM, GD and B&M Reserve to be clearly superior to all the other dozens of soaps I’ve tried. Whether they’re superior enough to warrant the premium price, that is, IMVHO, purely subjective to each individual’s means and monetary priorities.

 

[D1dad]

$8 Razorock=bad
$15 soap commander=good

 

[Vineeze]

For me I started from the bottom up, using the least expensive shave soaps and kept going up. After I tried Stirling I just stuck with them because I really like their scents and the performance of the soaps. I havent found any soap under 15$ per tub that is better than Stirling. But I have never tried the Razorock soaps

 

[Neffarious]

$8 Razorock=bad
$15 soap commander=good

Thats like the Amazon reviews that say "this sucks!" and nothing else. Care to elaborate?

 

[dundak]

Nope. Nothing has outperformed a $10 puck of MWF or Tabac for me.

 

[Ron R]

Here's some nice chart's that Martin compiled on B&B that makes some sense, my thought is buy what you can afford or want to spend and enjoy the shaves.Tableau Public

 

[D1dad]

Thats like the Amazon reviews that say "this sucks!" and nothing else. Care to elaborate?

Pretty much you get what you pay for. Now there’s exceptions, such as latha by B&M which is on the low side price wise. Having shaved with a brush for years it wasn’t till I found this site that I branched out into other brands, such as soap commander and Taylor of old bond. I did use castle Forbes a few times as well as some other high end soaps over the years and loved them but didn’t like the price. I tried TOBS and have pretty much used it exclusively ever since. I ordered a few Razorock offerings and absoloutely detest them, they offer no glide whatsoever and smell and lather up like a cheap soap.
If I was told I could only use tobs for the rest of my life I’d be fine with it. If I was told I could only use Razorock I’d look like a stunt double on duck dynasty.

 

[Neffarious]

YMMV I guess. I don't remember anything special about TOBS at all especially at its price point. The body shop Maca root I had ay the same time left a better impression. thay wad a while ago, so it might suit me better now

 

[TropicalHotDogNight]

IME, great soap comes at almost any price point. It is not necessary to spend more for a better shave. Some of the best soaps that I have used have been fairly inexpensive, and some of the more expensive soaps that I have used have underperformed for their price point. In my opinion, the price of a soap has more to do with the cost of essential oils, quality of the fragrance, and the prestige and reputation of the artisan/brand. Additionally, if you buy from smaller artisan brands, they need to charge a fair amount, to keep their operation running. The actual performance of the soap (Slickness, glide, latherability, etc.) seems to be comparable across the spectrum, from lower end soaps to higher end soaps.

 

[surileo]

My experience with the best luxury soaps has been great except for MDC. The top tier soaps that I own which are pretty expensive are

1) ADP
2) SMN
3) C & S
4) Penhaligons Blenheim Boquet
5) I'coloniali Mango
6) Saponificio verasino
7) Boelis panama 1924
8) MDC

They surpass the performance of many other soaps that I have which would cost less than 20 AUD. I am really not bothered about the scent of the shaving soaps or creams. The only criteria is the performance.

 

[WildWest74]

This is a topic that crops up every so often, You may have even seen the thread I started where I was testing out the "high-end" expensive soaps via samples. The reason that thread got abandoned is because I found a soap that costs me $7 a pop and delivers the best shaving experience I had ever gotten. At that point, spending more than $30 on a soap seemed silly. I have splashed out for some overseas artisans (Phoenix & Beau, Extro), and I have also enjoy Grooming Dept, so I am willing to pay a premium, but things like Nuavia and Martin de Candre hold no more mystery for me. If I had paid full price to try them it might be different, because we often try to convince ourselves we like something more than we actually do whenever there has been a significant investment. It's like the bottle of McCallan 1945 I saw at a local restaurant. Once I found out it was $200 a shot, I was desperate to know what it tasted like. But if I had paid for it, there's no way I could have lived with myself if I admitted that it was not phenomenal.

 

[RobW]

Between Stirling, Mystic Water, Haslinger, Soap Commander, and Mike's there are ample options for excellence in the $10-15 range.

The price differences seem to come down to scent ingredients and post-shave. The buttery soaps that moisturize and have exotic tallows are fundamentally different in what they do for your skin compared to the "classics" and they should cost more for that experience. Same goes for soaps that use premium scented oils.

Importantly, I do not have sensitive skin so I have a much wider tolerance for a "good enough" soap that doesn't need the sticker shock. I understand not everyone has this luxury, but hope everyone at least enjoy the journey to find what works for them.. nobody should have to suffer from irritated skin while they shave.

 

[MilkCrate]

For me I started from the bottom up, using the least expensive shave soaps and kept going up. After I tried Stirling I just stuck with them because I really like their scents and the performance of the soaps. I havent found any soap under 15$ per tub that is better than Stirling. But I have never tried the Razorock soaps

+1

 

[Badgerstate36]

Im going to say no. Lately, Ive been doing the same and come to the conclusion that a $20-40 soap is no better than something like VDH or Williams, its just a better scent.

 

[Neffarious]

I'm glad everyone else is testing for me. My wife might hurt me if i spent $40+ on a shaving soap lol. Of course 8.99 for the three RazoRock triple milleds is fine since they will last just shy of forever.

 

[Guitar10]

Ok this is a very interesting thread no doubt about it. For my part I can’t answer you for the expensive part, i consider myself a frugal guy so for me paying more then $25 for a shaving soap is out of the question. I’m very sure that there’s awesome soaps after the $25 rate and I have no doubt about it but to me BUDGET IS THE MAIN THING, so far i’m More then satisfied whit the soaps that I have and they gave me the results that I expect. So my opinion here is subjective to everybody spend what you can whit the $$ we can, if you can afford a $100 soap to me there’s nothing wrong there as long your budget permit it.