Expensive Soap. Oh Really?

[Steve56]

Folks,

I've been wondering about the MdC soap and ordered some to see what the fuss is about. From reading B&B threads, I'd believe this soap is pricier than anything else - and it may be if you order 50 grams because of the shipping.

So as the old comedy routine goes, "Just how expensive is it?" I checked the cost per gram, not counting shipping because shipping has less of an effect the more you buy - from anywhere. I compared soap in containers unless noted, people think more of containers than the soap sometimes, and MdC does come in a tin. My prices came from MdC (which I rounded), Italian Barber, and West coast Shaving.

It's true those 3 tins of MdC soap were expensive, but by the same token, they're almost a pound and a half of soap (600 grams). International air shipping is $14-20 per pound for anything, so $20-25 shipping would be reasonable.

MdC $50/200g = $0.25/gram (it's actually 0.27 today)
Cella $12/150 = $0.08/gram (red tub) You can find it cheaper occasionally.
Boelllis Panama bulk $50/250 = 0.20
Boellis Panama confret = $130/250 = 0.52
Acca Kappa White Moss refill $16/50 = 0.32
Trumper in bowl $34/80= 0.42
Trumper refill $18/80 = 0.23
Mitchell's in bowl $35/125 = 0.28
Mitchell's refill $13/125 = 0.10
C&S refill $37/90 = 0.41

So while pricey, MdC doesn't really seem all THAT expensive for a top-tier soap, there are plenty that cost more per gram, and I'll bet if I looked more I'd find more soaps that are more expensive. Yet few people mention other soaps being really expensive.

I'd guess that if MdC made it 100 grams for $25 versus 200 grams for $50 no one would complain except about shipping.

Opinions?

Cheers, Steve

 

[Luc]

The prices are probably out of date but it gives an idea: http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/177984-Soap-Price-comparison

 

[August West]

Thanks for the thoughtful mathematical comparison.

Gram for gram they are all a better deal than Raw Peruvian Flake.

 

[Steve56]

Yeah that flake doesn't lather very well.

Cheers, Steve

 

[August West]

Yeah that flake doesn't lather very well.

Cheers, Steve

But what a face freezer!

 

[Eeyore]

It highly depends on where you live. Some soaps are inexpensive here, and expensive outside of Europe. For other soaps, it is the other way around. The euro/dollar exchange rate also varies, of course.

 

[Atalk]

Good start for general guidance - Another variable to consider is that 1 ounce of Soap A may last a lot longer than 1 ounce of Soap B. Generally, a triple-milled soap is going to last a lot longer than a melt-and-pour. The pricing of each soap may or may not reflect this variable.

 

[Dondoh]

MWF is $11.25 shipped for a refill puck. I don't own a ceramic dish as it isn't something that appeals to me for the price. But if it were, it is far nicer than a tin... Just sayin'. But having said that, thanks for the write up. I'm all for any kind of rationalization of buying the most expensive soaps.

 

[SliceOfLife]

not counting shipping

Well there you go.

You've compared MdC with a couple normal soaps (Cella and Mdc Refills) and a bunch of soaps pretty much everyone agrees are also overpriced to prove that if you didn't have to pay the 50%+ premium MdC shipping forces you into, MdC would cost about the same as the most expensive soaps you could buy otherwise. You also proved that even buying the MASSIVELY more expensive packaging of Cella, it's still 1/3 the cost of MdC with about 90% of the makeup being identical even while giving MdC a free ride on their outrageous shipping costs.

Is this what you set out to do?

Few people mention C&S being expensive because there are a handful of people who keep C&S in their cabinets and they've already come to terms with its expense. They don't start threads about how, if you only shop during a full moon and while dancing in a pentagram singing Old Man River, it's actually cheaper than Arko. The other soaps you mentioned? I don't think I've seen anyone talk about them... ever. Except to badmouth them, call them overpriced, or say that the bowl (MWF) is a silly purchase since it costs so damn much more than the refill.


I buy expensive liquors. I feel no need to justify how if I lived next door to the place that made them and only ever bought limited edition versions which are no longer available and must be found in collectors basements for me of competitors liquors, my liquor would seem less expensive by comparison. Why do people constantly feel the need to argue that MdC is expensive? It is. You're not going to convince people otherwise by making absurdly unrealistic comparisons against soaps that few people use (and those that do WILLINGLY admit are expensive). Yes, MdC isn't expensive compared to buying a sealed bowl of Yardley on eBay ($100+). That doesn't mean it isn't expensive. $75 (about what it actually cost to buy MdC last I checked) for 200grams of soap is expensive. You can't change that reality. Embrace it. Say that you like using MdC enough you're willing to pay the exceptionally high price for it.

 

[rand77]

AOS refill $30/95g = 0.315 $/g
AOS in bowl $50/95g = 0.555 $/g

Shipping and taxes is a whole another level, but this is what I paid for AOS in store recently.

 

[Edinburgh]

 

[olschoolsteel]

Come on my friend. He is discussing the price of soap on a shaving forum in the soap section. He expressed his views and wasn't really condescending in any way. He raised a few points and asked for others opinions. While you are entitled to yours, there isn't any reason to be so critical of his.

Well there you go.

You've compared MdC with a couple normal soaps (Cella and Mdc Refills) and a bunch of soaps pretty much everyone agrees are also overpriced to prove that if you didn't have to pay the 50%+ premium MdC shipping forces you into, MdC would cost about the same as the most expensive soaps you could buy otherwise. You also proved that even buying the MASSIVELY more expensive packaging of Cella, it's still 1/3 the cost of MdC with about 90% of the makeup being identical even while giving MdC a free ride on their outrageous shipping costs.

Is this what you set out to do?

Few people mention C&S being expensive because there are a handful of people who keep C&S in their cabinets and they've already come to terms with its expense. They don't start threads about how, if you only shop during a full moon and while dancing in a pentagram singing Old Man River, it's actually cheaper than Arko. The other soaps you mentioned? I don't think I've seen anyone talk about them... ever. Except to badmouth them, call them overpriced, or say that the bowl (MWF) is a silly purchase since it costs so damn much more than the refill.


I buy expensive liquors. I feel no need to justify how if I lived next door to the place that made them and only ever bought limited edition versions which are no longer available and must be found in collectors basements for me of competitors liquors, my liquor would seem less expensive by comparison. Why do people constantly feel the need to argue that MdC is expensive? It is. You're not going to convince people otherwise by making absurdly unrealistic comparisons against soaps that few people use (and those that do WILLINGLY admit are expensive). Yes, MdC isn't expensive compared to buying a sealed bowl of Yardley on eBay ($100+). That doesn't mean it isn't expensive. $75 (about what it actually cost to buy MdC last I checked) for 200grams of soap is expensive. You can't change that reality. Embrace it. Say that you like using MdC enough you're willing to pay the exceptionally high price for it.

 

[Steve56]

Yeah I didn't think I did any of that. My only conclusion is other than the international shipping, which is the same for the same weights of anything, that the cost isn't that much different than other high end soaps.

i do admit to being rather long winded about it though.

Cheers, Steve

 

[August West]

Yeah I didn't think I did any of that. My only conclusion is other than the international shipping, which is the same for the same weights of anything, that the cost isn't that much different than other high end soaps.

i do admit to being rather long wind about it though.

Cheers, Steve

No good deed goes unpunished.

 

[inspiringK]

Well there you go.

You've compared MdC with a couple normal soaps (Cella and Mdc Refills) and a bunch of soaps pretty much everyone agrees are also overpriced to prove that if you didn't have to pay the 50%+ premium MdC shipping forces you into, MdC would cost about the same as the most expensive soaps you could buy otherwise. You also proved that even buying the MASSIVELY more expensive packaging of Cella, it's still 1/3 the cost of MdC with about 90% of the makeup being identical even while giving MdC a free ride on their outrageous shipping costs.

Is this what you set out to do?

Few people mention C&S being expensive because there are a handful of people who keep C&S in their cabinets and they've already come to terms with its expense. They don't start threads about how, if you only shop during a full moon and while dancing in a pentagram singing Old Man River, it's actually cheaper than Arko. The other soaps you mentioned? I don't think I've seen anyone talk about them... ever. Except to badmouth them, call them overpriced, or say that the bowl (MWF) is a silly purchase since it costs so damn much more than the refill.


I buy expensive liquors. I feel no need to justify how if I lived next door to the place that made them and only ever bought limited edition versions which are no longer available and must be found in collectors basements for me of competitors liquors, my liquor would seem less expensive by comparison. Why do people constantly feel the need to argue that MdC is expensive? It is. You're not going to convince people otherwise by making absurdly unrealistic comparisons against soaps that few people use (and those that do WILLINGLY admit are expensive). Yes, MdC isn't expensive compared to buying a sealed bowl of Yardley on eBay ($100+). That doesn't mean it isn't expensive. $75 (about what it actually cost to buy MdC last I checked) for 200grams of soap is expensive. You can't change that reality. Embrace it. Say that you like using MdC enough you're willing to pay the exceptionally high price for it.

I agree. All the math kind of goes out of the window when we omit the fact the MdC forces people to pay an absurd amount for shipping. Adding the price of the fancy bowl to the price of other soaps isn't really an accurate comparison either.

All said and done, I think that C&S is the only soap regularly mentioned here that can actually compete with MdC for price and win. The difference is that C&S users don't seem to suffer the kind of buyer's remorse that encourages its fans to find ways of justifying the high purchase price.

MdC is expensive. If it is worth it for whoever buys it, so be it. The most expensive soap is still cheaper than the cheapest item purchased for many other hobbies. So, I don't understand the desire to artificially make it seem like the price is anything other than what it is - expensive.

 

[skleice]

When you consider how little product you must use each shave with MdC, the numbers get even more reasonable.

 

[NCJack]

The most expensive soap is still cheaper than the cheapest item purchased for many other hobbies. So, I don't understand the desire to artificially make it seem like the price is anything other than what it is - expensive.

Amen, Brother! Every shaving item I have, together, cost only slightly more than my bought-used, two generations old backup camera body.

 

[Nick Danger]

I bought MdC because people here that I trust said it was a great soap, and I wanted to try it. I wasn't influenced by the fancy packaging or the snob appeal of the high price tag. I didn't need to be one of the cool kids. I just wanted to see if it was as great as I heard.

For me, it was worth the cost and the waiting time for it to ship from France. I'm getting great shaves with my MdC. That's not because I think high cost = value or quality. I can think of many expensive things I've bought, some of them shaving related, that were not worth the money. But MdC is something I enjoy and feel was well worth the price I paid, based solely on the quality of shaves that I get. Not everyone will agree with my opinion, as is their right. I don't need to justify my purchase to anyone (I'm not married anymore.) MdC has earned a permanent spot in my shaving soap rotation. I'd encourage anyone to try it, because it's something that will sell in minutes on B/S/T if you decide it wasn't worth the cost to you.

Nick

 

[evnpar]

+1

 

[Eeyore]

€49,99 for 200gr soap, including shipping from France. Not really cheap, but not absurd either.

Of course one should not compare that with a €0.75 puck of Palmolive that one picks up themselves from the supermarket shelf. We're talking about luxury versus commodity here. For instance, 200gr Dr. Dittmar doesn't come out much cheaper than MdC.

Shipping costs to the USA is a moot point, IMHO ... when I order something from America, shipping is expensive as well. That is something you need to accept when ordering from outside your region.