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Expensive vs cheap.

@Jack Goossen i'll need to go way way offtopic to the topic at hand here to explain - mods, if its too far. simply delete.
As far as I'm concerned I experience significant difference in soaps, with the more expensive ones usually of higher quality. I'm sure you'll agree this obviously differs from person to person. That's why I'm quite surprised you seem to dismiss the possibility that more expensive soaps can actually be a better choice for some. You could ask @RayClem who is sort of an expert in shaving soaps.
there is difference in soaps, hell yeah - no dismissing this on my end maybe i worded something poorly to cause misunderstanding - if so, my bad. but, the selling price is no indicator imo - not only not just a bad one, just none - thats part of the problem imo. warren buffet once famously (+precisely and rightfully imo) said 'price is what you pay, value is what you get'. price and value are completely different things. i dont know gentleman rayclem since i am not all that often here - maybe you are right about him, i dont say he isnt, i just dont know.
but, in my book, i would consider for example people like family weiss from vienna experts on soaps (just one example used as placeholder for many to get my point across and bc it fits like a glove). why? bc they have done it since 1924 - nonstop, nothing else. thats knowledge. knowledge i highly doubt some of these so called 'artisans' where able to gather in their 5y of existance (while needing to reformulating their 'craft' 5 to 8 times in that period - while still asking premium in all those years while basically driving with training wheels).
it gets better.
true anectode about fa weiss - when one of them died (really old), the two sisters of him who died thought about what to do with the shop. they had customers for decades all across the planet - from simple soap to exclusive stuff for something basic like soap (pricewise). they thought about selling the shop (with recipes, proven processes, equipment, etc). finally they didnt - they just closed shop. they said there where some interests in buying but they didnt sell it bc they said all of them where dropouts from different paths of life knowing exactly zero about soapmaking (but somehow wanted to be soapmakers). real story. finally they closed shop basically not having it in them to let the knowledge go down this path.
thats what i think is precisely what is happening with most (not all) of todays 'artisans'. i aint mad at them for searching a lane to provide for their families - not at all i wish them all the best of luck - but the market structure as consequence is just nuts. imo.

in a nutshell its very managable knowledge to start, low enty barrier cashwise (gigantically low compared to other sectors), somewhat niche but 'trendy', tons of guerilla marketing like ytbers (well, and b&b) talking about nonsense nonstop - comparable to your fav screwdriver channel talking ever day about your fav screwdriver handles grip, grip texture and grip color and comparing them meticulously while never needing to use it professionally - all while asking premium but cutting costs at parameters that are needed to be justified asking for premium. for me. wooohoo salmon colored screwdriver grip.

Am I correct in assuming it is this specific aspect of this topic that you find offensive?
probably yes, basically, but not exclusively. it doesnt need to be a subtle scent for example. i just cant roll with something that smells like a lollipop from a 4y old and is called 'strawberry cookie captain crunch cedar dream team' or 'hurr durrr'. i dont have it in me. same as i dont have it in me looking at aliexpress container in my bathroom. most of them check all these boxes at the same time hahaha - its either premium or aliexpress - you can hardly have it both. they want both. that is offensive for me. sidenote, i dont fk with vintage saab or old vovlo one bit.

others spending more money on a product than strictly functional or necessary. The idea of luxus give them satisfaction.
yes, the idea, but not the thing. thats hallucination. if poured in a container from aliexpress, while trying to be 'luxurious', with a better version of a 90s home cd printer lable, still trying to be 'luxurious', with chosen design that doesnt even remotely is luxurious but fkn tasteless poor (to disgustingly poor) graphic design (hehe all imo ofc). whats left? demanding luxurious prices while trying to be luxurious while not being it. aint gonna happen with me - personally, nothing more.

Again: for ME, the best soaps I use, are usually more expensive, give or take two or three soaps.
i am with you here, i have no problem spending money on soaps - from the broadly known i have mdc, t&hill creams, acqua di parma but i also have at least ±1kg of old tabac, proraso r+g+b, haslingers since they are quasi around the corner here, uncountable old speick sticks,..). maybe we just value the parameter 'value' from a very different angle. i dont see value in most modern artisan soaps since the offered package is not what i am looking for spending premium on soap. they offer in fact the opposite - as package.

No intention here to dismiss your opinion
all good, we have irrelevant soap small talk. no worries. i am not offended not even slightly. even if you would dismiss my opinion, it wouldnt change a thing for me. no hard feelings at all.



sorry mods.
bye guys.
 

Phoenixkh

I shaved a fortune
For me, I like variety more than I care for uber-quality.

Not dismissing those that rate that higher than anything else, but if I can get decent performance with say, a soap that costs $12 and I can get 5 varieties of it for the cost of a higher end soap like MdC, I will chose variety all day long.

I look at it like, how I want to spend the money not how much I want to spend.

I had a post a while back about my wife and I going out to eat where she likes trying new things and different places while I am not a fan of eating out - AT ALL.

It's not about spending money - for me it's would I rather spend $50 on 4 new soaps or a sack of grain for brewing versus on a steak dinner that will not be around in 24 hours? I'm gonna spend $50 anyway so I would rather spend it on something else.

Good topic with lots of different opinions!
We pretty much gave up on going out to eat. The mid range restaurants in our town (a university/college town) have all gone downhill since 2008 with just a few exceptions. Unless we spend a "lot" of money... ($200+), the meals are sub par... and I'm with you... the end results are flushed in a matter of hours anyway. So we both cook... we make much better food at home.

We still go out for special occasions and to a local Mexican place every so often. It's pleasurable....

We do differ (and that's what's great about B&B, so many valid opinions) when it comes to soap. I'd rather have 6 or so soaps I use repeatedly. But as I've stated, scents are really my thing. And I have skin issues because of psoriatic arthritis so mild soaps seem to work the best for me. I do have a couple more heavily scented soaps that don't affect my skin.

But we're all different. There is no single right way to approach "wet shaving". I like one razor but I do like a few different brushes. What works for one person would be anathema to another. Just a slight exaggeration there. <eg> (evil grin: denotes an attempt at humor)
 

shavefan

I’m not a fan
I've shaved for a week using MdC and proraso white tub soaps per week.Both are at the opposite ends of price range.
My conclusions are that there is very little difference between their performance, in fact proraso may beat mdc on after shave skin feel.
Both are excellent with very good ingredients and I have no irritation with them, unlike many other products of varying prices.
Long live both soaps.
For some perspective, I consider Proraso (green) one of the most expensive soaps I've tried. It irritated my skin so I couldn't use it. My MDC on the other hand has no such effect and lasts years in my rotation. In addition, Proraso left a nasty film on my hardware and sink.
 
Personally I've given up on soaps as I find creams much faster and easier to use. I will say that Proraso red cream performs as well as much more expensive creams and smells quite pleasant.
 
I've shaved for a week using MdC and proraso white tub soaps per week.Both are at the opposite ends of price range.
My conclusions are that there is very little difference between their performance, in fact proraso may beat mdc on after shave skin feel.
Both are excellent with very good ingredients and I have no irritation with them, unlike many other products of varying prices.
Long live both soaps.
Agree that you don't need to purchase an expensive soap for great performance. One of my favorite soaps is the recently discontinued Williams shave soap and I've found (as have many others) that it delivers similar performance to Mitchell's Wool Fat that happens to have the same top three ingredients. Both require extra effort & ideally a stiffer boar brush to deliver nice slick lather.

I recently tested out Razorocks "What the Puck" (WTP) Black Label triple milled soap puck ($2.99 on sale) and found it delivers excellent performance (see link to post below) that punches well above its price point. Consistent with other users who have posted. That post also includes an in-depth comparison of the WTP Black Label soap ingredients to other comparable non-tallow hard soap pucks that illustrates how similar (sometimes identical) they are even to soaps costing over 10 times as much. Note that the trace ingredients, often for scent or color, do vary across these soaps.

Fully respect that YMMV for everyone and note that many fellow B&B members may prefer the premium priced products for the scents or even for the container artwork that enhances a collection displayed in their shave den.

razorock what the puck triple milled shave soaps - https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/threads/razorock-what-the-puck-triple-milled-shave-soaps.621130/page-4#post-11738208

P.S. Proraso is a good soap. I have a tub of Proraso red croap and love how it quickly builds thick rich lather. As my other soaps deliver better slickness I often use Proraso as a super lathering agent either blended or in combination with other soaps.
 
There must be some truth in cost vs performance since Williams has apparently improved immeasurably since it was discontinued and has started rising in price 😁 I use mainly vintage soaps precisely because they are vintage, that is the important thing for me, scent and performance don't really matter although some vintage soaps perform extremely well.
Funny, Williams is one of my favorites and it's amazing to see it selling for as much or more that a puck of Mitchell's Wool Fat now. Almost tempted to trade my 1.75oz reserve pucks of Williams 1 for 1 for 4.4 oz. pucks of Mitchell's. Who knows though, with some patience we may soon be able to trade a puck of Williams for a Mdc or SV:) 🤣
 
I'm sort of a cheapskate myself, but mostly because expensive soaps come with formulations that are heavy on my skin and/or will cause it to break out.

I am talking about avocado, jojoba, coconut, peanut, almond oils and whatnot, various fatty acids, and other grease-like substances and stuff.

I don't want them in my soap. I want a soap that is easy to rinse off and leaves as little trace behind as possible.

It is also important to note that shaved skin is much more susceptible to absorb substances applied to it and allow them to enter the bloodstream; here is an example research article.

For instance, essential oils that are sometimes listed in more high-end soaps can be quite potent (some may have estrogenic and antiandrogenic properties), so perhaps putting them in a shaving soap (or an aftershave balm) is not the best idea.

In general, I personally try to keep things simple, and this usually translates to lower costs too.
 

musicman1951

three-tu-tu, three-tu-tu
I suggest two things:

1. You never pay for quality you don't perceive or appreciate. So any time you think the cheaper thing is just as good - congratulations, you just saved a bunch of money. Or if you think it's better but not worth the difference in price - don't buy it.

2. Stop considering the initial price of soap the same as where it sits on the expensive scale. MdC is cheaper than Wholly Kaw, which I use because I like it, even though it lasts considerably less than half the shaves of the MdC. If I use it every day the WK runs about $75 a year, the MdC about $45 (although I always order MdC two at a time).

I am, unfortunately, one of the poor folk who can tell the difference between the cheap stuff and the expensive stuff - and nothing's too good for me. Alas.
 
I've shaved for a week using MdC and proraso white tub soaps per week.Both are at the opposite ends of price range.
My conclusions are that there is very little difference between their performance, in fact proraso may beat mdc on after shave skin feel.
Both are excellent with very good ingredients and I have no irritation with them, unlike many other products of varying prices.
Long live both soaps.

+1! Two excellent options!

Your point is very valid about many items: price and performance are often very different animals!
 
I suggest two things:

1. You never pay for quality you don't perceive or appreciate. So any time you think the cheaper thing is just as good - congratulations, you just saved a bunch of money. Or if you think it's better but not worth the difference in price - don't buy it.

2. Stop considering the initial price of soap the same as where it sits on the expensive scale. MdC is cheaper than Wholly Kaw, which I use because I like it, even though it lasts considerably less than half the shaves of the MdC. If I use it every day the WK runs about $75 a year, the MdC about $45 (although I always order MdC two at a time).

I am, unfortunately, one of the poor folk who can tell the difference between the cheap stuff and the expensive stuff - and nothing's too good for me. Alas.

+1! Great point! Cost at purchase and cost/shave can be VERY different. :thumbup1::thumbup1:
 
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