Have any gents backed mass-produced soaps after trying some artisan ones like me?

[Earcutter]

I think the trick to artisan soaps is to actually embrace the hit or miss aspect. When I first started into them, my control freak side went ballistic every time they’d mess with a formula or drop the one soap I loved. Now I’ll buy one expecting to never have the same experience in a puck again. As a matter a fact, I don‘t even try. I’ll buy my regular stuff from established makers, then throw in a tub of this or that artisan stuff hoping I’ll like it.

Truth is, I’ve given away way more artisan soaps/balms here lately than kept. But I’m still happy all the same. It was just a shot in the dark anyway.

 

[Ron R]

I use both Artisan and Old name brands and to be honest those old name brands were all small company's or Artisans at one time to become big box store brands. I think some older brand names have been regulated longer and you hardly hear of their soaps making folks sick so they have done a good job with quality and QC.
So shaving is very opinionated & picking soaps now a days is mind boggling because there are lot to offer. I like scents with good lather qualities so some big brand names do not all have different scents (Tabac as example- I do like tabac soap).
If a person is worried about soaps going bad I would recommend triple milled soaps(triple milled soaps take most of the moisture out- aimed fact for new folks who just started traditional shaving who might not know this.)
Have some great shaves!

 

[Leo501]

“Everything in moderation, including moderation.” --Oscar Wilde

Considering that all mass-produced soaps/creams were once small artisans, I prefer a balanced mixture after researching what I'm buying.

I see two sides to the mass produced coin:

• There's a reason why some mass produced classics are classics...they're great products (Proraso, which I love)
• Some mass produced "classics" are a hollow shell of the original (Old Spice aftershave, for example)

As for small artisans, a company like Stirling is a shining example of why I'm open to adding the modern market to my routine. While I have no interest in buying each new scent they produce, the one that I have from them provides a terrific shave (much better for me than Arko, which I find very drying to my skin) at a very reasonable price.

 

[nav]

I make soap at home and sold for a short time as an artisan many years back. I use my own soaps often.

That said, the commercial stuff I buy is all mass-produced. Keeping in mind that mass-produced is somewhat relative, of course.

I like hard soaps more than soft. I don't like heavily-scented or heavily-superfatted stuff. I like the shelf stability of the big brand stuff. My commercial soap preferences:

Palmolive
Speick
Harris
Cyril Salter (current tallow formula)
Fine Accoutrements (yes, small operation, but the soap is a hard soap made by a mass manufacturer)

This is not to denigrate artisans. Stirling, Mike's, and B&M certainly have quality control handled, and they have been a this a while. The artisans push the envelope with scent and have explored some cool things in their formulations. It's just that I can have a lifetime supply on hand of my favorite soaps without worrying about rancid fat or drastic changes to the scent. And it's not paranoid to assume my favorites will reformulate or otherwise disappear. In my time as a wetshaver, these fantastic soaps have been discontinued or reformulated to worthlessness:

I Coloniali
Tallow AOS
Trumper
T&H
Valobra
Klar Kabinett
Crabtree & Evelyn
Taylor of Old Bond St. Lavender
Irisch Moos

Keeping a good supply of Palmolive on hand seems prudent.

I still have your Roots soap in my den...lovely stuff!!

 

[TBoner]

I still have your Roots soap in my den...lovely stuff!!

Thanks! It was fun while it lasted...at least most of the time. I make a different formulation at home now, but vetiver-citrus is something I always have to have on hand.

 

[SliceOfLife]

Vintage soaps.

 

[Atlantic59]

I usually go for the hard milled soaps, but I like the Italian-style soft soaps, also. I'm interested in trying things from smaller Euro makers such as Wickham 1912, Meissner Tremonia and Saponificio Verasino. This would be like a special treat. But first, I have to use up more of the soap I already have in the stash.

I think I could comfortably keep a short list such as:
Haslinger
Speick
Pre de Provence
Provence Sante or one other French shea butter soap
Cella
One special "treat" soap such as SV, Meissner, etc.

Too bad Valobra is in limbo for now.

 

[ksblazer]

I like variety, so I keep both mass produced and artisan soaps in my rotation.

For mass production soaps, I'm currently using.

Arko
Speick
Haslinger
Cella
Derby

 

[Cal]

I think I will only buy mass-produced soaps rather than try artisan ones after they are gone.

Same here Vincent.

My current top three (in order) are:

1. Vitos Red
2. Proraso Red
3. MdC Citrus

 

[Tedolph]

VDH Deluxe baby, $1.99 at Walmart.

Oh, and Cella......always Cella.

 

[Vincentchou]

My ideal soaps list:
Premium: MdC, SV
Regular: Arko, DR Harris, Haslinger, Tabac
Italian Crop: Cella, Vitos

I think when my artisan are gone, I will stick with the above stuffs.
I will be very glad and grateful to hear any forthcoming opinions.

 

[FoolishMortal]

...those old name brands were all small companies or Artisans at one time to become big box store brands.

This.

 

[ajduplessis]

MWF, Tabac and Proraso are mass produced soap I enjoy using.

Stirling and RazoRock are artisan soaps i enjoy using with great results.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Vitos Red!

 

[rudyt]

Personally, I stay away from artisans or anyone else making soaps in their kitchen.

I have used them in the beginning due to the hype, and after spending hundreds of dollars I realized it was a big mistake.

Currently I rotate among 5 brands, all made in EU to the highest standards and at least for two decades: MWF, Cella, Valobra, MDC, Castle Forbes

None of them sells 20 different bases, each with 50 different scents like many American artisans. There must be a reason for that

Ditto. +1. Thumbs-up. The above quote summarizes my thoughts exactly, and being lazy, I reused it.

The only difference is my list of soaps in daily rotation, also all European: Cella, Proraso, MWF, Haslinger, and Saponificio Varesino are the ones I use on most days. I'm a huge Valobra fan, both hard and soft, but I don't use them as often since they halted production - I use them sparingly to keep them around longer.

I still use artisan soaps on occasion, mainly Stirling and Chiselled Face, mainly because I bought them early on and I like the smellz.

 

[Duke of Buckingham]

My favourite soaps: Cella, Tabac, Vitos, MWF.

No offence intended, but I find US artisans over-scent their soaps. This, of course, is hypocritical from someone who loves Tabac.

I can get a kilo of Cella for the cost of a puck of the more marketing-savvy artisans, and I don't really feel like I'm losing out.

 

[htmd89]

You either have quantity or quality. Rarely both. A company making shave soaps for hundreds of years have 4 scents, guy making shave soaps in his kitchen has 4 bases and 72 scents. I will trust and stick to the company with 4 great scents over any artisan any day. Plus, no artisan comes close to the quality of MdC, SV or even Tabac..ofcourse these are all my opinions.

 

[GNR]

I started with all Artisan soaps after I stopped using can goo with a brush about 6 years ago. I like both but have definitely gravitated towards more EU small and mass market products such as MDC, Cella, MWF, Haslinger, and Speick. They lather well, have nice scents that are stable, not overwhelming, and repeatable. I still enjoy the Artisan stock I have like Murphy & McNeil, Mike’s, and Wholly Kaw but, I will probably limit the number in the future because guessing if the scent will work is too much of a gamble.

 

[Ivo4u2]

Depending on what you call artisan i use a lot more artisan as mass produced.

I can get a a more than good shave from a ProRaso, tabac, speick, cella, Vitos. Just a bit less olifactory Funn

But again where does artisan for the individuals transfers to high quality high price limited availability and disapears in the mass produced top sellers appealing to the big public.

Imho there is a big difference between how long they are in business (and even then they go belly up) and that sometimes crazy humongous line up of soaps reminding a bit of a mediocre restaurants 12page menu wanting to please everybody a little bit (but never really that happy)
versus that Cheap diner serving that single cheap dish for years or that Michelin restaurant with just a small but excellent menu both knowing what their customers want and hitting that price performance mark year after year.

I am one of those who really likes a new smell (as long as it shaves excellent predictable). And i do try the menu in a restaurant. But hey some make superb T-bone steak and wreck a hamburger. Still want to try.
So I would welcome let’s say stirling (which I am a fan of) to make a this year only mystery sampler pack of 5 1oz, 2oz pucks. And that could be 2 new 2 old and 1 chosen from the current line.
and also limit the core soaps line up to the real big sellers.
Popular demand will most likely bring some back in a big jar.

Would not mind if high end brands like mdc, sv did the same.

Once upon a time they were all artisans, some still are And hopefully a lot of them will keep that core artisanal artistic insanity and make us wonder.

Have fun all

 

[beginish]

With very few exceptions (Mystic Water, CBL Soaps and the sadly-no-longer-produced St Charles Shave), artisans fall well short of the mark for me. Give me the soap from a well-established company almost every time.