TOBS, Cella, Proraso, Tabac, Palmolive, MWF, Cella... all good. Some of them are croaps or creams but that's not the point. At current prices TOBS creams are a steal.
I am currently sampling as many “mainstream” soaps I can get my hands on to try to find just one or two that I can use daily and that I can count on being available when I want to order more. I’m even going to relax my scent desires and just focus on performance as long as the soap doesn’t have me smelling like a freak or a spice basket, or a something that somebody wants to eat or smoke. I just want to be clean shaven and smell clean and use a soap I can always get.
I’ve grown tired of “artisans” because it seems everytime I find something perfect for me, they decide to discontinue it, or it’s a one time batch. (I’m talking to you B&M, WK, DG, etc.)
And I’ve grown tired of a particular couple of artisans that when they do have a promising new release, I have to be sure I’m on their site, or whoever is selling it, the instant it’s released to try to order before they sellout in two minutes and be out of stock forever or for months. Too much hassle.
lastly, it seems many artisans are starting to get too cute with their scent formulas. Trying to outdo each other to get the most bizarre scent profile.
yes, I’m looking for something mass produced after primarily trying and using artisans
Ah you list Cella there.... great soap!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
I have Cella and VDH Glycerin.VDH Deluxe baby, $1.99 at Walmart.
Oh, and Cella......always Cella.
Dear @macintoshBR,
You listed one of my favorite soaps, Valobra which is seldom mentioned in recent years.
I cannot find them.
I am wondering if Valobra does not produce hard soaps.
Sir, Valobra is currently on a hiatus. They have been acquired by Ludovico Martelli, the parent company who owns Proraso in the end of 2018. Proraso, on the other hand, has been acquired by an Asian investor in late 2019.
since then, Valobra has been an incognito. No one knows if they will be back. Luckily, I have stocked enough of their hard shaving sticks and face soaps to last me 4-5 years.
I love all Valobra products. It would be really sad if they didn’t return
Valobra has indeed become impossible to find. When I first learned that Proraso had acquired Valobra, I wondered whether Valobra would survive. I was not aware that Proraso had been acquired by an Asian investor, and that raises even more concerns about the Valobra brand. It's troubling that two iconic Italian brands are no longer owned by Italians. BullGoose Shaving currently has Valobra available in the Cologne scent.
Stirling is artisan although they're very popular.I use Stirling. Is that artisan or mass-produced?
Who, in particular?I am a big fan of Artisan soaps for many reasons.
First of all they seem to care much more about their client base, giving out free samples, participating on the forums, listening to customer feedback which you hardly NEVER see with the big manufacturers. This is the biggest reason I support many of the artisans out there these days.
Second is the ingredients. The artisans tend to use much more "skin friendly" ingredients and a lot less chemicals or unnecessary crap thrown in the recipe. Many of the big names are known for reformulation for the worse (T&H,TOBS, Trumpers, C&E,Williams, ETC.) which also has to do with reason #1. This goes to show many of the big guys could care less about making a acceptable product and are more focused around profits rather than customer satisfaction.
With all this said there are good and bad soaps in both categories but I find myself reaching for artisan soaps about 90% of the time as they tend to be more trustworthy most of the time IMO (with a few well known acceptions lol) but you need to experiement and see what works best for you.
I believe Stirling includes a small sample with every purchase.Who, in particular?
Who, in particular?