How do you choose what to buy?

[froogle_jimmy]

I know this is a broad question and there will be many answers but I think I am in a situation like a lot of people new to wet shaving. I live in a rural area and have no access to any brick and mortar stores besides big box stores and pharmacys (Walmart, Shoppers etc). I want to try more things but how do you go about choosing? Sampler packs for blades is a given. I got a few packs when I bought my razor and i got some pre-shave soap.

I dont know if I want to drop over $50 to get free shipping online and end up with shave soaps or creams that I dont really care for. I am a try before you buy kind of person when it comes to anything scented. but is this the only way to really figure out what you like? I read reviews all the time on here but peoples opinions differ sooo greatly especially when it comes to there beloved soaps and cremes. I had a guy on instagram send me a sample of Stirling(pretty nice stuff) and some Barrister and Mann(roam-smelled like a veterinarians office).

I am nearing the end of my Stirling sample and I have two small samples of Body Shop Maca root(maybe 4 shaves worth) then I am left with my Wilkinsons blue bowl(my face and I dont really enjoy it much).

So I ask you "HOW DO YOU CHOOSE"? There is so much out there and I have slim to no experience. Should I just take the plunge and buy 4 or 5 different things or just place and order with Stirling and not try anything else??

 

[guzziknight]

Maggards Razors have samplers of TOBs creams, maybe others as well, haven't checked on that. Also, if you have a good mall that has a Bath and Body Works store, they carry CO Bigelow cream, which is rebranded Proraso green, in small tubes to try.

Im sure there are other samplers out there as well. Sometimes you might have to just buy and try.

 

[crawpapa]

Is this the same company as www.stirlingsoap.com? I saw their listing on Vendor, and some of the prices look really reasonable, but haven't seen any feedback about their products yet.

 

[Acmemfg]

Well... I'm a firm believer in "Go Big or Go Home". I just buy it if it looks interesting. Then I'll give it a try. If it doesn't work out, there are multiple venues available to sell or trade it to another. Logic to said approach is like this-

I like the basic scent of sandalwood, lavender, almond, and rose. Hence, if I buy an assortment of stuff i.e. Tube of Proraso Red, tub of TOBS Rose, tub of Cella, tub of D.R. Harris Lavender...(all available from WCS for example and can be had with free shipping), I now have a lot of stuff which will probably meet with my olfactory satisfaction and allow me to see how each performs. Easy enough. What you don't care for, I will guarantee will be taken care of on the B/S/T.

 

[Trifern]

I do research in the forums here at B&B and others online and then make an educated guess. You can also call customer service at the various vendors. They are helpful because they want satisfied customers that not only come back for future purchases, but also tell their friends.

 

[emt88]

There are a bunch of vendors that offer soap, cream, and aftershave samples. Check out maggard razors. They have a build tour own sampler kit. I've noticed that once you start to try out a few different scents, you will begin to get an idea of what you do and don't like. When that happens, those confusing scent descriptions begin to make a whole lot more sense. If you want to try out a bunch of aftershaves, take a look at garry's sample shop. He's got a bunch to choose from at great prices.

 

[musicman1951]

There are some samples out there. I don't buy anything locally. I've tried samples of QCS, Castle Forbes and T&H.

My best purchases came after reading posts about "your three favorite creams" and the like. It will take some hours, but there seem to be a handful of creams/blades/etc that keep surfacing on these lists. For what it's worth, I don't often see Stirling on favorite lists.

My current favorites: SOC brush, Castle Forbes and Ultimate Comfort creams, Med Prep blades, Mergress razor - all came from reading too many favorable reviews to ignore.

Yes, you will read some posts where there are 40 responses and 38 different favorites. But if you read enough you will come up with a list of good possibilities.

If you have definite preferences you can post a question (i.e., what's a good lavender cream for under $25) and get plenty of help here. The lest specific your question the less helpful the answers.

What's a good brush would be an example of a poor question. What's a good brush for under $40 with good backbone but not a lot of scritch would bring excellent results.

If you have budgetary considerations please include them. What's the best lavender cream and what's the best lavender cream for under $5 are completely different questions.

I can't begin to count the number of times I've been helped by this community. Don't hesitate to post questions, there are tons of people here who love to help.

 

[froogle_jimmy]

Is this the same company as www.stirlingsoap.com? I saw their listing on Vendor, and some of the prices look really reasonable, but haven't seen any feedback about their products yet.

Yes, same company....The almond creme sample was great. They have a lot of great feedback and reviews on this site actually.

Maggards Razors have samplers of TOBs creams, maybe others as well, haven't checked on that. Also, if you have a good mall that has a Bath and Body Works store, they carry CO Bigelow cream, which is rebranded Proraso green, in small tubes to try.

Im sure there are other samplers out there as well. Sometimes you might have to just buy and try.

I will try the CO Bigelow. because there is a bath and body works at the mall nearby(and by nearby I mean an Hour and a half away).

Also I like Trifern's idea of calling customer service.

thanks for all the advice. Its tougher cause I am on a tight budget. And Canada Post have us Canucks by the "B@LLS" when it comes to shipping and they are pricey for anything over an inch thick.

 

[p0werslav3]

I'm in the same boat as you. No store close by to get a chance to physically check out the product first.

I've just been buying items I think I'd like and taking a chance. So far I'm about 90% successful and I've only been disappointed in a few products.

Sadly I think this is a hobby where sometimes you just have to take the chance. So much information on B&B, it's sensory overload LOL

 

[froogle_jimmy]

There are some samples out there. I don't buy anything locally. I've tried samples of QCS, Castle Forbes and T&H.

My best purchases came after reading posts about "your three favorite creams" and the like. It will take some hours, but there seem to be a handful of creams/blades/etc that keep surfacing on these lists. For what it's worth, I don't often see Stirling on favorite lists.

My current favorites: SOC brush, Castle Forbes and Ultimate Comfort creams, Med Prep blades, Mergress razor - all came from reading too many favorable reviews to ignore.

Yes, you will read some posts where there are 40 responses and 38 different favorites. But if you read enough you will come up with a list of good possibilities.

If you have definite preferences you can post a question (i.e., what's a good lavender cream for under $25) and get plenty of help here. The lest specific your question the less helpful the answers.

What's a good brush would be an example of a poor question. What's a good brush for under $40 with good backbone but not a lot of scritch would bring excellent results.

If you have budgetary considerations please include them. What's the best lavender cream and what's the best lavender cream for under $5 are completely different questions.

I can't begin to count the number of times I've been helped by this community. Don't hesitate to post questions, there are tons of people here who love to help.

Yes, I should have been more specific. The idea of looking at peoples "your three favorite creams" is a great idea!! Thanks for all the great info

 

[froogle_jimmy]

I'm in the same boat as you. No store close by to get a chance to physically check out the product first.

I've just been buying items I think I'd like and taking a chance. So far I'm about 90% successful and I've only been disappointed in a few products.

Sadly I think this is a hobby where sometimes you just have to take the chance. So much information on B&B, it's sensory overload LOL

Exactly!!! Sesnory overload. Im glad you have had a good success rate. Im not a fan of lavender or flowery scents and I see a lot of them.

Trial and error and the B/S/T may be the way to go.

 

[Renaldo]

If it looks interesting, I'll read the description and buy it.

 

[crleftwich]

Usually I buy what appeals to me. I didn't know anything about much of this stuff before joining this group and I've learned a lot. I've checked out a bunch of soaps, creams, razors, blades, aftershaves, preshaves, etc. But a lot of times, some of the things that many people around here rave about just doesn't appeal to me. So, I simply end up buying what appeals to me. And it could be something as simple as the packaging that causes it to appeal to me. Or sometimes, the brand name. Or just a brand that I am familiar with and enjoy.

 

[kbull719]

I have experimented with a lot of soaps. Razorock is one of my favorites, affordable, and have not yet found one I do not like. I believe Italian Barber is located in Canada, though I'm not 100% positive. Prorasso is great also.

 

[hakemakmal]

I'm the same situation,so as for me i decided on what to buy depending on most review here.Like for soap-cella,mwf pretty much loved by everyone,cream-proraso and than gradually goes for more sophisticated scent like jermyn street etc. As for blade,the sampler pack are the best route!

I bought a few,stick with them for a while(which is bloody hard with all the great review on other product!) until i'm superbly familiar with them. For eg proraso red water ratio might be diff with the green and those kind of factors do affect your evaluation. A proper evaluation is important for your technique feedback to me and having too much of variable is kinda make it more complicated.

If you are happy with Stirling performance and concerned about the shipping cost,buying in quantity and stick with them until you finish up everything sounds better to me.

 

[hakemakmal]

Yes, you will read some posts where there are 40 responses and 38 different favorites. But if you read enough you will come up with a list of good possibilities.

+1

 

[froogle_jimmy]

I have experimented with a lot of soaps. Razorock is one of my favorites, affordable, and have not yet found one I do not like. I believe Italian Barber is located in Canada, though I'm not 100% positive. Prorasso is great also.

If and when I do place an order I think I will go with Italian Barber. Sounds like a great guy to deal with and his prices seem very good.

 

[p0werslav3]

You may also want to break it down into 2 categories:

1) soap manufacturer
2) scent

Razorock, Synergy and Stirling are all good soaps, so you can't go wrong choosing from any of those. Just find a scent or two that you think you'd like from their offerings and you won't be disappointed

 

[lmill999]

I usually just go off suggestions of fellow B&B members. Everyone will have different favorites but there are some that seem to be universally loved. I started with those and then expanded. You could just go the simple route and buy everything!

 

[kbull719]

Joe is awesome. He has answered all of my questions, and helped me. Give him a try.