How do you use your samples?

[scribble]

I may have went a little overboard on sample soap order recently. I think I recently acquired over 25 samples.
When you get samples how do you work throug them?
One sample till it’s used up or rotate through them picking the good ones then go back and use the ones you like the most?

Let me know your thoughts.

 

[brucered]

Whatever you do, treat it like a full puck of soap in terms of loading.

The biggest mistake I see people make with samples is, trying to make them last for 20 shaves. They usually have a small footprint/surface area, so loading for your standard amount of time won't pick up enough product.

If it was me, I'd smear it on the entire surface of my soap dish or container and load as normal.

Personally, I hate samples.

 

[Wgg2017]

I stay with the same sample for at least 2-3 shaves. I get a better idea of how it performs and how to best build the lather compared to switching samples every shave.

I also scoop the soap out of the container and build the lather in a bowl.

 

[DesertIguana]

I used my samples in past one at a time until done, or used up. Then move on to something else. Got some sample for FREE Last Saturday at AZ Wet Shave Meetup. Should have a chance to test em in a month or so. most sample I have had a small, so I only get 5 - 7 shave out of.

 

[NorthernSoul]

Take it out of the tiny container, put it into an empty full-size container. Wet it and mash it down so it will stick to the bottom. Now, use it like any other soap. Rotate or not, whatever you want.

That means I would only have one or two samples in play at any one time.

 

[Lockback]

I may have went a little overboard on sample soap order recently. I think I recently acquired over 25 samples.
When you get samples how do you work throug them?
One sample till it’s used up or rotate through them picking the good ones then go back and use the ones you like the most?

Let me know your thoughts.

I have about 16 Stirling Soap samples and two larger sizes.
I've ordered about 4 or 5 at a time and try each one in a rotation. I've semi-retired 2 of them I really don't like but the rest then go into a rotation I used almost every day, unless I'm using Cremo or Cella or Proraso or Tabac.

 

[Lockback]

Whatever you do, treat it like a full puck of soap in terms of loading.

The biggest mistake I see people make with samples is, trying to make them last for 20 shaves. They usually have a small footprint/surface area, so loading for your standard amount of time won't pick up enough product.

If it was me, I'd smear it on the entire surface of my soap dish or container and load as normal.

Personally, I hate samples.

That's something I like about Stirling Soap samples. They're not tiny little containers. You can get a good purchase on 'em with your brush.

 

[spacemonkey42]

With the little cups, I scoop all that out and smear it in a different, larger container to load from. Then I get 4-5 shaves out of it. One has to make sure to really load well, otherwise you're not actually auditioning the soap at all.

 

[muzichead]

The biggest mistake I see people make with samples is, trying to make them last for 20 shaves. They usually have a small footprint/surface area, so loading for your standard amount of time won't pick up enough product.

I've only received samples from Stirling that are 1oz each. They are cut from an actual puck that Rod makes in I believe 4.5oz size and he gets 4 samples from a puck. I think the least amount of shaves I've gotten out of a sample was around 28-30 3+ pass shaves and a few I've gotten 35-40 3+ pass shaves!! I think he charges like $4 each for them.

 

[reformedshavr]

I must have 50 samples of soaps/creams and aftershaves - some I have purchased full size, others wind up going in the travel dopp or saved 'samples day' ... there are a few things that I just don't like going into a PIF box.
For me, the hobby part is in aftershaves and soaps so I love samples.
I'm on the 2024 Sabbatical and could go thru the year and well into 2025 on samples alone.

 

[Brutus]

I may have went a little overboard on sample soap order recently. I think I recently acquired over 25 samples.
When you get samples how do you work throug them?
One sample till it’s used up or rotate through them picking the good ones then go back and use the ones you like the most?

Let me know your thoughts.

I probably have been at it for too long, as I have arrived at my “tried and true” list and rarely change.
Can’t even remember when I ordered shaving samples last.

The free ones, which occasionally arrive with orders that I placed, I typically put aside for those short overnight trips where I want to travel as light as possible. Some I never use…


B.

 

[scribble]

I must have 50 samples of soaps/creams and aftershaves - some I have purchased full size, others wind up going in the travel dopp or saved 'samples day' ... there are a few things that I just don't like going into a PIF box.
For me, the hobby part is in aftershaves and soaps so I love samples.
I'm on the 2024 Sabbatical and could go thru the year and well into 2025 on samples alone.

I will be doing a PIF of the samples that I don't care for. So far I am down 5 that are going to be moving on, 2 I didn't even sample past the scent.