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I like AOS but they seem to be changing.

I like Art Of Shaving (AOS) but they seem to be changing. At one time they were, to me anyway, the gold standard for shaving soaps, creams, & balms.

It seems like they carry less of their products every time I check. They are down to one hard soap. One! I’m not much of a cream guy but the one I considered was also gone. This isn’t a holiday issue because this has been going like this for at least the last year.

If the point of their existence is to make money then they need to start making more $30 Soap pucks, and not just in lemon. I really like their hard soap but if I can’t buy it I will move on.

To be out of so many products during the holiday season is unconscionable.

Is AOS being run by a bunch of amateurs?
 
My local store had two varieties of soap: lavender and lemon. However, they did have a number of creams.
 
They are run by Gillette(P&G), which is why they couldn’t give too many flips about hard soaps and creams anymore. They may want everyone to believe that shaving goo is the only thing between you and being a Neanderthal.... I’m guessing here, but several years ago their hard soap went through an all vegetable reformulation away from their original tallow base which I believe was made for them by Velobra. I personally hated the reformulation and thought it was basically unlatherable...... Maybe many others felt the same way as I, so AoS dropped their slowest moving soaps. Another option is that there are so many amazing artisans that cost half the price or less of AoS soaps and creams.


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I’m definitely keeping my options open. A shaving soap sampler pack from Soap Commander (SC) should be delivered to my house today. Once I got used to the scent I’ve had exceptionally good performance from a tub of their Honor soap. By the way, SC probably uses the best tubs and labels in the business.
 
I sometimes wonder whether the true “art of shaving” with Art Of Shaving (a.k.a. AOS) is to find out who makes the AOS branded product that you like, then cut out the AOS mark-up and buy either directly, or cheaper elsewhere, from the company that really makes the stuff you like.

In my view, AOS has some good products, but if you can obtain it (or something very close) from the original manufacturer, then you won’t have to worry about AOS changing suppliers and may save money on top of that.

Remember the great AOS shaving soap (that was really made by Valobra at that time)?
Might as well stick to Valobra, even if the scent differs a little bit.

Why would I buy a straight razor from AOS when the razors they sell can be bought somewhere else cheaper (possibly even shave-ready) and the AOS staff can add nothing to the purchase, as they know less about the subject than most of us do?
While I am prepared to support, and pay for the advice of, knowledgeable staff in a brick-and-mortar store, I am not inclined to pay for sales hype of someone who has never used a straight razor himself, and has minimal knowledge about safety razors, and who is so obviously unqualified to earn a commission from the sale of a product he does not even know.
This kind of hype just plainly annoys me.



B.
 
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I sometimes wonder whether the true “art of shaving” with Art Of Shaving (a.k.a. AOS) is to find out who makes the AOS branded product that you like, then cut out the AOS mark-up and buy either directly, or cheaper elsewhere, from the company that really makes the stuff you like.

In my view, AOS has some good products, but if you can obtain it (or something very close) from the original manufacturer, then you won’t have to worry about AOS changing suppliers and may save money on top of that.

Remember the great AOS shaving soap (that was really made by Valobra at that time)?
Might as well stick to Valobra, even if the scent differs a little bit.

Why would I buy a straight razor from AOS when the razors they sell can be bought somewhere else cheaper (possibly even shave ready) and the AOS staff can add nothing to the purchase as they know less about the subject than most of us do?


B.
Brutus,

I definitely hear you. I did order what was supposed to be the Valobra equivalent of AOS but I couldn’t get past Valobra’s scent even though the product was technically unscented. Too bad because I would have made Valobra my go-to soap.

I did check the AOS website today and they are now back up to two shaving soaps. Think about it, a company trying to be the all-in-all of Shaving and they only have Two soaps. Better than just one yesterday, but still pathetic.
 
Yeah, Valobra is a great shaving soap but the scent of his hard soaps/stick always reminded me of baby formula.

I don’t think Valobra has been making the current range of AOS shaving soaps for quite some time, but unfortunately I can’t tell you who else might be making them now.

Yet, there are so many great brands of shaving soaps that the loss of AOS lavender or sandalwood (the only ones I have in my den) would not faze me too much.


B.

P.S.
If you should like the current AOS lavender or sandalwood hard soaps, have you tried the equivalent D.R. Harris soaps?
 
DE blades: Merkur, Gillette Platinum.

Price:10 Merkur blades for $14... and 10 Gillette Platinum for $11.

Oh, my. Tee hee. Giggle, guffaw.
 
Yeah, pretty sad. My local AOS was light on inventory, and then they finally closed their doors. Now the nearest one is a couple hours away. I find their current soaps (non-tallow) pretty awful. I couldn't get any slickness out of them, so I just ended up using them as bar soaps in the shower.
 
Yeah, I have always stayed far, far away from their hardware! :-o!
DE blades: Merkur, Gillette Platinum.

Price:10 Merkur blades for $14... and 10 Gillette Platinum for $11.

Oh, my. Tee hee. Giggle, guffaw.

Blades from any brick and mortar are bad.

CVS - 10 "Blade for men" $5.24
Walgreens - Similar price, "Walgreen" brand, can't look up online though.
Walmart - 5 VDH $2.88
 
I sometimes wonder whether the true “art of shaving” with Art Of Shaving (a.k.a. AOS) is to find out who makes the AOS branded product that you like, then cut out the AOS mark-up and buy either directly, or cheaper elsewhere, from the company that really makes the stuff you like.

In my view, AOS has some good products, but if you can obtain it (or something very close) from the original manufacturer, then you won’t have to worry about AOS changing suppliers and may save money on top of that.

Remember the great AOS shaving soap (that was really made by Valobra at that time)?
Might as well stick to Valobra, even if the scent differs a little bit.

Why would I buy a straight razor from AOS when the razors they sell can be bought somewhere else cheaper (possibly even shave-ready) and the AOS staff can add nothing to the purchase, as they know less about the subject than most of us do?
While I am prepared to support, and pay for the advice of, knowledgeable staff in a brick-and-mortar store, I am not inclined to pay for sales hype of someone who has never used a straight razor himself, and has minimal knowledge about safety razors, and who is so obviously unqualified to earn a commission from the sale of a product he does not even know.
This kind of hype just plainly annoys me.



B.
You too, Brutus?
 
I recently started using their lavender and lemon shaving creams because I like the scents, but I have to say the lather is inferior to both TOBS and T&H, my other regular creams. I know I could easily find another good lavender cream, but I've not found any other decent lemon cream.
 
I suspect that AOS shops are still marginally profitable for P&G.
IMHO, their products are superior quality.
But, in the current retail environment, they face many challenges.
We'll have to watch and see.

aos shop.JPG
 
The AOS sheen for me wore off not long after its "Gillettification", with ever-more multi-blade and pressurized fare started pushing some of the more interesting stuff aside for for prominent shelf-space. Of course, in Gotham (NYC), there's a ready alternative to AOS for those in the know: Pasteur Pharmacy, with locations on the East Side (within spitting distance of Bloomingdale's) and East 34th Street, where, even though I'm now living on the other side of the Hudson, I still stop in periodically for stuff, or just to check out what's new. Their selection easily dwarfs AOS, and that's merely in addition to all the usual pharmacy/apothecary stuff you'd expect to find in a place like this. This is where I got to inspect Parker's Variant for the very first time (and buy it...same price as online, plus that instant-gratification factor), where I got my first samples of what are now my go-to blades (Astra Superior Stainless and Croma), and my now-fave after-shave balm (Pre de Provence No. 63). All in a relatively short time. So I get to support a cool B&M (only ordering online if they're out of stock and I need something fairly quickly) and get my fave stuff at a fair price. Hardly the same "boutique" chic of AOS, but I can deal.
 
Of course, in Gotham (NYC), there's a ready alternative to AOS for those in the know: Pasteur Pharmacy, with locations on the East Side (within spitting distance of Bloomingdale's) and East 34th Street, where, even though I'm now living on the other side of the Hudson, I still stop in periodically for stuff, or just to check out what's new. Hardly the same "boutique" chic of AOS, but I can deal.

Just heard a few days ago that Gotham was a nickname for NYC, and mere minutes ago that it had been nicknamed for more than a century before Batman by Washington Irving (Legend of Sleepy Hollow author).

People all over the country wish they lived near enough to make a day trip there :) I have searched out a place here, and there, and over there, that carry shaving product. PdP- A close Central Market, PdP 63- A Central Market further away. Neither carries both. Cade- A L'Occitane's boutique. Merkur Razors(2) 34G & 51 and blades- House of Blades.
Alum block- AoS boutique. $20.00 I won't buy product from them again, perhaps a shave, but glad they exist because some people would never start DE shaving otherwise. An AoS trial set sold at SAMs started me into wet shaving, and I had been wanting to, but could not find a frigging brush anywhere, actively looking. I still haven't a brick & mortar that stocks usable brushes other than AoS. I imagine I could find VDH sets around this time at stores, but not in June. I'm thinking of driving up to OK to check out Wild West Shaving Company. Emailing to find out if they have a physical store front.
 
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