I take back what I said about AOS...

[delmonte]

Lately I've been voicing my disappointment of my AOS lavender cream because of the sub-par shaves and irritation I got from it. It also dried out very quickly, both on my face during a pass and in the bowl in between passes. Well, I had every right to be disappointed, as my particular tub was defective.

My dad and I both got AOS creams at the same time, back in August. In September, I bought him a tube of Proraso, and couldn't resist getting myself one, too

There was no contest between the Proraso and my AOS, yet my dad continued to rave about his AOS cream and said he liked it better than Proraso. Well I finally took a closer look at his cream and noticed that it shined in the light, meaning it was wetter, and it was a lot softer to the touch. Mine was dull, both lathered up and in the tub, and was dry, hard, and sticky to the touch, in comparison. Well I went to the AOS store today with my complaint and exchanged my tub for a new one

I just shaved with it a few minutes ago, and it was a very different experience! It lathered easier, felt amazing on the face, was shiny lathered up as well as in the tub, and gave me a really nice and comfortable shave! I still don't think it's better than Proraso, but it is not less good and definitely better than what I had before.

So the moral of the story is, disregard any of my previous posts complaining about AOS cream

And of course, if your tub has any of the same symptoms as mine did, return it and get a new one (also, props to AOS for giving me a new one so quickly and with no questions except "how long did you have it?")

 

[curtis909]

Glad to see they helped you out as AOS and all was made right.

 

[Phog Allen]

Glad it worked out. Other than the bum jar of cream you got I just don't understand the whole AOS bashing that sometimes goes on. They make SUPERB products. And they are mostly in line with other premium brands of toiletries. Their soap is expensive but one of the very best. I like their cream as well. Very comforting to the skin most times. Your experience just shows that these products should always be tried thoroughly before making a final judgment. I am happy you got your situation straightened out. Enjoy the lavender. It is quite good.

Regards, Todd

 

[mretzloff]

I just don't understand the whole AOS bashing that sometimes goes on.

Their prices. Yes, their creams and soaps are excellent, but their prices are really high.

 

[crocto]

Their prices. Yes, their creams and soaps are excellent, but their prices are really high.

i wish i could find my thread where i did a price comparsion between art of shaving and some other brands of shaving creams. basically art of shaving is right in line with the rest of them.

i think the real reason people have something against art of shaving is their stores and sales folks. which is like saying i'd never go into best buy and get a tv there because the techs are dumb.

 

[cactusbrush]

The reason I bash AOS is because they import and relabel all their products (Plisson brushes, Merkur razors, English creams, Italian soaps) and then jack the price up just for putting their own name on them. Plus, of course, most of their sales staff are totally ignorant about shaving and shaving products. I have had two sales staff in two different stores in different parts of the country insist to me that AOS handmakes their own brushes. The original owners of the stores were marketing and sales people for skin products, which were similarly overpriced and of mediocre quality, so the whole image is manufactured.

 

[HoratioCaine]

The reason I bash AOS is because they import and relabel all their products (Plisson brushes, Merkur razors, English creams, Italian soaps) and then jack the price up just for putting their own name on them.

You'll get no argument from me regarding their sales staff, or the manfactured image. But is Trumper's or T&H's image any less contrived today? Trumper only recently removed the "at his celebrated establishment" blurb from their shaving cream lids, even though the creams had been produced at Creightons for years. T&H significantly reformulated some of their oldest and most traditional fragrances just a few years ago, presumably to make them more marketable to a younger generation of consumers, and yet they still proudly trumpet themselves as the oldest functioning barber shop in England. Both brands sell the image of heritage and old-timiness, and the brands do have a claim to that heritage; but in practice, the tradition is largely a fiction. I don't see AOS as being much more guilty of selling a trumped up image than much of their competition.

As for the other arguments, well...a lot of companies contract with other manufacturers to have shaving implements rebranded in their name. D.R. Harris rebrands Simpson brushes, as does Trumper. Trumper and T&H both appear to rebrand Edwin Jagger razors. So, AOS rebrands Plisson brushes - at least they have good taste. And I'm not familiar with their pricing on said brushes. Are they really jacking them up that much? It wasn't exactly like they were that affordable to begin with.

As for the creams, a few years ago, the prices on English creams (T&H and Trumper, in particular) started escalating in this country when the dollar was tanking. MSRP for T&H tubs went from $22 to $30; Trumper followed a similar pattern. When the dollar stabilized and the pound itself started to tank, did the prices come down? Of course not. During this whole time, AOS cream prices didn't change a bit. Tubs were $22 when I first started using them years ago, and they're STILL $22 today. Obviously TOBS still costs less, but when one factors in ease of acquisition, AOS shaving creams have to be one of the best bargains in premium English creams today.

Obviously the pricing of their shaving soaps is a different matter, but they are unique. Rebranded Valobra they might be, but I haven't seen a full-sized Valobra hard soap puck, only a shaving stick (and that bar of shaving "cream" soap), and I don't believe Valobra makes an essential-oil scented soap under their own name. Of course, given how rotten AOS soaps smell (to my nose, at least), one would hope AOS would lower the price. But whatever. The mere fact that tallow-based shaving soaps are getting rarer than arctic ice in summer means that tallow lovers will happily pay the asking price for AOS soaps, as long as the formulation remains the same.

 

[michiganlover]

Their prices. Yes, their creams and soaps are excellent, but their prices are really high.

Their prices for the hardware (brushes, razors, and fancy stands) are high, but I don't feel that $22 for a top notch cream is any more expensive than other similar quality creams.

 

[BlackBard]

Their prices for the hardware (brushes, razors, and fancy stands) are high, but I don't feel that $22 for a top notch cream is any more expensive than other similar quality creams.

Yes. A bowl of AOS soap lasts me for 9 months of daily shaving. That's about 9-1/2 cents a shave. Is that really too expensive for quality? I don't think so, but YMMV.

 

[lirijavdekje]

Where do you find the information regarding the rebranding? Who then makes the cream for AoS?

 

[Scotchd]

Their prices for the hardware (brushes, razors, and fancy stands) are high, but I don't feel that $22 for a top notch cream is any more expensive than other similar quality creams.

+1.

They are definitely not a "Bargain" cream, like Godrej or perhaps Proraso/Speick, but they are not expensive when compared to others in their category (I consider AoS to be on par with T&H and Trumpers).

I have never tried the soap, mostly because I saw $46 for the bowl/soap combo and figured I would never spend that much on shaving lather!

But now... it seems the temptation is getting to me, and $46 doesn't seem as high as it did before!

I used the AoS Pure badger for 8 months as my sole brush - it was a fine performer and well made.

 

[crocto]

I have never tried the soap, mostly because I saw $46 for the bowl/soap combo and figured I would never spend that much on shaving lather!

according to the art of shaving website its $45. and people spend the same amount of money on the mitchell's wool fat soap so i don't really see the difference/problem. people just need to *****.

 

[ptirmal]

I haven't been exposed to many different brands but I really do like their soap, cream and as balm. I've been using the soap since the beginning of September regularly and it doesn't seem like it's going anywhere anytime soon!

 

[fsatsil]

Ive been using the AOS cream for about a year now and really like it. I don't feel that $22 for a 5.3ounce tub of cream is overpriced. While it is on the higher end of the price scale its still pretty much in line with other good creams like DR Harris or Trufitt&Hill. The other nice thing about AOS is that they are in many malls so you dont have to pay for shipping like you do for a lot of the other high end shave products. So maybe we should cut AOS some slack, their prices may be high on some items, but they do sell quality products you pay a bit extra for the convenience of being able to pick up a good tub of cream at your local mall.

 

[Confilo]

+1.

They are definitely not a "Bargain" cream, like Godrej or perhaps Proraso/Speick, but they are not expensive when compared to others in their category (I consider AoS to be on par with T&H and Trumpers).

I have never tried the soap, mostly because I saw $46 for the bowl/soap combo and figured I would never spend that much on shaving lather!

But now... it seems the temptation is getting to me, and $46 doesn't seem as high as it did before!

I used the AoS Pure badger for 8 months as my sole brush - it was a fine performer and well made.

Try the soap refill, and place it in an Anchor container. The soaps are excellent.
I think people rant agains them because they symbolize big corporations. But their soaps, creams and ASbalms are very good and sometimes cheaper stuff ends up being more expensive

 

[Drew]

Price is on par with others; quality is every bit as good, if not better than others; and the scent of their lavender and sandalwood creams (and sandalwood shave soap) are second to none, in my book... YMMV.

AOS lavender was the first cream I ever used, and it set a very high bar for everything else. But then again, KMF is one of my favorite brands as far as efficacy (scents are o.k. for some, but not necessarily stellar), so I guess I'm easy to please

shave well
Drew

 

[Lavaine]

I have to throw my support behind AOS. I bought an AOS starter kit early this year, and thought it was a good value. At full retail it is hard to buy some of the products if you haven't used them ($38 bucks for ASB?!), but once you've tried them, you get it, or at least I did. I do think there are better brushes for the money (C&E comes to mind), but there is nothing wrong with the AOS pure badger brush. I used it daily for about 6 months, and it lost 2 hairs during that time. It is now my wifes main brush, and my travel brush. I still think the ASB is outrageously expensive, but it last forever, and I will buy it again when this one runs out in a couple of years. I gave up on the pre-shave, although mywife still uses it, so it is a YMMV thing. The Sandalwood cream is amazing, and I ordered another one for myself recently, and a Rose cream for my wife for Christmas.
The soap is outrageouly expensive, I agree. I bought a Lemon soap from B/S/T, and it is good, and really does last. The scent is muted compared to the creams though. Is the soap a good value? I don't know. There are other triple-milled soaps for a lot less money that are damn good (C&E sandalwood is pretty darn good for 8 bucks).

AOS is definitely not a value shave option. Even though the products last a long time, there are still cheaper options. However, if you can afford it, an AOS cream or soap in the cupboard makes for a nice luxury shave experience, probably on par with T&H or Trumpers.

 

[htownmmm]

Glad it worked out. Other than the bum jar of cream you got I just don't understand the whole AOS bashing that sometimes goes on. They make SUPERB products. And they are mostly in line with other premium brands of toiletries. Their soap is expensive but one of the very best. I like their cream as well. Very comforting to the skin most times. Your experience just shows that these products should always be tried thoroughly before making a final judgment. I am happy you got your situation straightened out. Enjoy the lavender. It is quite good.

Regards, Todd

Bash the corporation all you want, but not the creams or the soaps-top notch performers. Their prices are expensive for brushes and razors, but in accord w/ other top 'o the line shaving creams and soaps


marty

 

[miket]

I too have used AOS products and like them. I do supplement them with other, less expensive products however. I would be interested in knowing who makes their English cremes and Italian soaps. Does anyone know?

Mike