I was thinking to myself this morning what's the difference between A high-end shave soap and an inexpensive one ? I couldn't really tell the difference but that's just me. I use Mike's natural soap barbershop razor rock classic and Ive also used Spanish lather by GFT. I really enjoy Mike's natural soaps as well as the cheaper soaps. Maybe it's just because I'm frugal and can't justify spending $18-$30 on a soap. But I prefer an in expensive soap to a high-end soap. My question to you guys is which soap do you prefer more the high-end or the less expensive? Also which inexpensive soap do you think performs the best?
In your opinion what's the best inexpensive shave soap?
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Proraso Green. Best bang for the buck out of everything I've tried.
Mitchells wool fat! I think ots around $13 a puck.
Arko is the undisputed champion.
I will be in my bunker.
I will be in my bunker.
Just a thought but be wary of just comparing the cost of a soap or creme directly. Mike's is a very reasonably priced soap that I also like a lot. If you compared it to, say, Tabac, the Tabac is 2/3 or so again the price of Mike's but is a smaller amount. But I find I use and have to use a lot more product with Mike's- easily more than twice as much Tabac and it still does not perform as well. So the cost of using a particular soap can be less or more expensive than another product regardless of initial cost per ounce.
Personally, I have found absolutely no correlation between a soap's price (or creme) vs. performance. I have not found that spending more money, sometimes a LOT more money, even indicates a top notch product.
Usually the shaving sticks are the least expensive and some are really excellent. I am still trying some so will not comment on which I think is better than some others.
Which soap(s) is good / best generates a lot of different opinions. Personally, I have not yet found any soap or creme that works as well as Tabac regarding performance (not addressing scent here). And it is quite reasonably priced if not downright cheap.
Brian
Personally, I have found absolutely no correlation between a soap's price (or creme) vs. performance. I have not found that spending more money, sometimes a LOT more money, even indicates a top notch product.
Usually the shaving sticks are the least expensive and some are really excellent. I am still trying some so will not comment on which I think is better than some others.
Which soap(s) is good / best generates a lot of different opinions. Personally, I have not yet found any soap or creme that works as well as Tabac regarding performance (not addressing scent here). And it is quite reasonably priced if not downright cheap.
Brian
Steve56
Ask me about shaving naked!
I think the answer depends on whether you want a minimum outlay or a good deal, the answers would be different IMO. If you just want cheap, it's hard to knock Arko. If you want a good deal, there are tons of options. Even MdC doesn't look bad when you cut the price in half as the 200g jar contains about twice as much soap as others and it lasts longer than most soft soaps, but there are folks that believe half a tank of gas is a better value than a full one.
People also don't take usage into account. Hard triple milled soaps last about 3x longer than soft soaps according to my measurements, so when you third the $38 dollar cost of a 90-gram puck of Czeck and Speake, it's right in line with artisan soaps, about $14 for enough soap to last as long as 100g artisan croap.
Soaps are two-part experience for me, performance and fragrance. I like a soap with a wonderful fragrance and wonderful performance. And good fragrances tend to be more expensive. My favorite is MdC fougere, though there are many great soaps that have excellent fragrance and performance. Maggards Limes and Bergamot to me is a classic summer lime. Razorock XX and XXX are as close to Acqua di Parma scents as you'll find at that price point and they're good soaps. LASSC makes a great soap.
IB had 50 gram La Toja sticks on sale for $4.99 and that's a wonderful soap at a wonderful price. Ditto a kilo of Cella. So if you don't want to pay a top shelf price for a top shelf product, just check the sales and look around. Plenty of world-class soaps at good prices.
Cheers, Steve
People also don't take usage into account. Hard triple milled soaps last about 3x longer than soft soaps according to my measurements, so when you third the $38 dollar cost of a 90-gram puck of Czeck and Speake, it's right in line with artisan soaps, about $14 for enough soap to last as long as 100g artisan croap.
Soaps are two-part experience for me, performance and fragrance. I like a soap with a wonderful fragrance and wonderful performance. And good fragrances tend to be more expensive. My favorite is MdC fougere, though there are many great soaps that have excellent fragrance and performance. Maggards Limes and Bergamot to me is a classic summer lime. Razorock XX and XXX are as close to Acqua di Parma scents as you'll find at that price point and they're good soaps. LASSC makes a great soap.
IB had 50 gram La Toja sticks on sale for $4.99 and that's a wonderful soap at a wonderful price. Ditto a kilo of Cella. So if you don't want to pay a top shelf price for a top shelf product, just check the sales and look around. Plenty of world-class soaps at good prices.
Cheers, Steve
The majority of the artisanal soaps are fantastic and, in my opinion, just as good, if not better, than the more expensive ones.
I would stop using Mike's as it is one of the best artisanal soaps, there is.
I would stop using Mike's as it is one of the best artisanal soaps, there is.
At the risk of being pelted with badger dung...
Williams Mug Soap is very OK. With a good brush and technique it's quite acceptable. No fancy labels or fragrance, but the lather works -- and it's less than $2/puck.
Williams Mug Soap is very OK. With a good brush and technique it's quite acceptable. No fancy labels or fragrance, but the lather works -- and it's less than $2/puck.
For me the best soap for the money is Cella. Especially if you purchase the brick.
stirling and razorock...variety, performance, and value.
At a little over $6 for 2 tubs, I agree 100%.
Shop local. Check out St. Charles Shave's soaps.
+1 and Williams if you can lather it.
Williams is not great.
I really LOVE speick for low cost soaps. You can get a stick for ~$6. Anyway price and performance don't really go together especially with the British and European soaps. You pay many times more for a composed scent than a great soap. Many cheaper soaps have amateurish scents, however they sometimes are great.
I really LOVE speick for low cost soaps. You can get a stick for ~$6. Anyway price and performance don't really go together especially with the British and European soaps. You pay many times more for a composed scent than a great soap. Many cheaper soaps have amateurish scents, however they sometimes are great.
It seems to me like Stirling is up there with the better artisan soaps and reasonably priced. I have some Williams but haven't tried that yet but if you can get it to work for you, indisputably the least expensive per ounce out there. I have never tried Arko or any of the soap sticks.
Another vote for Arko from me, certainly amongst the sticks. At £0.49 in the UK, Palmolive is a contender surely? I used it for years and quite liked it.
This is no reflection on my vote but I get all my Arko from the folks, who holiday in Turkey every year and always bring me back a box of 12 as a gift.
This is no reflection on my vote but I get all my Arko from the folks, who holiday in Turkey every year and always bring me back a box of 12 as a gift.
I disagree, if you can lather it there are few soaps better for lather, but that's a big if for many.
Taking into account price and performance, Arko is hard to beat.
+10000000 on Arko. If anyone is aware of anything that can beat it on a price/lather/smell combo I'd love to know.
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