Is VDH underrated?

[Badgerstate36]

I was thinking the other day about inexpensive shave soaps and it seems like we always talk about Arko, Colonel Conk and Cella but we never talk about VDH even though its cheaper than all of those soaps and readily available at most grocery stores and pharmacies.
Personally, when I work through the arrary of soaps that I picked up during the Black Friday sales; Im seriously considering just going VDH or Arko. I love the scents of some of the artisan soaps but I dont find that the shave is any better.

 

[ScottChapin]

I guess it depends on how you rate a soap. VDH is definitely an excellent performer in my book. I’m not particular wowed by it’s scent or texture.


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[shave/brush]

I love VDH Luxury soap. I rate it right up there with the best of them. I've been using it for over 7 years and if I had to keep just one soap that would be it.
I also made it into a shave stick. Great performance either way.

 

[Rontu]

I haven't tried the white soap, but I have tried the pink soap (deluxe) and it worked fine. The Luxury Shave soap isn't cheaper than Arko for me, but I do think I have seen it around stores around here. Cheapest accessible soap however, is Williams, at under $1.20 a puck. Buying Arko in bulk puts it around the same price, shipped.

 

[skibik]

I think it is! My first soap was VDH Luxury scented. Not the greatest scent but it is easy to lather in hard water. Has great slickness and the post shave feel is nice. A couple years ago I went big and bought a tub of MdC and, this is just my opinion, I would rather use VDH over it.

 

[pdieten]

VDH is what got me into brush-and-soap lathering. I’ve had better luck with VDH luxury soap than several mainstream milled soaps and at a dollar per ounce it’s tough to beat the value. A bar lasts me for probably three months. I just started one and still have three more unopened. I don’t ever plan to be without it as long as it’s made.

 

[Pattorashu]

I don't necessarily think it's under-rated. But it's definitely an underdog. Good performer at a good price, but like others have said, I don't get much of a scent from it.

 

[DougK]

When I started shaving with a brush, VdH was the second soap I tried and it was excellent, used it for several months straight. Once I work my way through my supply, I'll have to pick up a puck and try it again.

 

[camoloc]

not so much underated......but the first soap readily available to those falling into the safety razor trap like myself.

this is the first soap I used. for fairness, I've learned more about soap building so I pulled out the soap puck and test lathered it (just now.) strong smell I'd forgotten. wife smelled it coming into the kitchen. I find it to be another soap for me that I would need to watch the water ratio to find my sweet spot. I brought it to overhydrated, then revived it to my preference with a little more product.

much to my surprise, against my first starting out impressions of this......I'd call it usable! slickness is there with what felt on my face as some cushion.

washing off, I feel no oils, conditioning, or any of the other things that I find in my preferred soaps.

with this said, somewhere out there......this might be the perfect soap for someone.

camo

 

[Jim99]

VDH can be found in most supermarkets and stores by me. The price won’t break the bank, it lathers up easily, a puck lasts me 2 to 3 months of daily shaves and provides enough slickness for my straight razor shaves.

VDH is not the best soap out there, but it’s a solid performer and worth the price.

Hey, I must have gone through 4 or 5 pucks already and have another 4 waiting to be used.

 

[fast shaver]

VDH Deluxe, Conk Bay Rum & Arko are good soaps in my rotation. They all do a good job on weeper patrol.

 

[Atlantic59]

VDH Deluxe is OK, it does the job. There are just so many other choices out there, not all of them expensive to use.

I could understand if someone wanted to get off the "chasing the best soap" merry-go-round. Having a huge rotation of soaps is totally unnecessary, and can be an unwanted side-effect of the "pursuit of the best". Simple scents that fade away after shaving are easier to live with.

I would be willing to pay a little extra for better performance, though. Here's a few examples of estimated cost.

VDH Luxury:
$3 / 100 shaves = 3.0 cents / shave

What about Cella? You could buy a kilo and cost per shave is quite low. Beats the pants off VDH.
$30 / 800 shaves = 3.75 cents / shave

Or a quad-milled hard soap like Pre de Provence. Makes VDH look like Ivory.
$12 / 200 shaves = 6.0 cents / shave

Haslinger (buy from Europe). In a different performance universe from VDH.
$5 / 60 shaves = 8.3 cents / shave

8 cents per shave seems pretty reasonable compared to some of the artisan soaps that might cost six times more per use.

 

[BigJ]

VDH Deluxe is OK, it does the job. There are just so many other choices out there, not all of them expensive to use.

I could understand if someone wanted to get off the "chasing the best soap" merry-go-round. Having a huge rotation of soaps is totally unnecessary, and can be an unwanted side-effect of the "pursuit of the best". Simple scents that fade away after shaving are easier to live with.

I would be willing to pay a little extra for better performance, though. Here's a few examples of estimated cost.

VDH Luxury:
$3 / 100 shaves = 3.0 cents / shave

What about Cella? You could buy a kilo and cost per shave is quite low. Beats the pants off VDH.
$30 / 800 shaves = 3.75 cents / shave

Or a quad-milled hard soap like Pre de Provence. Makes VDH look like Ivory.
$12 / 200 shaves = 6.0 cents / shave

Haslinger (buy from Europe). In a different performance universe from VDH.
$5 / 60 shaves = 8.3 cents / shave

8 cents per shave seems pretty reasonable compared to some of the artisan soaps that might cost six times more per use.

Interesting analysis!

IMO VDH and Williams are readily available and provide a great entry for many of us into this hobby!

 

[Atlantic59]

Interesting analysis!

Thanks, you know, I recently got a couple of pucks of Mr. Fine tallow soap, I am not sure yet how long they will last. They were on sale for $7.99 / 100 grams each. That puts Mr. Fine in the same cost ballpark as Pre de Provence. You don't have to pay a lot to get good performance.

I saw Pre de Provence show up as a "C+" on some soap snob's ranking list. All I could think is, he probably doesn't know how to lather it, and didn't load enough soap. He'd rather pay $25 for 4 oz of soft soap that will be gone after 50 shaves, or 50 cents per shave.

 

[BigJ]

Thanks, you know, I recently got a couple of pucks of Mr. Fine tallow soap, I am not sure yet how long they will last. They were on sale for $7.99 / 100 grams each. That puts Mr. Fine in the same cost ballpark as Pre de Provence. You don't have to pay a lot to get good performance.

I saw Pre de Provence show up as a "C+" on some soap snob's ranking list. All I could think is, he probably doesn't know how to lather it, and didn't load enough soap. He'd rather pay $25 for 4 oz of soft soap that will be gone after 50 shaves, or 50 cents per shave.

Fine‘s soaps are triple-milled and they last a long time (even if you load heavily)!

I agree that cost/shave is a far better metric than cost/oz.

 

[fast shaver]

VDH Deluxe is OK, it does the job. There are just so many other choices out there, not all of them expensive to use.

I could understand if someone wanted to get off the "chasing the best soap" merry-go-round. Having a huge rotation of soaps is totally unnecessary, and can be an unwanted side-effect of the "pursuit of the best". Simple scents that fade away after shaving are easier to live with.

I would be willing to pay a little extra for better performance, though. Here's a few examples of estimated cost.

VDH Luxury:
$3 / 100 shaves = 3.0 cents / shave

What about Cella? You could buy a kilo and cost per shave is quite low. Beats the pants off VDH.
$30 / 800 shaves = 3.75 cents / shave

Or a quad-milled hard soap like Pre de Provence. Makes VDH look like Ivory.
$12 / 200 shaves = 6.0 cents / shave

Haslinger (buy from Europe). In a different performance universe from VDH.
$5 / 60 shaves = 8.3 cents / shave

8 cents per shave seems pretty reasonable compared to some of the artisan soaps that might cost six times more per use.

Thanks for posting the cost per shave..! It was very enlightening.

 

[shave/brush]

The title of this thread is; Is VDH underrated? Cost isn't what it's all about. The cost of VDH Luxury is at the low end of the spectrum but the performance is up there with the best IMO.
The scent of a soap in not that important to me, after all the main purpose of soap is to make a good lather. Your aftershave can provide the nice scent.

 

[ScottChapin]

The title of this thread is; Is VDH underrated? Cost isn't what it's all about. The cost of VDH Luxury is at the low end of the spectrum but the performance is up there with the best IMO.
The scent of a soap in not that important to me, after all the main purpose of soap is to make a good lather. Your aftershave can provide the nice scent.

Actually the scent of the soap increases the pleasure of shaving for me. The AS could be unscented too, if it’s all just about performance.


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[shave/brush]

Actually the scent of the soap increases the pleasure of shaving for me. The AS could be unscented too, if it’s all just about performance.

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My point as far as scent is concerned is that if you want a nice scent you can use an aftershave. It all depends on what is important to you. Of course a soap with a nice scent is a bonus just not necessary.

 

[ScottChapin]

My point as far as scent is concerned is that if you want a nice scent you can use an aftershave. It all depends on what is important to you. Of course a soap with a nice scent is a bonus just not necessary.

Of course. That’s why I categorize VHD as an excellent performer that doesn’t wow.


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