And even this comment is said with tongue firmly in cheek!
I've been doing some thinking and...
- Thread starter Alfredo Becerra
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I remember paying a premium price for a box of Oreos, you could not get them over here in the UK and I'd become addicted during some time spent in the States. I have friends in the States who before the advent of online shopping would have me ship over HP sauce, and Yorkshire tea, I'm sure if asked they would have paid a premium price for these items, that over here are stocked in every shop on every high street.
On a shaving front, if I wanted to buy some Mama Bears shaving soap (which I do) from a UK stockist, I'd be paying around $20.
Because people here are honest, and don't pretend to like something due to nostalgic considerations?
Wouldn't that depend on which formulation of Williams is getting reviewed? I've never used vintage Williams, but I'm told it was much better than the current forumulation.
I have not seen only glowing reviews anywhere...
here is the B and B review - which classifys it has OK for some guys, terrible for others - http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?ltr=W&t=3147
Here is the shave den review, which says about the same thing, good for some, bad for others - http://www.theshaveden.com/forum/showthread.php?ltr=W&t=1098
Here is a review from shavemyface - again, says its outperformed by a lot of soaps - http://www.shavemyface.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=30080
Where are you getting these reviews without any detractors eslewhere? - I've in fact seen glowing reviews here for williams - in fact, wasn't there a "williams for a week" thread recently?
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Doesn't seem to have anything to do with the formulation, a lot of reviews are recent.
Doesn't seem to have anything to do with nostalgia for a product that has been around a million years, it's the 1st soap for a lot of people.
Go on, research it. Go on amazon.com, drugstore.com, walgreens.com, cvs.com... those are only a few sites.
Doesn't seem to have anything to do with nostalgia for a product that has been around a million years, it's the 1st soap for a lot of people.
Go on, research it. Go on amazon.com, drugstore.com, walgreens.com, cvs.com... those are only a few sites.
I'm also wondering WHERE is the Williams getting glowing reviews?
I'd really rather avoid having to think. It just makes my brain ache...
You can't trust reviews from those sites...those who review things on sites such as amazon/drugstore tend to be those who are purchasing the product again - because why else would you go back? - so they tend to be people who liked it - otherwise why would they buy it again? This actually is a good point to remember for anything purchased from sites that have those kinds of reviews - particularly for cheap products that people won't be outraged about when it doens't work properly.
Also, please read the links I posted above.
Alfredo, you've clearly stated a few things in your original post that I've been thinking about a bit lately myself. Thanks for saying it better than I could. As to your question
I wish I had an answer for you, because I'm tired of the hatred spewed out towards certain products. Maybe it's just cabin fever at the end of a long winter, I don't know.
Plus, there are a few on Amazon that say it SUCKS!!
I honestly think that we are a group of people with a lot of exposure and experience. I think we stand out in that category. Not long ago I would have given Williams a fair review because I had never really tried anything else. I had tried colgate that was even harder to lather IMHO and someone gave me a puck of some no name once and with Williams that was it. But that was before I joined this group and marched myself to Walmart and picked up this VDH soap just for fun. I didn't have anything invested in Williams so for me there is no turning back. Even my skin looks better and my wife doesn't dread me "shaving with that cup."
But if you like it, by all means buy it and enjoy it!
I have this belt buckle I got in 1975 someone can poke fun at and I will laugh with them or my leather jacket I went to court to keep, yep, I had to go to the judge to keep my jacket in 1992. You can poke fun of me over that and I will fake hurt and then laugh.
It is all in fun, but some people didn't get the memo,
best,
mrscottishman
Agreed. The threads making fun of my beloved Lilac Vegetal are among the most hilarious offenders. While I may feign anger at anyone who dares denigrate this divine elixer as the putrescent sludge that encases sinners in the Frozen Lake of Cocytus, I'd really be laughing on the inside.
The passion of the OPs thread is palpable.
I have not experienced the snobbery described. It's funny that the two things I think seem to be most passionately debated is Tabac and Williams. I think even that passion has become a big inside joke.
Maybe the OP hasn't gotten a feel for the humor of the boards? I don't know.
I love B&B and I really enjoy the products the members here have lead me to. I have some stuff I will probably give back tot he community because I don't really like it. I'm sure it will find a very nice home.
I have not experienced the snobbery described. It's funny that the two things I think seem to be most passionately debated is Tabac and Williams. I think even that passion has become a big inside joke.
Maybe the OP hasn't gotten a feel for the humor of the boards? I don't know.
I love B&B and I really enjoy the products the members here have lead me to. I have some stuff I will probably give back tot he community because I don't really like it. I'm sure it will find a very nice home.
Wow, harsh.
If Aqua Velva could only be had for $16 and only by mail-order, I bet a lot of people would pay it even knowing what it used to cost.
What's a product worth? It's worth whatever people are willing to pay for it, not what it costs to produce. You can spend a million producing something nobody wants, and it isn't worth a million if you can't sell it.
Your post does make me curious what a big tube of Proraso costs at the Italian supermarkets, and if I had to place a bet I'd wager it's not too far off from the $10 we pay anywhere else. Any different is likely reasonable with consideration for shipping and effort on the part of the distributors. I highly doubt anyone is getting filthy rich on it...a profit sure, but likely a reasonable one or else someone would come along and do it cheaper.
That's a pretty judgmental statement. Who decides what's important? If I decide I like a product from Truefitt & Hill, and am willing to pay what it costs to use it, how is that a poor investment? I believe most of us purchase what we want with knowledge, consideration, and experience; not just because we think it's better because it's expensive.
If Aqua Velva could only be had for $16 and only by mail-order, I bet a lot of people would pay it even knowing what it used to cost.
What's a product worth? It's worth whatever people are willing to pay for it, not what it costs to produce. You can spend a million producing something nobody wants, and it isn't worth a million if you can't sell it.
Your post does make me curious what a big tube of Proraso costs at the Italian supermarkets, and if I had to place a bet I'd wager it's not too far off from the $10 we pay anywhere else. Any different is likely reasonable with consideration for shipping and effort on the part of the distributors. I highly doubt anyone is getting filthy rich on it...a profit sure, but likely a reasonable one or else someone would come along and do it cheaper.
That's a pretty judgmental statement. Who decides what's important? If I decide I like a product from Truefitt & Hill, and am willing to pay what it costs to use it, how is that a poor investment? I believe most of us purchase what we want with knowledge, consideration, and experience; not just because we think it's better because it's expensive.
My thoughts exactly. Excuse the crude analogy but: switching from rotten meat to hamburger is a big plus, but switching from hamburger to steak is superb.
(no no, don't start throwing out t-bone, filet or wagyu / kobe comments !
)
I have the opposite opinion. When I came to B&B looking for recommendations, I found that inexpensive items, found locally, such as Van Der Hagen, Real Shaving Co, and even Williams, were regarded highly by many members. These products have many positive reviews in the Reviews section, and are recommended here regularly.
There's even a whole contingent of members who like good ol' Van Der Hagen soap so much, they melt their standard VDH with a healthy dose of Old Spice, and espouse the virtues of their newly created "Van Der Spice" shaving soap...
In regard to razors, my experience is that most B&B members will recommend a $10 Gillette Tech over other expensive razors, especially for those who are starting out. That said, of course those who consider shaving a "luxury hobby" are going to invest $100's of dollars into their razor collections, but I've never seen these people talk down to others who choose simpler tools.
I also think that people have a good sense of humor about their over-spending on shaving items, and are quick to realize that what may have begun as a way to save on cartridge blades has quickly turned into an expensive hobby. Most comments that "traditional DE wetshaving is a great way to save money!" are tempered by a warning, along the lines of "IF you can control your RAD, SAD, ASAD, etc!"
Other than razors and blades, all of the shaving products I currently own have been purchased locally or are made in the USA. This includes VDH (Walmart), Real Shaving Co (Walgreens), CO Bigelow (Bath & Body Works), Organic Grooming (Whole Foods), and Hydrolast (Enchante of Austin TX). I plan on asking for some more expensive items (e.g. TOBS Avacado) for my birthday, but I don't expect to get drastically different shaves from more expensive products, rather I consider them a luxury. I'm guessing most other members feel the same way.
Some of it is indeed in good fun and I especially loved some of the lengths we went to during the recent "Week of Williams" to outdo each other (I love Williams but both sides were quite creative). Some of what has been said, though, has not necessarily been in good fun, or at least has been written so that it reads as serious. I can see Alfredo's point on that.
Lost me at "don't get your panties in a bunch."
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