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Martin de candre overpriced or really that good?

Not a fan. It's a good enough product with way too much hype around it. I don't like the fragrances, or the feel. Do not like the jar either. It lathers but I don't find the lather to be life-changing in any way.
I use roughly the same amount of MDC per shave that I do with other soaps - so no big deal there. Over the years I've purchased MDC 3-4 different times, each time it wound up sitting in the cabinet collecting dust. The last jar I had was the Fougere; I was in the act of tossing it and my wife wound up with it instead of the circular file. So now it collects dust in her cabinet.
 
Martin de Candre isn't really expensive at all if you calculate it on a cost per shave basis. Considering that a tub can last someone between six months to a year of everyday shaving it's not like you're paying a lot per shave. You do have to fork out some cash to buy a tub that'll last you just about forever so it's like going to Costco for shaving soap if you think about it that way.

My opinion is that they have some excellent scents, it's about the easiest soap on the planet to lather, inexpensive cost per shave but the negative is that it seriously lacks in post shave quality as it doesn't seem to employ any butters or skin conditioning ingredients. Maybe that's a plus for some though, depending on how much you care for skin conditioning and post shave.

While I still do use Martin de Candre on occasion, with the push towards better skin care in the higher end soaps, at this point I'm more inclined to choose products that give me substantially better post shave.

I'm not saying to rush out and buy a jar of Martin de Candre, but it's a classic and certainly something everyone should try at least once.
 
I've heard the Fougere is wonderful too. I will probably get a sample of that and rose when it comes time to restock, but I'll bet I end up going with the Vetyver. To me the MdC Vetyver is more smokey or dusty and not as bright and sweet as the others I have. I prefer the MdC by a good margin.
My sample is the Fougere and it pairs very nicely with Houbigant Fougere Royale
 
I personally like it, is it worth the money? If you like it yes, if you "don't care" for it or just think it's ok then probably not. I also lather mdc the same as any other soap, I find the claim some people make that you can use like 1 swirl for a 3 pass shave to be BS, you don't use less than any other soap.
I am 3/4 through my MDC tub, I have had it for maybe 3 years, and used it on and off. So my guess
Will I buy a new one when it runs out? I won't right away, but eventually I will...
 

IMightBeWrong

Loves a smelly brush
Yes I noticed this as well people tend to get a bit fired up about it 😀 I'm sure its a good soap but since I never tried it and at $70 a jar I wanted to know if its really worth it nothing more then that I'm just curious to hear if there's really a big difference in performance with the so called high end soaps such as mdc, Castle forbs and a few others, got some barrister & man coming in this week lets see if I like this first before buying some more 😁

Had I thought you were interested in trying MdC I would have scraped a sample from my jar to send with the La Toja I sent. I really enjoy it. I think it’s top tier. Nothing better for me, but plenty that’s just as good in different ways.
 
Had I thought you were interested in trying MdC I would have scraped a sample from my jar to send with the La Toja I sent. I really enjoy it. I think it’s top tier. Nothing better for me, but plenty that’s just as good in different ways.
Thx ! but no worries, got some Ariana & Evans and Barrister & mann on the way and I probably end up with some mdc as well 😁
 
I also don't think it's the be all end all that some people do. But my opinion is slightly different from Gamma's

It's a very good soap with nice scents. I actually find the scents to be well above average for shaving soaps. It certainly would not be relegated to my wife's cabinet.

It's ballpark as efficient as most hard soaps, a little less so in fact. People praise its efficiency because they are comparing it to most recent artisan soaps that are much softer, higher superfat %, and often batched with a lot more air and residual water in them.

It is crazy expensive.

I don't think it's any better than Speick stick, which is about 10c/g... and it costs about 3-4x as much.

That said, if you like the scents and don't mind a few extra bucks a month on shaving soap... go for it.
 
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I think it’s overpriced as well. It’s a nice soap like many others when it’s dialed in just right, but for the price it sells at it should at least be better than most if not the best.
 

IMightBeWrong

Loves a smelly brush
I just received another jar today. Vetyver. Smells quite nice!

I have gone through 20 dollar artisan soaps in less than 30 shaves before. In fact, I have killed off CRSW Glide in less than 20 shaves - that’s my record. I have shaved dozens of times with MdC original and have only taken a couple mm off the top of the jar.
 
I just ordered a jar of Agrumes. It is my 4th MdC. The first was Fougere which I put on BST because it was irritating my sensitive skin. I later discovered that if the container is left open then it's stops causing irritation. It probably has to do with the concentration of fragrance. The second was unscented. The third was the original and I'm coming to the end of that jar. I have tried an envelope of the Agrumes in the past and I have been looking forward to it.
 
I was given a relatively small sample years ago and really liked it, but never bought a jar. I just got a 200 gram jar of the original flavor, partly because I wanted to turn a friend onto it, and partly as a treat to myself. Before this I would say I was more or less rotating among Arko, Tabac, and Toja SSs most recently, and I have owned a lot of at least samples of a lot of shaving soaps. I might have said before now that I liked Arko as much as any SS, and that I favored tallow-based soaps.

After living with the MdC for about a month now, however, I would say it is my favorite by quite a bit. The smell alone takes it past Arko. I am glad it does no have any butters or skin conditioning additives. If I want conditioning, I can use a shave balm or similar, and I do--444 Shave Balm--and I use an alum block. I suspect my skin in fairly oily.

All performance aspects of it seem at least very good. It is pricey for a shaving soap, but it seems like I will get a whole lot of shaves out of a jar. I love the way it smells.

So, not really over-priced for something that is my favorite.

Clearly, YMMV. It is a controversial SS!
 
Ordered some shaving soap from Beehive. Got a sample of Woodlands which I already have. Asked the maker if it would be alright to PIF so folks could try it. She said sure.

Cut it up into +/- 7 gram samples which will be smashed flat in the baggy to mail first class . This stuff lathers, shaves, hydrates, psf etc. similiar to MdC. I only have 10 samples. If you 'get' MdC this is worth a try.

PM if interested. I'll need an address to mail the sample to.
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I’m sitting on a small mountain of supercharged artisan soaps. I really enjoy them and I am looking forward to working my through them. My end game is to narrow these down to a handful that will remain in rotation. Since I too I have succumb to many of the AD’s I have made an effort to try a good number of the tried and true production soaps that are also used in my random rotation. Not too long ago while placing a hefty order from overseas to get good prices and free shipping, MDC AGRUMES and FOUGÈRE arrived at my door 😁. My first impression was rather underwhelming considering all the praise and buildup this product gets on the forum.

I believe MDC is a good product and is very economical over the life of a jar. Where the soap is meant to be appreciated is the cleanliness and simplicity of the ingredients. Those who appreciate natural products and ingredients have a great soap to use in MDC. Over some time, I have accepted that MDC isn’t meant to be a direct competitor with your top artisan croaps with superfatted formulas, it’s meant to be a good quality stand alone shave soap. I have grown to enjoy MDC and don’t regret the purchase. I will admit I havea stronger preference for SV soaps over MDC, but will be happy to use my stock of both brands in the years to come.

I plan to use up the majority of the artisan soaps, and sprinkle them into a rotation of what will be more hard soaps like Tabac, SV and MDC. I don’t mind acquiring these hard soaps as I know they will keep and I can learn what I like as I go.

Will I strongly suggest a new shaver with all the same curiosities about different product drop the money in one soap that they could spend on 3-5 others, not necessarily. But if they decide they are curious enough they will arrive at the decision on their own to pay the cost of entry.
 
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