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New Tallow & Steel Scent - Yakushima

Sounds intriguing...the fact that they cut the tub size from 4oz to 3oz and ALSO raised the price to $30 USD (compared to $24 USD for their other scents) is giving me pause though.
 
Sounds intriguing...the fact that they cut the tub size from 4oz to 3oz and ALSO raised the price to $30 USD (compared to $24 USD for their other scents) is giving me pause though.

The fragrance oils to make it were astronomically expensive is why.
 
The fragrance oils to make it were astronomically expensive is why.

Oh, I understand the rationale and read the press release, but it seems odd to cut the tub size AND raise the price. Sort of like raising the price twice (from two different sides of the equation) if that makes sense.

I will probably still order a tub or two, but I just found it interesting.
 
His explanation that he gave for it.

"Because of the very high cost of ingredients in Yakushima, we are offering it at 3 oz to be able to keep the price (somewhat) reasonable. Because many wetshavers have so much soap, some customers have been asking for our regular line of products to be sold in 3 oz for a little bit cheaper - so we will see how this goes with Yakushima! I will never know for certain, but Yakuhsima might have the highest cost of any shaving soap ever made. Every oil in the scent was over $1,000 / L (32 oz), and two of them were $4,000 / L."

It seems as though maybe cutting the amount and raising the price were necessary to make it happen. We've all been looking forward to this one since Kyoto and people that I know who got to test it said that the scent is really, really nice. Like Kyoto but a little more citrus forward.
 
I don't know for sure but I suspect that he's not making any more selling you a tub of this than he would selling you a tub of West Indies.
 
Well, after experiencing Orangeilla and Dark Two, was not going to miss this LTD Edition :). Looking forward to getting it in the house!
 
I can respect their effort to use super high priced essential oils, resins and wood oils. It boggles my mind when I see an OUD or Sandalwood shave soap for $15 as there is no possible way it has real Oud or sandalwood in it as both ingredients are more expensive than gold and even if you made 1000 tubs of soap it still would drive the price way up above the $15 price. So just a fragrance oil duplicate. If you look at the ingredients in this T&S soap and compare it to let's say MDC, SV or PannaCrema. There are a lot more expensive ingredients in this T&S soap than those well known high end brands and yet folks will spend $35 to $70 for the 3 I've mentioned and have an issue with a US or in this case a Canadian soap maker using super expensive ingredients and asking the correct price per oz for their product. Maybe it's just me but somehow this doesn't equate to me.
I support what they are doing and I wish them well and keep doing what you're doing!
:a14::a14::a14:Well said! Thank you for taking the time to post that.
 
Regardless, $31 is $31 (the approx. price for one soap shipped to the USA). There is no way in Hell that a soap that costs that much shaves $10 to $15 better than some of the other top artisans. However, it will suffice for the "weiner measuring" that many of these top artisan soap threads have become.
 
There is certainly no shortage of ten dollar soaps out there and plenty that are even cheaper if that's what you're interested in. Some are willing to pay a bit more for special scents or better performance. While paying more for a soap doesn't guarantee better performance, the $4 pucks of VdH or Col Clink certainly aren't contending for the top spots in terms of performance. You have to know which ones to buy is what it comes down to. Once you are able to identify them If you have the means and are willing to pay more for the very best ones is up to you.
 
I can respect their effort to use super high priced essential oils, resins and wood oils. It boggles my mind when I see an OUD or Sandalwood shave soap for $15 as there is no possible way it has real Oud or sandalwood in it as both ingredients are more expensive than gold and even if you made 1000 tubs of soap it still would drive the price way up above the $15 price. So just a fragrance oil duplicate. If you look at the ingredients in this T&S soap and compare it to let's say MDC, SV or PannaCrema. There are a lot more expensive ingredients in this T&S soap than those well known high end brands and yet folks will spend $35 to $70 for the 3 I've mentioned and have an issue with a US or in this case a Canadian soap maker using super expensive ingredients and asking the correct price per oz for their product. Maybe it's just me but somehow this doesn't equate to me.
I support what they are doing and I wish them well and keep doing what you're doing!

Great explanation!! :a14::a14:
 

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The Instigator
What I liked was the completely correct mention that we all, already, have way too much soap on hand ... And the cost of ingredients.

I'd buy it! If.


AS
 
What I liked was the completely correct mention that we all, already, have way too much soap on hand ... And the cost of ingredients.

I'd buy it! If.


AS
Ditto.

It would be naive at best to think that they all don't know that. The fact that he publicly mentions it and openly considers the possibility for future soaps is awesome.

Doing such would not be a win for him, he's going to make money in smaller quantities and thus need to sell more to keep going. What it is, though, is integrity.

Think I need to go browse their soaps, now. [emoji846]
 
I can respect their effort to use super high priced essential oils, resins and wood oils. It boggles my mind when I see an OUD or Sandalwood shave soap for $15 as there is no possible way it has real Oud or sandalwood in it as both ingredients are more expensive than gold and even if you made 1000 tubs of soap it still would drive the price way up above the $15 price. So just a fragrance oil duplicate. If you look at the ingredients in this T&S soap and compare it to let's say MDC, SV or PannaCrema. There are a lot more expensive ingredients in this T&S soap than those well known high end brands and yet folks will spend $35 to $70 for the 3 I've mentioned and have an issue with a US or in this case a Canadian soap maker using super expensive ingredients and asking the correct price per oz for their product. Maybe it's just me but somehow this doesn't equate to me.
I support what they are doing and I wish them well and keep doing what you're doing!
I totally agree and wish I had been quicker on the trigger. I really like this business model of using the very best essential oils, resins and wood oils at a higher price. I have plenty 'o soaps and have pretty much stopped buying; however, in this instance I would have made an exception. Notwithstanding one or two of the negative comments above, I strongly suspect that this particular product would have been worth the price difference--worth it to me anyway and that is all that matters. Sadly, I will never know.
 
I guess this is technically a +4 on Dragonsbeard post. I was lucky to get some and am currently sleeping next to my mailbox in anticipation of it's arrival :)
 
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I feel deeply sad and left out missing the release for this one, maybe by some miracle I'd find a tub on BST. Sadly, Ryan won't be running another production of this.
 
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