Price creep?

[sjblon]

I'm curious how much you paid for the Cella and the Proraso. I bought a tub of Cella for about $8 but I buy the tubs of Proraso for $5 each (from Marshall's and TJ Maxx); I even got a tub of Proraso for $3 at Marshall's before. While I do like the Cella better, I also get good shaves with the Proraso (and I do like them as well). (Of course, as with most shaving related things, YMMV.)

Assuming you buy Proraso at $10/tub, would it make a difference to you if you paid $3 for that tub? Would you be more willing to use it instead of Cella?

The tub would have been a much better value. I purchased the cream, so I got a lot of water and little soap. Where I live, I don't have access to stores like TJ Maxx or Marshalls, so I paid an online vendor $10 for a 150 g tube. The Cella was about $35 for 1000 g.

At $3 for the tub, not the cream, the price per shave would be competitive with Cella, and the fragrance was pleasant, but I still wouldn't purchase the Proraso. I felt I gave it a fair shot as I finished the tube and took multiple approaches to lathering, especially with the water content, but it didn't perform well for me, especially in terms of residual slickness.

 

[TWA]

Most of the artisan 'new bases' I've tried with the price increases don't seem any better to me in any measurable way. Not really sure what I was hoping for anyway. The downside like another poster said and I agree, a lot of them leave my face with a very greasy residue. I've noticed that the the trend is softer soaps that don't last as long and the combination leaves me with a lighter wallet and sad disappointment.

 

[RayClem]

Yes, Cremo is great for travel or when I'm in a hurry. A step below the better soaps and creams I've tried, but I'm impressed that it actually works at all without the supposedly important thick, creamy lather. I don't know if you consider Haslinger decent, but it can be found for under $10. Only 60 grams, so maybe it shouldn't be considered a bargain, though it's good for a fair number of shaves.

When I use Cremo, I lather it with a brush rather than applying it with my fingertips. I find it works better that way. I hate creams that won't lather.

I have never used the original tallow version of Haslinger, so I cannot comment on that. I did purchase a puck of the Schafmilch soap based on the new non-tallow formula. I gave it a score of Fair on my performance rating scale and a Fail on scent. I relegated it to shower use.

 

[kcbrett]

Here is another aspect that is easy to overlook - portion sizes.

(Hypothetical, but I can assure you it is out there) A company that used to offer five ounces of product for $17.00 has kept its price the same but now they put four ounces in the tub. Stealth price hike.

A slightly different wrinkle is selling by the milliliter. Rather than four ounces of a product the bottle holds 100 ml. Guess what? That is only 3.38 ounces. Stealth price hike.

It hasn't been that long ago that ice cream was sold by the half gallon. Then a few years ago with ingredient costs going up the containers shrank to what they are today. Consumer surveys revealed that people will pay so much for ice cream, period. So the manufacturers geared the containers to hit that price point. Stealth price hike.

It seems that consumers will pay more for an item but only when it is somewhat camouflaged. And mind you, consumers know what is going on - they know the ice cream container is smaller. And they will buy even when they are aware of what is going on.

LOVE that kind of honesty! I'm kinda new to this, and this is the first I've heard of your product, but it will be the next brand I try!

 

[BigJ]

Here is another aspect that is easy to overlook - portion sizes.

(Hypothetical, but I can assure you it is out there) A company that used to offer five ounces of product for $17.00 has kept its price the same but now they put four ounces in the tub. Stealth price hike.

A slightly different wrinkle is selling by the milliliter. Rather than four ounces of a product the bottle holds 100 ml. Guess what? That is only 3.38 ounces. Stealth price hike.

It hasn't been that long ago that ice cream was sold by the half gallon. Then a few years ago with ingredient costs going up the containers shrank to what they are today. Consumer surveys revealed that people will pay so much for ice cream, period. So the manufacturers geared the containers to hit that price point. Stealth price hike.

It seems that consumers will pay more for an item but only when it is somewhat camouflaged. And mind you, consumers know what is going on - they know the ice cream container is smaller. And they will buy even when they are aware of what is going on.

Great point! Another approach is that companies use ‘new’ packaging to make fewer oz look larger.

I am one of those (apparently) rare folks who looks at price/ounce when I shop for groceries, etc.

 

[dfoulk]

In some cases the formulas have improved as they've added some new ingredients. In these cases the price increases may be justified. Prices on ingredients have risen over the past year, possibly because of what is going in around us. Unfortunately when prices for some makers increase sometimes others raise their prices as well. If we prove that we are willing to pay higher prices then this does happen.

I've seen razor and brush prices raise dramatically from what they used to be. Soap and aftershave prices have increased as well but not quite to the same extent. I don't think anyone is actually getting rich selling shaving soap and only a select handful of makers can actually support themselves in doing so.

Personally I'd pay more for a better soap, but there are quite a few still available at a lesser price for those unwilling to do so.

 

[mozartman]

When I use Cremo, I lather it with a brush rather than applying it with my fingertips. I find it works better that way. I hate creams that won't lather.

I have never used the original tallow version of Haslinger, so I cannot comment on that. I did purchase a puck of the Schafmilch soap based on the new non-tallow formula. I gave it a score of Fair on my performance rating scale and a Fail on scent. I relegated it to shower use.

I'm not a big fan of the Schafmilch scent, though I wouldn't give it a 'fail'. In fact, I'd rank all of the others ahead of it, except maybe for Honey. I love honey in my tea, not on my face. NOS Tallow Haslinger can still be found, though of course it may not be for you either.

 

[RayClem]

I'm not a big fan of the Schafmilch scent, though I wouldn't give it a 'fail'. In fact, I'd rank all of the others ahead of it, except maybe for Honey. I love honey in my tea, not on my face. NOS Tallow Haslinger can still be found, though of course it may not be for you either.

I rated the scent of Schafmilch as 4/10. The one redeeming virtue of the scent is that it is very weak, so it is not terrible. There are a few other soaps in my den that also achieved that same 4/10 rating.

There are only two other soaps out of nearly 200 that have achieved a lower scent rating. One was Wholly Kaw Spice Vitae (3/10) and Taconic Shave Urban Woods (1/10). The Wholly Kaw Spice Vitae was a $27 soap. The performance was excellent, but I could not tolerate the scent on my face. The Taconic Shave Urban Woods not only smelled like a stale ash tray, but the performance was worse than any other soap I have ever used, bar none. It even made Williams Mug Soap and Van der Hagen soap look good.

Both of these soaps were so bad that I PIFed them at a Maggard Meet-up. I would not even consider using them in the shower. I hope someone else enjoyed them, because I certainly did not.

 

[Gobucks01]

I am surprised no one mentioned PAA. There shave butter is 14.95. I find it has a great lather and such great choices. There are so many to choose from you get a bit overwhelmed.
I take into account shipping costs also and there free shipping options.
But if you want your best bang for your bucks save all your money and wait till Black Friday.

 

[BudgetShaverGuy]

European drugstore software for the win, it’s still super cheap on a cost/shave basis even if they were to double the price!

 

[mozartman]

I rated the scent of Schafmilch as 4/10. The one redeeming virtue of the scent is that it is very weak, so it is not terrible. There are a few other soaps in my den that also achieved that same 4/10 rating.

There are only two other soaps out of nearly 200 that have achieved a lower scent rating. One was Wholly Kaw Spice Vitae (3/10) and Taconic Shave Urban Woods (1/10). The Wholly Kaw Spice Vitae was a $27 soap. The performance was excellent, but I could not tolerate the scent on my face. The Taconic Shave Urban Woods not only smelled like a stale ash tray, but the performance was worse than any other soap I have ever used, bar none. It even made Williams Mug Soap and Van der Hagen soap look good.

Both of these soaps were so bad that I PIFed them at a Maggard Meet-up. I would not even consider using them in the shower. I hope someone else enjoyed them, because I certainly did not.

Ha! Then you don't have much experience with bad soaps. Ever taken a whiff of something called Herban Cowboy? Then there is Rocky Top Unscented Shaving Soap. PIFed to me by a well-meaning member here. Lots of clay but no lather.

 

[ackvil]

Ha! Then you don't have much experience with bad soaps. Ever taken a whiff of something called Herban Cowboy? Then there is Rocky Top Unscented Shaving Soap. PIFed to me by a well-meaning member here. Lots of clay but no lather.

I did not mind the scent of Herban Cowboy. However, for me, it performed poorly. It was too thin and watery and offered little protection.

 

[mozartman]

I did not mind the scent of Herban Cowboy. However, for me, it performed poorly. It was too thin and watery and offered little protection.

I did not mind the scent of Herban Cowboy. However, for me, it performed poorly. It was too thin and watery and offered little protection.

Well, I never got that far.

 

[RayClem]

Ha! Then you don't have much experience with bad soaps. Ever taken a whiff of something called Herban Cowboy? Then there is Rocky Top Unscented Shaving Soap. PIFed to me by a well-meaning member here. Lots of clay but no lather.

Put it this way, I have purchased about 25 soaps that I do not consider worthy of use. However, since learning what to look for in a soap as far as ingredients and scent notes, my success rate in selecting great soaps has improved tremendously. I have about 100 soaps in my den that I consider to be excellent and another 50 that are very good soaps, but not quite up to my standards.

 

[Mike M]

To be fair to the manufacturers it is up to them to charge a price that allows them to make a profit, it is up to us as consumers to decide if we are willing to pay that price. I have 25 soaps ranging in price from €2 to €19.
The most expensive soap I possess is Stirling Sharp Dressed Man because I really wanted a Stirling soap and a GIT clone and that fit both criteria. I tend to buy refills and, if possible, avoid expensive containers

 

[FL shaver]

This is exactly why I have 10 years of soap stocked up!

 

[SharpieB]

I can’t spend more than about $25US for a tub of shaving soap. It’s soap. I also almost always buy during sales... Black Friday, etc. I might make an exception one day for MDC, but 200g of that soap will likely last 3-4x longer than most of the current $25-30 artesian “Croaps”.

I can see a point down the road when some of these artisans will end up sitting on stock of their newest bestest ever formula $40 soaps due to inflated price.

I like to support the little guys (the usual suspects and ones active here on B&B) and have no problem paying $14-25 for 4-5oz of soap. $39.99 for the next must try soap no longer interests me and many of these new bases/reformulations are very similar to the previous.

We are all nutty here anyways... I would never buy a $25 deodorant or bath soap.

 

[Owen Bawn]

When I see someone post a $30 price for soap I immediately thing they're talking about 2 or 3 years' worth of soap. I'm fortunate in that I don't really care about soap scents; in fact, I prefer something that smells neutral or 'soapy' because I want to be free to use whatever after shave or cologne I like. So Palmolive, Arko, Williams, La Toja and Wilkinson sticks hit my soapy sweet spot, with MWF, Haslinger, and perhaps DR Harris varieties being my more expensive options.

 

[GaryTha]

I have a 2-year supply of toilet paper. I'm working on building that as the price will likely go up faster than the stock market. I bought 72 bars of Ivory soap and about the same of Safeguard. That should last a while. I've been stocking my desert hideaway.

I also have about a year's supply of food if I watch how much I eat.

 

[Al Bundy]

Restaurant: ‘New menu! New prices!’

Or "new improved recipe", which means less of everything you liked but for the same price