I don't have much experience with shaving soap stick tubes, but I see there are a few. Do you have a favorite - not the soap, but the tube design? Which would be your choice for re-use if I was to make my own combination of soaps or melt & stuff some cheaper bar soaps into a tube? I found a DIY tube, which is currently out of stock, but I wonder if this is better than any current soap tube design, and if any currently produced tubes are sturdy enough for re-use.
Shaving Soap Stick Tube - Best for Re-use?
- Thread starter Feldgrun
- Start date
The page won't load for me so I can't see what type of tube it is, but the most popular one I've seen on B&B is the twist up tube version. Many shaving supply websites have them.
I would suggest getting a stick of Tabac. It's a fantastic soap, either the older tallow or the newer veggie version are both great. The Tabac stick uses a push-up motion vs the twist up and is easily reusable. Either kind of stick will work, and a lot of B&Bers re-use an empty deodorant container.
Edit: page just loaded, and yes, thats the common twist up container I was referring to. Maggards, West Coast Shaving, and many other including Amazon and Ebay should have them.
I would suggest getting a stick of Tabac. It's a fantastic soap, either the older tallow or the newer veggie version are both great. The Tabac stick uses a push-up motion vs the twist up and is easily reusable. Either kind of stick will work, and a lot of B&Bers re-use an empty deodorant container.
Edit: page just loaded, and yes, thats the common twist up container I was referring to. Maggards, West Coast Shaving, and many other including Amazon and Ebay should have them.
You can get the same stick design on Amazon at a much more competitive price. I believe they come in packs of 6 when I purchased them. They have worked great for me. I just grate my soaps and fill em up.
My favorite is the tube used for Tabac shaving soap. This is a push-up type of mechanism. It's reliable and reusable. It's a larger diameter than most shave sticks, making it more comfortable to apply the soap.
The problem with many of these generic shave stick tubes is the plastic screw post inside. That post is a weak point and tends to strip out or break after awhile. It also creates wasted space at the bottom of the stick.
The push-up design is extremely simple. A flexible plastic piston slides in the tube, the soap stick rests on it. Push the soap up or down, it stays in place. The tube gives you something to hold onto. If you want to change the soap in the container, just pop the old stick out and put a new stick of the same diameter in there.
You can even use one of these Tabac tubes to form a new shave stick. Grate your soap, moisten it with a bit of warm water and press it into the tube.
The same design is used for the round, green Brut deodorant sticks. It's a bit smaller, though.
The problem with many of these generic shave stick tubes is the plastic screw post inside. That post is a weak point and tends to strip out or break after awhile. It also creates wasted space at the bottom of the stick.
The push-up design is extremely simple. A flexible plastic piston slides in the tube, the soap stick rests on it. Push the soap up or down, it stays in place. The tube gives you something to hold onto. If you want to change the soap in the container, just pop the old stick out and put a new stick of the same diameter in there.
You can even use one of these Tabac tubes to form a new shave stick. Grate your soap, moisten it with a bit of warm water and press it into the tube.
The same design is used for the round, green Brut deodorant sticks. It's a bit smaller, though.
100% correct. I bought 6 of them a good while back and only have one left. I won't buy any more. Tabac style tubes are king.
I've gotten about 4 uses and still going strong so I'm guessing I've been lucky. I don't overload and just gently tap the soap down with a pencil eraser as I fill them up. Like I said I've probably been lucky.To use the tabac tubes I'd have to use 6 tubes of tabac before I loaded them. That actually doesn't sound like a bad proposition
just alittle time consuming.
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@pow0622 your post prompted me to check my order...
I'm still using them and none have failed. I too grate my soap pucks and fill the tube. I run a shikabob skewer down the center of Arko sticks to minimize the pressure on the plastic rod.
The only thing I would do differently is choose translucent tubes to allow me to easily see the amount of soap remaining.
@Feldgrun I'm not in a position to say what is the "best" option for you, but these have worked for me. Good luck
I'm still using them and none have failed. I too grate my soap pucks and fill the tube. I run a shikabob skewer down the center of Arko sticks to minimize the pressure on the plastic rod.
The only thing I would do differently is choose translucent tubes to allow me to easily see the amount of soap remaining.
@Feldgrun I'm not in a position to say what is the "best" option for you, but these have worked for me. Good luck
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You can get away with just two Tabac tubes. Use one for Tabac, the other for "everything else". Just pop soap sticks you have made in and out when you want a change.I've gotten about 4 uses and still going strong so I'm guessing I've been lucky. I don't overload and just gently tap the soap down with a pencil eraser as I fill them up. Like I said I've probably been lucky.To use the tabac tubes I'd have to use 6 tubes of tabac before I loaded them. That actually doesn't sound like a bad proposition
Tabac actually sells a stick refill (plain soap stick without the tube but comes with a new piston, platform, whatchamacallit). Those tubes are made for re-use. The screw type containers I think are made for one time only and throw away.
Hasinger shave soaps can be made into excellent shave sticks, BTW.
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EclipseRedRing
I smell like a Christmas pudding
I agree the Tabac tube is best. For a retro look you can buy an old push up deodorant on the bay for very little money, clean it up, and repurpose it. I did that with a vintage Shulton Old Spice deodorant I acquired, the actual deodorant had shrivelled away to nothing so I discarded it and refilled the tube. It works exactly the same way as the Tabac tube.
Brut deo sticks can still be found in the round shape push-up container. Sometimes found inexpensively at dollar stores, etc. The labels can be removed, but you must like the color green.
Those are the exact ones I ordered haha but I agree with u I also wish I had gotten translucent.as well.@pow0622 your post prompted me to check my order...
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I'm still using them and none have failed. I too grate my soap pucks and fill the tube. I run a shikabob skewer down the center of Arko sticks to minimize the pressure on the plastic rod.
The only thing I would do differently is choose translucent tubes to allow me to easily see the amount of soap remaining.
@Feldgrun I'm not in a position to say what is the "best" option for you, but these have worked for me. Good luck
Its a great idea and I'm sure I will def try in future.
I still have my 10 year old QED push-up shave stick container, which I use for my homemade MWF stick, especially for travels.
It holds half a puck of MWF, which is a good couple of months worth!
It holds half a puck of MWF, which is a good couple of months worth!
FWIW, I like the PAA twist-up version, of which I have several and which I have loaded with several soaps. I'm not sure I like the Tabac push-up approach. I use my Tabac stick refill without the cylindrical cover. It seems like holding my finger in the bottom of the cylinder (i.e., pushing up the refill) while rubbing on my face would be somewhat awkward.
I have had very good luck with twist up deodorant containers. Perhaps the screw mechanism is more robust than on the containers that are sold for shaving sticks. I also found that I could purchase a cheap deodorant in a twist up container for less money than the round shaving stick container, so I tossed the deodorant, cleaned up the container and pressed a puck of RazoRock soap into it. I have another deodorant stick container that I filled with MWF several years ago. Both continue to function perfectly.
Normally, you don't have to hold the stick up when applying the soap. You don't have to press hard when applying the soap. The stick will stay in place. The soap stick with the little platform at the bottom should be a tight fit in the outer tube. Try not to remove the outer foil from the Tabac stick, though.
I was trying to decide which Stirling samples to get when I stumbled upon this video. This guy bought glue sticks from the Dollar Tree, 2pack is just $1.25! A Stirling sample fits perfectly in one tube! So for a quick DIY hack for your Stirling samples, do this! I filled one with Boat Drinks and taking that on my vacation this summer!
Mine are 12+ years old and still working just fine. I set the bottom cup about an inch/2.5cm below the rim, pack in grated soap to the top, screw it down and repeat until it’s full.
The only problem with buying a Tabac stick is you have to buy the Tabac (great performance, hate the scent).
lasta
Blade Biter
As you use the stick, the portion sticking out from the top gets wet and swells, thus forming a stop to prevent it from falling back down.
Great design, but I don't think they took into account us guys who have dozens of soaps in rotation. When it dries, it slides down.
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