Shaving soaps ranked by performance
- Thread starter raiden
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Shaved with Excelsior Vespers this morning for the first time in three weeks. Hard to argue with it belonging at the top of the list.
You have to take these lists with a grain of salt. I don't watch reviewers and never have but I am aware he is friends with the owner of Caties Bubbles. From my experience CB has no business being where it is. I like B&M but no way it's 3 bases are better then everything else. If each of the bases is an improvement on the prior, you're telling me all 3 are better then all other soaps made? Nope
Everybodys list is personal and in the end is a personal list. Mine would look very different then his
Everybodys list is personal and in the end is a personal list. Mine would look very different then his
Totally agree
That said, I mostly agree with his list based off my own personal experience.
I did just order a tub of B&M in the Excelsior base to see where it rates.
As already been stated above: Except for Sapofinicio Varesino all European classic soaps are lacking and the truly fantastic S.V. only get a mediocre score. To me this list is useless of all the reasons mentioned above.
The only shave soap reviewer I truly have respect for is Nick Shaves. I do fully understand that he's got other things in life to prioritise, but I truly miss his shaving soap reviews.
The only shave soap reviewer I truly have respect for is Nick Shaves. I do fully understand that he's got other things in life to prioritise, but I truly miss his shaving soap reviews.
+1! The ‘classics’ are classic for good reason IMO! That is typically my baseline for comparison!!
But this may be for a different generation.
My list is simple:
1. Williams
2. Everything else
I don't think a soap should make a personal list until the person uses it 100 days in a row.
1. Williams
2. Everything else
I don't think a soap should make a personal list until the person uses it 100 days in a row.
Chan Eil Whiskers
Fumbling about.
It's his opinion.
Of the soaps listed that I've tried I certainly wouldn't rank some as high as he does and I'd rank others much higher. I'd put B&M's best slightly below all of the recent iterations of Grooming Dept soaps including not just Lusso based GD but also duck fat and veggie based GD. I'd elevate some others a lot particularly including but not limited to Valobra and WSP Formula T. Etc.
In my opinion, and just based on the soaps I've tried I think he does a pretty good job of it, but I know gentlemen who believe soaps he ranks low should be at the top of the pile. Even if I disagree with them who am I to say they're wrong.
Numerous excellent and good soaps are missing.
That said, the best soaps are made by Grooming Dept.
Happy shaves,
Jim
Chan Eil Whiskers
Fumbling about.
I completely disagree.
I was told when a member introduced me to Grooming Dept soaps by sending me a sample to try that if I used it for a week it would improve my skin.
It's not like I was a novice to good soaps. I thought I knew which soaps were the best. I was wrong. He was right.
Besides that, the shave with Grooming Dept soaps is as good as the shave with anything else I've tried. I've not tried everything but I've tried a lot of soaps.
I'm not sure what post shave "feel" means exactly, but I know post shave skin improves with Grooming Dept soaps, at least mine did.
All that said, and adding to it that I think Grooming Dept soaps (all the latest iterations) are the best soaps made, I know there are several excellent soaps. I see no reason for anyone to like what I like, but only for others to try things out to find what works for them. It's not like Arko is a bad soap!
The main thing is...
Happy shaves,
Jim
Check his list again. A "classic" has been added! (Keep scrolling down....further.....further.........furthest............. There it is)
I agree on the scents. I found more detail in message board reviews than videos ( special thanks to @Bouki).
p.s.: This isn't Ruds specific... There are 3 or 4 reviewers I've seen who do a lot of videos... None really give a great detailed iteration of the scent, IMO.
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How closely do his ratings correspond with soap prices?
Just as I disagree with all the hoopla surrounding GD soaps. I had one & used it several times & sold it. I was given another tub, After the Fire, which smells awful and IMO his soaps do nothing equal to Dec. Grooming, Lisa's Artisan and A&E as regards purely shaving. The latter is far better IMO. As regards post shave feel, this Mohammed fella is not a licensed dermatologist and has not stumbled into a "fountain of youth". I think moreso is the fact that many users of his products are not familiar with state of the art salicylic & glycolic acid face washes made by large pharmaceutical firms such as La Roche-Posay or CeraVe with bonafide degreed organic chemists and dermatologists that will provide real scientific results. I don't put much stock in a software engineer tinkering with essential oils & Lord knows what else to trump hard science and neither should anyone else. The emperor has no clothes.
@Bogeyman I don't put much stock in a software engineer tinkering with essential oils & Lord knows what else to trump hard science and neither should anyone else. The emperor has no clothes.
+1000 to this
+1000 to this
I am surprised that I did not pick up on this thread when it first came out. I evaluate a lot of soaps. I have over 120 soaps currently in my den. I evaluate soaps on scent strength, my scent preference, ease of loading, ease of lathering, primary slickness, residual slickness, cushion/protection, and post-shave face conditioning. I rank soaps based on a point system for each of the criteria mentioned. I keep a database of every soap I use and the rating for the soap on each of those criteria. I suspect Jason Rudman (Ruds) has a similar system. When he gives a score to a soap, he always reports other soaps with similar scores, so he is keeping records.
In most cases, my evaluations have closely paralleled Ruds scoring. but occasionally we differ. For example, he ranks Catties Bubbles slightly higher than I do, but Whether a soap rates as an A+ level or A- level is of little consequence; both will provide excellent shaves.
Someone mentioned his recent review of Col Conk. He gave that soap one of the lowest scores I have ever seen. I have not used Col Conk, but my experience with glycerin based soaps has been poor, so I was not at all surprised that Ruds rated it so low.
I have used some classic soaps like Tabac, MWF, and Williams. I find these soaps to be much harder to lather than the best artisan soaps, so they lose points on those criteria. Once lathered, however, Tabac and MWF both perform as well as the best artisan soaps. Creams like TOBS, GFT and Proraso are easy to lather, but are not up to elite standards on other performance areas. Williams does not excel at anything except pricing.
I understand completely that individuals may not have the same needs and preferences in soaps. Some folks want unscented soaps. Some folks never use buffing techniques to achieve BBS or always reapply lather as they buff, so residual slickness may not be important to them. Folks with less sensitive skin or and those who use mild razors and smooth blades are not as concerned about cushion/protection as someone with sensitive skin who uses a straight razor. Someone who applies an aftershave balm at the conclusion of their shave may not be concerned about the post-shave conditioning properties of their soap. In fact, those with oily skin may prefer soaps that do not provide this conditioning. When I list my elite soaps, I always express the criteria I used in the evaluation. Ruds does this in his reviews as well.
In most cases, my evaluations have closely paralleled Ruds scoring. but occasionally we differ. For example, he ranks Catties Bubbles slightly higher than I do, but Whether a soap rates as an A+ level or A- level is of little consequence; both will provide excellent shaves.
Someone mentioned his recent review of Col Conk. He gave that soap one of the lowest scores I have ever seen. I have not used Col Conk, but my experience with glycerin based soaps has been poor, so I was not at all surprised that Ruds rated it so low.
I have used some classic soaps like Tabac, MWF, and Williams. I find these soaps to be much harder to lather than the best artisan soaps, so they lose points on those criteria. Once lathered, however, Tabac and MWF both perform as well as the best artisan soaps. Creams like TOBS, GFT and Proraso are easy to lather, but are not up to elite standards on other performance areas. Williams does not excel at anything except pricing.
I understand completely that individuals may not have the same needs and preferences in soaps. Some folks want unscented soaps. Some folks never use buffing techniques to achieve BBS or always reapply lather as they buff, so residual slickness may not be important to them. Folks with less sensitive skin or and those who use mild razors and smooth blades are not as concerned about cushion/protection as someone with sensitive skin who uses a straight razor. Someone who applies an aftershave balm at the conclusion of their shave may not be concerned about the post-shave conditioning properties of their soap. In fact, those with oily skin may prefer soaps that do not provide this conditioning. When I list my elite soaps, I always express the criteria I used in the evaluation. Ruds does this in his reviews as well.
When I started I watched a lot of video reviews but not so much anymore.
The problem with guys especially Ruds is he is not objective at all. He's friends with a lot of artisans and those soaps he ranks very high. The artisans he doesn't like for personal or whatever reason he gives poor rankings to. There is one artisan I can't remember which one that he gives some pretty bad reviews on all their soaps. Wish I could remember which one it is but I remember thinking they are highly regarded, what's up with this guy?
The problem with guys especially Ruds is he is not objective at all. He's friends with a lot of artisans and those soaps he ranks very high. The artisans he doesn't like for personal or whatever reason he gives poor rankings to. There is one artisan I can't remember which one that he gives some pretty bad reviews on all their soaps. Wish I could remember which one it is but I remember thinking they are highly regarded, what's up with this guy?
He has rated B&M Excelsior as 98 and SV at about 85.
Thats ridiculous...SV might be the best soap Ive used
ever.
Thats ridiculous...SV might be the best soap Ive used
ever.
- Thread starter
- #78
Have you ever used B&M Excelsior?
I am currently using the B&M reserve base in my rotation and it's... alright. I would imagine excelsior is probably better than it, but not miles ahead.
I don't get too whacked out about soap performance. With a very few exceptions, and some "artisan" bath soaps being labeled as shaving soaps, everything out there will give you a good to excellent shave.
What I see on YouTube is generally far too much soap being used with too little water followed by complaints of lack of slickness and drying of the skin. All that is necessary for an excellent shave is a thin layer of slick lather -- I only rinse my razor once per pass. More than that thin layer is doing nothing but washing unused soap down the drain.
Post shave feel is important to me, but not a reason not to use a soap. I've got very oily skin, so dryness is pretty temporary, and I never have used anything after shaving, just rinse the soap off.
Scents are very personal, and have no place in evaluating "preformance" of shaving soaps. What one person likes another will find overpowering, and in neither case will it have anything to do with the actual mechanics of shaving. You may rate scents, but don't confuse scent with performance, it's like the color of a car as far as I'm concerned. No effect whatever on actual use.
Just my two cents today....
What I see on YouTube is generally far too much soap being used with too little water followed by complaints of lack of slickness and drying of the skin. All that is necessary for an excellent shave is a thin layer of slick lather -- I only rinse my razor once per pass. More than that thin layer is doing nothing but washing unused soap down the drain.
Post shave feel is important to me, but not a reason not to use a soap. I've got very oily skin, so dryness is pretty temporary, and I never have used anything after shaving, just rinse the soap off.
Scents are very personal, and have no place in evaluating "preformance" of shaving soaps. What one person likes another will find overpowering, and in neither case will it have anything to do with the actual mechanics of shaving. You may rate scents, but don't confuse scent with performance, it's like the color of a car as far as I'm concerned. No effect whatever on actual use.
Just my two cents today....
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