SV vs. What the Puck?

[tyoung]

I love posts like this because I have fallen for the "it's more expensive so it must be better" trap plenty of times. I have really been impressed by the RR WTP soaps. The performance and scent are really excellent, and for under 5 bucks each? Just wow! I also feel they are fairly close in performance to SV Flying Mango (the only SV soap that I have) I think SV makes a little bit of a creamier lather, but that could probably be in my mind because I want it to be better for the cost.

 

[Timeclo]

I like Razorock hard soaps, but find it to be a bit drying. Granted my SV puck is over 5 years old so it may be a different formula, but others and moisturized better for me

This has been my experience as well. The RR hard soaps lather easily but I feel my skin drying out during/after the shave. SV feels more moisturizing throughout the shave.

 

[JoWolf]

Back in the old days of high fidelity stereo systems, you could go to a showroom and directly compare equipment. There would be a large "patch panel" and the salesman (back then, it was always a man) would switch while you listened to music of your choice. We would show up with our minds filled with signal to noise ratios, total harmonic distortion measures, etc. and listen to the difference between one amplifier vs. another. I bought into all of this, and to this day own some fairly expensive stereo equipment. Ultimately, however, I learned to listen to my wife who suggested that I not buy anything I couldn't hear. If I am being honest with myself, the only time I could actually hear a difference in those side by side listening tests was when comparing speakers.

So now on to shaving soap. Scent aside, is there really a difference that I can feel between my most expensive soap, Asylum Shaveworks Flying Mango made by Saponificio Varesino (SV), and my least expensive soap, RazoRock What the Puck Gold Label? Have we simply substituted categories like slickness, cushion, etc. for the old high-fi signal to noise ratios, etc.? To answer this, I lathered one side of my face with Flying Mango and the other side with RR Gold Label. I used two very similar synthetic brushes and face lathered as I often do. I did my normal two pass plus touch-up shave with my Blackland Dart razor. Did I feel any difference between one side and the other as I shaved? No. When I looked in the mirror, could I tell that I hadn't used the same soap on both sides? No. After my shave, as I always do, I applied an after shave balm. Following that, as I sit here an hour or so after shaving, can I feel any difference between one side of my face and the other? No, both sides are equally moisturized and wonderfully smooth.

I am not saying that there is no difference; I am simply saying that I cannot detect any.

I used Vito‘s exclusively for a year rotating a half a dozen different brushes as well. To say that there was a night and day difference would be an understatement for me. I have suffered with eczema, sensitive and ultra sensitive skin. Switching to SV vegetal based products was my largest skin comfort improvement in wet shaving. I believe the healthier your skin is the less likely sensitive skin products have an effect. An unfair comparison but my experience. My first use SV after one year with Vito’s.

Post in thread 'GC.68OC, GOLD GRANDE, YAQI CHROME MELLON - A JOURNEY'
GC.68OC, GOLD GRANDE, YAQI CHROME MELLON - A JOURNEY - https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/threads/gc-68oc-gold-grande-yaqi-chrome-mellon-a-journey.585819/post-11458599

 

[Mistertaz]

Other factors people haven’t mentioned is how easy it is to build lather with a soap and how it reacts to your local water.

Perhaps the OP is very experienced or has soft water which evens out the differences between the WTP and SV.

It’s not necessarily “smoke and mirrors”, but evaluating your individual performance with a soap in your home.

The same goes for hifi. You can take the best, most expensive system in the world and place it in the worst room with horrible acoustics, and it will sound terrible.

 

[Steve_in_CT]

Other factors people haven’t mentioned is how easy it is to build lather with a soap and how it reacts to your local water.

Perhaps the OP is very experienced or has soft water which evens out the differences between the WTP and SV.

It’s not necessarily “smoke and mirrors”, but evaluating your individual performance with a soap in your home.

The same goes for hifi. You can take the best, most expensive system in the world and place it in the worst room with horrible acoustics, and it will sound terrible.

As the OP, let me respond to your post this way - yes, I am very experienced, and yes, I have soft water. Beyond that, I agree with your premise that factors beyond the soap itself certainly come into play. @JoWolf, for example, seems to have skin sensitivities that were triggered by some soaps but not by SV. And, as you pointed out, water composition can affect how easily a soap will lather. My initial post was based upon a sample of one, and I recognize that what is true for me may not be true for most or many.

 

[Filudo]

And then there is Haslinger.........
I have both soaps in question, but will answer differently: I got as a present a more expensive soap than yours, it smells very good put I find it not worth it's price.....at all. I rather use RR than it. $77 vs $4.

 

[BigJ]

Tube vs. Solid State, I can hear the difference. Tubes have a more pleasant type of distortion. Speakers make a huge difference. The audiophile world lost me when people started debating about speaker cables that could have been used to jump start a car.

SV is great shaving soap, but kind of goes against my value-for-money philosophy. It used to be under $22 per puck which I might have considered for an occasional indulgence. I would say soaps like Speick, Haslinger, MWF, Tabac, Cella Bio, etc. are in the sweet spot for price/performance. The WTP soaps to me are not quite as nice as Provence Sante or Pre de Provence, but they really knock it out the park for price/performance.

+1! Great list of ‘value‘ soaps! I suggest adding Vito’s red which delivered a fine shave for me this AM!