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Vendor Interview 2: Danielle Malka from ê Shave

I'm honestly kind of turned off of the whole eshave brand after reading this.

I've never tried their products and was considering plunking down my $20 for a tub of eshave, but after this article I think I'll pass. Yep, $20 for their FOUR ounce tub of cream. Does anyone else realize that from an ounce for ounce perspective, that makes this stuff more than the $33/$35 tubs of Castle Forbes! That's $5/ounce, CF (yes I know it's sold by volume not weight) is $4.85 and Taylors is a steal at $2.55!

I understand it's all a business to the owner, but not ONCE in the interview was the subject of shave quality or quality of the product ever mentioned. I understand that scent is important, and I'm sure they make a great product. But I'd rather give my $ to a company that cares more about what's IN their product, and less about whether their stuff is in line w/the latest "trend" or has the best packaging. And honestly, how "cutting edge" or distinguishable is it to call something "shave" cream instead of "shaving" cream? Marketing propoganda IMO!:glare:

I know that eshave's done a lot for wetshaving, but did they really think an interview w/a forum should be all about "trendy" and packaging when 1/2 of us are using the old 3 T's stuff? Which IMO doesn't exactly have the greatest packaging, isn't trendy, but sure shaves well.

I also recently read the interview w/Eric from NB over at SMF, practically the opposite tone of this one. All the focus was on quality of the actual product, trying to stay w/an all natural (or close) product and less overall concern for the packaging. And at $2.27/ounce (w/NB member discount) it's a steal!

I think I'm going to use my old shaving brush w/some cheaper than dirt Proraso shaving cream tomorrow in it's untrendy plain jane packaging.....and get an excellent shave out of it. Which, if I may say, is the whole point of using it in the first place. But man, it sure makes my bathroom look embarrassingly unhip. :blink: I know! I'll paint the tube silver!:001_rolle

I know I know, YMMV. And I understand these are just my opinions, so I hope I didn't offend anyone.

~Joshua
 
You have most certainly stated your disagreement very tactfully and respectfully, Joshua. No offense taken here. I personally find eShave's White Tea to be incredibly fragrant. However, like you, I am slightly turned off by the price.

In Danielle's defense, her prices really aren't that far off base when compared to some other creams. While few would argue that eShave's prices are definitely among the upper end, the price per ounce is pretty much on par with the Crabtree & Evelyn creams. On the other hand, there are plenty of more affordable creams that IMHO, are just as good as eShave. Taylor's, which has seemingly been the standard for years, can be had for nearly half the price.

An area which eShave HAS succeeded in is that they offer a unique fragrance line (White Tea) that is not offered by the more traditional vendors. I think few will argue that variety is a bad thing. Of course, a new fragrance means only one thing... SCAD, whether we need more or not!
 
I'm honestly kind of turned off of the whole eshave brand after reading this.

I've never tried their products and was considering plunking down my $20 for a tub of eshave, but after this article I think I'll pass. Yep, $20 for their FOUR ounce tub of cream. Does anyone else realize that from an ounce for ounce perspective, that makes this stuff more than the $33/$35 tubs of Castle Forbes! That's $5/ounce, CF (yes I know it's sold by volume not weight) is $4.85 and Taylors is a steal at $2.55!

I understand it's all a business to the owner, but not ONCE in the interview was the subject of shave quality or quality of the product ever mentioned. I understand that scent is important, and I'm sure they make a great product. But I'd rather give my $ to a company that cares more about what's IN their product, and less about whether their stuff is in line w/the latest "trend" or has the best packaging. And honestly, how "cutting edge" or distinguishable is it to call something "shave" cream instead of "shaving" cream? Marketing propoganda IMO!:glare:

I know that eshave's done a lot for wetshaving, but did they really think an interview w/a forum should be all about "trendy" and packaging when 1/2 of us are using the old 3 T's stuff? Which IMO doesn't exactly have the greatest packaging, isn't trendy, but sure shaves well.

I also recently read the interview w/Eric from NB over at SMF, practically the opposite tone of this one. All the focus was on quality of the actual product, trying to stay w/an all natural (or close) product and less overall concern for the packaging. And at $2.27/ounce (w/NB member discount) it's a steal!

I think I'm going to use my old shaving brush w/some cheaper than dirt Proraso shaving cream tomorrow in it's untrendy plain jane packaging.....and get an excellent shave out of it. Which, if I may say, is the whole point of using it in the first place. But man, it sure makes my bathroom look embarrassingly unhip. :blink: I know! I'll paint the tube silver!:001_rolle

I know I know, YMMV. And I understand these are just my opinions, so I hope I didn't offend anyone.

~Joshua

Personally, I don't always look at price. I look at the quality of the product. Otherwise, I'd still be using Williams and a Surrey brush. They both work. Or I would only use Taylor's vs. T&H or C&E, just to name a couple of products. I'm thankful that Danielle took the time for the interview. Whether you agree with her or not is your decision. From a personal standpoint, when someone takes the time to contribute to our forum, I appreciate them for taking the time. I don't have to agree with them. I don't have to buy their products. And I do take offense. If you have not personally used the products, don't bash them. I used to hate broccoli.

Randy
 
I am new here, but in my personal opinion one of the pleasures of shaving is the rememberance of that older generation. It is that nostalgic feeling of a simpler time or that feeling of being a child and watching your father shave with his Gillette DE and wondering how it felt to do that and the smell brings back that feeling.
 
Personally, I don't always look at price. I look at the quality of the product. Otherwise, I'd still be using Williams and a Surrey brush. They both work. Or I would only use Taylor's vs. T&H or C&E, just to name a couple of products. I'm thankful that Danielle took the time for the interview. Whether you agree with her or not is your decision. From a personal standpoint, when someone takes the time to contribute to our forum, I appreciate them for taking the time. I don't have to agree with them. I don't have to buy their products. And I do take offense. If you have not personally used the products, don't bash them. I used to hate broccoli.

Randy

Point taken. You're correct in your statement that I have not yet tried their products, and I do appreciate that eshave took the time to contribute to the forum. It's always good to hear the backstory of any company that has contributed to the rebirth of wetshaving, and I give eshave accolades for it. They are innovative in their scents compared to other companies, and if it weren't for NB's new replenishing scent, they'd still be the only company w/a cucumber scent. For that I definitely DO give them kudos. And coming from the same background myself, I definitely applaud their entrepreneurial spirit. :thumbup1:

But the point I was trying to get at was I think the interview might've been a little more beneficial if the focus had been on the quality of the product and less on the marketing strategy, fancy packaging, and how they're "innovative" (seriously, how "innovative" is it to start calling a "shaving" brush a "shave" brush, Come on!). And I know scent is important to focus on, but I don't care how good a cream smells if it doesn't shave well.

And as far as packaging, take Caswell Massey for instance. Pretty cool packaging (a step up from Taylors IMO), but their creams are terrible IMO. If I was more concerned w/packaging I'd have stuck w/ZIRH or Jack Black or any other dept store creams w/fancy packaging but subpar shaves.

But to fully determine whether they're creams are worth what the $, I've just ordered the sample pack from them. Besides, I want to know what all the hype over this white tea scent is all about.

If their products are really worth an above average price, then I will have no problem rescinding my prior opinions.

~Joshua
 
HEY!!!...I've always called it a shave brush. Olde BroJohn is on the leading edge!!!

Anyhow, I'm glad they took the opportunity to give the interview. I haven't used their stuff yet, but have been attentive to threads about their stuff. It has a following and good acceptance by those who've used the products. When I reduce the mountain of shave cream I'm sitting on, I'll probably give this stuff a go.

-- John Gehman
 
Yes, the DE is making a comeback, so why not jump on this train? Many/most newbies joining here get far superior shaves now that they've trashed their multi-blade razors and went back to shaving with a DE or even a straight.
Most of the "modern" shaving-problems like ingrown hairs and razor burn have been introduced by these multi-blade-razors (along with the wrong shaving-technique shown in the ads).
Let me put it this way: If there were only razors like the Fusion on the market without any alternative I'd rather grow a beard. There's no way I'll ever shave with one of those things again.

:hand: What kind of statement is that ?? don't be shocked if I tell you that I hate DE's !
In fact, M3 gives me much better shaves. YMMV
 
:hand: What kind of statement is that ?? don't be shocked if I tell you that I hate DE's !
In fact, M3 gives me much better shaves. YMMV
It seems this is really a case of YMMV - I couldn't shave daily with those multi-blade-razors and don't get me started on the waste of resources. Why should I shave with 3 or more blades packed in loads of plastic when a single, metal-only blade works better? :biggrin:
But, as you said - YMMV and of course it's everybodies right to use what works best for them :thumbup1:
 
It seems this is really a case of YMMV - I couldn't shave daily with those multi-blade-razors and don't get me started on the waste of resources. Why should I shave with 3 or more blades packed in loads of plastic when a single, metal-only blade works better? :biggrin:
But, as you said - YMMV and of course it's everybodies right to use what works best for them :thumbup1:

True :thumbup:
 
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