I tend to stick to my tried and tested staples now. I used to buy lots of samples based on reviews.
what attracts you ?
- Thread starter bluesparkuk
- Start date
I guess you havent crossed paths with Wholly Kow tempest yet, your order of slickness first scent second might change.
This one scent makes me disbelieve everyone here who keeps scent second and performance first (I am in the same camp btw)
True. I haven't tried that one yet. At $30 a pop, I am unlikely to in the future. Mickey Lee's Drunken Goat came the closest to flipping my priorities, but even that failed. As long as it's not repulsive (e.g. smelling like a men's room), I'm pretty unimpressed by scent. How well it works for me in a shave is what's important. Others are free to establish their own preferences.
It's a good question. I think what initially attracts me to a soap is the scent profile.
Price, performance and scent. The trinity.....
I like to support a company like Stirling. Great people and great performing soaps. I don't mind paying a little extra to support them.
If they didn't exist- for me it's all about the price/performance. I like myself some Stirling, but getting Proraso for 5 bucks is great. I love the idea of the Arko stick (and the scent) but I get a reaction from it. Otherwise it would be my daily driver due to cost/performance.
If they didn't exist- for me it's all about the price/performance. I like myself some Stirling, but getting Proraso for 5 bucks is great. I love the idea of the Arko stick (and the scent) but I get a reaction from it. Otherwise it would be my daily driver due to cost/performance.
Scent first, although performance factors in. I'm probably more forgiving than a lot of people on here when it comes to performance, but I've been pretty happy with the shaves I get out of basically all the products the well-known artisan houses put out. That means I'm pretty comfortable buying from any one of a dozen or so makers, which makes scent profiles the deciding factor for me. At this point if I come across a scent description that really catches my interest, I go for it.
1) Price
2) Performance (high slickness, and low density non-cushioning lather)
3) Post shave (the addition of lanolin will pique my interest)
4) Scent (non-floral, and not too strong)
2) Performance (high slickness, and low density non-cushioning lather)
3) Post shave (the addition of lanolin will pique my interest)
4) Scent (non-floral, and not too strong)
1. Performance
2. Performance
3. Performance
As for scent, less is more when it comes to my shaving products. If I want a scent I use cologne. And while I like the idea of supporting a small, independent business person, if some corporate giant has an outstanding product at a competitive price, I won't give a second thought to throwing some money their way. Price IS a factor, I just don't know where it fits in the list, exactly.
2. Performance
3. Performance
As for scent, less is more when it comes to my shaving products. If I want a scent I use cologne. And while I like the idea of supporting a small, independent business person, if some corporate giant has an outstanding product at a competitive price, I won't give a second thought to throwing some money their way. Price IS a factor, I just don't know where it fits in the list, exactly.
I've purchased for many reasons. Scent profile is probably chief among them. I bought Deluxe Shave Soap Mods & Rockers just for the name. Many I've bought on the recommendations of you fine fellows.
I am still going down the rabbit hole. I got all my holiday scents on board from October - December and thought I was done. Then I got tired of them and started going down the OS rabbit hole. For me I would say definitely a seasonal scent and the base. The base is less of a concern because there are so many good / top tier bases now.
For me it's usually performance followed by a mild, but pleasant (to me), scent. Being a recent TFS convert and fan, I just HAD TO order their Mattino (that one being my favorite looking gal in their "pin up" line). The things we do for sciencejust wondered what attracts you to a particular soap, with me it's probably the picture on the tub that attracts me firstly then i read the scent and if i like the sound of the scent, then I'm in, what's your reasons
.
FarmerTan
George Bailey Fanboy
I find the Arkoman to be incredibly handy for my incredibly handsome face.
Producer first then performance, scent, price, reviews on B&B and other forums (not YouTube) then label.
The label isnt important, but cool label artwork does grab my attention. I tend to look for soaps from the top producers first though.
The label isnt important, but cool label artwork does grab my attention. I tend to look for soaps from the top producers first though.
For an unknown soap, probably fragrance initially. Obviously performance is essential to whether you enjoy shaving with it, but the only thing you know about a soap you haven't used is a written description/review or personal testimony from someone. "Slick" may mean anything from mildly lubricating to butter, and means different things to different users. My water is less than 1 gpg - yours may be 20. Fragrance, OTOH, is common to many of us. I know what an orange smells like to me, and likely your experience is similar. So if a described scent is something I like, I might try it. Sometimes disappointed, but performance always follows fragrance for me, and is a bonus.
Ingredients are important and always check them out if it's a artisan ice never heard of just to make sure it lathers. Can usually tell if it will be a acceptable product and look for certain ingredients that work well with my skin.
Price is a factor since I wouldn't pay $100 for a single puck of soap and I have a maximum I'm willing to pay for a tub of soap since there are a TON of options for a reasonable price.
Size- although I have bought big *** tubs (8 oz Grandstaff, Tiki, catties Bubbles, etc.) I prefer a more reasonable sized tubs and since I have a large "den" I prefer samples whenever possible since I have yet to finish ANY full sized tub thus far.
Scent- this is a very important factor to consider when buying shave soaps since nobody wants to shave with a scent they can't stand. Sometimes it can be hard to figure out what a scent will smell like especially if there are a lot of scent notes, in these cases samples could be a must.
Packaging- This is my least concern when buying soaps. Have had quite a few ones that come in a paper wrapper/ loose puck that turned out to be amazing so have learned not to judge a book by its cover.
Some of the labels are bright and colorful which is cool when a artisan uses their creativity to make a unique label that stands out but it's not a must have in my den.
All in all, we are all different and buy products for different reasons and this is a great time to be into this hobby due to the amount of choices we have there is literally something for everyone
Price is a factor since I wouldn't pay $100 for a single puck of soap and I have a maximum I'm willing to pay for a tub of soap since there are a TON of options for a reasonable price.
Size- although I have bought big *** tubs (8 oz Grandstaff, Tiki, catties Bubbles, etc.) I prefer a more reasonable sized tubs and since I have a large "den" I prefer samples whenever possible since I have yet to finish ANY full sized tub thus far.
Scent- this is a very important factor to consider when buying shave soaps since nobody wants to shave with a scent they can't stand. Sometimes it can be hard to figure out what a scent will smell like especially if there are a lot of scent notes, in these cases samples could be a must.
Packaging- This is my least concern when buying soaps. Have had quite a few ones that come in a paper wrapper/ loose puck that turned out to be amazing so have learned not to judge a book by its cover.
Some of the labels are bright and colorful which is cool when a artisan uses their creativity to make a unique label that stands out but it's not a must have in my den.
All in all, we are all different and buy products for different reasons and this is a great time to be into this hobby due to the amount of choices we have there is literally something for everyone
To be honest soaps discussed on the shaving forums pique my interest first and foremost. Second is simple clean ingredients list. Scent, packaging, advertising take a back seat to answers of a question or two from you all after a little bit of study.
The only exception is a soap pass around which can reveal some truly hidden gems that don't get much air time.
The only exception is a soap pass around which can reveal some truly hidden gems that don't get much air time.