Artisan soaps vs mass produced

I take shaving as a hobby now to cost per shave is of zero interest to me if I enjoy the soap, plus over the life of the soap, as many have said, the difference is tiny. I'm not dogmatic about mass produced vs. artisan or vegetal vs. tallow. I buy it, try it and if I like it I keep it. As simple as that.

There isn't a single soap that everyone one thinks is wonderful. Haslinger is getting a lot of love in this thread but I've tried three and they simply didn't have enough slickness for me (pls don't tell me I was using it wrong - I know how to lather.) Many of the artisan soaps are available in sample size so the cost of experimenting is reduced. Alternatively use Shavedash buy a selection and make up your own mind.

We are all different so what works of one of us will not necessarily work for you. If you want to exclusively use 49p Palmolive stick, or Trumpers Eucris (because you like a challenge) or Haslinger or PanaCrema Nuavia because that's the soap you enjoy using most then carry-on. In my experience the only way you'll know is to try it yourself.
 
p.b said:
I take shaving as a hobby now to cost per shave is of zero interest to me if I enjoy the soap, plus over the life of the soap, as many have said, the difference is tiny. I'm not dogmatic about mass produced vs. artisan or vegetal vs. tallow. I buy it, try it and if I like it I keep it. As simple as that.

There isn't a single soap that everyone one thinks is wonderful. Haslinger is getting a lot of love in this thread but I've tried three and they simply didn't have enough slickness for me (pls don't tell me I was using it wrong - I know how to lather.) Many of the artisan soaps are available in sample size so the cost of experimenting is reduced. Alternatively use Shavedash buy a selection and make up your own mind.

We are all different so what works of one of us will not necessarily work for you. If you want to exclusively use 49p Palmolive stick, or Trumpers Eucris (because you like a challenge) or Haslinger or PanaCrema Nuavia because that's the soap you enjoy using most then carry-on. In my experience the only way you'll know is to try it yourself.
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+1 - artisan soap makers seem to have the edge over mass produced by making samples available. Worth a dabble.
 
Glen_Lee said:
Never really got the artisan soap thing. Tried a few, some lather really well, but the scents just are not for me. The price is not proportionate to the shave or the experience.....then if you want to import, then it can get silly.

Figaro to this day is my favorite for performance, scent and price. As an example with Stuarts discount at Shaving Station, it is cheap as chips. Performs like a dream!

I'm happy with mass produced, and don't mind people paying for and discussing Artisan soaps. Just not for me. Never understood it.

Sent from my Wileyfox Swift using Tapatalk
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Figaro is made by Tcheon Fung Sing, so it's more or less artisan soap, or not totally mass-produced at least.
 
SmurfK said:
Basic economics. As beginner artisan, you are creating a product that no one has any desire to buy. You don't have a name, you don't have anything. You are not gonna go ahead and buy top-of-the-line equipment and ingredients. Most starting businesses can't afford them, and there's also no assurance that your investment will be returned. There are, of course, exceptions. A good businessman will have a good business plan, he might get a bank loan based on that, he will afford to use good stuff right from the start. But when you just start out, it's hard to imagine that every artisan soap maker is getting the top ingredients and equipment. You can't really say that you don't see any relation because it's pretty obvious. Again, I'm not talking about specific business. If you conduct your business in a fair manner, good for you, that's how everyone should do it. But it's not always the case.

On a large scale, you have funds for testing, for surveys, you can afford to hire experienced people that can make a good product, lawyers that will help you get all the paperwork, you have funds to market it, and you also have distributors that will sell that product. You can't afford to throw away a batch of 100.000 soaps just because you wanted to save some money.

You are more prone to food poisoning if you eat in a small, empty restaurant than in a KFC.
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I am really trying not to be rude, but this is starting to get really insulting. I am butting out of the convo now as i just cannot stand bullshit and do not want to say anything i regret.
 
I'm afraid that, no doubt unintentionally, some comments made in this thread are clearly insulting to artisan soap makers. It is a nonsense to say that the big boys are more to be trusted. All artisan producers who post here satisfy the stringent legislation regarding quality of their products. Protection of the public against poor-quality or toxic products is exactly what the legislation is about and I am sure that the small producer is, in fact, more controlled than the large companies as they are easier to audit. My son, who worked in a production environment for a large foodstuffs manufacturer has told me stories which, suffice to say, will ensure I never eat pre-prepared organic produce again. A small food plant could never hide what happens routinely in a large plant.

An artisan thrives by the quality of his product. A large company thrives by packing supermarket shelves with a diverse range of 'adequate' products among which may be a number of really good ones.
 
Burgundy said:
Why do we still use the 'artisan' moniker?
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Kinda believe it's just a convenient shorthand to indicate that this is a personal enthusiast ( s) who are not part of a large, possibly international, commercial industry. And, in my subjective experience, the " manufacturer " is mostly just one or two people involved at every level of preparation rather than a factory set up involving different departments with hired staff working on a daily basis.

JohnnyO. o/
 
JohnnyO said:
Kinda believe it's just a convenient shorthand to indicate that this is a personal enthusiast ( s) who are not part of a large, possibly international, commercial industry. And, in my subjective experience, the " manufacturer " is mostly just one or two people involved at every level of preparation rather than a factory set up involving different departments with hired staff working on a daily basis.

JohnnyO. o/
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Which makes perfect sense. But do we not then need to differentiate between your Martin de Candres and your Beiersdorfs? Neither can be defined as 'artisan', using the above definition, and both involve 'industrial' manufacturing processes and divisions of labour. Yet they are fundamentally different businesses with vastly different approaches to soapmaking.

I personally find that 'artisan' vs 'mass produced' is a false dichotomy that conflagrates 'artisan' with 'quality' and, in the process, denigrates perfectly worthy products that don't fit the 'artisan' marque.
 
I was reading this last night & thought we were getting to the Goldfish required stage!

Seems to have settled now, which is nice, hobbies are supposed to be fun.
 
Fergiebilly said:
You will get it Cheaper from this Seller on EBay..The 60 G Pucks Last for Ever..There is a Discount if You Buy a Couple of Pucks from here..:)
http://www.ebay.de/itm/6-17-100g-Ha...398638?hash=item360504402e:g:o84AAOSw1KxXM2La
Billy
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Just ordered 2 pucks from this supplier - very cheap and already been emailed to say they've been dispatched - surprising as the site and the order pages were all in German - a language I have very little experience of - I just clicked the buttons based on guesswork!
 
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