Comparing three budget soaps

johnnyhoodoo

johnnyhoodoo

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21
Location
Stirling,Scotland
OK.Today I went shopping with a budget.I was shopping for shaving soap in a tube.I found three that were of a budget price.For £1.50 there was Ingram.It had a touch of menthol in it which is good but I didn't think it lathered well.For 99p there was Palmolive.Yes good thick lather and little scent.Certainly worth the price.But for me the best was the Erasmic tube.Very little smell but a very rich/thick lather.I would buy the Erasmic again.I got all three from a no name shop in Stirling.Also got witch hazel for 99p.If this is available for me here I bet there is a shop in your town with the same goodies.There is no way I'm gonna spend cash on fancy smelling shave soaps when these are available and function perfectly.If you do fancy a soap costing £15 that smells of rose or whatever go ahead.Its up to you.There are guys on forums that will tell you how good xyz soap is and thats fine.For me its about the blade and the shave.Not how much I payed for some soap :)P.S ...if you are hung up on the smell of the soap,just buy one of the cheapos mentioned and add one drop of the essential oil of your choosing e.g rose.For me it all goes down the sink.I would care more about the pleasing aroma from my balm/aftershave or hair pomade.
 
I'll take my fancy schmancy $50 soaps with their flowery smells over any of those cheapo creams any day of the week.
 
At the end of the day I guess it's about what you want, what you can afford & what gets the jobby done. Empty though it may make my life sound (it's really not) one of my moments of luxury is starting the day with a fave soap, nice razor & the brush which a TSR pal sent me as a gift. As a pensioner I could certainly shave for a lot less total outlay, however this is my wee treat. But then, that's part of the charm of a forum like TSR isn't it. We can all have our choices and be content with them.

JohnnyO. \:icon_razz:
 
The use of a finely perfumed shaving soap that you adore rather than tolerate is another evocative pleasure of traditional shaving so given how long hard soaps last I think it's still a relatively small price to pay.

If push came to shove I'd still take a tabac stick over MdC but I wouldn't be mixing rose EO with Arko.
 
johnnyhoodo,

If the point you are trying to make is that you don't have to spend lots of money on soaps and creams to get a good shave, then I think we will all agree without exception.

Ian
 
I have only been on this forum for a couple of months and have only been DE shaving for a similar time.

I would assume though the scent v performance v cost is a debate that has come up many times over.

I paid 79p for an Arko stick at a local Turkish store. I used it twice and it really lathers superbly - certainly get bang for my buck on a cost v performance point of view. But then we bring scent into the equation.

I know people like it, but for me it smells of urinal cakes. As much as I accept the argument that it's all about the quality of shave and I can address scent using Aftershave/Cologne, I simply don't wish to endure that stench during the shave.

For me, the shave itself is a nice experience and personally I prefer to enjoy that experience with creams and soaps that don't bother me and preferably they are scents that I actually love the smell of.

I'd much rather stick with the more expensive, yet far nicer smelling, soaps and creams such as Jermyn Street, Grafton, Eton College to name just a few of my favourites in my rotation.

Besides, much of my cost comparison is based on my old habits pre-DE/Traditional shaving. Back then, I'd think nothing of spending £3-£5 on a can of Gillette gel which might last a month-6 weeks. Even my most expensive cream purchase so far (T&H Grafton@£18) will probably give a better shave to cost ratio than 'canned gloop'.

OK, sure I can reduce that ratio even more if I resorted to the options listed here, but frankly I don't like or enjoy the smell and I'd sooner pay a premium (but still more cost efficient than my 1st 20 years of shaving) for a pleasant experience and scent during my shaves.
 
I see both sides if the argument. I tried Palmolive cream for the first time a couple if months ago and thought 'what a waste spending £5,10,15+ on a soap if cream that performs just as well' but last few weeks I'm back to D R Harris and TOBS. Maybe it is about the smell and, for want of a better phrase, pomp of the lathering- at least sometimes. These days I take whatever I fancy on that morning: in the last 2 weeks I've used TOBS almond, shaving shop, D R Harris Arlington, Palmolive cream and boots freshwood soap. All are excellent and, for me, worth what I paid
 
Lots of great replies here.Thanks everyone.Maybe I need to try a more expensive soap one time just to see what it's all about.Is there anything in the ten to fifteen pound price range that anyone would recommend?
 
johnnyhoodoo said:
Lots of great replies here.Thanks everyone.Maybe I need to try a more expensive soap one time just to see what it's all about.Is there anything in the ten to fifteen pound price range that anyone would recommend?
Click to expand...

I've bought cheap when I've been a bit squeezed or if I forget to take soap with me if I'm travelling - and despite their reasonable performance I always go back to my favoured ones.

Proraso - quite a heady menthol hit for about £5 for 150 ml

Cella - a top performer but stay clear if you don't like almonds - its like rubbing your face with a soapy bakewell tart - similar price to the Proraso

I recently bought the sandalwood tin from nannyssillysoap.com ... £12 for 120g tin ... and its worth every penny.

In fact - if you PM me I'm more than happy to send you a sample of each one.
 
If you want to try a world-class soap I would highly recommend Nanny's French Lavender hard soap. It really is tremendous :). If you go for the stainless steel tin option, it will cost just over a tenner including postage...

johnnyhoodoo said:
Lots of great replies here.Thanks everyone.Maybe I need to try a more expensive soap one time just to see what it's all about.Is there anything in the ten to fifteen pound price range that anyone would recommend?
Click to expand...
 
I cant judge anybody elses budget but... for me having all those different soaps and their scents is one of the major attractions to wetshaving. Sure, palmolive etc. are nice, but Dutch Moss, c&e sienna, prof blighty's soap etc make it so much more interesting.

And dont start me on brushes. A cheap omega boar does a more than adequate job, but holding one of Rods brushes is a delight I dont want to miss out on.
 
NotTheStig said:
I see both sides if the argument.
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+1
If i can just add that although the more expensive soaps and creams require a greater initial outlay, they still only work out costing a few pence per shave and once you have built up a bit of a collection - which I'm sure you will do:icon_razz: -you'll be amazed how long they last. In fact, it's almost a reason for celebration when you finish a tube/tub/pot!!
 
@ johnnyhoodoo...

Another one to try is Valobra - either the stick or the soft soap. Either in Almond flavour or Menthol. The soft soap gives one of the thickest, creamiest lathers, and it's about £5 - £6 a block. Lasts well enough too.
 
Envy, here in the States if it doesn't come in an aerosol can you're not going to find it in a discount store. Actually you're not going to probably find it in any store. The main, usually only source I have is Internet buying and the postage is often as much as the product.
What I need to do is develop enough discipline to wait until I have a large order and try to get free shipping...but easier said then done.
 
You can't get Taylor of Old Bond Street in shops in the US? You can get DE blades in dollar stores though?
To make up for it you have Mama Bears which is very well respected artisan soap and will have much cheaper postage.
 
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