Forgive me if this is controversial

I dont want to go down the whole is x twice as
good as y because it costs twice as much thing.

Ive seen the arguments on other forums.

The thing is, I could feel myself going down the route
of wanting to try more and more expensive soaps because "performance",
I don't really care about fragrance and quite like the smell of "soap".

The other thing is Ive gone back ten years in my career, where I've gone from
a management position in a prestigious organization but with a 3 hour round
trip every day and a headache, to a supervisory position out in the field with a 4
minute commute but a 40% pay cut. The only headache I have now is what to do with the extra time.

The first time in many years tho' Ive been going overdrawn at the end of the month
and have needed to go into my savings to cover it. This is obviously not good long term
so I need to find ways to cut back the spending but still find quality in the products I buy.

I could of course go back to my old role as I have an industry
reputation that would make that relatively easy, Ive been "tapped up" twice
since December :) but then I'm posting this at home with a cup of coffee while I catch up on
some paperwork so I'd rather find ways to economise :)

Hence the genuine question about the performance of more expensive over cheaper soaps.
 
In my opinion buying new gear results from, a circular notion of trends distributed through human inquisition.

For example in the spirit of this discussion I tried out the cheapest shave I could collate from my shave den. I ended up using:
Gillette tech
Astra blade
Palmolive
Vulfix 404
Loreal for men
Result = good shave

Now if another member gives this a go and posts up an opinion it trends another response or thought whether it be the most expensive or cheapest shave. Either way a few of us may try it through an inquisitive nature and then discussion begins through sharing experiences.

In terms of performance it's as vast as the number of products, people's skin types, blades etc. I personally think castle forbes is a better performer and scent than TOBS which is a better performer than Ingrams. Soaps are closer imo with mwf, tabac, speick and proraso being had for little; being superb performers.
 
My current cheapo regime:

Palmolive cream <£2
Kent synthetic brush £9.50 delivered
Supermax blue diamond Ti blades <4p ea
Styptic pencil £1
Alum block 50p
Glycerine £1.29 / 200 ml
Aquatonic aftershave £1

No complaints, though I hope to try better software in future
 
PhilD said:
My current cheapo regime:

Palmolive cream <£2
Kent synthetic brush £9.50 delivered
Supermax blue diamond Ti blades <4p ea
Styptic pencil £1
Alum block 50p
Glycerine £1.29 / 200 ml
Aquatonic aftershave £1



No complaints, though I hope to try better software in future
Click to expand...

I actually like cheap and I am not ashamed of this.

My current cheapo regime is:

Palmolive stick: 49p
Razor 1 (the aggressive first pass) : Pearl SSH01 OC loaded with a Super-Max SS £10.98
Razor 2 (next passes and touch up) : Wilkinson Classic loaded with a Super Max Blue Diamond or a PIF : £3.99
Brush: Omega 49: £8
AS: Arko Ice Mint balm :£2
Moisturiser: Arko Classic cream:£1.9
Blades are either free or 3p each
 
^ Yes, it's satisfying getting a good shave with inexpensive kit. Not criticising those who enjoy the fine end of the market though, it's all worthy and interesting discussion.
 
I buy what I can afford and when I can afford it. I like things that smell nice to me but above all perform well and if they just happen to be cheaper than many alternatives then so much the better. However, a major consideration for me is country of manufacture. I like to try and buy 'Made in Britain' as much as possible simply to support folks jobs and our economy. My old Grandad instilled this into me when I was young and it has remained with me. Now, if something British made is crap (Erasmic stick) then I won't flog a dead horse trying to use it however cheap it may be. My favourite shaving cream, Ingram Quality Lather Shave, is less than two quid a tube and outperforms most things for me. I love the scent, it's menthol content and the shave it provides plus its UK-made. That doesn't mean I don't lust after a big tub of Trumper's Violet which is perfection in a pot both shave and scent-wise. We all have different means, priorities, preferences and as has been said, it's a journey. Paddle your own canoe, my friend.
 
I suspect people are missing an important point - those with high end products also have low end kit as well. I guess we all start at what is in front of us - and bearing in mind one of the reasons we changed to traditional shaving was the infamous "to save money" line - and not knowing perhaps what we were really doing - and bought into te low end of the market. We still have that kit, or much of it, anyway. As our tastes and knowledge improved, we moved toward the high end and probably kept going! We have high, low and everything in between. We have choice!

Tomorrow I'm going to use a shaving stick for the first time in forever. I have three readily available. I shall use a brand new custom brush in claro burl with a TGN finest knot, courtesy of our very own and very talented Gecko. I'll use Waleda after shave balm.

This morning I used a shaving cream that cost £50 and an a/s balm that cost even more - both with an unbelievably long and complicated Italian name.

Choice! Variety! It's fantastic! Especially, as dodgy will point out, for a homeless guy.
 
I'm glad that this thread has been kept gentlemanly as again it
was never meant as a criticism of people for spending their money.

I was at the point of ordering some soap from France
at the same time as wondering what I was going to do
to stop from going overdrawn this month, when I realized that
I was probably chasing strictly performance; as confirmed by the LaToja,
when other people are looking for, maybe *quality* would be the best word.
I just needed this confirmed, and it had been.
 
It's not just about the performance for me otherwise I might be using maca root on a daily basis, but I'm not, because it stinks. :)

It's really hard to pin down. I think at times, when you can afford some of the high end stuff there can be a hard to define extra layer of enjoyment or excitement in pursuing that product, and receiving it, and using it. It might be in the finer scent, the posh packaging, maybe the feel, maybe the image, it differs and sometimes it doesn't come at all, but often there's just a little thrill from something ethereal.

If you derive genuine enjoyment from the product it was worth the price. I get that from my old mum, she could in theory wash with Aldi shower gel and would be perfectly clean, but she spends a couple of quid more because she enjoys Badedas. She's not sure why, she just really likes it. Why not.
 
For me it doesn't matter because the £15 tub will last long enough for me to get over the fact I've paid £15. Due to the longevity of the product I'd rather pay more for what I perceive as luxury. If I had to buy a new tub every week it would be a different story.

I've found that most creams perform the same so it's all about the scent, which is the only real unique selling point that each of the premium companies has!

I love Palmolive cream, both the scent and the performance but what attracted me to badger & blade shaving is the luxury and old school quirkiness of it. It loses some of its charm if I buy the products in a supermarket in the same aisle as the blue goo I left behind. Unfortunately Palmolive is one of those products. :icon_rolleyes:
 
gazza said:
I dont want to go down the whole is x twice as
good as y because it costs twice as much thing.

The thing is, I could feel myself going down the route
of wanting to try more and more expensive soaps because "performance",
I don't really care about fragrance and quite like the smell of "soap".
Click to expand...

Hi there,

The way I see things is there's a bunch of very good soaps out there and most of em aren't very pricey. Not nearly as many quality creams that I've found, mainly because they just don't have as much slip as soaps......generally speaking. Always some exceptions.

Now sometimes you will run into a soap or cream with not only excellent performance, but also a great scent. Additional fragrance like what C&S might use in their EdT will also add to the soap cost, so you gotta figure what that's worth. If you love the scent then it's easier to justify the price. Penhaligons and Floris were like that also, but I can't say how the soaps perform currently, since undergoing various reformulations over the years. Heh, still expensive though.

I'm like you when it comes to performance over scent. Can't have a perfect shave with less than perfect lather. My soap rotation items are not very expensive, but perform real well. Heh, on the other hand, the few creams I use are not cheap at all.

I would suggest maybe trying the C&S line. Top tier soap, but you gotta like the scent to make it worthwhile. The performance and how easily it lathers up is a kick, plus the post shave skin care is excellent. I believe if you write to them, that company will send out assorted sample EdTs on the house.

Martin
 
gazza said:
But its a genuine question.

With all the fantastic performing sticks available from 49p to £1.50
and MWF/Kent soap at £6ish a puck, what is the draw for soaps and creams
costing >£15 a tub?

I have been involved in a number of hobby/collectors forums before and spent £1000's
so I understand the hobbyist/collector/completist mindset , but having recently
chosen life in the work/life balance I find myself on a seriously restricted budget
and cant personally "buy to try" these days.

I find myself needing to ask the question because last week I tried Tabac stick for the first time and found it easily
outperformed the admittedly small number of more expensive soaps Ive tried,
and then last night I tried La Toja and was completely blown away by the performance.

So genuinely I'm wondering if there is a performance advantage to more expensive products
or if its the enjoyment of experimenting.
Click to expand...

I have a tendency to use more modestly priced soaps, croaps, creams and sticks because I get so much performance out of them. Yes, some of the more expensive soaps can be better but not 15X better for a 15X the price increase for me. At best for me they may get 2X 3X to maybe 4X better for a 15X the price increase, so for me it is not worth chasing even for a very exotic scent. I get great lathers so I feel I am not missing out if I am not chasing high end lather products. For those that enjoy higher priced soaps and creams, do not worry that you may be perceived as over or under rationalizing the fact you like them, simply enjoy them.
 
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