A serious question on Soap/Cream Reviews

Within reason, (personal attack, profanity, etc..) sites that won't let you speak your opinion are kinda scary if you think about it.


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Never been banned myself either but have left a couple of sites based on people whose opinion I valued, inexplicably disappearing.

Both artisans and members.

After one of those disappearing acts, I reached out to the vendor in question who I believe does a TON in the support of our hobby.

He pointed me in this direction and I have been here ever since.

I do agree that the support of differing opinions and perspective without getting personal is what makes these forums interesting [least for me].

In the case of one of the major sites, they charge SO much for vendor fees, no up and coming artisan, (hardware or software) can afford them. Mostly, even when "crowd" excitement got to be overwhelming, (sometimes vendor, sometimes hobbyist), entire threads would disappear, even when there were hundreds of followers and fans. (Shout out to a guy who does beautiful Cerakote type restores..).

In the case of this particular major site, there are only a couple of "Non-Paying" artisans or shops who have managed to become so popular (I can only imagine the Skype talks among mods...), that I think they have to just let them go, but I can honestly think of only two or three.

Either way, even though I spout that, "It's just soap!", if we can't speak up about it, what's the point?


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Good observations PickledNorthern.

Very nice Bay Rum choices. Here's a quasi-negative comment: While I, on the whole, enjoy MW scents (the soap quality is unmatched) the Bay Rum didn't please me at all. Mike's is my favorite.

I consider the MW Bay Rum a more sophisticated, Sunday go to meeting sort of Bay Rum. Similar to the D.R. Harris Bay Rum Aftershave which is again a more refined riff on Bay Rum.

If you are aware of other great Bay Rums, I'm open to suggestions - I really enjoy Bay Rum and so far the only brand that I have actually disliked was Taconic. There have been a few that haven't made the cut for no scent reasons combined with below average performance.

I wouldn't count on it hardening up.  I left mine out for days and days and they remained gloppy and just gooey, sort of in between a soft soap and a cream. I hope yours dries out and its usable.

I think the problem with goopy soap that is supposed to be hard is a failure of whatever the chemical reaction that goes on in the process.  I'm not an expert on the subject but there is good information out there https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saponification

Bottom line is that soap doesn't harden by drying out - it does so via a chemical reaction much the way concrete doesn't harden by drying but through a chemical reaction called hydration which is dependant on the water being present :"The water causes the hardening of concrete through a process called hydration. Hydration is a chemical reaction in which the major compounds in cement form chemical bonds with water molecules and become hydrates or hydration products."

Sorry for going off on a tangent but I really like concrete.
Mark

Easy answer - Fanboys. I only use hard soaps and avoid croaps and artisan products. If I were to state reviews on these products and give reasons why. On some boards I would be banned and others my PM box would be full of hate mail, etc. Don't feel like dealing with the BS.

I just like to shave with products I like and really could care less about some endless argument of why I should try soap X and why it is so much better than anything else on earth. I worked in the commercial side of the industry for years and don't feel like getting in anecdotal arguments that are emotionally driven over something as simple as soap.

You like it use it. No need to try to convert people to use it. Enjoy it for what it is....soap

Easy answer - Fanboys. I only use hard soaps and avoid croaps and artisan products. If I were to state reviews on these products and give reasons why. On some boards I would be banned

That is an additional data point on money driving systems.

and others my PM box would be full of hate mail, etc. Don't feel like dealing with the BS.

And that is another data point supporting the Sharpologist podcast.

 You like it use it. No need to try to convert people to use it. Enjoy it for what it is....soap

But this this reasoning only supports the obsessive fanboy position, not the position of "mere" fans. There is a big difference. One can like a product, any product, any industry, and not obsess over it.  I like Orange Juice and I like Potato Chips and Hamburgers. Brand doesn't mean all that much to me and its not worth obsessing over which brand OJ or Potato Chips.

You you think Reviewers try to "convert" people to use certain consumables?

You see most everywhere the denigrating adjective of "goo" used about everywhere in the wet shaving industry as a means to devalue canned shaving cream yet it seems to work just fine for hundreds of millions of humans. I guess that doesn't work to well, does it? Otherwise the hundreds of millions who use it or shaving gel would be buying "hard soaps" - they don't.  So, do you feel "reviewers" are trying to create converts to the products they like?

This is one of the reasons that I jumped ship from another wet-shaving forum. Not that I care about "karma" or some such pettiness. If a member raises a concern about a product, it is the obligation of the community to constructively respond to said concern; not to down-vote and bury the comment into oblivion. After a while it becomes quite obvious that individuals lurking in such places have an ulterior motive for being there. Comments sections, in any forum, have the potential to be just as important as the actual article or review for understanding a certain item or product. Believe me, there are many products out there that do not deserve the praise they get.

But this this reasoning only supports the obsessive fanboy position, not the position of "mere" fans. There is a big difference. One can like a product, any product, any industry, and not obsess over it.  I like Orange Juice and I like Potato Chips and Hamburgers. Brand doesn't mean all that much to me and its not worth obsessing over which brand OJ or Potato Chips.

You you think Reviewers try to "convert" people to use certain consumables?

You see most everywhere the denigrating adjective of "goo" used about everywhere in the wet shaving industry as a means to devalue canned shaving cream yet it seems to work just fine for hundreds of millions of humans. I guess that doesn't work to well, does it? Otherwise the hundreds of millions who use it or shaving gel would be buying "hard soaps" - they don't.  So, do you feel "reviewers" are trying to create converts to the products they like?

Don't know and don't really think about it much. I just see millions of threads about soaps, their worth, which is the best Italian soft soap, best Artisan soap. top 10 Artisan soaps, cost per shave, this vs that, heated debates, closed threads etc. I see this behavior more with artisan soaps then I do with commercial soaps. In fact people feel it's their prerogative to slam commercial soaps like Arko, Williams, Musgo etc but the debate gets really heated when that same vitriol is brought on artisan soaps. I don't write reviews on soaps, rarely if ever recommend any brand over another and don't really think it is that important. It's soap. And yes I think a lot of shavers get obsessed with their shiny new soap and buy 20 or 30 flavors of it and wax enthusiastic, insert it into as many soap posts as possible. Like the new toy on the block. The Tickle me Elmo of the year.

I ignore most reviews on soap. A question was asked why you don't see negative reviews on soaps and I gave my thoughts and feelings why. That's it.

I have no problem with aerosol creams, gels, carts or Gillette either. I have never posted anything negative about them so i don't see why that is even in the conversation. I have used them I find no issue with them. Same logic applies why I never really talk about them because I don't want to hear all the "canned goo" caused me to have this, that and the end of civilization as we know it posts ending with the Gillette Illuminati proposals.

Again its soap...like it use it. Don't.. find something else.

Don't know and don't really think about it much. I just see millions of threads about soaps, their worth, which is the best Italian soft soap, best Artisan soap. top 10 Artisan soaps, cost per shave, this vs that, heated debates, closed threads etc. I see this behavior more with artisan soaps then I do with commercial soaps. In fact people feel it's their prerogative to slam commercial soaps like Arko, Williams, Musgo etc but the debate gets really heated when that same vitriol is brought on artisan soaps. I don't write reviews on soaps, rarely if ever recommend any brand over another and don't really think it is that important. It's soap. And yes I think a lot of shavers get obsessed with their shiny new soap and buy 20 or 30 flavors of it and wax enthusiastic, insert it into as many soap posts as possible. Like the new toy on the block. The Tickle me Elmo of the year.

Yes, that is exactly the position taken in the Sharpologist podcast. People feel free to bash the inexpensive commercial products and I suspect because they are such large companies that there is little chance of negative backlash. This is true

I have no problem with aerosol creams, gels, carts or Gillette either. I have never posted anything negative about them so i don't see why that is even in the conversation.

I brought up the "canned goo" question because I constantly here it as a means to degrade or devalue probably the highest revenue generating product sold in the wet shaving industry. Yet, it seems to have failed miserably as I don't see hundreds of millions of users flocking to far more expensive commercial or artisan soaps instead. I'm not sure why consumers feel the need to call it canned goo, which is, of course, a negative review, and feel there will be no negative consequences similar to bashing artisan products.