Don’t Spread your Money Around

That’s the rub isn’t it?
FOMO


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No doubt about it. I read and read and read about how much people were enjoying some of the newer soaps and I must admit, I succumbed to it. However, in this instance, I do not regret the chase in fact I'm very happy about it.

That’s the rub isn’t it?
FOMO


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No doubt about it. I read and read and read about how much people were enjoying some of the newer soaps and I must admit, I succumbed to it. However, in this instance, I do not regret the chase in fact I'm very happy about it.

That's our challenge as makers. Getting people to try our stuff.

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Free market capitalism is great for the consumers as if offers us variety as companies compete for our $$. As to whether one should be loyal to a few artisans is irrelevant for if they fail someone else will pick up the slack as the last few years have shown. As long as there is gold there will be gold miners. Personally, I don't feel the need to "wed" any particular vendor as personally I like playing the field.

I think people spend too much money on shaving soaps. Did you expect an artisan who makes and sells soaps to say that

Most scents will fade from soaps unless the scents are very well done. Unless the soap is Tabac, I have a jar that has been left uncovered for the past 4 years and it still smells the same as a new puck.

My suggestion would be that people buy only what they think is the very best and finish them. I find having a small rotation a joy to use.

Ooops, that ship has sailed...

I admit to having way more soaps (and scents, and brushes) than I'll ever use. I don't lose any sleep over it however. I get enjoyment out of giving products to my son, PIFing products to forum members and even selling them. I actually enjoy the process of deciding what product to use each day and love having a large choice. It's like a packed refrigerator full of all the food you love. If a soap loses its potency, because I haven't used it up quickly enough...oh well, I certainly know where I can get more. I can't concern myself whether or not a vendor remains in business, just because I (or anyone else, for that matter) don't dedicate my den to one or two of his or her products. For 40 years, I "dedicated" my den to one razor, one can of goo and hated the entire process. Those days are thankfully over.

For 40 years, I "dedicated" my den to one razor, one can of goo and hated the entire process. Those days are thankfully over.

Boom. Did the same for quite a stretch up until I started wet shaving. Multi blade cartridge razor + can of shaving cream = numerous piss poor shaves, cuts, razor burn and grinding out something I literally hated to do. If I can keep chasing better shaves by finding other vendors and sampling their wares I'm all for it. As I mentioned earlier, the past few weeks I've had some of the best shaves of my entire life due to the new products I've gotten from new vendors tried. Its worth it to me.

I've been thinking the same recently, and the chasing the dragon thread highlighted it for me.
I've found a soap maker that I like and am completely satisfied with, and have even, gasp, finished a tub with another not far from it.

I prefer being 'loyal' to a maker I've found and know works for me, at this scale it does feel a bit like being a patron and I prefer it that way to bouncing from one to the next.

That's not to disparage the other great makers out there, who ideally will each find their own patrons.

That's certainly your choice to make, but I don't eat the same thing, nor go to the same restaurant everyday, and 75% of restaurants fail in the first year.

Which is why if there's a new restaurant I like I'll be darn sure to eat there more often to support them.

I too have more soaps than I can use and I have enjoyed the 'chase'. But I also have many soaps that I'll probably never use again or use only rarely, and I've thought about what I could have done differently to reduce that number. In this respect, I'm thinking similarly to GroomingDept.

If I were doing it over, the first thing that I'd do is start at the top. I'd get some AdP, ABC, XPEC, AoS tallow/Czech and Speake, MdC, I Coloniali Mango, and SNM (if you like the scents of the last 2), and samples can be had. This way, when I tried a new soap, I'd know pretty quickly if it was really good or just marginally better than the last 5 soaps I tried along the way, so then I could immediately sell or PIF the underperformers. The top end soaps perform very well both during the shave and in post-shave results and they have scents that you could use every day - though every individual may not like every scent.

This approach also allows you to identify lower cost soaps that outperform their price range - you won't have to wonder. Some real bargains to me are Stirling, PdP, D. R. Harris creams, and Provence Sante. You can get some sizes of all these for around $10 except for the Harris creams.

Cheers, Steve

I admit to having way more soaps (and scents, and brushes) than I'll ever use. I don't lose any sleep over it however. I get enjoyment out of giving products to my son, PIFing products to forum members and even selling them. I actually enjoy the process of deciding what product to use each day and love having a large choice. It's like a packed refrigerator full of all the food you love. If a soap loses its potency, because I haven't used it up quickly enough...oh well, I certainly know where I can get more. I can't concern myself whether or not a vendor remains in business, just because I (or anyone else, for that matter) don't dedicate my den to one or two of his or her products. For 40 years, I "dedicated" my den to one razor, one can of goo and hated the entire process. Those days are thankfully over.  

Great post, and I couldn't agree more. Sometimes the choice of a soap/brush/razor can seem daunting with a large collection, but that's part of the fun as well.

As far as artisans, I tend to buy soaps from the ones that have a combination of a good 'vibe', commitment to their business and the community, and, of course, excellent soaps. I'll buy a tub or two that I absolutely do not need in order to support them.