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Are we about to replay the pedantic "Gentleman" conversation with artisan now?

I think you mean "again" instead of "now"...

This forum already went round and round trying to establish a definition for the word "artisan" that did not rely on some 150 year old dictionary, a personal blog post, and a clearly personal agenda to clarify...

At the end of the conversation, I believe the consensus was that there is very little consensus...

People are still wondering how to determine word meanings?  Seriously?  Heck, I learned that in grade school, and assumed everyone else did, as well.

If people want to know the contemporary meaning of a word used in standard English, it can be found in current dictionaries.  

• Merriam-Webster Dictionary & Thesaurus
  
• Oxford Living Dictionaries
  
• Cambridge Dictionary
  
• The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language
  

The above render any word meaning debates on shaving forums irrelevant. I can define "oak" as meaning Lincoln Continental, but that won't make it so.  Folks are asking "Is this soap truly artisan?", but it would make more sense to ask "Does this soap work work well and represent a good value for the money?"  What difference does it make whether or not a soap is "artisan"?  IMHO, artisan vs. non-artisan is meaningless.

If wetshavers want to find lists of top artisan soapmakers, there are dozens in the Who are your Top 10 Artisan Soapmakers? thread right here on Damn Fine Shave.  And here is the Your top 20 shaving creams ? thread, also quite useful.  Also:

• Top 5 Artisan Soap Vendors (The Shave Den)
  
• Your Top 3-5 Soaps (The Shave Den)
  
• Top 5 Soaps (Badger & Blade)
  

and others.  Along with soap lists in blogs, they provide at least a starting point when looking for good soaps.  Is a soap highly acclaimed by many people?  If so, then it is probably a good one to try.  No guarantees, simply a general indicator.  Bearing in mind, of course, that water hardness, brushes used and scent preferences can affect ranking by a given individual.

Deleted because it was just an oops and not trying to reply.

Sometimes on Tapa you can't see a post if they tagged someone. You can hit quote to read it. I hit reply instead of cancel.

Sometimes on Tapa you can't see a post if they tagged someone. You can hit quote to read it. I hit reply instead of cancel.

Oh, my gif was about the storm of discussion that I tried to head off initially but seemed to inflame instead.

Right after I posted I realized you might make the connection to your post as well. Sorry man.

Sometimes on Tapa you can't see a post if they tagged someone. You can hit quote to read it. I hit reply instead of cancel.

Oh, my gif was about the storm of discussion that I tried to head off initially but seemed to inflame instead.

Right after I posted I realized you might make the connection to your post as well. Sorry man.

Too funny.

ABC is artisan. http://www.thebespokedudes.com/en/artisa...eria-colla

“We've created a range of products starting from those that have always been used in this shop”, she explains. These are original recipes from 1924  ... “my dad didn't even want to tell me the recipe” - she confesses.

and is listed as Italian Artisan http://www.bacoluxury.com/category/artisanal/page/4/

Oh, OK. ABC is Antica Barbieria Colla. I tuned in their website and found the Almond Oil Hard Shaving Soap. Now that looks like something particularly nice. Order time! Thanks for that link, it is always good to discover new things.

I'll update the list with more stuff soon, no worries. When it comes to someone that's on the fence regarding artisan/vendor, we'll see how it goes. No need to over complicate things.

I'll update the list with more stuff soon, no worries. When it comes to someone that's on the fence regarding artisan/vendor, we'll see how it goes. No need to over complicate things.

Just curious, but why not eliminate the artisan vs. non-artisan thing completely? For example, a top five or ten shaving soaps/creams/etc instead of top 5 artisan soaps/creams/etc. For one thing, it would completely eliminate any nitpicking over word definitions. It would also allow the inclusion of some world class soaps that would otherwise be excluded.

As for suggestions that all artisans be included, even if the net is cast more widely, it is probably impossible to include every single artisan. Three years ago, I attempted to compile such a list. I stopped at around 300 artisans and dozens of larger commercial manufacturers. A recent search revealed that quite a few of those artisans had folded, and the overall number of arrtisan soapmakers was orders of magnitude greater than before. It looks like there are now several thousand at the very least. Google, Bing and Duck Duck Go are probably the best list generators now. Finding an arbitrary soap and then searching for reviews would then make sense. That is where forums, blogs and YouTube come in.

Anyways, a great effort, and still hoping to see some of your posts here for all to see and discuss. Even if not, good luck! May your soaps be foamy and slick, and your menthol fantastically freezing!

Registered, but no response. What's up?