Razorock soaps?

It's nice to read conversations between you two, Dan's.

Totally agree with EF, it's not the best but it's definitely not the worst. There is just too much soaps out there right now, really good ones to booth.

I'd say the prices of some RR soaps are still very attractive and perfect for those starting out.

I did wonder about that too and then I took a peek at my soap stockpile and noticed sooo many great soaps, I really don't wonder now.  The field has opened up so wide that some of the earlier vendours and soap makers got swallowed up in the void.  Razorock has some great soaps and some duds, but not really that different than many other soap makers.  It's also interesting how some soap makers have managed the need for change.  Some flip over to seasonal runs with their less than popular scents so you can still get it if you want it (soap Commander comes to mind) and B&M does the very odd run here and there. (Roam never seems to die the death it deserves....).  

Second, I absolutely hate the "best bang for the buck."  I buy a soap because it is good for me regardless of the price.  I have but one face and I happen to like it.  This is not to say, money is no object, but there are many low priced soaps that are totally crap, and some extremely high priced soap that meet that crap level.

Last and most important scent strength and performance.  As it relates to RR, it's been hit or miss.  Rather than talk about the misses, let's talk about the winners.

Mudderfocker
Tuscan oud
Zippy
stallion

Strangely enough I don't have any of those in my stockpile right now, must go to IB site right now..

When I started this a couple years ago, RR soaps and the Plissoft brushes were touted as the easiest and least expensive way to learn the art of building lather. The soap performs, the scents are intriguing, and it is exceptionally easy to make good lather, all of which makes it a great place for new shavers to start.

Arko and Cella are good but the scents can be polarizing. Proraso is great but finding the tubs of soap can be challenging and using a tube of cream does not help someone learn to load a brush...

With that said, I still have a few RR and Italian Barber soaps in rotation, but they don't get near the love my other soaps get. They are great introductions and cheap enough that nobody has to waste money learning, but there are many offerings out there that simply perform exponentially better without an exponentially higher price tag.

As for recommendations...these days I think any new shaver would be well advised to start at Stirling. Performance is better than RR by a long shot in my opinion, and the prices are not grossly higher...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I agree with both sentiments and very well said. RR has been on the lower end when it comes to price points and artisanal made soaps. I do still have a couple of tubs that I use on occasion, especially the Tuscan Oud with it's rich and intoxicatingly good scent with better than average performance as well as Mudder Focker. But, that being said I acquired their The Dead Sea Soap and I must say it is without a doubt one of their better soap creations that I have tried. Unique scent that is either love/hate (I love it) and excellent performance. There might be some that will question how can a soap with salt create a good lather? Don't know, but this one does. And Cannabis? Yup, in there too. Fear not, you won't fail any random drug tests for using it and just do some research on it. You'd need to do a whole lot more than just lathering it to test positive. Plus, it's THC that is being looked for in those tests. Smoke it or eat it yes, but not by shaving with it.

Anyhow, it is a very good performer with much better than average slickness, glide and cushion.  And my face has felt wonderfully conditioned post shave after just a couple of uses. I think any RR users who have left the fold and moved on to better performers, as I have, will be pleasantly surprised by this offering. It really is great performer imo. Oh, and the A/S Splash is the perfect finish. They pair perfectly......

Agreed. I have The Dead Sea and it's definitely the best RR soap I've used. It doesn't quite hang with L&L, Mike's, B&M, etc., but it is an above average performer. I love the packaging and the scent is nice too. I don't really pick up any cannabis out of it (and believe me, I've smelled my fair share of it ). I would like to pick up the aftershave too. I just need more of a reason to order something else from IB though.

I did wonder about that too and then I took a peek at my soap stockpile and noticed sooo many great soaps, I really don't wonder now.  The field has opened up so wide that some of the earlier vendours and soap makers got swallowed up in the void.  Razorock has some great soaps and some duds, but not really that different than many other soap makers.  It's also interesting how some soap makers have managed the need for change.  Some flip over to seasonal runs with their less than popular scents so you can still get it if you want it (soap Commander comes to mind) and B&M does the very odd run here and there. (Roam never seems to die the death it deserves....).  

Second, I absolutely hate the "best bang for the buck."  I buy a soap because it is good for me regardless of the price.  I have but one face and I happen to like it.  This is not to say, money is no object, but there are many low priced soaps that are totally crap, and some extremely high priced soap that meet that crap level.

Last and most important scent strength and performance.  As it relates to RR, it's been hit or miss.  Rather than talk about the misses, let's talk about the winners.

Mudderfocker
Tuscan oud
Zippy
stallion

Strangely enough I don't have any of those in my stockpile right now, must go to IB site right now..

When I started this a couple years ago, RR soaps and the Plissoft brushes were touted as the easiest and least expensive way to learn the art of building lather. The soap performs, the scents are intriguing, and it is exceptionally easy to make good lather, all of which makes it a great place for new shavers to start.

Arko and Cella are good but the scents can be polarizing. Proraso is great but finding the tubs of soap can be challenging and using a tube of cream does not help someone learn to load a brush...

With that said, I still have a few RR and Italian Barber soaps in rotation, but they don't get near the love my other soaps get. They are great introductions and cheap enough that nobody has to waste money learning, but there are many offerings out there that simply perform exponentially better without an exponentially higher price tag.

As for recommendations...these days I think any new shaver would be well advised to start at Stirling. Performance is better than RR by a long shot in my opinion, and the prices are not grossly higher...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I agree with both sentiments and very well said. RR has been on the lower end when it comes to price points and artisanal made soaps. I do still have a couple of tubs that I use on occasion, especially the Tuscan Oud with it's rich and intoxicatingly good scent with better than average performance as well as Mudder Focker. But, that being said I acquired their The Dead Sea Soap and I must say it is without a doubt one of their better soap creations that I have tried. Unique scent that is either love/hate (I love it) and excellent performance. There might be some that will question how can a soap with salt create a good lather? Don't know, but this one does. And Cannabis? Yup, in there too. Fear not, you won't fail any random drug tests for using it and just do some research on it. You'd need to do a whole lot more than just lathering it to test positive. Plus, it's THC that is being looked for in those tests. Smoke it or eat it yes, but not by shaving with it.

Anyhow, it is a very good performer with much better than average slickness, glide and cushion.  And my face has felt wonderfully conditioned post shave after just a couple of uses. I think any RR users who have left the fold and moved on to better performers, as I have, will be pleasantly surprised by this offering. It really is great performer imo. Oh, and the A/S Splash is the perfect finish. They pair perfectly......

Agreed. I have The Dead Sea and it's definitely the best RR soap I've used. It doesn't quite hang with L&L, Mike's, B&M, etc., but it is an above average performer. I love the packaging and the scent is nice too. I don't really pick up any cannabis out of it (and believe me, I've smelled my fair share of it ). I would like to pick up the aftershave too. I just need more of a reason to order something else from IB though.

I had the same problem. So I ordered this and a few other warm weather A/S Splashes. I was waiting for the restock on the S/S Hawk DLC but it sold out in a couple of hours. The Aqua and New York splashes are quite good. Fresh and aquatic if you like those sort of scents. The Dead Sea splash is quite fresh also. Got a couple of compliments from some of the ladies at work today. And the Misses approves of it as well, big +. One thing I give RR is that their aftershave scents have very good longevity. At least for me.

A recent RazoRock favorite of mine is the XXX Formula Duro shaving soap.  Really nice, slick, and protective lather with a very enjoyable scent.  I also enjoy the scents of Santa Maria del Fiore(love the glass jar, too) and the Tuscan Oud, but I think I need to play around with these two a little more to find the lather that I like.  It could very well be my water giving me fits too.  

I'm not saying that RazoRock soaps are the "be all and end all" of shaving soaps, but I have been able to find some RazoRock formulas that have been very enjoyable for me.  Is it going to replace PC Nuavia, B&M, Mystic Water, Mike's, L&L, WSP, and etc?  Probably not, but I have plenty of room for all of them!(Please just don't ask my wife if I have room for all of them!   )  

(And, no Matthew (Matsilainen), I'm not really thinking about downsizing my shaving soap catalog.  )

(And, no Matthew (Matsilainen), I'm not really thinking about downsizing my shaving soap catalog.  )

I knew that had to have just been silly talk. Since it was 47° C / 117° F outside here today, I spent some time inside going through my shaving stuff. I actually really truly should downsize, and that’s not even silly talk…

But speaking of RazoRock, I really enjoy Mudder Focker and XXX (Formula Duro). They may not perform as well as some of my absolute favorite soaps, but I still like them a lot, and they both smell really nice. (As does the Tuscan Oud soap, which I have not used yet, even though the matching aftershave is my all-time favorite.)

With RazoRock, you do get a nice soap for the money.

I have tried at least a dozen Razors soaps, but I kept (and use very carefully) the older version of the RR XXX, which was sold in an UFO-like looking container.

I would like to try out more TFS & RR soaps but I get worried that the chemical they use in P160 could be in some of their other products. I'm very rarely allergic to anything & have typical olive colored southern italian skin - not sensitive at all. However, the P160 they make really lights up my face. It's easy to see why they stopped making the original product.

I do not have that problem with TFS Bergamot Neroli which is amazing & I love dearly.

Often I dream of having a chinotto / negroni scented soap.

I would like to try out more TFS & RR soaps but I get worried that the chemical they use in P160 could be in some of their other products. I'm very rarely allergic to anything & have typical olive colored southern italian skin - not sensitive at all. However, the P160 they make really lights up my face. It's easy to see why they stopped making the original product.

I do not have that problem with TFS Bergamot Neroli which is amazing & I love dearly.

Often I dream of having a chinotto / negroni scented soap.

Do you get the same reaction from Cella or other almond scented soaps?

[
Do you get the same reaction from Cella or other almond scented soaps?

No - not at all. Cella is amazing in so many ways. I also use almond oil & other genuine almond products without issue.

I like Razorock soaps. They perform well and I don’t consider them “cheap” soaps. What is good for one may not be good for another as we all have different skin types.

They lather up easily and provide me with good cushion and slickness. Personally I look for soaps with the fewest ingredients possible and as natural as possible.

They are good value for the money. I own ADP soap and it’s a waste of money for me (personally).

Like Michael Feedberg said “Use a soap because you like it”. If you don’t like a soap, it’s fine too.

I have at one time or another had most of the RR soaps. I gave the majority of them away to guys who were just getting interested in wet shaving. The ones I still have and keep buying are Tuscan Oud and The Dead Sea.

The splashes are a different story. I dig most of them. I usually put menthol in them though. I didn't know there was a Dead Sea splash. There wasn't when I got the soap. I'll have to check it out.