Still trying new soaps?

After about nine years of traditional shaving I have settled on my top tier of soaps:  Mike's, Strop Shoppe (RIP), B&M, Tabac, Cella and Valobra (and their offspring.)  I'm certain many of you have also decided what goes on your top shelf.  But do you ever have a hankering to try a new soap?  After using your soap rotation for a period of time, have any of you tried something new and been sold on the product so as to incorporate it into your rotation?

I'm finding it hard to resist but I'm trying not to give in and open the flood gates of AD-land.

No. https://damnfineshave.com/thread-shaving...2#pid61432


Why not continue testing different brands?

a. At best, this is nothing more than a snapshot in time.  There has to be an end sometime. Tomorrow V5.5 will be out, next week? V6. It will never end.  

b. There is a limit to my patience. At some point it becomes pointless. If a magical product is released, you will know about it as it floats to the top of the Internet “buzz”.  If it’s just the usual V5.6 or seasonal scent, then meh.  

c. It’s simple to crowd source reviews and see which products are getting rave reviews. If dozens of people, who are not following the herd, appear to like a new brand, there is probably a reason and they might be worth checking out. On the other hand, if a brand is getting little play, there is also probably a reason for that too.  It’s doubtful that Cinderella products exist.  Cream always floats to the top. If they do exist, they must be very difficult to obtain, too difficult for the average person to bother with. In the current Internet age it’s about trivial to set up an Internet presence for online purchasing.  

d. After awhile, you can pretty much tell from the price points “generally” how something will fair. If the consumable itself, NOT the container, is selling at three standard deviations over the norm, then if it only has average performance, it won’t last long in the marketplace. On the hand, if a product is selling at less than three standard deviations from the norm, you have to wonder why.  

I am at the saturation point. My current policy is: For every new soap I acquire, I must sell or PIF one. The problem is, I have whittled my soaps down to ones that I really, really enjoy, so choosing one to get rid of has become very difficult.

L&L's bison tallow formula has impressed me, as far as new stuff goes. I've only bought 2 new soaps this year - RR Dead Sea and L&L Champs de Lavande - and both have been worthwhile purchases. The latter is really something though.

Tallow + Steel is another one on my radar; may get one of theirs before the year is up.

I very rarely buy any new soaps. I have enough shaving soaps stockpiled now to last me the rest of my life, and although I respect the talents of the current artisan soap makers, for me none of their products can match the quality of my vintage tallow soaps.

L&L's bison tallow formula has impressed me, as far as new stuff goes. I've only bought 2 new soaps this year - RR Dead Sea and L&L Champs de Lavande - and both have been worthwhile purchases. The latter is really something though.

Tallow + Steel is another one on my radar; may get one of theirs before the year is up.

Tallow + Steel caught my eye too. If/when you try it, please post a review.

There's just too many soaps out there. I have whittled down to my favorites (Mikes, B&M, MWF, Soap Commander). I even took it a little further and whittled down my favorites of those brands. I hear about the next best soap and the likes but after so many different brands I've tried I have never been so much more impressed with the new soap when compared to my favorites. The only brand I would consider revisiting in the future is CRSW. I sold it out of my den a while back and I kind of miss it. They performed well and had a uniqueness about them. Other than that I can only try so many brands versions of barbershop, citrus, vetiver, aventus before I realize that my favorites are still my favorites.

I've only been at this for a year and a half so yeah, I'm still trying new soaps. I've pretty much figured out the best brands for me. I just like trying new scents and having a good variety on hand.

After getting into soapmaking (the hand & body variety), I've really come to understand the ingredients list on soaps a lot better.

For me, if it has stearic acid as its first ingredient, I pass on it. Some soaps with this characteristic do work for me, but it's uncommon (like Barrister & Mann, Grandstaff Soap Co, and Soap Commander.) If it only uses Potassium Hydroxide for lye, I pass on it. I've never tried one like that which gave me enough cushion.

Two basic rules to keep me buying what actually works for me, and interestingly enough, it seems 90%+ of new stuff doesn't pass those checks.

After getting into soapmaking (the hand & body variety), I've really come to understand the ingredients list on soaps a lot better.  

For me, if it has stearic acid as its first ingredient, I pass on it.  Some soaps with this characteristic do work for me, but it's uncommon (like Barrister & Mann, Grandstaff Soap Co, and Soap Commander.)  If it only uses Potassium Hydroxide for lye, I pass on it.  I've never tried one like that which gave me enough cushion.

Two basic rules to keep me buying what actually works for me, and interestingly enough, it seems 90%+ of new stuff doesn't pass those checks.

Very, very interesting stuff. Thanks.