Maybe the moral is to just ignore all reviews and go for a cross selection of products and test them for myself. I do however think it kind of defeats the object of reviewing products if all you're gonna say for each one is.. "I'm happy. It was a nice shave" "It was a good shave" "Nice comfortable shave" "I like this product. It feels nice" Maybe there genuinely isn't a product that he dislikes but he must have his favourites and just saying nice and great for every one he reviews makes it a bit pointless because you can't compare it with anything. He never seems to point out any negatives only positives which makes it difficult to judge which would be best to try. For example if he said, "This one tugs a little and doesn't feel very sharp or I didn't like this blade as much as x because it didn't feel as comfortable" etc It would at least be good to hear which ones he favours over others or ones which he feels we may think about staying away from or which products he dislikes more than others. I understand it's only one person's opinion but why else would you look at a review unless you were looking for someones opinion? Would be good to see how they compare against each other and rank them accordingly like a top 10 but the way Nick reviews products it seems a bit pointless when he keeps giving each one a "Great Shave" every time. It did kind of make me wonder if he just gives everybody a great review as so far I haven't heard of one product that he doesn't get along with.
Seems like you're on a witch hunt now man, why are you so preoccupied by what Nick thinks!? Stop worrying about what he thinks and watching his videos if you find them so unhelpful and disinformative. You might actually find some time to test them yourself and find what you like. I'm over this thread, friggin ridiculous...
I used to write reviews for a local music rag. The editor had explicit instructions for the tone of the magazine. We wrote two kinds of reviews. Good reviews, and great reviews. In all it made for a "happy" magazine. I read all reviews thinking about that editor now.
I'll jump in here and say that when I do watch/read reviews, it's more for information than recommendations. This applies to everything -- shaving, movies, etc. It's good to see what other are thinking, but I still make my own decision and I'll usually do whatever I was going to do in the first place. When I do use a product that's new to me, this helps me know a little bit about it.
This is an interesting point I hadn't fully considered before, but bears exploring a bit - both for YouTube videos and product reviews in general. I like Nick's videos - particularly his method and general informational videos. I also appreciate the fact that he doesn't position himself as an expert so much as a hobbyist taking you along for the ride as he explores. That said, I initially had the same reaction to his product reviews as the OP. But as I watched more of his videos and tried a few of the same products, I grew to appreciate his reviews more. The value in product reviews, in my opinion, comes from understanding the particular tastes of the reviewer and how they do or don't overlap with your own. I liken it to beer. I have one buddy who has almost identical tastes as me, I have others whose tastes only align with mine on certain styles, and I have others who just couldn't be more polar opposite than me. I find value in all of their opinions, even if it's just knowing I should stay away from anything the latter group recommends. In Nick's case, he sets a clear and consistent baseline for what he likes - Merkur HD, Bay Rum scents, boar brushes, Lab blues, etc. Once I had a bead on that and had tried some of his favorites, I was able to do the math between his recommendations and my preferences. He does tend to err on the side of loving products, but I can't knock him for that (Even if he does rank products on a scale of 1 to 50 "awesomes"). It's easy to sound smart and discerning just by bashing on products, which I feel like too many reviewers do. Instead, Nick takes some of the mystery out of YMMV by giving you a sense of what mileage he gets out of a core set of products and how others compare to that. Wow... that was way more thought provoking for me than it probably should have been.
Same thing for me. I watched and learned alot from geo fatboys vids but havent watched many since....i do look for product reviews from time to time
Apologies. I wasn't having a go a the guy. Certainly didn't mean it to come over like that anyway. My point was about reviews. Isn't the whole point supposed to be to help you make a decision by highlighting which ones are better than others and the pros and cons of each one? I'll admit I'm fairly new to DE shaving so came online to seek advice and been looking at a few reviews but when someone just gives every product a "great" then it's really difficult to get any kind of opinion when they're all coming out the same. As a newbie it's really confusing.
Don't worry we where all new once and I as someone who has spent more time then I care to admit watching reviews (I've watched my fair share of Nick Shaves as well) I see your point. The best place to read reviews I have found is right here at TSD. You will find the Cons and Pros of almost every product there is out there right here and if people haven't reviewed it here give it time as it is bound to end up here as well. What where you looking up review wise? What product are you curious about? Feel free to ask around or use the search bar to look up reviews and thoughts about almost everything and anything you can think of. You are in a forum brimming with knowledge and helpful people. Good luck and Welcome by the way.
I get what ur saying about being new. We all were at some point. I got more from the forums than I did videos. We r a great community of guys here that r glad to help new shavers as we r passionate about this hobby. Starting out can b rough. It's a lot to process. Anything u would like to know just ask. Products or technique. I assure u if I own it I'll b happy to send u a sample so u can see for urself .
You know something, Nick probably started off not even knowing or caring that something would come out of his experiences and reviews. Seems to me before Nick, bashing..how many of us are taking the time to help our fellow man by bringing a camera into our bathrooms and trying to sincerely help others. Not me...see the point.
I think it all boils down to preferences. What I may love another may not. What another may love I may not. I'm asked occasionally about a product I use. When I give the description I always say that it's my opinion. And I hope who I'm telling takes it as that. I'd hate to cost someone their hard earned money because I rave about how good it is. In time Mr Wizard (u like how I did that right) u will make friends that u trust and know their preferences. These r the ones u will go to and ask how a new soap they used is. I value these ppl that I know in this hobby. They help me purchase when I'm on the fence. Or help me keep my money.
Thanks everyone. Apologies for starting off on the wrong foot. I shouldn't have criticised another fellow shaver but find it a bit confusing when reviews don't really tell you much when you go looking for help and you end up more confused than you started with. It would br a whole lot easier for me of people just lined everything up and told me what was best and worst and what the differences are rather than taking a whole bunch of stuff and saying well there all good so check em out! Kind of leaves me feeling more confused. I started off thinking I knew what I liked and then looked up soaps and creams and then I was really confused. In future I'll forget about the confusing reviews and just ask you guys. You seem to know more about these things yeah? BTW massive Monty Python fan here so appreciated the clip.
That's really what I would recommend. I find it interesting to watch some of the videos and hear about products that I've never tried, new vendors, etc., but I try not to fool myself into thinking that I'll enjoy something just because someone on YouTube does. If I have a question about razors, blades, soaps, creams, or anything else, I just come here and solicit opinions. I get a much better sampling from which to base my decisions that way. Plus, we're way more cool than Nick.
