I am not a fan of Williams but I like the VHD and soon I am going to kick it up a notch with some Kiss My Face Super-lathering.
I think the punch line here is that most soaps are a great value--allowing for some margin of error. If it's cheap, and mentioned here, it's a good value (e.g., VDH is ***definitely*** worth $2; those that are more expensive, including tripple-milled that run up to $20 a puck, will last many, many months (up to a year, some have said), so are probably good values, too, if you can afford the upfront outlay. You can pick from any above and be very happy for a long time. At the risk of overwhelming you, I'll throw one more into the mix: Honeybee Sue, from whom you can get six pucks for under $25 shipped (last time I checked, anyway). Pretty solid performers and you can try a lot of scents for not a lot of cash!
Hiya, I'd echo Bryan's suggestion about ordering from HoneybeeSue. Great bang for the buck......a nice soap that's very easy to lather. Three large pucks run $15, which includes shipping I believe. My personal favorite is her version of 'Sandalwood Vanilla'. Heh, matter of fact, Sue's soap was the first I ever tried (a looong time ago), after using only creams for many months. It was a good choice of places to start, and she's a pleasure to deal with. Hope that helps, Martin
Bryan and Martin, Thanks for the tip off to Honeybee Sue's. I will have to check into it. Bryan hit the key there about affording the upfront outlay. Right now I think a variety of less expensive soaps that won't last as long is going to work for my budget much more than more expensive triple milled varieties.
I can't add anything, but I'd like to give another vote to the TSD soaps here. They're a little more than soaps like VDH, Williams, and Arko, but they also shave like a more expensive soap; which may not be enough difference to bother you, but I really appreciate the extra slickness and protection. I guess I'd place soap that are worth buying into three catagories: economy, great bang-for-the-buck, and luxery. TSD soaps are the best in the bang-for-the-buck catagory to me (and one of the cheapest).
I'm a college student, too; I hear your plight. When I started [proper] wet shaving a while back, I found a great deal on a bowled soap from C&E. Generally, the bowled soaps are over priced, but I picked mine up for around $10 and it's lasted me fine. The smell is fantastic, the lather is rich and lubricating, and the soap itself is easy to apply to brush after a short pre-soak.
When word started to travel across the street that C&E was going to discontinue some of their soaps, I grabbed a puck for $10 at a local shop. Didn't have a bowl, but it fit into my shaving mug with a little cajoling. That thing's gonna last me months, if not years since I have Tabac, VDH, Col Conk, and Williams to compete for my favor each morning.
Shaving Essentials carries Tabac, Institut Karité, Pré de Provence and Provence Santé which are all great soaps and will last a while. Also consider Susies Bubble's N Squeak soaps. They come in a variety of scents and you can get 6 for $15 (plus shipping).
Williams and VDH Deluxe are decent soaps for under $2. Pirates Cove is another good soap. I think they go for around $3 plus shipping. Omega Shave Cream is also another great product that you can get for under $8.
Other than VDH and Williams, can you find any of these be found in stores? I am trying to avoid shipping costs but after scouring the local stores I could only find Williams and VDH.
Williams and VDH are the only drugstore/grocery brands. If you have bath and body stores in the area, you may be able to find some of the others.
Rite Aid carries tubes of cream from the real shaving company I think.... I have not used it but heard it was good and it is cheaper I think. Fuzzy
