Stop right there, don't buy that! or Shave goods best avoided...

Discussion in 'Shave School' started by Dridecker, Feb 25, 2010.

  1. Dridecker

    Dridecker Sherlock

    You know what I'm talking about here, I'm talking about those shave goods that just flat out don't work and are a waste of time and money. :mad:

    Now I'm not talking about YMMV items like most brands of razor blades (although Merkur blades do come to mind ;)). Nope, I'm talking those real stinkers that have been tried and proven not be worth wasting a nickel of your money and a minute of your time on.

    So in the interest of helping out the new wetshaver, or even experienced ones that just haven't tried that rotten item yet, lets make a list of them.

    I'll start with the following:

    L'Occitane CADE Shaving Cream
    Herban Cowboy Shave soap


    .​
     
    brit and theblindog like this.
  2. Jimbo

    Jimbo New Member

    Straight razors:

    Zeepk, Sanguine, anything Pakistani made. In fact, there is a full list of dodgy straight brands available at the SRP Wiki.

    James.
     
    Mike-R41 likes this.
  3. TheCopperHat

    TheCopperHat Member

    parker 22r razor (silos close crooked, bend blades) nice looking thats it
     
    Mike-R41 likes this.
  4. Dobro7

    Dobro7 New Member

    to new to help, but...

    I think this would be valuable to newbies, like me, keep us on the straight and narrow.
     
  5. AxelH

    AxelH New Member

    Basically everything from a canister. I like many of the Neutrogena products but their skin clearing shave cream isn't up to snuff, much better for a beginner to purchase something over the 'net.

    Dridecker, what's wrong with Herban Cowboy? I have a puck, hardly used it but it seems to leave a very slick coat, even if someone had difficulty building a creamy lather with longevity it can certainly leave the slickness. (I've also made J.B. Williams' puck work for traditional str8-shaving so...)
     
    45auto likes this.
  6. Dridecker

    Dridecker Sherlock

    Any and all reviews I have read about it, both here at TSD and at other shave forums, are universally very poor on their soap.

    Slickness is only part of the equation IMHO, you need to have the cushion of a nice lather too.
     
  7. sol92258

    sol92258 I have no earthly idea

    anything from the TSD store, just don't touch it, leave it alone!
    (more for me!!!! muhahahahaha!!!)

    I'M KIDDING!!!


    I honestly haven't tried a product that I haven't been able to use effectively...but then, my range of different products used isn't that large.

    I do, however, have a Caswell Massey soap I got mainly for the bowl, and the sandalwood scent is great, which gets pretty low reviews, though I haven't tried it yet....hmmm, I think I may know what tonight's shave lather will be from
     
  8. Dridecker

    Dridecker Sherlock

    Yep, I thought about the Caswell Massey line too, not really many good words about either the soap or the cream other than people saying they have fantastic scents. Of course we can't shave with the scent alone.
     
  9. hoglahoo

    hoglahoo Yesterday's News

    ZEEPK


    No, they aren't just hated because they're inexpensive. No, they aren't just advised against because people are uppity or elitist or whatever. And yes, it can hurt to just try them even though they're only $ fill in the blank for a set (please don't say "what can it hurt? it's only $15 for all this stuff, if it doesn't work out I'm only out $15 and if it does work out I really scored!" This isn't a lottery, zeepk does not make razors, they make cheap paperweights.) And yes, the strops suck too. Don't waste your money! Purchasing these encourages the peddlers of this junk to sell more! Don't do it!
     
    Robert1955 likes this.
  10. AxelH

    AxelH New Member

    Guess Dridecker is right...

    Okay. So I just went for an Herban Cowboy shave. It foams up too easily, or, doesn't get thick enough for a creamy consistency and it dries out fast. I loaded the brush twice and used little water in the badger brush. Lathering was easy, getting a thick no nonsense consistency wasn't. It dries fast. Like the Williams, it leaves a layer of slickness if re-wetted with a brush, just a quick dip in water at the tip and watered it will be moist and slick. But it isn't a good soap. There are plenty of higher quality soaps at a reasonable price. I just gave myself a nice str8 shave with it, no cuts or nicks. Even went for a smooth XTG pass on a part of my jaw that I haven't seriously tackled in a while. All very crisp, clean cuts, but with constant attentive re-wetting with the brush. It can work, it just takes work to make it work. J.B. Williams is better, though (and much cheaper). I am in a dry, cold air environment and all the soaps I've been using do this. I have yet to try Mama Bear's and I'll do that soon enough for comparison with a brand that has good reviews here.

    Aqua Velva goodness today and gonna go for a cold winter walk. Delicious. I don't understand why people think the cooling aftershaves/balms are better during the summer. I'd think summer is for Bay Rum, winter is a celebration of the Nivea balms and menthol freezes. I love my new skin. Yum!
     
  11. Dridecker

    Dridecker Sherlock

    Thanks, but really I had nothing to do with it. I just read the reviews and figured that without ever seeing a kind one to the soap, it just couldn't be worth it, usually everything will have something good written about it, hence the whole YMMV saying.

    You really are the one who should be thanked, since you went ahead and confirmed the other reviews that were written, and then posted your findings in here to help others. :happy096
     
  12. battle.munky

    battle.munky Has the menthol.munky on his back!

    Burt's Bee's Bay Rum SS and Herban Cowboy

    Same as Herban Cowboy. Smells great but dries out wayyyy quick. Mine are now shower soaps until their inevitable end.
     
  13. TonyO

    TonyO New Member

    Bill, great thread idea.

    I have to chime in on the lack-of-love for Caswell Massey. The bowl that my unresponsive, lackluster, way-too-much-work-to-get-crappy-lather cake of Sandalwood soap came in now houses the fantastic L'Occ Cade.

    Another product that I would caution against is the shave cream from Aubrey Organics, at least if you're planning on using a brush with it. No, I mean -no- lather. In fact, I tried to superlather it with Harris Lavendar, and it managed to kill the normally fantastic lather from Harris. Tried about half a pass with it brushless, and I didn't even get good results then. So I give it a big :prrr.
     
  14. poppi

    poppi Well-Known Member

    Altesse Shaving Soap. It lathers well but offers no, absolutely no, protection. Might as well have shaved with just plain ole water.
     
    crackstar likes this.
  15. Mynorx

    Mynorx New Member

    cool!

    this is awesome. it's gonna help a lot of us out. I do not have too many products. and the ones that I have purchased I like. but there is one that I would say save your money. its a gold plated weishi. the plating starts to come off within 2 weeks of purchase.
     
    Paul Turner likes this.
  16. ChemErik

    ChemErik Mr. Personality

    I have the gunmetal version, purchased about 8 months ago. It's just starting to show wear. That's still rather early for something that's supposed last a lifetime, but not as bad as your example.
     
  17. ACE$&8s

    ACE$&8s New Member

    I bought some Herban Cowboy stuff on the cheap, it was nasty.
     
  18. Mynorx

    Mynorx New Member

    yes it is....

    yes it is really cheap. I got the model that has gold and chrome plating. its only the gold part that is coming off. the chrome is fine. I don't use it any more.
     
  19. Griz

    Griz Member

    I did not like Burt's Bees shaving cream. No lather and at least for me that is half of it and it did not.

    Herban Cowboy aftershave balm, is pretty good stuff. Don't know about the rest of thier line but I have never heard anything good.

    There are a few blades that I can think of, but others really seem to like them, so I am pretty sure it is just me.

    Will N.
     
  20. crackstar

    crackstar Israeli Ambassador to TSD

    Ouffff, Bill--you beat me to it about the L'Occitane cream! :happy102
     

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