Hi Jeff, I have seen them in Germany in the blue jar. They're absolutely cheap overthere. I visit Germany from time to time, so I'll take some on the way back and put them on our site. Bye, Eric
My local Wal-Mart had a Van Der Hagen set that included a bowl, a brush and one cake (if that's the right word) of soap on clearance on a so I bought one. It is the only thing I've seen locally, and my initial experiences with it were quite good. The set was $4.97, and another soap was $1.19. What is the consensus here on this product? Thanks.
The brush I believe is boar hair. It will shed quite a bit the first week you use it, but it settles down after that as you break it in. I personally enjoy the VDH soaps. From what I understand they are the same company that makes the Colonel Conk soaps you may see mentioned from time to time. VDH will lather easily, especially with the 'firmer' boar bristles of the included brush. The scent of the soap is fairly mild if that is an issue, but it doesn't bother me at all. Hope you enjoy the set.
Experimenting With Value and Quality For years I used Williams and never yearned for anything better. A couple years ago I got the experimentation bug and tried Old Village Barber (www.oldvillagebarber.com) and got addicted to their Alpine and Bay Rum pucks for a couple of years. These cost $5/puck and seemed to last over 6 months per puck. If you are looking to experiment in the value sphere, OVB may be worth a try. In the last 6 months I have ventured into the TSD samples and have enjoyed each scent and the product in general. I intend to try several more TSD samples/scents. Due to strong reviews here, I intend to try Tabac as soon as a shave bowl frees up.
BTW if the OP is still looking many Kroger supermarkets carry the Kiss My Face scentless shave creams in the 11 oz bottles for less than $8. Don't look in the shave section, find the 'Organic' section of the store. I've been well pleased with the KMF cream. Its good alone, or paired in a super-lather with another shaving soap.
Kiss My Face is often sold in drugstores. It is a cream rather than a soap, but is quite affordable. I agree with all the others who recommended Van Der Hagen soap. It gives wonderful shaves and is as good as soaps costing eight times as much.
Soaps: Pirates Cove $3.00 -$4.00 Col Conk same price range Vanderhagen Usually can be had for under $2.00 Haven't tried Arko but I've heard great things about it, $2.00 Creams: Arko ( I have used their creams ) Usually under $4.00 Erasmic $3.00-$5.00 Derby same price range Omega around $7.00 These are all really cheap but still give great performance. You can also step up a little and get Proraso and Musgo Real for around $10.00.
Yeah, I grabbed one of these the last time I was at the grocery store. It is all Safeway (Western Canada) sells. It took me a bit to get it lathering as well, but it works great now and cost almost nothing. (Now I'm up to three different soaps guys and it's going well; best shaving of my life!)
I have only seen the Arko shave stick mentioned here, but it is really King in the low price but GREAT LATHER Dept. Don't take my word for it, there is a thread just for Arko Sticks and a review...Most people Love them...And as far as it's controversial (some love, some hate) scent, it fades so quickly its a non-issue (even if you love it as many do). As "lamontqsanford" has already hipped you to the various styles of using Shave sticks; very well done I might add. I'd just like to point out also that rubbing a wet soft shave stick on your face is a great prep, in itself, and shows you very clearly your different "directions of hair growth patterns". This knowledge is essential in determining just what is WTG, and ATG for your face (sometimes you'll be surprised). For alot of people a N-S pass is really XTG, not WTG. Welcome to TWS, and to TSD...lots of great people here, with tons of GREAT advise...Should make your transition a "snap"...Enjoy )
The wonderful Godrej Shave Round from India. Wonderful lather for a close shave - perhaps would less per gram of soap shipping charges from India including !
I have a Godrej round, and it is wonderful. The lather it gives me is so rich and stable, and I love that old-school barbershoppy type of scent. OK, the Godrej creams are more moisturizing, but the soap from Godrej is class.
You've sold me. I'm actually looking to get ALL the Godrej shave products. I'm currentlylooking for Indian grocers in Atlanta to start scouting
ARKO is one of the best tallow soaps out there! You can't beat the price, you can get 15 sticks on Amazon for something like $20 or so. That should last you a long time, a few years I would guess. The scent is not bad at all, much, much better than the Williams smell....
If there was only to be one shaving soap and we were in a George Orwell authoritarian world it would have to be Provence Sante. No wait a minute Tabac, er no Provence Sante, er both...
Any unscented glycerine soap from WalMart will do, not over $1. Here's another idea...buy a Williams and a VDH; mill each with a cheese grater or mini food processor. Mix the the shavings together, and smash down into a small glass bowl with a piece of SaranWrap over the top to keep the shavings together. You get the scent of the Williams with the lather of the VDH, and you're good to go for 2-3 months.
I really like VDH, Williams is growing on me(smells like Ivory soap). I wish some place near me sold Conk. I would like to try a Glycerin based soap. If you have a Bath & Body Work near, you really need to get some C.E. Bigalow(ie Proraso) It's five for one or three for ten. I'm always on the look out for good and inexpensive (especially if I don't have to order it online)
It's dirt cheap in France but not available in the UK. I picked up a few tubs in Calais last week whilst driving back from France 1.22 Euros for 125g That's err about £1.22 at current exchange rate
I found a great shaving soap that IMHO falls into the economy category. In terms of soap per dollar that is. The Rowdy Stickhorse Brush Whacker Bar costs $6.00, but the size of the puck - 2-7/8" dia x 1-3/4" tall - makes it a good value. The soap is excellent, being super slick, giving a great shave, and leaving my face feeling great afterward. In that regard it is kind of like Kiss My Face in soap form. The lather is great on the brush, but nearly disappears after a few seconds on my face. The soap is still there, however, and still provides plenty of protection and lubrication. Adjusting the amount of water on the brush will probably make a longer lasting lather, though. Disclaimer - I have no affiliation with Rowdy Stickhorse, just a satisfied customer
To be honest, if you're in a pinch or wanting to save money, I've found that a lot of soaps that are marketed as facial soaps work well as shaving soap.
