B&M Oceana

I ordered a sample on 3/22 and like a fool I chose Smartpost which is FUBAR. In theory I should have it on Mon. I will never ever select Smartpost again to save a few $$. 

On another forum a poster said he still had some original Latha Oceana and that the new one  does not smell 100% exactly like it. Of course the original has aged and new lots of production materials are sure to vary somewhat within specs. As well, this new one is in a different base.

I have had many B&M soaps over the years, but could never cozy up to them. The scents (Roam, Leviathan, two for example) are quite off-putting. I owned the Oceana, but that was another scent I couldn't wrap my nose around. The original Bay Rum was outstanding and I still have a tub of it. The newest...fuggetaboutit. 
Everything else has been reformulated and the latest soap base is too sticky and gooey. I want consistency in the products I purchase, not "new and improved" every year.

I want consistency in the products I purchase, not "new and improved" every year.

I've come to the same mindset as well

The newest...fuggetaboutit. 
Everything else has been reformulated and the latest soap base is too sticky and gooey. I want consistency in the products I purchase, not "new and improved" every year.

I guess I'm a bit of a B&M fanboy (I currently have 47 B&M soaps in my den, nine of them with a backup), but I think I have to agree. For me, the Glissant base was the pinnacle, and they have gone downhill with the Reserve, Excelsior, and Soft Heart bases (heck, SH doesn't even have nice labels!) in their stringy-sticky-gooeyness. I find myself buying them out of tradition, and when I like the labels. I then shave with them once or twice, and put them aside to use the older ones. B&M used to be my default soap. I increasingly turn toward others that prove to be more steadfast. 

We could have a thread as long as the Wolfman one merely discussing B&M's scent directions since their beginning. I understand that these artisans need to make money just to stay afloat and also that my tastes will never be reflected 100% by any one artisan. As with any artisan soap maker, there will be hits & misses. That said, I will come to the defense of B&M and their Excelsior base as I feel that perhaps a few of the more vocal posters on various wet shaving forums as well as some Youtubers "forced the hand" of these artisans to remain en vogue  by concentrating on PSF. Naturally, this requires softer soaps which are usually easier to lather IMO (especially for synthetics). 

The fickle market has "moulded" the leading artisans in order for them to be relevant. If they don't constantly "reinvent" then they won't get much forum "traction" and most likely sales diminish. It's a parasitic relationship and not always beneficial to the parasite nor host.

I would love to see Will release old formulation soaps every once in a while , that would be something.

We could have a thread as long as the Wolfman one merely discussing B&M's scent directions since their beginning. I understand that these artisans need to make money just to stay afloat and also that my tastes will never be reflected 100% by any one artisan. As with any artisan soap maker, there will be hits & misses. That said, I will come to the defense of B&M and their Excelsior base as I feel that perhaps a few of the more vocal posters on various wet shaving forums as well as some Youtubers "forced the hand" of these artisans to remain en vogue  by concentrating on PSF. Naturally, this requires softer soaps which are usually easier to lather IMO (especially for synthetics). 

The fickle market has "moulded" the leading artisans in order for them to be relevant. If they don't constantly "reinvent" then they won't get much forum "traction" and most likely sales diminish. It's a parasitic relationship and not always beneficial to the parasite nor host.

This is, in fact, exactly the case. I don't particularly care for soft soaps as a general matter of principle, but it's impossible to produce high potassium soaps that are firm without milling equipment or massive curing rooms, which are the domain of large manufacturers like Maurer & Wirtz, MWF, and MdC. We adapt to survive. Novelty is what keeps folks interested, and so novelty and constant development is what the market has turned to in order to progress, which means that we, too, must continue to reinvent everything. Believe me when I say that it's exhausting; I would much rather focus on dealing with what we already have than on constantly creating new things. But the obsessive fascination with "the new" all but ensures that we would starve if we were to try.

I have personally enjoyed all of the Barrister and Mann bases including the newest. Never had a bad shave or post shave issues. Scents are personal but that doesn't mean they are wrong in any way. I think Will has survived this long because he knows his business and this market quite well. This is evident by his products. Not every scent is going to a home run for the masses but you decide what works for you. At least you have a choice.

I can understand how an artisan has a different game to play than a corporate entity that sells shaving product as one line of their business.

I wasn’t aware that Oceanna was soft heart base , it does perform nicely and as the spring warms up I’m starting to appreciate the scent a bit more.