Doesn't anyone like to try new soaps anymore?

I love trying new soaps.  But I don't typically do the pass around offerings because I have very specific interests in scents.  And with so many soap makers offering samples, I just pick and choose what I want without having to worry about sending the pass around on to another person.  That and I already have a fairly large selection of creams and soaps and samples to go through that I now want to start paring it down a bit.  At some point too many options becomes overwhelming.  Nothing personal of course.

Gotcha.  And it makes sense.  I know this box has been overwhelming to,say the least.  My bride has been sniffing and I have a son in town who came over to thr Big Whiff so I'm enjoying it  but 102 flavors is a bunch!

I didn't realize there were that many in the box.  That would be completely overwhelming to me.  I order a few samples and then work them into my rotation as my mood dictates.  Sometimes I may not try a sample for a while and will only use my full tubs.  And then I'll get bored and try another sample.  That slow form of exploration works for me.  At the moment I have 17 soap and cream samples to go through.  That is on top of the 37 full tubs and tubes of creams andsoaps that I already have.  I'm overwhelmed already.  A box with 102 scent in it would send me to the funny farm, where life is beautiful all the time ho ho hee hee ha ha.

Lipripper660, have you tried Sir Henry's Sandalwood?

I have not tried it but will do so now that I know that's your latest offering.  I like the scent.

Curious, did you smell it as you made your way through the box sniffing? You may be on to why there isn't more participation with this pass around. You seem to infer that you did not intend to try it (Sir Henry's) until you found out it is from a vendor you're familiar with? Is this correct? Maybe that's why we don't get a lot of forum attention as a maker. We often see people go ape $hit over the latest offering from Artisan X because they just added (put your exotic here) milk, or magic fat, or whatever.
I think we get passed over a lot because of this. We know we have a solid product because I've tried MANY ballyhooed soaps and not one of them I have found to be a better performer than ours.

I love trying new soaps. It's one of the most exciting aspects of shaving to me. When I find something that interests me, I just buy it. I don't sign up for pass around. I know what sounds interesting to me and I find it and buy it.

Lipripper660, have you tried Sir Henry's Sandalwood?

I have not tried it but will do so now that I know that's your latest offering.  I like the scent.

Curious, did you smell it as you made your way through the box sniffing? You may be on to why there isn't more participation with this pass around. You seem to infer that you did not intend to try it (Sir Henry's) until you found out it is from a vendor you're familiar with? Is this correct? Maybe that's why we don't get a lot of forum attention as a maker. We often see people go ape $hit over the latest offering from Artisan X because they just added (put your exotic here) milk, or magic fat, or whatever.
I think we get passed over a lot because of this. We know we have a solid product because I've tried MANY ballyhooed soaps and not one of them I have found to be a better performer than ours.

Nope.  I planned on leaving your baggy alone because I already know I like your stuff.  Shoot, I own it already.  The Sir Henry is new to me and was missed in the sniff-off because I already have Royal, Hefe, and Velvet.  And yes, I agree that we shavers are a fickle bunch jumping up and down for the latest magical ingredient.  I'm glad for the excitement but for me, I find few soaps that actually break into new territory and offer me something I don't already have.  The one arena I really dig is scent and I'm not talking about face-melting scent as I find myself more and more interested in the milder options in scent volume.  What I want is beautifully blended scent profiles that make me want to sniff mid-day.  Seems that few artisans want to do the work to acchieve a sofisticated scent.  And by sophisticated I mean well executed, not necessarily commercial perfume worthy.  Dominic, I really like your scents and agree that more scents is not necessarily appealing.  For example, while sniffing it got to the point that I KNEW that anything labeled Fougere was going to smell almost exactly like the last several fougeres I sniffed.  It's obvious that there are limited scent perveyors and they have a "fougere" all dressed and ready to go.  I love the fougere family but really don't care too much for this "fougere".  Same thing with leather scents.  All of them with leather smell just like the reef point aviator I already own and love.  Hey, I've been around leather all my life and none of it smelled like this leather.  So no, I didn't get to yours because I wanted to leave that awesomeness for the next cat to enjoy.  Your blends are terrific

The problem with me is that I've tried sooooo many soaps since starting the hobby and have narrowed down my soap sampling/purchasing to only my top 3-4 artisans. I know what I like and don't like at this point as well as what scent profiles interest me. I've lost all interest in trying simple scent profiles such as just "lemon", "Lavender", "Sandalwood" as they've been played out by every artisan out there. For me to get excited about anything new, it's got to be a unique and complex scent profile from an artisan that I already love.

Firstly, thanks for the compliments. I thought you didn't recognize SH as ours.
A little "artisan trivia". When we started out, we were so ignorant, we didn't even know there were pre-made mixes like that! We knew there were Essential Oils and Fragrance Oils that mimic expensive EO's but that's it. Then we just started mixing and refining.
Side note: I personally feel Black Velvet is the dark horse of our line. It is so hard to have a favorite of your children, but when I use it, I love it! Black Velvet is also our MOST expensive to make.

However, it could be that most on this forum have found the soaps that work best for them and are not looking for more.

That is basically the case for me. I no longer chase the 'best base ever'. What I have works great for me - some a bit better than others, but all give me wonderful shaves. Every now and then, I get the urge to get a soap or two based on following criteria -

1. Scent sounds uniquely interesting - I have so many already that this does not happen very happen.
     - But if this happens, I either buy a sample or get sample from numerous friends I have made in wetshaving. If I like the sample enough, I buy it. I will buy the Fougere Gothique by B&M when it arrives.

2. A new soap base gets a fantastic review from a reliable person on the forums/subreddits I visit. Not just a great review, a glowing kinda review. An example of that would be Wholly Kaw Bufala base - I read a glowing review of that soap from another soap-maker. I am patiently waiting for a sample from a friend.

I would try more, but selling stuff is now harder than ever. So I am more or less content with what I have.