Face off: Xpec vs B&M

grim,  I converted ml to ounces and calculated the cost that way.  It is an incorrect statement to say that ml can't be converted to ounces.  I agree that getting to cost of shave is more accurate, though also feel that cost per ounce also provides a useful comparison, though not as accurate as what you described.   I think I recall from other threads that XPEC is you personal top performer, or very close to it.  I actually bought the XPEC based on one of your comments.  

I'm not disappointed in the XPEC at all.  It's a fine soap.  Getting it for $37 rather than the $60 I paid brings them much closer together.

Pete, you can't convert from ml or fluid oz to weight oz without knowing the density of the product. its not a simple conversion. See http://www.thecalculatorsite.com/convers...volume.php.

Yes, here https://damnfineshave.com/thread-how-do-...#pid113645 I said

SMN is the elite of the elite, a tick above everything else. ... IMO, ABC and Boellis are a tiny bit better [than XPEC] but these are nits. In any case, IMO SMN is the best of the best but XPEC is just a percentage point or two below it.

grim, what are your top five very favorite soaps from a performance perspective?

I'll have the to gety some SMN.

Have you tried Nuvia from Pannacrema? Is it in your top five?

I would say the very tip top of what I've tried is Baum.be. That stuff is awesome, and if you get the 250 ml container the pricing is very reasonable.

Pete123, you may want to try Rhapsody, when it comes back. I'm told that people find its scent to be very similar to that of XPEC.

Otherwise, very cool comparison! Proud to be in such good company.

Totally agree. My Rhapsody smells uncannily like my XPEC. One (or two) of my favorite scents.

I discovered last night that I was using a brush with too much water with XPEC. It produced awesome foam with less water.

grim, what are your top five very favorite soaps from a performance perspective?

I'll have the to gety some SMN.  

Have you tried Nuvia from Pannacrema?  Is it in your top five?  

I would say the very tip top of what I've tried is Baum.be.  That stuff is awesome, and if you get the 250 ml container the pricing is very reasonable.

Pete, I know the volume vs weight thing confused me simply because there is no standardized means to measure. There is also the issue that many soaps are soft vs the triple milled soaps. These have much different densities.

Yes, I finished a tub of Nuavia. I am in the process of figuring out the true cost per shave for me. We are all different so it might be different between users. Some use big brushes, some little, etc. As I used Nuavia, I became less impressed.

I rate things holistically, including scent of a scale to 100, unlike most that use 1 - 10. This is because at the top of the tier, the differences are minute and because the Law of Diminishing Returns related to cost. Currently, its SMN, ADP and Boellis, ABC, MdC, and Klar Seifen as the elite. Klar Seifen has moved up because the just released two new scents available in the US, almond and lemongrass. C&S has excellent performance but I'm not fond of the scents. I will be documenting my cost/shave findings but basically, you have to forget about the tax (different for everyone), include the cost of shipping, and calculate from an empty container or extrapolate from a set measure, like scoop out 20 ml of XPEC into a tub, figure out how many shaves you got from it, then do the math for the full container.

good luck!

I have some Klar Seifen in the original scent. It's an awesome shaving soap.

What you are sharing about density, etc... makes sense. The cost per shave is a more precise answer.

At the risk of stating the obvious, the US Artisans are now so good that the differences between them and the elite european luxury soaps are minute and becomes an issue of personal preference. SMN, ABC and Valobra are all soaps I could live with if I had only one but so is B&M.