The Best Shaving Soaps of 2021

Captain's Choice?  Really?

That thought occurred to me too. I do think Captain’s Choice has one of the best bay rum scents in both the soap and particularly the aftershave and the lather bowls are top tier as well but as for the soap/cream I’d not put them in the top tier. Notwithstanding that, I do have a tub of both the soap and the cream and I use them occasionally and I use the aftershave frequently. Great scent.

It would seem I don't know much about shaving soaps, after 11 years of this, as a few of what I would consider great soaps aren't on that list. 

Find Sharpologist recommendations specious at best.  Always regret the time wasted reading his output and swear to refrain in the future only to succumb with the same frustrations.

Any list without ETHOS in top 5 no matter the metrics just loses all credibility.  And many of the soaps included would not be used if paid to do so.  About half the soaps are appropriately included but that leaves half demonstrably wrongly included. The same criticism extends to every recommended list he has ever assembled.

Always remember, this man was a loud advocate of the most cynical consumer rip off marketing hyped scam in recent shaving history: OneBlade...need anybody heap more damnation than he has on self via that association

Dan I’m sure he doesn’t even know ETHOS the brand let alone used it since there’s been no website to buy it off of until most recently with my new vendors and I’ve never gotten an order from him.

Lists are just one person’s opinion. I’ve seen many top 10 lists in regards to razors as well that don’t coincide with my experiences so I take them with a grain of salt.

But some items are factual. A Ferrari is indeed special irrespective whether it for one or not. Anybody leaving it off the pointy end of best of the best is lacking knowledge, lacking discernment or lacking impartiality.  Reasonable minds can differ whether the absolute best. REM HE puts self out there as expert and works hard promoting self as expert: it is his job to know what is available on the market. Even a casual surveying of the various fora would indicate there this new software line that has people raving; this not some sheltered tyro hobby shaver lurking on fora.  Respectfully disagree with your take in strongest terms possible. Then there is the role he has played duping mostly new shavers into paying $400+ for cheap cast in China razors requiring a proprietary blade that they secured exclusive distribution rights to for NA and overcharged by multiples scam....

Damn it Frank, I don’t care how much you hate ETHOS, am going to defend it’s reputation, haha

But some items are factual. A Ferrari is indeed special irrespective whether it for one or not. Anybody leaving it off the pointy end of best of the best is lacking knowledge, lacking discernment or lacking impartiality.  Reasonable minds can differ whether the absolute best. REM HE puts self out there as expert and works hard promoting self as expert: it is his job to know what is available on the market. Even a casual surveying of the various fora would indicate there this new software line that has people raving; this not some sheltered tyro hobby shaver lurking on fora.  Respectfully disagree with your take in strongest terms possible. Then there is the role he has played duping mostly new shavers into paying $400+ for cheap cast in China razors requiring a proprietary blade that they secured exclusive distribution rights to for NA and overcharged by multiples scam....

Damn it Frank, I don’t care how much you hate ETHOS, am going to defend it’s reputation, haha

LMAO! I don’t hate my own brand Dan! Your killing me my friend! Haha! 

Enjoy your Sunday! 

Go Bills!

It really goes to show you how out of touch Sharpologist is with the current state of the hobby when you have Captain's Choice, Catie's Bubbles, Mike's, WSP, and Wholly Kaw Donkey Milk on a best soap list for 2021. I would have thought it was 2015 if not for the inclusion of DG Milksteak and Sego. I mean, those soaps are fine but they haven't updated their base in years and in the case of WK, they have released 2 "better" bases since donkey milk. Truly a head scratching article.

It really goes to show you how out of touch Sharpologist is with the current state of the hobby when you have Captain's Choice, Catie's Bubbles, Mike's, WSP, and Wholly Kaw Donkey Milk on a best soap list for 2021. I would have thought it was 2015 if not for the inclusion of DG Milksteak and Sego. I mean, those soaps are fine but they haven't updated their base in years and in the case of WK, they have released 2 "better" bases since donkey milk. Truly a head scratching article.

I guess it happens - remember Leisure Guy?  He actually wrote the book on wet shaving but is he relevant now?  Nope. I think sharpologist is on the same road.

Did anyone stop & think just for a moment that just perhaps Mantic59 is not as obsessed with PSF as seem to be an extremely small, albeit vocal, minority? 

I didn't think so.

Did anyone stop & think just for a moment that just perhaps Mantic59 is not as obsessed with PSF as seem to be an extremely small, albeit vocal, minority? 

I didn't think so.

I can’t speak for anyone else but I don’t care what the soap feels like before or after I use it. I rinse it off and apply other stuff to my face that feels and smells nice. The soap has done its job and gone down the drain. 

Best of lists are just marketing and will usually be looked at by a girlfriend or family member looking to buy a gift for a shaver in their life and it’s as good a place to start as any. For someone wanting to get started in wet shaving they wouldn’t go wrong with any of the soaps on the sharpologist’s list. I think it would be more accurate to call it a list of good soaps you might want to try.

I'm of two minds on this.

First, nothing in his article disproves wyze0ne's remark that he is out of touch with us.  Second, I agree that the omission of ETHOS is glaring.  You don't have to like ETHOS to know that ETHOS has become a top 2021 soap for many hobbyists (including me, but that's not the point).  I have other nitpicks, but those are my own two major criticisms.  

OTOH, I don't think we are his target audience.  He is writing for newbies and, as Marko said, for their girlfriends and family members.   I cannot speak for his site today because it has been quite a long time since I tuned in.  There is still marketing; it is still at least somewhat transparent; and for all I know, there may still be [font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]what I thought at the time were many clear, simple, helpful explanations of things related to traditional shaving.[/font]

At the end of the day, I doubt the Sharpologist's list will much affect us, nor do I think we will much affect him or his readers.  I suspect his readers will eventually move on when the time is right for them, some more heavily into our hobby, and some out of it entirely.