Underrated Shaving Stuff

Hot towel prep, most I'm guessing splash water on the face or shave in the shower but I find when I have some time a hot towel adds a lot to a shave.

I don't see it as underrated but more "underused". It shouldn't be. Nothing is better, other than being in a steam bath, for preparation. Rinse in hot water, pop in microwave, apply. Done. Works great.

Undrrated by whom?  Wetshaving enthusiasts on YouTube, the forums, and Amazon are but one small segment of a very large marketplace.  There are lots of artisan soaps sold on Etsy, the majority of which get little or no mention at all on the forums or YouTube.  Some of these soaps are quite good.

The market has a way of working it self out. If they were truly great, their names would make the rounds. Word would get out and they would be discussed extensively, if not in forums then on reddit. I agree that youtube and forums mean little, but crowdsourcing does work.  Do not ignore the power of Amazon. The time is coming when Amazon will totally rule the online market. Other than "loyalty", there is really no reason to buy from elsewhere when Amazon has small vendors in their marketplace. Prices can be all over the place but Amazon is, about, the virtual marketplace.

If they were truly great, we would know their name.

Crabtree & Evelyn have sold highly regarded shaving creams for at least 15 years, and maybe longer.  They must have some pretty good sales figures for that to happen, and have obviously been quite popular over time.

Not necessarily true. They sell far more stuff than shaving stuff. They can easily be loss leaders. Go into a C&E store and look around. Around Christmas they tend to be more people looking for gifts but they went bankrupt in 2009. Then sold to a Malaysian or Chinese investment company in 2012 http://www.bloomberg.com/profiles/compan...tional-ltd.

C&E is in many Malls. Its one of the first shaving creams I tried simply because of easy availability and sold cheaply in 1.8 oz tubes. YMMV ... yada yada yada but their creams lack in comparison to the 3Ts never mind XPEC, ABC, SMN or other creams which are magnitudes better. Can you shave with them? Sure. There just are better in comparison. I found Myrrh to be the scent I liked best.

The bottom line is that their sales figure were not good enough to survive as they filed for bankruptcy and then were bought out. They are alive today but what you don't know is what products line sell, and which ones do not.

I'll go with the hot towel being overrated. I found that it takes too much time for very little (if any) benefit. But of course, YMMV...

Undrrated by whom?  Wetshaving enthusiasts on YouTube, the forums, and Amazon are but one small segment of a very large marketplace.  There are lots of artisan soaps sold on Etsy, the majority of which get little or no mention at all on the forums or YouTube.  Some of these soaps are quite good.

The market has a way of working it self out. If they were truly great, their names would make the rounds. Word would get out and they would be discussed extensively, if not in forums then on reddit. I agree that youtube and forums mean little, but crowdsourcing does work.  Do not ignore the power of Amazon. The time is coming when Amazon will totally rule the online market. Other than "loyalty", there is really no reason to buy from elsewhere when Amazon has small vendors in their marketplace. Prices can be all over the place but Amazon is, about, the virtual marketplace.

It is not a given that truly great products will always attract notice on the forums or Reddit. Mystic River had apparently sold shaving soap for some time before they were "discovered". I have tried some very good shaving soaps that got no notice at all on the forums. Often what gets the most attention is what is shilled the most, but that does not mean the very best products are the ones getting all the attention.

I agree about Amazon - they are fast becoming the place to shop, for wetshaving gear and everything else. They have a huge selection and often the lowest prices around. There are also reviews for each product, which is quite helpful. As with the forums there is a lot of shilling and "i got this product for free, but my review is not biased" reivews. Ratings checkers like Fakespot and ReviewMeta help identify out the fake reviews, though. Etsy is a lot like Amazon for artisans, and is also rapidly increasing in popularity.

Crabtree & Evelyn have sold highly regarded shaving creams for at least 15 years, and maybe longer.  They must have some pretty good sales figures for that to happen, and have obviously been quite popular over time.

Not necessarily true. They sell far more stuff than shaving stuff. They can easily be loss leaders. Go into a C&E store and look around. Around Christmas they tend to be more people looking for gifts but they went bankrupt in 2009. Then sold to a Malaysian or Chinese investment company in 2012 http://www.bloomberg.com/profiles/compan...tional-ltd.

I never saw anything that led me to believe that Crabtree & Evelyn's shaving creams were what led them to bankruptcy. They suffered a big drop in sales partly because customers abandoned shopping malls in droves, and that is where Crabtree & Evelyn did most of their retail sales. Many companies have had problems shifting from brick- and-mortar to online sales. They all have incentives to keep profitable product lines and prune unprofitable items.

C&E is in many Malls. Its one of the first shaving creams I tried simply because of easy availability and sold cheaply in 1.8 oz tubes. YMMV ... yada yada yada but their creams lack in comparison to the 3Ts never mind XPEC, ABC, SMN or other creams which are magnitudes better. Can you shave with them? Sure. There just are better in comparison. I found Myrrh to be the scent I liked best.

I am not sure what the XPEC, ABC, SMN are. In my experience, Truefitt& Hilll, Trumpers and Taylor of Old Bond Street are better than C&E, but not vastly better. Art of Shaving products are every bit as good as the Three Ts, and similarly overpriced, yet the Three Ts are often praised on the forums but AoS is usually derided. That shows that popularity on the forums is not always an indicator of better quality.

Sapone di Paolo Balms out of Charleston. Includes Grape seed oil (and like Antica Barbieria Colla Apricot Hull balm) Apricot kernel oil. The SdP balms are just as good as the ABC balm. $12.

The ABC Apricot Hull balm sells for $85 from US vendors, $53 from vendors in Europe. US vendors are grossly overpriced On many products.

It is not a given that truly great products will always attract notice on the forums or Reddit.  Mystic River had apparently sold shaving soap for some time before they were "discovered".

Was it? I don't think that's true. I could be wrong and Michelle is free to correct me. But look on her web page. Those videos? That is a moderator on "another forum". My understanding is the initial offerings needed some work and the back and forth, the feedback "elsewhere" resulted in much of the explosion. From their it took off to what it is now. And now the more recent formulas appear to be a direct result of more feedback, an endless loop.

So no, and she can correct me if I got this wrong, but there was no explosion until the feedback from "the other forum" and the videos made on how to lather it since many found it difficult to lather.

 I have tried some very good shaving soaps that got no notice at all on the forums.  Often what gets the most attention is what is shilled the most, but that does not mean the very best products are the ones getting all the attention.

I got no issue with the idea some products are shilled. Some are praised, come on the scene, and disappear. But the good stuff, the very good stuff, always stays and is always known. If you know of some "elite" products and they are not getting attentions, what are they?

Crabtree & Evelyn have sold highly regarded shaving creams for at least 15 years, and maybe longer.  They must have some pretty good sales figures for that to happen, and have obviously been quite popular over time.

They sold all kinds of stuff of which shave soap is a tiny bit of their inventory. How tiny? Only they know but go into any store and look around. They sell all kinds of stuff. Shave soap is not their mainstay. At least in the store near me, its shoved in a tiny corner no one looks at.

I am not sure what the XPEC, ABC, SMN are.  In my experience, Truefitt& Hilll, Trumpers and Taylor of Old Bond Street are better than C&E, but not vastly better.  Art of Shaving products are every bit as good as the Three Ts, and similarly overpriced, yet the Three Ts are often praised on the forums but AoS is usually derided.  That shows that popularity on the forums is not always an indicator of better quality.

XPEC is XPEC, some rate it as THE best shaving cream period. Explanation point!  Some hate the scent. It gets little play in some forums because its $$$. This is not cheap stuff like AOS. It cost money to buy a tub of it. ABC is about the oldest shave soap and cream in existence. Antica Barbiera Colla. Its easily over 100 years old. In fact, I used ABC cream today. More Elite stuff. About nothing is slicker. But its $$$$. Most people aren't going to talk about it anymore than most people drive Rolls Royce. But if you never tried it,  you should. Get a sample. SMN is Santa Maria Novella (ok maybe THE oldest). Superb stuff, but $$$$. Then again, it last forever.

The fact is very few people talk about this stuff because it comes across easier to spend $25 for AOS, GFT, TOBS, etc or $20 for some soap than $60 for a tub of this other stuff that lasts ... longer. I look at as the idea that many people think it better to buy 5 wallets for $20 each spread over time than one wallet for $100 that lasts a lifetime.

AOS is dished for a reason. Besides the glitzy storefront, who pays for that storefront? You and me. What would it cost if it were Internet only? So that $25 might really be $15. So it starts off on a bad foot because we pay for their advertising.  Second, the went from tallow based soap to something else. That irritates a lot of people. Last, AOS is simple for people to start. Its targeting at those with a bit of money who walk into a mall and see a shave shop. Go buy some cream. $25. Sounds expensive, a lot more expensive than $8 for CO Bigelow, a supposed Proraso clone, in the next store in the same mall. So it must be good stuff. I've found AOS creams to be lacking in most respects. GFT and T&H better, maybe not 100% better, of course, not, but better, and the elite stuff in another league.

AOS gets a bad rap, IMO, for two reasons

A. because of their stores and perceived value. Dump the stores and sell the stuff for $15 a tub. Get rid of the glitz. People are not as willing to spend that much for stuff when TOBS for $15 gets much better VALUE for dollar spent.

B. Gillete. Since P&G owns it, many automatically view it as junk. Period. Guilt by association.

Your point A at the end explains XPEC, ABC, and SMN for me, and yes, I've tried all three. I don't view them as any better than Mikes. Waste of $$$ IMO, but folks like to brag about having them.

totally agree on Arko ..... totally under the radar...... Amazon used to sell a box for like 20$ ......

My std kit was a 2011 R41 with a cooncatbob ( bobrazor works ) Bull Mastiff handle XL tutone....

But i just came across the new Ikon Tech head.... good deal for current production.

This might be real Dopey but as far as maybe a beginner's shaving brush or just for the heck of it it's a Karuchi makeup brush for a 1.99 shipped from eBay and I got to tell you after modifying the handle and using this thing it's as soft as a pillow and makes super lather.... who would have thought even has some decent backbone I tried it again this morning and it's a very nice knot. I think it's 22 millimeter could be 24

Haha just love this last picture....how are those brushes kept up there...magnets?

This might be real Dopey but as far as maybe a beginner's shaving brush or just for the heck of it it's a Karuchi makeup brush for a 1.99 shipped from eBay and I got to tell you after modifying the handle and using this thing it's as soft as a pillow and makes super lather.... who would have thought even has some decent backbone I tried it again this morning and it's a very nice knot. I think it's 22 millimeter could be 24

Haha just love this last picture....how are those brushes kept up there...magnets?

Welcome to DFS, Brennain1!

Yeah, it looks like he did something with magnets to get the brushes to hang upside down.

I thought I would answer you since stemwad was one of the few who have been banned from DFS, so he won't be answering your question. It's kind of sad really, because it seems to me that you would have to try pretty hard to get banned from here. The rules are few(4 actually) and really straight forward. Here's a link to the rules at DFS if you're curious: DFS_Rules