Most of the YouTube shaving influencers rely on product provided to them by the manufacturers/vendors. Thus, their reviews are primarily infomercials. They are afraid to post a negative review because they are afraid that their source of free stuff will disappear. That is unfortunate as it means you are unable to obtain the most useful information from the videos. In the case of Geofatboy of Shave Nation, Matt from Razor Emporium, and the West Coast Shaving daily shave videos, these guys are trying to sell the products they are advertising.
There are two YouTubers who did "tell it like it is" but neither is still active. One is Jason Rudman of Ruds Shaves. He had a numerical system for evaluating soaps. However, some artisans began producing soaps that were so good that they broke his system. He was assigning rating in excess of 100 points, so his evaluations were no longer meaningful. I now have several soaps in my collection that are far superior to any Ruds evaluated.
Another good YouTuber was Michael Freedberg. He stopped making videos nearly two years ago. However, he posted some useful videos in his time. He was another one who was not afraid to post a negative review. When he posted a negative review of the Parker 24C open-comb razor, some of his viewers noted that the irritation he experienced likely was due to shaving with the wrong angle for the razor. He posted an update concerning shaving angles and that same razor was seen in many shaves going forward.
So even though the videos from these two might be older, you still might find them useful.
One interesting review I watched was done by Brad of Maggard Razors. He was reviewing the Fatip razors which he sells. He was very candid in reporting that the fit and finish of the Fatip razors was poor. That is unusual for someone who is trying to sell a product.
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