What, exactly, is wrong with VDH?

Currently I have TOBS Sandalwood, Mitchell's Wool Fat, and Prairie Creations Walters Soap (Krissy's attempt to recreate vintage William's). When I first ran out of the soap sample I started with and placed an order for TOBS and MWF, I bought a puck of modern Williams to make do in the meantime; after a few weeks of surprisingly clean but maddeningly cushion-less shaves I realized there was a Rite Aid in the area and bought a puck of Van Der Hagen Select to see why it's so well-regarded among the ubiquitous/cheap soaps.

And I have to say, the VDH is very nearly my favorite soap, straight up, of the ones I'm using right now (haven't opened the Prairie Creations one yet). After wrestling with modern Williams and copious amounts of water I have no problem with soaps that demand more water/effort than I anticipate, but even so VDH lathers up more easily than just about any of the other soaps I've used so far. In a bowl it doesn't look all that impressive; but with face or hand lathering, it blooms to a thick and perfectly wet* lather with hardly any more effort than turning a dab of TOBS into a mountain of snow. It's been consistently slicker than my attempts with TOBS no matter how many times I go back to it as a control, and it's easily the best hand soap I've ever used in my life.

*-And I mean that in the most precise Greek sense of the word "perfect", as in "it is everything that a lather should be, as a result of the right proportion of water to soap."

Now I whole-heartedly accept that this might just be an extreme case of YMMV. Rather than blaming the TOBS or the MWF, I'm perfectly content to limit my conclusion to just "My face might like glycerin more than tallow, and definitely loves soap more than cream." I'm also not ready to blame a soap for something that most likely results from my inexperience with the product--MWF is starting to perform every bit as well as its hype now that I'm getting a better handle on its proper soap to water ratio, and I got a much more satisfying shave from TOBS alone than I usually do, on one occasion when I added a bit more cream to my second pass.

But: What, exactly, does VDH do sub-par? In what specific ways is it mediocre compared to other soaps?

I can point to specific things that I actively disliked about my time with modern Williams. I have no complaints about the quantity or duration of the lather, since I was able to see immediate results from using more water. I hold against it the physical fact that it didn't cushion my face at all against the harshness of my razor, something which literally every other soap has done; and I hold against it the fact that my skin is much more dehydrated when I use this soap than when I use literally any other soap. If these things are foreign to your experience, that's wonderful; but they're very real and useful data for my face, which for obvious reasons is my biggest concern for my own shaving.

I cannot point to specific things where VDH (Select! Not even Deluxe or Luxury) falls short for me in the actual shave. It lathers easily; it cushions my face better than most other lathers I've been able to make; it leaves my skin feeling more lubricated than any treatment I gave it before I took up wet shaving. The Bald Frog soap I started with is still higher in my regard for doing all these things better when I couldn't even create a lather yet, along with taking care of my face long after the shave in various and subtle ways. But the VDH is close enough for me to hold it in positive regard without a handicap for its low (up-front) price. I can accept that other people do not get as satisfactory a result from their trials with VDH, but I haven't been able to find a more detailed reason why than

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

VDH is one of those brands that all of us at one time used. it's great for a beginner and comes under the classification of "it gets the job done". Once you explore what's out there you probably won't want to use it again though some do like it and go no further. If you do some exploration you'll find a whole universe out there for just a little more money.

---

Throw them at me. I already know what I like more about Bald Frog (literally every little thing about using a shave soap), but I haven't seen anyone knock VDH on account of Bald Frog. I miss the absolutely magnificent smell of sandalwood when I'm using VDH or MWF, but the performance itself matters more to me and I haven't seen a big enough difference between VDH and others to classify it under "it gets the job done".

There is nothing wrong with VDH. It's a great utilitarian soap. It's just not exotic and/or sexy. It doesn't come with an expensive dish or upscale fragrance. Since it is readily available, it is often ignored despite the fact that nearly everyone has owned or used it. It will provide an excellent lather and for cheap. I don't think anyone will dispute this statement but most of us are hobbyists. So we own products that are superior in other aspects outside of performance. VDH is a fine soap and I'll always give it a thumbs up.

Yeeeaaaah...pretty much everything he said in a nutshell. :D

Granted I haven't tried very many products, but I like VDH. I use it to make an uberlather with Bigelow, and it works great for that or by itself. Great thread, I'm very interested to see what others have to say on this one.

I personally love the stuff ... I have another cake of a "big name" soap and VDH waaaaaay outperforms it ... nice scent and slicker'n pup sh*t :)
again YMMV
Mike

There is one thing that VDH does not deliver; the nice fragrance you get in "better" soaps. It really is quite simple, nice fragrances cost money, and VDH is so cheap there just is not much money left for it. For all other aspects, I too find VDH perfectly fine. For all "soap aspects" I find it to be brilliant for the money (lather, cushion, slickness, hydration etc).

I have tried much more expencive soaps that smelled much better, but fared far worse for lather, for instance.

Agreed here. I started straight shaving with VDH, and while I have branched out, I still return to it frequently. A great, no frills soap indeed.

VDH is a good "Chevy" of a soap that I've been using for the past three years. I have, however, found ways of sexing it up a bit. Since the scent isn't very strong, it is easy to overpower it with something else. I like to melt it and add about a teaspoon of Pinaud Clubman's Virgin Bay Rum to it. I also melt it and add it to a milled puck of Williams. Then through in some Old Spice cologne for some additional scent. The lather is phenominal and, surprisingly, so is the scent.

I guess my point is this, VDH is a good work horse of a soap that can be experimented with to create something extraordinary.

I'm glad someone brought this up. I was beginning to think there was something wrong with me and the fact that VDH is my daily driver - and I like it!
:D

VDH is my Ole Reliable. I have other soaps (that were a waste of money) but dony even consider using them anymore. I guess what im tryin to say as well as older more experienced genius's would say (and have learned over the years)
''if it ain't broke, don't fix it'' just as the phrase has been handed down over the years. In summation why even look for anyting better when u have no complaints with what you have?

I bought the VDH luxury kit at Target for 20 bucks, soap, mug, stand, brush... I don't use the mug. I use the stand, but it holds the brush very close to the blade so they can't be together while drying. I like the soap and swith between the VDH puck, a tube of Tabac Shave Cream and a tube of American Crew Shave Cream. Because it's a soap and not a cream, it feels like the most fun making lather IMHO. I might try another one of their soap pucks as they are affordable and easily acquired. I actually like the lack of fragrance, very mellow smell, leaves room for aftershave of choice! :p

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by str8fencer

There is one thing that VDH does not deliver; the nice fragrance you get in "better" soaps. It really is quite simple, nice fragrances cost money, and VDH is so cheap there just is not much money left for it. For all other aspects, I too find VDH perfectly fine. For all "soap aspects" I find it to be brilliant for the money (lather, cushion, slickness, hydration etc).

I have tried much more expencive soaps that smelled much better, but fared far worse for lather, for instance.

---

Makes sense. As much as I love the VDH smell, I do so very love the TOBS scent whenever I shave with it.

It's like everything else. Some people love soaps like Williams and VDH and have no desire to go further and some have tried other high end soaps and prefer the VDH. It reminds me of my dad. He always drove a Studebaker. You could put him in a Buick and he'd prefer the Studebaker.

I found once I tried the English Soaps like Harris and Trumper and Castle Forbes and the French MDC and even Wool Fat they were far superior. The density of the suds and richness and cushioning and of course the scent. To me the differences were vast. That of course doesn't mean VDH or Williams are crummy soaps. Like I've said before they get the job done.

I bought some VDH soap while on a trip to the beach and found it works fine.

I like vdh and williams. For the price they get the job done. I also like arko, palmolive and spieck. Mama Bear scent are very pleasing and srd soaps lather and scent are second to none. The point is there are many soaps to be tried and each have their own benefits. Don't judge a soap by its price alone but how it works for you.

I just bought a 12 pack of VDH for $16. It works and I like the smell. If it didn't have a nice smell I wouldn't buy it.

The fact that there are other more fragrant soaps out there isn't that much of an issue for me. I'm just shaving with it :)

I don't wear cologne but I have some. I've added a bit to my Witch Hazel to make it smell better and I may experiment with the VDH soap in a similar way but in the case of the VDH it's not necessary.

I guess I don't see shaving as an excuse to have as many fragrances as my girlfriend :)

I'm up to about 60 shaving products I've tried and VDH Scented is a damn fine soap. Cheap and I can find it at target too.

I still have part of my puck of VDH. First shaving soap I bought. It works well enough. It seems a but light on the cushion and I'm not a fan of the scent.
To compare it with other options I like to think of the difference between my wife's Chevy cavalier and my Volvo S60. They both get us around just fine. Keep us dry and warm/cool depending on the season. Get ok gas mileage.
One is just more comfortable for me to drive . Thankfully she hates my car or I would have her car and hate it.
That's a lot of the wet shaving world when it comes to supplies. There are an awful lot of products that work but there are different strokes for different folks.

Just a note on the scent of VDH, the company uses the cologne Grey Flannel to scent the soaps.

"What, exactly, is wrong with VDH?"

Nothing a dose of penicillin can't cure.

As I use basics (and always uber with Williams), I can say the scent of VHD is not to my personal taste.
However, like Williams, It can be awesome with 4 drops of glycerine!
I lean toward Poroso and Razorock these days. I feel they are as thrifty as cheap pucks(and MUCH better!), in the end! JMHO

It was my first soap and most of the time it is my go to soap for shave testing fresh honed razors.
A little water on the puck before showering and the brush just picks it up most easily when time to shave arrives. And yes, I do add Fru-fru from puck to puck and also a bit of glycerin when I melt the puck into the coffee mug i keep it in! I just add a new puck to the dregs of the last one and microwave the lot.
Not high buck but a solid performer at any price.
~Richard

Never tried it but I surely will now. Thanks for the tip!

I really like VDH. It lathers up very well on its own or is great for making uber-lather.

I have tried some of the $15 a puck soaps before, the stuff some rave about, but couldn't get a good lather from them and tossed them.........I've yet to toss a puck of VDH.