Thread: Art of Shaving

Originally Posted by saladbar2000

That isn't saying that every other item that they have ever sold isn't expensive to the point of being laughable (like those soaps! HOLY JESUS!! WTF!!)

+1 on this

I actually do not want to buy anything from AOS (even if it has good soaps and creams). First, what a pretentious name for a company whose salespeople (as far as I can tell from personal and other people's experience) don't know crap about shaving! Second, the prices on almost everything! To me this just screams that the target audience is the uninformed yuppies. Well - they can have it all.

I'm sticking to my Tabac soap. Sure, I have Trumper's Violet soap and am not thrilled with it but at least it doesn't irritate my skin. Some time I may buy T's Rose soap (as the Rose cream isn't bad)... L'Occitane CADE soap is not cheap either and still pretty nice, if one wants to focus on expensive soaps (but batches of L'Occitane CADE cream are worthless, fwiw). I just don't want to spend any money on AOS.

If AOS had really knowledgeable people, with good attitude, selling great products at more reasonable prices - I would try something, of course. Even though the name is a bit corny. Little like a painting called "The Masterpiece" or something

Cheers
Ivo

Actually, when I finally had it with my miserable shaving experience with my Mock3 and a can of shaving goo, I turned on the PC, and Googled "The Art of Shaving"

To my great surprise, there was a web site called just like that! I read everything there, learning very much about the actual art of shaving, and getting my first info about using good quality soap and cream. There I also learned that those cool straight razors I'd been thinking of for some time are actually still made. And that they are expensive too

After that, I have broadened my knowledge, but my first contact with real shaving was through the "Art of Shaving" web site...


Nenad

Well, since we're baring it all I'll confess myself - what urged me to start considering actually shaving with straights came from Men Essentials, where I was amazed to read an article about *using* straight razors and followed the links to Razor Central and Classic Shaving. Oh, how much I liked the Dovos w/ buffalo horn and ivory scales I had never seen anything like them!

Then I started doing more research and came upon a most wonderful place frequented by friendly and knowledgeable gentlemen took me a while to join as I thought they might be some sort of psychos and there must be a catch. (As someone so aptly put it already - I am now positive most of them ARE nuts, and don't even let me start listing the assortment of ADS available, so I guess my instinctive feeling was right )

Cheers
Ivo

just after I bought some taylor's avocado yesterday morning I came across some AOS lavender for 50% off last night. I've never been into the scented creams but it looks like I've got 2 coming in. I was pretty much done with AOS I thought but I couldn't pass up the price.

please forgive me

LOL!

A salesperson with a beard was trying to sell me AOS yesterday

I *had* to buy Acqua Di Parma. Will be reviewing this later

Cheers
Ivo

Been doing a lot of experimenting with soaps lately, especially vintage Yardley soaps in the plain wooden bowl and the AOS Soaps. Many people who've had the privilege to shave with the Vintage Yardley claim it to be the best ever made or at least among the best ever made. It certainly is top notch at creating a creamy dense lather that is just like any cream.

Well, I've also been experimenting with the AOS soaps since February and I'm pretty much convinced that the AOS is the equal of the Yardley and that the base formulas are very similar. I get the identical lather from both with the AOS being a lot more moisturizing. Both are tallow based soaps that make a dense protective lather just like a cream. IMHO these two are at the pinnacle of shaving soaps and have no equal. Tabac comes close but is not quite as good. I've tried most of the high end shaving soaps and they all are very very good but not quite as good as the AOS or Yardley IMHO.

I know there is a lot of prejudice out there against the AOS soaps because of the high price charged for them. And deservedly there is hesitation in laying out so much money for such an item but I think it's at least worth experimenting with a puck. This stuff is going to be my mainstay soap from now on because it is that good. It will last just as long as a tub of cream and will deliver just as good a lather and it will deliver a superior shave to any cream. I encourage you to give it a go, any prejudice that exists will soon melt away when you master lather making with this stuff. You can't buy Yardley anymore (except when it pops up on ebay every now and then and it will eventually be gone forever) but you can still get this stuff. It really is among the best ever made.

Regards,
EL

Yes, I've seen Yardley Lavender - for $5-6 or so. Next time I'll grab one.

I thought it won't lather much because it's so old? I already had one high-end soap not perform as well as expected, which I thought was due to aging... But at this price I guess I can use it as a bath soap...

Cheers
Ivo

The Yardley Shaving soap is not lavender. The lavender is their bath soap. The soap I'm speaking of is in a natural wood bowl - no lacquer or coloring. It has a green and black sticker on the lid. I have one of these bowls with the Prince of Wales sticker (from before George VI ascension to the throne). It's from the mid to late 40's I think. You get ones made right on through to the 60's if you wait patiently for them to pop up on ebay.

I, and others I have read, have had no trouble lathering these soaps. Just used it this morning in fact and it lathered like there was no tomorrow - a rich and excellent lather. If you can find them for $5 to $6 then grab them. There is usually a fight over them on ebay unless they are used. The unused bowls go for 4 to 5 times that price. The used ones go more for the money you quoted. I think the reason is that you really can't tell how much is left plus the gross factor of using someone else's used soap.

The AOS soaps are the equivalent of this stuff. If you want to know what the old Yardley shaving soap was like and you don't want to wait for an unused one to pop up on ebay, then use the AOS soap. The lathers are just about identical.

Regards,
EL

LOL EL - that's why I probably didn't buy any that I saw - if I decided it was used I'd have been grossed out for sure.

I'd be willing to throw a low bet that Yardley had a Lavender shave soap, because I think this is what I saw... But may be wrong, of course. Not that I'd be buying from AOS, but what scent of its line-up matches the Yardley? - this way I can check it out, and if I like the AOS scent I *may* decide to buy the Yardley...

Cheers
Ivo

Ivo, I stand corrected, the Yardley shave soap IS English Lavender. It's the same one I described in my post - with the green and black sticker on the lid. None of the AOS soaps smell the same, they only perform the same. The lavender AOS is a very nice scent but not the same as the Yardley. The Yardley is very nice and more fougere to my nose but it's hard to tell as the scent is faint after all these years.

Yardley also made a Black Label shaving soap which I believe would be from the early 60's on. It's closer to Penhaligon's English Fern from what I can gleen but I've not smelled it myself. Some say it's not as good as the older Yardley but it's still very good quality. Dunno about that claim either, just throwing it out there.

Well, may you one day be gifted with a puck of the AOS soap just to give it a try. I'll back off the next bowl of Yardley shaving soap I see on ebay.

Regards,
EL