Thread: why is xpec hyped and why is it so expensive?

These two questions have been bothering me for a while now. I bought xpec back when it became available again. It was so raved about by so many people, I just had to have it. I've barely used it because it sucks so much. I've tried sink water, distilled water, and bottled water at every temperature imaginable. I've used a thater, a wsp HMW, a M&F, and a simpson manchurian. It's the same thing every time. I get an okay first pass, then a completely disintegrated lather by the time I go for a second. I've tried bowl lathering and face lathering. At this point I should have accidentally figured out what was wrong. Any one else feel this way?

In general I have never really been "wowed" to the extent I thought I should have been by expensive hyped shave soaps. When something is hyped and expensive expectations of it's performance are very high. For me in the end it is just another good soap. Never had as bad an experience as you have had though.

Bob

Yea I mean it's just disappointing. Maybe I just got a bad batch, but for that price tag there should be no bad batches. I'm at the point we're I'd rather give it away than try and make it work. It has no place in my shave den.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vQaVIoEjOM

I only have the original version and have found it to be an excellent soap--meaning that it produces a fantastic lather and shave.

This question has been discussed in previous threads.

The original XPEC is, by all accounts a superior soap. The new one is a different formula and not like the original. iMHO, the new formula is at best a $20 cream.

Originally Posted by Utopian

I only have the original version and have found it to be an excellent soap--meaning that it produces a fantastic lather and shave.

Yea thats why I wanted it. Then so many others said they didn't see a real significant difference in the new vs old formulation. I've been loading it pretty heavily, but I guess I can try loading it until the brush can't take anymore. It just doesn't make sense to me that all the lather I build just disappears by the time I'm ready for a second pass.

Originally Posted by rolodave

This question has been discussed in previous threads.

The original XPEC is, by all accounts a superior soap. The new one is a different formula and not like the original. iMHO, the new formula is at best a $20 cream.

Yea I think I actually started one when this stuff first came out. Lynn said his was fine so I thought it was user error. At this point I've tried more than enough different approaches. Ohwell, now I know not to listen to any hype.

I have the old and new versions of XPEC, and find little difference between them in terms of quality of lather. The old version was a little easier to lather. With the newer version, I shake out my brush well, so that it's barely wet, then swirl it on the soap a dozen times or so. I then start adding a few drops of water to the brush and swirl it another dozen times, and repeat this until I've built a nice protolather. I then use the protolather for face or bowl lathering. I think the trick is adding water very slowly in small amounts and building a protolather on the soap. I am in the group that finds XPEC to be one of the best soaps available.

Originally Posted by evnpar

I have the old and new versions of XPEC, and find little difference between them in terms of quality of lather. The old version was a little easier to lather. With the newer version, I shake out my brush well, so that it's barely wet, then swirl it on the soap a dozen times or so. I then start adding a few drops of water to the brush and swirl it another dozen times, and repeat this until I've built a nice protolather. I then use the protolather for face or bowl lathering. I think the trick is adding water very slowly in small amounts and building a protolather on the soap. I am in the group that finds XPEC to be one of the best soaps available.

Yes, pretty much how I try and do all my soaps that way. Some take a little longer to load than others but it usually produces a good lather.

Bob