Shaving Products That Are Too Cheap
We sell some products that I believe are sold too cheaply. I’m not saying the makers should hike their prices up but the low price may actually be putting people off from buying.
How so? When we had our retail shop I would often see browsers picking up Proraso aftershave balms and looking at the price then they would pick up say a Castle Forbes balm and buy that. This happened also with razors, brushes, creams and more. I remember asking a lady buyer why she put a Proraso balm back and bought a Truefitt & Hill Balm instead. She told me “if it’s at that price it’s either on sale, you’ve overstocked or it’s rubbish”. She was wrong on all three counts.
The facts are that some products with a low price tag outperform more expensive products.
So smart ass, which products fall into this bracket?
I’m not a fan of Proraso soaps and creams, too lightweight, poor lather and in my opinion horrible scents. However you cannot knock their after shave balms and colognes. Their Eucalyptus After Shave Cream instantly cools and moisturises shaved skin, it’s only £11.95 for 100ml. Their colognes don’t have the staying power of substantially more expensive colognes but at only £25.00 for 100ml you get a choice of three modern and fresh scents, Azur Lime is a real winner.
Scottish Fine Soaps Thistle & Black Pepper After Shave Balm is £8.99 for 75ml, I have used balms that cost three times that amount and few if any can beat this balm for moisturising and cooling shaved skin, the scent is wonderfully fresh.
Arran Sense of Scotland offer two men’s EDT’s, Sea Salt & Rockrose known as Machrie and Patchouli & Anise known as Lochranza. They come in handsome glass bottles with chunky wooden tops. They both have remarkable staying power beating many big brand names hands down and the scents are young and different. Trust me, if these EDT’s were double the price they would still be too cheap.
Vulfix shaving brushes are made by Simpson of England the old fashioned, handmade way. Vulfix offer three synthetic shaving brushes, Large, Medium and Small. They should be renamed Gigantic, Huge and Big as they are all bigger than most. The Small brush benefits from a 25mm knot of super-soft synthetic hair. All that brush for only £25.00?
Taylor of Old Bond Street, like Proraso shaving creams I find the Taylor shaving cream range to be over-rated, the scents are artificial and the lather is mediocre at best. The exception being their Peppermint Cream which is nice and cooling on the skin and protective and moisturising too. A tub of this is good for around 4 months daily use and all for only £10.95.
The market is now awash with safety razors, Merkur, Muhle, Above the Tie, Feather and more ranging in price from £30 to £170. They’re all good to use, some better than others obviously but very few are better than Timor. Timor razors are made from brass then chrome plated, they benefit from good heft and they are magnificently effective shavers, delivering exactly what men want - comfortable yet close shaving. The build quality on Timor razors is top-notch and all for only £36 which includes a pack of 10 blades.
Woodland Leathers is an English company, their Military Wet Pack costs £50 while Daines & Hathaway Military Wet packs come in at £125. Daines and Hathaway quality is peerless but if you are looking for a decent wet pack then Woodland Leathers offer amazing value for money.
If you want a long lasting, honest to goodness, no frills shaving soap then Mitchell's Wool Fat should be on your list. I bought one a few years ago, I use it now and again yet it barely seems to be been used. It delivers a rich, protective lather and it lathers up easily not like some soaps I can mention. A Mitchell's puck will be good for at least 6 months daily shaving and it costs only £8.99.
Prices correct at 4th July 2017
Written by Brian Mulreany
Sales Director
The Executive Shaving Company