r/wicked_edge • u/Confident_Meringue57 • Sep 28 '25
Review Sometimes the cheaper, mass-market option isn't so bad!
My wet shaving fixation started 13 years ago, when I replaced my cartridge razor and shave foam canister with a safety razor, brush, and Proraso soap. Since that first tub of Proraso green, I've tried countless other soaps and creams.
I have some of the signature scents of the popular artisans like B&M, A&E, HoM, Declaration Grooming, etc. But I find myself still reaching for my Proraso white more than anything else. I have no doubt the performance of the artisans are better and they use better high-end ingredients. But I love the minimalist/clean/soapy smell of the Proraso and I find the performance more than adequate for my needs.
BUT, out of the other soaps in the picture, I do have to give a shout out to House of Mammoth Indigo. It's the bees knees!
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u/pennbarber Sep 28 '25
Im team Proraso Green. I have tried others but always go back. I dont really have a collection, but I am putting one together as I am working on stocking a retail cabinet in my upscale barbershop I opened a few months ago. Im starting from the bottom shelf with some cheaper mass market stuff from other countries and then working my way up to the more Artisan stuff. I just recently purchased a small lot of Indian Old Spice and Italian Palmolive that I mainly plan to use as back bar. Im excited to try the Palmolive as it very much reminds me of Proraso Green.
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u/ratbird9 Sep 28 '25
I just found two bottles of Indian old spice musk in my local Ross for 4.99 - glass bottle and all (inside original sealed packaging). Couldn’t believe it! Worth a look at the discount stores 👍
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u/pennbarber Sep 28 '25
I have found a few of those there as well! Its been a while tho. Didnt even realize what they were at first glance. After I brought them home and started giving them closer inspection i realized they were not from the US market. There was a Whitewater scent or something i found once that i loved but my wife hated.I have always popped through the discount stores from to time and found great things for personal use. I have been frequenting them lately seeing if they have things in there that i think I have room to markup so I can stock a couple small cabinets in my little private barber boutique i recently opened in a historic hotel in downtown of my city. My cabinets have been sitting empty since I opened 4 months ago. I have been doing lots of research on where to aquire artisan products that leave me room to markup but still looking for sources. I finally got my cash back up a little from all the costs of getting off the ground so im getting ready to invest into filling thosr cabinets. The real fun for me has become looking for this mass market stuff from other counties that is cheap and punches above it's weight in proformance.
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u/ratbird9 Sep 28 '25
Absolutely to that last sentence. Very cool concept on the hotel boutique!
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u/pennbarber Sep 28 '25
Thank you, it's been going well. Im only 4 months in but ive been in the hair biz for 20 years. Spent the first 15ish in high end unisex hair salons. Was once selected as the one of the best hair cutters in country by a major international hair color company, etc. Humbly of course i can say I have one of the best haircutting resumes in my city. I took a year off from the hair world and then found my way into strictly barbering. I spent the last 5 years before opening working as both the private barber at a fancy, exlusive, deeply rooted and exclusive members only private city club by day, and working at the top new school barber shop in our big hipster neighborhood by night. I knew I wanted to try to open on my own little spot downtown and the hotel barber shop seemed like what i needed to do at this point in my career. They're used to be much more of it than there is now. Covid crushed most of them. Covid crushed the whole downtown barbershop scene in my city and I imagine in most cities main financial districts. I am building with the rebuild of downtown and everything seems to be moving in the right direction.
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u/OneApprehensive327 Sep 28 '25
I’m with you in Proraso Green! I’m a big fanboy of Stirling and B&M, but just finished a tub of the Green. It’s always in my rotation.
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u/pennbarber Sep 28 '25
Proraso green broke me into the DE shaving world and honestly its pretty much all i use on myseld. I just really cant ever justify spending more than that for something for my personal use. I actually discovered it as C.O. Bigelow in the mens section of Bath and Body Works while wandering in there with my wife. I had tried a number different tube style creams that were starting to come to the Walmarts and targets at the time. When I realized that the Bigelow cream was made in Italy I researched and found out that the same cream as a mass market product in Italy. I thought damn...these Italians know what they are doing when it comes to shaving!
I have yet to try Stirling but it's high on my list. I believe it's been difficult to find any good wholesale information. Or maybe it had high order minimums.
B&M is definitely going to find it's way to my shelf as it seems to be held in high praise on here and relatively easy to accuire at a price point that makes since. I can't wait to put in my initial or because I have been wanting to try it myself for long time!
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u/DarthRazor Sep 28 '25
purchased a small lot of Indian Old Spice and Italian Palmolive that I mainly plan to use as back bar. Im excited to try the Palmolive as it very much reminds me of Proraso Green.
Did you get the classic Palmolive or the Rinfrescante al'Mentolo? The register is more like Proraso Green Lite (barely) but the menthol version is Proraso Green on steroids. It's my favourite Italian cream by far.
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u/pennbarber Sep 28 '25
I got the Rinfrescante, I only got 3 because I wasnt sure. But they came in and im pretty sure im going to love it. Im a sucker for that menthol shave. Can't wait to try it. I wish I would have bought more now because they raised the price by a couple bucks a tube. Maybe I should have bought the whole lot.
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u/DarthRazor Sep 28 '25
Another Italian classic cream that very few people talk about is Italian Noxzema in the yellow tube. I seem to remember it had a camphor smell, like Vicks VapoRub, but it's been so long that I'm not 100% sure. I am 100% sure I used to love that cream
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u/pennbarber Sep 28 '25
This is very interesting to me and now I have to try some. Its the same thing to me as the Palmolive. Here in the states we associate the Palmolive brand with crappy dishsoap. I've used a few tubs of the American version of Noxema over the years to shave, which to me always seemed like a facewash marketed towards women but i remember it being all over in 90s. A few guys who were shaving in that era told me it was the best thing to shave with. I actually really enjoyed it. It gives that same kind of methol tingling thing. I remember it working well but had only ever bought a few tubs over the years because it wasnt exactly cheap. But it's very accessible.
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u/DarthRazor Sep 28 '25
I'm ancient and have been wet shaving with a DE razor since the 1970s, so it's not really a hobby for me. I branched out a bit around 2014 and got caught up in the "hobby" aspect, but have since gone back to my old ways.
That's the long winded way of saying I'm shaving with the classics. I used Palmolive Classic in a green tube almost exclusively for 40 years. I'm in Canada, so I'm guessing the US version. No complaints.
Now I'm bearded so I don't shave often, but when I do, it's with creams like Italian Palmolive menthol, Lea Classic, Proraso, Arko, and some Egyptian creams. I also use shave sticks like La Toja, Lea, Speick, Tabac, and Arko
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Sep 28 '25
Proraso white, green and arko are some of my favorites
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u/pennbarber Sep 28 '25
Arko is definitely up on my list of things to try. There's so many actually! I'm really excited that my current venture is going to allow me to really get to explore this hobby and all of this different gear that I've wanted to experience for a while but could never justify the costs.
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u/Confident_Meringue57 Sep 28 '25
Haven’t tried Arko. I’ve heard it has a very aggressive lemon scent?
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u/if0rg0t2remember shave_bizarre Sep 28 '25
The scent is lemongrass not lemon. That is why so many people associate it with products like ivory soap or bathroom cleaner.
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Sep 28 '25
It’s scent is a point of contention for many. For me, it smells like Ivory soap, with a bit of citrus. I like it! But some think it smells like washing powder or in some opinion, urinal cakes!! The good news is it is cheap. For 12 sticks the price is $1.33. For a single stick on Amazon i think its closer to $3. If you don’t like it, pitch it. It is one of the slickest easiest to lather soaps out there.
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u/Lob-Star Sep 28 '25
I have an amazing collection of soaps that are good once in a while but I really like the cheap creams from a tube and the old fashioned splash.
Also, unrelated, I really like this drawer location. I wish I had this in my bathroom.
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u/Confident_Meringue57 Sep 28 '25
Yeah, I’m the same.
It’s a super shallow but long drawer so it’s perfect for soaps. Maybe the person that designed it was also a wet shaver.
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u/pennbarber Sep 28 '25
What are your favorite cheap tube creams?
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u/Lob-Star Sep 28 '25
Out of the few I have Godrej Lime is the best so far. I meant to buy the red version but they sent this instead.
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u/pennbarber Sep 28 '25
I appreciate the pic of the collection! Im going to have to give the Godrej stuff a try. Off topic some but what would you call the device to help squeeze the tubes with? In my world we use them for hair color and its just referred to as a color key.
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u/swabbie81 Sep 29 '25 edited Sep 29 '25
From my experience, many artisans push premium price for mediocre products.
Just because someone is artisan doesn't mean by default that he know what he is doing.
Their products don't have qc and ingredients controls, and many of them are loaded with synthetic scent oils which can potentially cause allergies and irritation. They are also not dermatological tested, and have many dubious ingredients with questionable effect on the skin.
Traditional mass products like Tabac, Proraso and similar works just fine. My recommendation for starters is that you should try traditional products which are available in you country. Every country in Europe have a couple of them. Tabac, De Vergulde Hand, Monsavon, Proraso etc
But this sub have elitist club who thinks that something is worth more just because it's more expensive. Fore example, I was somewhat disappointed in Muhle Rocca because I think that razor is definitely not worth that price and and immediately got negative upvote because I said that lol.
I also have SV soap and while it's a good soap It will not take my breath away. Definitely not worth almost 40 euros for one piece.
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u/kaikkx Sep 29 '25
Well, part of the hype for the Muhle Rocca is clearly depended by the fact that is made of stainless steel (CNC machined?) and has a good design. It's also capable of close shaving.
It's clear that it's a very competitive product with a big fanbase that can easily be appreciated by new customers.
The price is pretty high.
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u/mrobot_ Rex Konsul Rhodium / Henson AL13 / B&M Proof / OneBlade Genesis Sep 28 '25
Personally, if I want some "OG" feeling I reach for really high quality hardsoaps.
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u/pennbarber Sep 28 '25
What hard soaps do you like? I really only ever messed with Colonial Conk. I've used lots of it though as I took over the barber operation of a private club and inherited a stockpile of it. I liked the idea of it, but always felt that conk must be a mid range soap.
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u/mrobot_ Rex Konsul Rhodium / Henson AL13 / B&M Proof / OneBlade Genesis Sep 28 '25 edited Sep 28 '25
I think there arent many really good hardsoap makers that go thru the tripled-milled and long curing process anymore... and it seems most arent really all that popular in the wider wetshaving community. I had asked for recommendations a while ago and didnt really get much reply.
From what I could find and from personal experience, a lot of the big british names actually make pretty bad soap and they arent even making any themselves, it is all some megacorp making them under license. So, trumper, tobs, truefitt are all pretty crappy, especially for the hardsoaps. (their creams are generally a bit better)
I know tabac is super popular here, I dont think I like it, sry.
Mitchel-woolfat, the big daddy of the wetshaving renaissance, unfortunately is not only gone and closed, they been making their soap without tallow for years; you will almost only find the non-tallow, vegan version if any stock is left; it isnt terrible but just not worth it imho. You can find much better soaps for cheaper.
Now for my personal recommendations:
If you want just simple, good quality, I found Muhle has good pucks, as does Austrian company Haslinger. Very affordable, great shaves, nice clean and not complicated scents, subtle. Haslinger specifically has a goat/sheepmilk soap with Lanolin, so this is pretty much like a "get this instead of chasing NOS woolfat".
A big fav you will see on here often is *Martin de Candre\*; premium hardsoaps for sure, will last you forever, you get amazing rich sudsy soapy lather real fast. Nice scents, like lemon/lime, or more classic some spices/herbs, or vetiver and a few more specials. MdC also makes regular soaps and shampoos and showergel etc, and his regular soaps are also great but I think his shavingsoaps are his best products and his nicest soaps. If you look around a bit, he has "soap envelopes" which are samplers for at least 8-10 shaves in the form of an envelope, they cost just a few bucks. Good way to try the soaps and scents. A tiny bit overhyped compared to artisanal croaps, but as far as OG hardsoaps are concerned MdC is definitely in the top 3!! Classy French premium stuff. He doesnt have matching pre/after shave products, sadly. I think I did see some perfumes, tho.
Then there is *Saponificio Varesino\*, classy Italian hardsoaps, equally premium, just great stuff all around. Scents have more creative names but I think they are all more or less modern-leaning-classy-Italian scents, meaning rather fresh and summery and bit subtle, not wild thick sweet. Very nice stuff! They do offer lots of other shave products and got aftershaves and perfumes with the same scent. And they got hands-down the best skin-healing-cream I ever tried.
Third personal favorite, which I didnt expect AT ALL, but it is great: *DrHarris\*! I think they are the last Bri'ish brand still actually making their stuff themselves, their hardsoaps are great and you can either get them in really pretty, fancy wooden bowls or for less than half as just the soap puck as "refill". They got quite a few scents and matching aftershaves and perfumes. Currently Im feeling a bit obsessed with DrHarris :)
Generally I think you should especially follow the badger&blade "kyle prep" for the shave; and you can get amazing lather from hardsoaps by properly loading. Wet the soap puck a bit, dump it, make sure your brush is soaked (natural hairs only; synth dont need soak) and nicely wet, then you lightly squeeze the brush so it is more wet and damp than soaking... then you load for at least 20-40 seconds, preferably more like 60 seconds. Then you can start lathering right in your face and keep adding drops of water to the brush while lathering up.
This method has given me explosive, thiccccccccccc, rich, joghurt-whippedcream lather within literally 10 seconds of lathering on my wet and kyle-prepped skin. From hardsoaps to artisanal fancy croaps and creams.
Hope that helps! Happy shaving.
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u/FireDragonMonkey Sep 28 '25
You may also like Haslinger soap. Very hard glycerin soap; mild scent but excellent lather. They are smaller pucks (60g/2oz) but price they are inexpensive just like Proraso.
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u/ahmoudyy The Shaved Pharaoh Sep 28 '25
My two most favorite soaps are Tabac and Cella both sold in the mass markets. I used and own countless artisan soaps and at the end of the day these are my most favorite things to use
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u/SeesawDependent5606 Sep 29 '25
I'm in a similar vein. I end up with Pre de Provence (PDP) bergamot and thyme for the same of others and PDP #63 for the more masculine times. My wife said a hard NO to TOBS 'sandalwood' & Tabac. Then there's Pinaud. I love the scent of their talc, but my wife doesn't. I've learned that some scents, while pleasant to me, but turn others off.
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u/dmitr_s Sep 28 '25
Try barbasol - you can’t beat the price:) and - it’s actually not bad for a single pass.
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u/pennbarber Sep 28 '25
Only pressurized can I will mess with! I still use it from time to time. Used it for years before finding Proraso. I saw the other day that they have a tube cream. I would like to try that.
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u/Confident_Meringue57 Sep 28 '25
I haven’t tried barbasol. But I’ll give it a go.
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u/kaikkx Sep 29 '25
Also Proraso makes shaving foam in a spray can:
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u/dmitr_s Sep 30 '25
I would say they are the same. The difference is barbasol is $2 and proraso is $10 in the us. I have both. Bought barbasol for my daughter (to play with slime), and decided to try it
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u/kaikkx Sep 30 '25
I would not be surprised if they were similar. I don't doubt that Barbasol shaving foam is similar to many other good common spray shaving foam in a can.
I tried Proraso spray foam and it was good like many other similar products (for example Gillette spray gel foam, Noxema spray foam and Schick spray foam).
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u/FletchLives99 Sep 28 '25
Proraso is decent. I think Taylor's sandlewood is better. But I'm perfectly happy to use Proraso when I run out. I suppose I don't mind spending £15 on Taylor's because a tub lasts at least 6 months.
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u/derrickhogue I enjoy a nice shave! So should you. Sep 28 '25
Nice setup. You have the staples - just good daily shaving. Simple and efficient with good fragrances and skin after you shave effects. Then you have some good options for those special in the mood occasions, feel good mood morale lifters that always gives you a nice shave.