Looks Like These Guys Need Our Help

mantic · Post by **mantic** » Mon Nov 05, 2007 7:58 am

Here's an interesting commercial website I stumbled across:

http://www.shavereview.com/

Looks like they need to be "shown the light"

(though they have reviewed a few traditional products).

--Mark

Big Swifty · Post by **Big Swifty** » Mon Nov 05, 2007 10:01 am

Yes mark,
definately need to be "shown the light"
I like their razor review section in which they only speak of a Schick Quattro or a Gillette Fusion.

Leisureguy · Post by **Leisureguy** » Mon Nov 05, 2007 12:01 pm

They actually wrote to me to see if I wanted to do an interview connected with a review of the book. I said "Yes," of course, but have heard nothing further. At the time of the original request the guy had just ordered the book, so it may be when he found that it was all about shaving "old-style" he lost interest. It does seem to be tilted toward modern-style shaving products---perhaps naturally enough.

BarryR · Post by **BarryR** » Mon Nov 05, 2007 1:43 pm

Big Swifty wrote:Yes mark,
definately need to be "shown the light"
I like their razor review section in which they only speak of a Schick Quattro or a Gillette Fusion.

They also have this sentance:
"Many guys are miss guided in how to judge the quality of a razor, or they just overlook the essential role it plays in the quality of a great shave."

Since it's guys I'd think they'd be "mr. guided" as opposed to "miss guided." Just a typo, but a pretty funny one.

prism · Post by **prism** » Mon Nov 05, 2007 1:44 pm

I don't know about being shown the light. "There are none so blind as those who will not see."

jrgroucho · Post by **jrgroucho** » Mon Nov 05, 2007 4:35 pm

I was reading about the reviewers and three of them have exactly the same "bio" of having been raised to receive barber shaves and use straight razors, yet all of them use cartridge razors to shave with.

--
Jeremy

2clfrwrds · Post by **2clfrwrds** » Mon Nov 05, 2007 8:49 pm

One thing I like about the site is that, of the huge list of products on the homepage, I have only tried 6. Obviously, I don't have any acquisition disorders! Quite a relief...

--Glenn

bernards66 · Post by **bernards66** » Mon Nov 05, 2007 9:11 pm

Vic, I'm afraid that that's likely the case with these poor chaps. The fact that Michael never got any response, once they'd actually seen his book, pretty well says it all, I'm afraid. They apparently didn't know WHAT the hell to make of it.....and didn't WANT to know.....sad, really. that they'd prefer to stay stuck in mulling over useless stuff like Quattros vs. Fusions, and which canned goop is the best. But that's their choice, I guess.
Regards,
Gordon

Minstrel · Post by **Minstrel** » Tue Nov 06, 2007 2:03 am

Let's face it (!), it's a commercial site, and they probably earn money from companies selling modern multi-bladed razors and canned goo advertizing on their site. They don't have any commercial interest in reviewing cheaper/better alternatives.

Post by **ichabod** » Tue Nov 06, 2007 10:01 am

I didn't do an exhaustive search but every review I read was glowing.

The only "con" I could see was in the Proraso soap review - "you need a shaving brush". So, not from the same point of view as most of us then...

MadAussie · Post by **MadAussie** » Wed Nov 07, 2007 10:02 am

ichabod wrote:The only "con" I could see was in the Proraso soap review - "you need a shaving brush". So, not from the same point of view as most of us then...

Maybe they were thinking you needed a paintbrush or a trowel or something.

lol.

Leisureguy · Post by **Leisureguy** » Wed Nov 07, 2007 12:16 pm

I got an email from the ShaveReview guys. The writer said that he'd been totally swamped---start-up pressures, I imagine---and that they were indeed still interested. Interview is set for tomorrow.

So maybe they will open the door to traditional shaving. It's an important component of the overall shaving scene, so it's worth some notice. Or so I believe.

Mike R · Post by **Mike R** » Thu Nov 08, 2007 6:31 am

ichabod wrote:I didn't do an exhaustive search but every review I read was glowing.

Ditto, except for maybe this part about Trumper Rose, which I thought was funny: "The Rose fragrance must be a British thing; all testers felt this scent was way too female to admit they actually used it."

Mike

Leisureguy · Post by **Leisureguy** » Fri Nov 09, 2007 10:51 am

I did get a call this morning from ShaveReview and an interview. And the guy explained a little more what they're about.

He said that he doesn't think that there are that many "bad" products in the market---the problem is matching a given product with the men for whom the product will work. (The old YMMV problem.) So they really try to find as reviewers the men for whom the product is intended, and get their take on it. To some extent, the mission is educational: "If you're a guy with an oily face and tough beard, this particular product is/is not for you, and here's a review of why."

I think they probably need to emphasize a bit more the product target idea. He says that when a negative review has been posted, they get a flurry of email from guys for whom the product worked well, and I imagine for their positive reviews they get some email about how the product didn't work at all.

I told him the story of the razor blade responses: same brand of blade is called "best, sharpest, smoothest" by one shaver and "tragic waste of metal, dull, unusable" by another, and the solution of blade sampler packs that a shaver can get and judge by his own personal experience.

I think the YMMV thing is the Achilles' heel of shaving reviews, and the way to guard against it is to be as specific as possible regarding the situation for which the product is designed: skin type, beard type, weather type (e.g., a product that works great for a shaver in the summer may not work at all in the frigid dry blasts of the winter wind and the dry inside heat), and so on.

He also said that they are starting to serve as a communications channel between manufacturers and shavers---letting each side know the aims and concerns of the other.

All in all, it was a good interview, and I did learn more about ShaveReview.com.

MadAussie · Post by **MadAussie** » Fri Nov 09, 2007 1:15 pm

thanks for the update leisureguy. I guess the whole YMMV thing is unfortunate.

I like how Backpacker Gear Test http://www.backpackgeartest.org/ do reviews.

It helps you balance out the personalness of the reviews etc.

wrm2012 · Post by **wrm2012** » Sat Nov 10, 2007 9:45 am

I was turned off as soon as I saw "and Celebrity Interviews" That said all I really needed to know but I did check out a few of the reviews. I didn't bookmark it.

Damon · Post by **Damon** » Sun Nov 11, 2007 10:24 pm

mantic wrote:Here's an interesting commercial website I stumbled across:

http://www.shavereview.com/

Looks like they need to be "shown the light" (though they have reviewed a few traditional products).

--Mark

This really scares me.. on the site, any guinea pigs willing to give it a go

http://www.shavereview.com/Content/2286

yayavarman · Post by **yayavarman** » Mon Nov 12, 2007 1:09 am

Maybe its us that needs to see the light

shavereview · Post by **shavereview** » Tue Nov 13, 2007 10:28 am

Hey it's Stephen the editor from ShaveReview, or "These Guys!"

Chris has graciously agreed to allow us to post to SMF

Thanks Chris

Thank you Mantic and all others for your comments too.
Seriously.

As I mentioned to Lesiureguy and Mantic, ANYTHING that helps us deliver better information to our visitors is all bonus.

Sincerely guys you don't have the market on Shave Knowledge. There's more products for men's shaving available today than you and I could possibly imagine. We get suggestions from readers for products to review from all corners of the global including Bhutan, Russia, and Patagonia!!!

It's not ShaveReview's position to tell readers one product is better than the other, but WHY it's better for the man who's using it.

Now the post:
The first thing my staff thought of after reading your comments was.... A shave off! Wish we could make that happen...

Your precious Merkur with Old Bond Street vs. my Mach III with the latest $22 shave goo from a tub. Only we'd have to switch!
You would shave with my kit and I'd shave with yours!

The real challenge: Could you objectively review that shave experience and find anything good to say about it?

I know I could!

BTW, I love this stuff. Reading your comments, and writing a response to your comments. It's what I do all day. It's my passion. I'm never able to turn it off. I speak to influencers from the shave industry from all over the world on a daily basis. Most of them try hard to deliver a product that fits a man's shave needs. Many have been serving up great products for years, while others who have only just started, are an inspiration to all those who have done it for many years!

Trust me they all want to know more about you!

If you're interested, feel free to ask me questions. The harder the better.
I'll try to answer all. If you feel I'm missing the boat, help me figure it out.
I'm a quick study, and open to your comments.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » Tue Nov 13, 2007 2:10 pm

Welcome Mr. Editor. Stick around and learn about traditional wetshaving. I modern shaved for over 30 years and you can not convince me to go back.

SMF

Looks Like These Guys Need Our Help

Looks Like These Guys Need Our Help

Re: Looks Like These Guys Need Our Help

These guys need our help