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Looking for YOUR input

Like most of what others have said...performance over anything else. I will say...that I do wish some of the soaps were a little firmer...but then would the performance be the same? I like your soaps the way they are Chris. If you can offer a cream...I think that is great. variety a=is awesome for the consumer. But if you don't make money from it...is it really worth it. I would rather you stick around and offer amazing soap.

I have very little knowledge of the biz...or none at all really. And I have no knowledge of your situation...but from my point of view...I think once you figure out which scents are your staples...you might consider offering those in larger sizes. Then all others you can offer in smaller sizes. I will say that I like to load from the puck, but if I am unable to...it's no biggie any more. Your soaps are pliable enough I can just scoop out a bit into a bowl and load from there. maybe you can sell just containers for those who want a bigger tub with a smaller size?

Above all Chris...your decisions with your soaps has to be profitable...or else you won't be in the soap business for very long...and that would make me very sad!
 
I don't have a lot of experience with soaps yet, but I have enough to know that your soaps are at the top of my list. Up to this point I like the larger tubs, as I'm just learning how to lather in a bowl.
 
Late to the discussion (again). Personally, I would really like a two oz size soap because it will allow me to use it up faster and get on to the next scent, and especially with CBL soaps that are very thirsty to begin with and I don't end up using much each shave. I also think the consistency is about right because it allows me to repack the soap into a different container without breaking the original tub. For something softer as a cream, I would prefer something the consistency of pomade. One of my other favorite soap vendor has shave cream about that consistency and I use it like a shave stick, where I would wet my face, take a dab on my fingers and then work it in against the grain with my fingers before face lathering with a damp brush. I think CBL would work great that way. Tub size does not matter to me, just as long as my brush can get to it. As for 1 oz samples, bring it on! Great way to try out many scents and use them up.
 
I don’t have a lot of soap experience, so take my comments with a grain of salt. I don’t know scents, so 1oz samples would be great. I personally don’t like blind purchases, so samples help.

I think most of my soaps are in the 4oz range and I like that size. For me it makes storage easier and I can still get a lot of use out of it. I’m not one that really wants to burn through my stash to get to the next scent. I have a handful of soaps that I rotate through to keep it interesting and enjoy different scents. For ne, cost is also a factor for shave purchases.

I’m also partial to a firmer soap . I face lather, so I tend to stay away from creams and bowls. I’m probably in the minority, but thought I would give you my input.
 
The current formula performs perfectly for me, but I did go through my 2 oz tub in about 10 shaves. No doubt that I overloaded. Let's say I ease off a bit and get 10 shaves per oz, I would be quite happy with 3 oz in a full size container. If the soap gets firmer and longevity increases, then I would go for 2 oz, but still would like the full size container. I'd probably skip the cream offering as I just do not get the same enjoyment from loading creams as I do from soaps.
 
On consistency of soap:

Chris, I haven't tried your soaps yet (waiting on funds) but to echo what most have said, elite performance is probably the proverbial unicorn all wet shavers & soap enthusiasts are seeking after & most definitely would TRUMP (great word huh!!) preferences of certain consistencies. Immediately I think of Declaration Grooming bison tallow base & how soft & tacky that is, but it sure set a performance standard when it hit the market IMO. Also B&M Reserve is softer at first, along with Shannon’s, Midnight & Two, & some of Sudsy Soapery offerings. But in my opinion, they all have one thing in common-- elite performance!!! They do also tend to firm up over time, especially if one leaves the lid off for a day (or days) as KJ said, or if they have a rotation of soaps which would allow considerable time for firmness to set in. In my case I usually scoop some out & smear it in Captains Choice bowl anyway so I prefer the softer consistency soaps (especially if I'm getting the low structure quality of lather that is super silky, shiny, dense, yogurty, almost elmers glue like). I'm really looking forward to trying yours out when I can!!

On portion sizes & tub offerings:

In my opinion it would look rather pathetic to see 2oz in a 6.7oz container. It also wouldn't feel the right weight which we are accustomed to for that size tub. Even though we know we wouldn't be getting gyped, in the back of our minds it would still linger & feel as though we were. One thing I thought of immediately upon reading your post is "please don't eliminate the 4oz option in the bigger tubs, but keep things just as they are, but add additional sizes for those who prefer the smaller tubs." This way those who want the larger tubs & more soap volume can stay with the current 4oz offerings (my preference) and those who want smaller tubs can use them up faster. Also the secondary markets like BST almost never have trouble reselling used soap, especially elite soaps. So for those who got a scent they didn't end of liking or maybe a reaction or something, they could always offer it up on BST. Again, these are my thoughts from the perspective of the end user as a consumer, not from the soap maker, or the business decider, or the one spending time packaging & sorting out a system, etc...... which I know more options of tub sizing means more complicated system of inventory, filling orders & sorting, website changes, etc... but as far as the consumer goes, I would love to be able to pick different tub sizes of either 4oz or 2oz or 1oz samples & pay the respective difference for each selection.

Thanks Chris for all you do! I fully intend to get some CBL Soap & see what all I'm missing out on as it really does sound like elite soap!!
 
Like most everyone else I value performance over whether the soap is hard or soft. I do like the larger tubs better but have no problem with the smaller tubs. I have never tried a cream, but if uou put one out there I would certainly want to give it a try. Scent is also a very important factor so I would appreciate being able to get 1oz samples as long as I could get larger tubs of the scents that I enjoy. Thanks Chris for the hard work you put into making an outstanding product.
 
I am a hard soap kind of chap, but a squishable croap works fine for me as well. Soft soft cream-like soaps, to me, should be in a tube or come with a Dixie-cup spoon. From a size perspective, I prefer 4oz; being in Canada, I tend to order more than 1 puck at a time to address shipping costs, sometimes going into several pounds when going international.

Samples would be a wonderful thing IMO, either in a ziplock baggie (preferred) or a small container.
 
Spider said:
Would you consider offering different size options, for the same tub? Like give people the choice of having 3 or 6 ounces put into their tub? If I'm going to buy two tubs and condense them anyway, then it's saving us both time and money to just fill my tub up all the way to begin with.
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Absolutely agree.

In general, I prefer firmer soaps, but the ultimate test of any soap is how well it lathers, that is, the quality of lather it produces, not how easily it produces it.

I find small tubs frustrating; it's hard to keep the lather from spilling out. I'm not interested in 2 oz sizes, but 3 oz and up make sense to me. I need to check if hemp oil would show up positive in a drug screen before risking my license. As a federal employee, I'm subject to random testing. I'll get back to you on that.

Keep those good soaps coming, Chris!
 
Well, I looked out on the Wide World of Wackiness, then I went to my college's online library and searched peer-reviewed studies, and the conclusions amount to ...MAYBE hemp oil will show up in a drug screen, but PROBABLY NOT. I'll pass on any hemp oil formula, but will gladly purchase any of your other soaps.

Oh, I forgot to say I don't like creams. Just don't think they are a good value.
 
Performance over consistency for me too. The slight adjustment in loading and lathering technique is worth the elite performance. I would love to see the entire artisan shave soap industry offer 2 and 3 oz sizes. With all the different brands, scents , formulas,.... popping up, I feel like a kid in a candy store with only 10¢ to spend. Smaller sizes and lower prices would allow me to experience many more different soap artisans without amassing a collection that borders on crazy.
 
@CBLSoap.com, Chris here is a silly question, what is the weight of just the 4oz plastic container? Another one, I know your soap is soft but is making a refill puck possible?
 
That would be great is the soap is firm enough. Refill pucks are always my first choice over tubs or bowls.
 
Aaron said:
That would be great is the soap is firm enough. Refill pucks are always my first choice over tubs or bowls.
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I was just thinking that since he has waterproof labels now and the ability to reuse the tub this could save waste and money.
 
I'll throw my 2 cents in on the subject. As to the first question I think I prefer a soap to be firmer. It think firmer soaps can tend to last longer. It may take extra time to load but I'm ok with that. And if he soap ends up lasting longer, then that can certainly go towards the perception that I am getting a better value. No real preference on that. If it's a cream, then it's a cream. Nothing wrong with that. And with creams I don't load the brush. I spoon out a small dollop and put it in the lather bowl and then go to town. And as to the size of the cream, I think I'd prefer the larger size, but only so long as you sell samples so I can try it and know whether I'll like it before springing for a full tub. And related to that, I don't think offering a 2 or 2.5 oz. size makes sense unless you are selling it as a travel size. That would make sense. But I agree that samples are pretty important. Nothing I dislike more than buying an entire tub of something and to have it set because I don't use it. That can be avoided if I had a sample to try. So, sell some samples and then people won't a problem buying 6 oz. of something they really love.
 
The Monkey said:
@CBLSoap.com, Chris here is a silly question, what is the weight of just the 4oz plastic container? Another one, I know your soap is soft but is making a refill puck possible?
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I am making my soap a bit firmer now (again) but I don’t know how well it could stand on its own. I do experiment with different ways to transport without a tub (so I can ship more product internationally, no tub means more soap.

The large tubs weigh 1.35 ounces empty with lid, without the lid they weigh 0.75
The smaller tubs weigh 0.55 ounces with lid, without they weigh 0.35

I fill using a 4oz disher filled to capacity and weigh it after it’s in the tub, more often then not the final fill weight falls between 4.05 and 4.15 ounces by weight.
 
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