Soapmaker users question

[ItsForrest]

I'm an accountant by trade. As you might guess, this means I can get a bit obsessed with the math of my soap making. Yesterday I installed Soapmaker 3 pro and spent a bit of time entering my inventory and exploring the program.

The recipe and lye-calc doesn't seem as sophisticated as soapcalc. When I enter a custom oil (Pine tar) it only has one field for your SAP where Soapcalc has separate fields for NaOH and KOH.

Do any of you who use Soapmaker double check or build your recipes in Soapcalc or Soapee and then just store them in Soapmaker?

 

[lrpolillo]

I have only ever used soap calc. I have created my own spreadsheets ( having an accounting degree) I like to have all the costs associated with my soaps

 

[penelopejane]

Join soapmaker3 support group on Facebook. It has excellent helpful advice.

Look for the cream soap section in recipes and you will find the KOH/NaOH option.

No soap calculator has the same results. I started on soap calc then tweaked me recipes in SM3 until I got what I want. Now I just use SM3. Lye concentration is a tiny bit higher in soap calc than SM3. Once you work it out for your recipes it is so much easier using SM3.

 

[Misschief]

Do any of you who use Soapmaker double check or build your recipes in Soapcalc or Soapee and then just store them in Soapmaker?

Always. I've been using Soapcalc since I started making soap. I'm comfortable with it. I bought Soapmaker a year or so ago but only started using it seriously this year (January). I've input my favourite recipes but still make them following the Soapcalc recipes. I'm beginning to formulate recipes in Soapmaker but I still double check them on Soapcalc. I just find it easier.

 

[Soapprentice]

I never put in a custom oil so, not sure about that feature but ever since I got that software I have been following it as you can resize the soap and know the price instantly and it is more convienient to me...

 

[jcandleattic]

Soapmaker does have a bit of a learning curve and there is so much to the program, that it took me weeks of tweaking, reading the manual and fiddling around with different things before I was really comfortable with it, but I've had it since it came out in beta, so I've had it a LONG time, and after about the first 6 months of using it, I never used another soapcalc. So it's been years since I've used and online option

 

[ItsForrest]

I have only ever used soap calc. I have created my own spreadsheets ( having an accounting degree) I like to have all the costs associated with my soaps

I was using Excel to cost batches also. Soapmaker does way more than I have the patience to figure out how to do in Excel. Stuff I probably don't need today but will be useful if/when I start selling.

Join soapmaker3 support group on Facebook. It has excellent helpful advice.

Look for the cream soap section in recipes and you will find the KOH/NaOH option.

Thanks. Haven't even glanced at the cream soap section yet. Will look at the fb group.

No soap calculator has the same results. I started on soap calc then tweaked me recipes in SM3 until I got what I want. Now I just use SM3. Lye concentration is a tiny bit higher in soap calc than SM3. Once you work it out for your recipes it is so much easier using SM3.

Since I have used soapcalc for every batch I made to this point I will at least compare results for recipes in soapcalc and sm3 for a while until I trust what I'm getting in Sm3.

Always. I've been using Soapcalc since I started making soap. I'm comfortable with it. I bought Soapmaker a year or so ago but only started using it seriously this year (January). I've input my favourite recipes but still make them following the Soapcalc recipes. I'm beginning to formulate recipes in Soapmaker but I still double check them on Soapcalc. I just find it easier.

I find soapcalc easier still as well but I do like all the additional stuff sm does.

Soapmaker does have a bit of a learning curve and there is so much to the program, that it took me weeks of tweaking, reading the manual and fiddling around with different things before I was really comfortable with it, but I've had it since it came out in beta, so I've had it a LONG time, and after about the first 6 months of using it, I never used another soapcalc. So it's been years since I've used and online option

Yes, there is a learning curve. I'll certainly have to give it some time to figure out how to get what I need out of it.

Thanks everyone for the responses.

 

[penelopejane]

Since I have used soapcalc for every batch I made to this point I will at least compare results for recipes in soapcalc and sm3 for a while until I trust what I'm getting in Sm3.

The guy who wrote the program is on the facebook page. It is closed so no one outside the group can see your posts .
There are a lot of extremely helpful people who use the program everyday in the group.

Just fiddle with the lye concentration and SF until the lye and water matches soapcalc and you can see the differences and adjust as desired.

Under the "recipe management system"
look for Cream recipes NaOH + KOH
start a new recipe in there if you want to use both NaOH and KOH.

 

[Dahila]

I quit soapcalc when I bought the Soapmaker3 it is excellent program and I make all my formulas there. Everything , soap is a small part of my business

 

[jcandleattic]

I quit soapcalc when I bought the Soapmaker3 it is excellent program and I make all my formulas there. Everything , soap is a small part of my business

Yep, I use it for my candlemaking, soapmaking, lotions, scrubs, crochet items, you name it, it will work for it, once you figure it out.