Cheap and satisfying line-up

Araner · Post by **Araner** » Wed Dec 22, 2010 3:59 pm

I know that pinching pennies is not everyone's cuppa, but I get a kick out of finding inexpensive products and gear that deliver quality results.

So, the question is: what is the least costly shave-of-the-day you can assemble and still achieve satisfying results?

Mike

Araner · Post by **Araner** » Wed Dec 22, 2010 4:00 pm

At a minimum level, these products will give me a quality shave and a satisfying shaving experience.

Razor – Vintage Gillette New (easily found on eBay, price varies, mine was $8.00)
Blade – Derby (10 cents)
Brush – Omega 49 boar brush ($10.00)
Shaving cream – Derby ($2.75)
Aftershave lotion – Dickinson’s witch hazel “generic knock-off” ($1.99)
Cologne – Aqua Velva Musk ($3.30)

Total cost to assemble this line-up = $26.14

Mike

rsp1202 · Post by **rsp1202** » Wed Dec 22, 2010 4:35 pm

I live on the traveling man's penny budget:

Trac II razor from eBay: $5.00 (an original -- what a steal)
Trac II generic cartridges (10-pack): $4.99
Barbasol with Aloe SC: $0.99
Humphrey's Witch Hazel: $3.99
Total: $14.97

The results are satisfying because my technique is good. The equipment leaves a lot to be desired, however.

maskaggs · Post by **maskaggs** » Wed Dec 22, 2010 5:11 pm

rsp1202 wrote: The results are satisfying because my technique is good. The equipment leaves a lot to be desired, however.

+1. Solid technique can lead to a very good shave with just about anything.

aircraft_electrician · Wed Dec 22, 2010 5:32 pm

The most inexpensive shave for me?

A Gillette Slim Adjustable(found at an antique store) $4.
Personna blades (from Walmart) $1.79/10
VDH Deluxe Soap (from Base Exchange) 99 cents
Burma Shave boar brush (also found at Base Exchange) $5.99
Murray & Lanman Florida Water as an A/S and cologne (Walgreen's) $2.99

Total: $15.76, and I can get a very good shave with these products.
The brush leaves a lot to be desired, but it does the job, and it's cheap.
A lot of folks here don't like the Personna blades, but I manage 4 or 5 really good shaves with one of these.
The VDH Deluxe soap is one of my favorites, and the best performing soap I've found for less than 10 bucks.
The Florida Water is really a cologne, but it's alcohol base makes for good A/S (I like the burn of the alcohol) and the scent lasts without being too strong, so it does double duty, saving a bit of cash.

The only one of these products that isn't a part of my daily rotation is the brush. In fact, I can't remember the last time I used this brush. The rest of these products are used regularly.

Tom

jww · Post by **jww** » Wed Dec 22, 2010 8:35 pm

Most inexpensive for me:

Bic Sensitive disposable
Palmolive Classic Shave Stick
Semogue 1305 brush
Thayers Aloe and Lemon Witch Hazel (got it on sale for $2.50 for a large bottle this past summer)

The overall cost would be well under a buck per shave using this setup.

ateace · Post by **ateace** » Wed Dec 22, 2010 8:37 pm

Mine:

Lord 1822 (aluminim handle w/ merk-style head) -- $12
Personna Platinum Steel blades - $1.99 for 10
Barbasol - $1.29

Total cost -- $15.28

I don't go for BBS with this, but the DFS is cheap and satisfying.

brothers · Post by **brothers** » Thu Dec 23, 2010 1:44 pm

If we're counting the full cost of each component as being spent on the first shave, then that makes all of the following shaves with those components FREE. Right?

So for all of the above, the small outlay of cash for buying all of the stuff makes the first shave far more expensive than the next and the next, and so on.

Tomorrow, it's an absolute certainty that my cost to shave, no matter what components I select from those I already have on hand will be a big fat zero.

joe mcclaine · Post by **joe mcclaine** » Thu Dec 23, 2010 1:54 pm

Bic Sensitive - 10p per razor (lasts a week)
Palmolive Stick - 45p per stick (lasts a month)
Duke 2 - £60 (lasts 20 years?)

Cheap as chips

gil3591 · Post by **gil3591** » Thu Dec 23, 2010 3:06 pm

custom mergress $95
polo 8 2band $170
castle forbes lavender $38
iridium .23c
dr harris marlburough a/s $28

how's that?

merkri · Post by **merkri** » Thu Dec 23, 2010 4:17 pm

hmm...

Tech from my grandfather for free.
A Personna blade for what? .25 dollars?
Some Soap Opera shaving gel for around $6.50.

...so $6.75 approximately.

Racso_MS · Post by **Racso_MS** » Thu Dec 23, 2010 7:02 pm

I think we are miscalculating the cost of our shave.

My reasoning is this; you can get a lifetime of shaves with the razor, so the cost for using one razor 20 years would be much less than indicated in some of the posts above. The same holds true with the razor blade, soaps/creams, after shave, brush and just about everything we use.

I'm not quite sure I can answer this without some super computer making the calculations.

gil3591 · Post by **gil3591** » Thu Dec 23, 2010 8:07 pm

Racso_MS wrote:I think we are miscalculating the cost of our shave.

My reasoning is this; you can get a lifetime of shaves with the razor, so the cost for using one razor 20 years would be much less than indicated in some of the posts above. The same holds true with the razor blade, soaps/creams, after shave, brush and just about everything we use.

I'm not quite sure I can answer this without some super computer making the calculations.

i think you need to take the razor out of the mix. everything else is finite

merkri · Post by **merkri** » Thu Dec 23, 2010 9:23 pm

Racso_MS wrote:I think we are miscalculating the cost of our shave.

My reasoning is this; you can get a lifetime of shaves with the razor, so the cost for using one razor 20 years would be much less than indicated in some of the posts above. The same holds true with the razor blade, soaps/creams, after shave, brush and just about everything we use.

I'm not quite sure I can answer this without some super computer making the calculations.

True--it's difficult to price things. For example you get multiple shaves per blade, many shaves per puck/bowl/etc. so the pricing is sort of fuzzy. I interpreted it as "what would the entry fee be?"

My price wouldn't even be accurate, though, because I wouldn't be able to purchase a single blade.

GollyMrScience · Post by **GollyMrScience** » Thu Dec 23, 2010 10:27 pm

perhaps the least expensice shaving kit as in front end capital cost all in.

fishgutmartyr · Post by **fishgutmartyr** » Thu Dec 23, 2010 10:56 pm

Hoffritz Slant Bar ($2 flea market purchase)
Astra Platinum (~$.05/shave)
Speick ($5 for the stick)
Re-knotted Rubberset brush (~$21)
my own clove aftershave balm (a mix of aloe gel and witch hazel, proportions change according to season)

I'm nowhere near finished with the soap, so the price per shave is pretty insignificant (although that's true with all the soaps I have). I've already used the brush well over 100 times, so it is already less than $.21/shave and shrinking. I'm guessing pennies on the balm, since the components are maybe $5, and I get 4-5 vials out of them (not including the clove essential oil, which should last years based on the amounts I use).

Factoring in even the rough cost of razor and brush, I'd guess I'm spending less than $.50 a shave. And that will approach zero as the more expensive, durable items get more use.

Of course, if I add cologne, things get ugly fast.

fallingwickets · Post by **fallingwickets** » Fri Dec 24, 2010 6:27 am

I like gil's method the best hahahaha

clive

jww · Post by **jww** » Fri Dec 24, 2010 7:21 am

joe mcclaine wrote:Bic Sensitive - 10p per razor (lasts a week)
Palmolive Stick - 45p per stick (lasts a month)
Duke 2 - £60 (lasts 20 years?)

Cheap as chips

And similarly satisfying, too!

scaryshoes · Post by **scaryshoes** » Fri Dec 24, 2010 10:20 am

This is my go to set up each morning, and it is inexpensive but very effective for me:

'63 Slim Adjustable
Williams Mug soap
German Wilks/ Red pack personnas bought in bulk
Aqua Velva Classic Blue/Nivea balm
AV Musk as a cologne....

Pennies a shave

TRBeck · Post by **TRBeck** » Fri Dec 24, 2010 9:11 pm

Well, since I ventured out to post today, I'll go ahead and add my thoughts here. It's always just pennies a shave, and then pennies more or less, when one amortizes costs, etc. The thing is, most guys buy backups and backups of their backups and multiple flavors of whatever brand of cream and on and on. So, the pennies a shave thing is sort of sleight of hand to cover for dropping $26/puck on AOS soap (which I do regularly and love).

For the same caliber shave I get with my most expensive stuff, I can use the following at a fraction of the cost:

Gillette Tech (ball-handle, $10 any day on the 'bay)
Dorco 301 ($.15/ea. and smooth as can be, lasting me 5 shaves)
Omega 10049 ($12 at most and will hold lather for 5-6 passes)
Palmolive soap (under $2 when ordered from the UK)
Superior 70 Bay Rum ($2/16 oz. and available at many Walgreen's)

If one insists on scent - and I do - the best "cheap" fragrance in my wardrobe is Grey Flannel ($12 at TJX stores) or C.O. Bigelow Elixir White ($19.50 at B&BW), either of which beats many $100+ scents for quality and wearability.

It's hard to deny that AoS Sandalwood soap has a preferable scent to Palmolive (and I love Palmolive's scent) or that the handle on a high-dollar brush is superior in terms of style, class, and feel to that of an Omega Pro, but I feel equally satisfied using either type of kit, and the lower-end shaves are cheap enough to allow me my splurges on the good stuff.

Okay, really now, back to my cave before I get the itch to shave...something.

Regards,
Tim