The Return of El Cheapo. . .

[funkthulhu]

Pretend for a moment that the internet went kaputz.

Where would you get your balms, splashes, colognes, etc.?

What would you get? What are your inexpensive guilty pleasures?

I actually got into bay rum through the pinaud clubman virgin island I found on the bottom shelf at Walgreens.

So, what do you know about "hidden gems" in plain sight at some of our larger chains?

Thanks for your consideration!

[gsgo]

Try a few of your local Hispanic grocery/general stores and look for M&L Florida Water or Superior 70 Bay Rum. Florida Water is an old time American cologne with quite a history and Superior 70 is a great inexpensive bay rum that is much more authentic than Pinaud's version.

Together these would likely cost you less than $10.

[MaxP]

Assuming I could retain my current hoard, I, like most members here, have enough brushes, razors and products to last the rest of our mortal lives!

And for those who may not, "May the AD virus afflict you with the same vengeance it has some of us."

[funkthulhu]

Assuming I could retain my current hoard, I, like most members here, have enough brushes, razors and products to last the rest of our mortal lives!

And for those who may not, "May the AD virus afflict you with the same vengeance it has some of us."

Tragically, I suspect that I already carry this plague, but it saves its energy until such time as my coin-purse is full. . .

[Ouchmychin]

What about good old Aqua Velva, Old Spice, and Mennon Skin Bracer. All were classics in their day and even the new formulas might be one you like. There are also variations like Musk or spice versions that some like. At the price, you just give away what you don't care for. A lot cheaper than giving away fancy imports that you can read about here and try. I gave my grandson all the Trumpers stuff I had because I didn't like them. Will give my T&H Freshman to someone in the family if they can stand it. I couldn't.

[SmallTank]

them Damn retail stores they are!...simple and scary answer for me

[Araner]

What about good old Aqua Velva, Old Spice, and Mennon Skin Bracer. All were classics in their day and even the new formulas might be one you like. There are also variations like Musk or spice versions that some like. At the price, you just give away what you don't care for. A lot cheaper than giving away fancy imports that you can read about here and try. I gave my grandson all the Trumpers stuff I had because I didn't like them. Will give my T&H Freshman to someone in the family if they can stand it. I couldn't.

Well said! I'm a long time user of Aqua Velva Musk; great smell, great performance, and inexpensive too!

Mike

[maskaggs]

What about good old Aqua Velva, Old Spice, and Mennon Skin Bracer.

I've been thinking about scents like these a lot lately. At the moment, Old Spice, Skin Bracer, Brut, and Clubman make up my splash stash, and these are some of my favorite scents (especially Skin Bracer). At times, though, you hear folks - usually of the persuasion less inclined to enjoy scents like the lines from GFT, C&S, etc. - refer to the old drugstore reliables as "cheap aftershave" in a most derogatory manner. Is this because those folks find these scents genuinely offensive, or purely because they can't fathom a low-cost aftershave being worthwhile?

[Ouchmychin]

I think there is a bit of both here. Some have had a revalation when they tried an expensive product for the first time. Some here are Anglohpiles that hail from Great Britain and know the classic scents must be good. There are a lot of the department store expensive brands that are so loud that they give American scents a bad rep. And, yes there are a few that don't care for cheap brands, just because they are cheap.

[ScottB]

Pretend for a moment that the internet went kaputz.

Where would you get your balms, splashes, colognes, etc.?

What would you get? What are your inexpensive guilty pleasures?

I actually got into bay rum through the pinaud clubman virgin island I found on the bottom shelf at Walgreens.

So, what do you know about "hidden gems" in plain sight at some of our larger chains?

Thanks for your consideration!

I've been thinking about this thread a little.

Cheap has a natural partner, Fast.

I wanted to know what I could buy locally for a cheap and fast shaving experience. Perhaps for those mornings when I need a very fast shave but don't want to lose my gentleman wetshaver's card.

I just shaved with the best I could find between Albertsons (a grocery store here in the US) and Walgreens (a pharmacy in the US).

Bic Sensitive (a disposable single-blade razor)
Organic Bath Co. Smooth Shave, Mountain Sage (gel in a pump bottle)
Superior 70 Bay Rum

Really not a bad shaving experience with the whole single-pass job taking about 45 seconds. No cuts, no irritation, no quantitative easing by the Federal Reserve necessary.

To be honest, they had bottles of Aqua Velva Cool Blue Ice or something like that at Albertson and I boldly opened one for a sniff in the store.

Ugh. Awful. They make a big fuss about this product on those other sites but it just isn't working for me.

[funkthulhu]

I've been thinking about this thread a little.

Cheap has a natural partner, Fast.

I wanted to know what I could buy locally for a cheap and fast shaving experience. Perhaps for those mornings when I need a very fast shave but don't want to lose my gentleman wetshaver's card.

I just shaved with the best I could find between Albertsons (a grocery store here in the US) and Walgreens (a pharmacy in the US).

Bic Sensitive (a disposable single-blade razor)
Organic Bath Co. Smooth Shave, Mountain Sage (gel in a pump bottle)
Superior 70 Bay Rum

Really not a bad shaving experience with the whole single-pass job taking about 45 seconds. No cuts, no irritation, no quantitative easing by the Federal Reserve necessary.

To be honest, they had bottles of Aqua Velva Cool Blue Ice or something like that at Albertson and I boldly opened one for a sniff in the store.

Ugh. Awful. They make a big fuss about this product on those other sites but it just isn't working for me.

I must admit, yesterday I was in a heck of a hurry. I just lathered up with some Yardley's and did 1 quick pass with the razor by the sink (Merkur with a shark blade). Not baby-smooth by any measure, but visually clear of stubble. Total time ~1 minute.

The splash? A palm of Pinaud Virgin Is. cut with a bit of witch-hazel. (cuts down on the clove-ness a bit)

[ScottB]

I must admit, yesterday I was in a heck of a hurry. I just lathered up with some Yardley's and did 1 quick pass with the razor by the sink (Merkur with a shark blade). Not baby-smooth by any measure, but visually clear of stubble. Total time ~1 minute.

The splash? A palm of Pinaud Virgin Is. cut with a bit of witch-hazel. (cuts down on the clove-ness a bit)

lol yep that is a "speedshave". My time managment skills are lacking and so I end up needing the occasional speedshave to make it to work on time.

Shaving with a straight takes me more like 30 minutes and my DE with a new feather blade in it requires some patience too. Speed just can't come into the equation.

I have never tried any Pinaud product but that mix you describe sounds good. How much WH do you add, erm, proportionally?

[Squire]

I would use the drug store aftershaves/colognes if I liked them and they worked with my chemistry. Unfortunately, for the most part, fine colognes, like fine wines, are noticeably preferable to the cheapest counterparts.