Your Shaving Gear Question

[Storch4]

I have to say a few hundred over the years between everything. Like was said previously, enough to keep me in carts and cream for two lifetimes but not as enjoyable or fun.

 

[Tallships]

Back in 1968 I think I spent just under $5 for my set up (Gillette Slim, extra blades, brush, Williams soap, after shave) Mom supplied the mug from her cupboard. Spent very little over the years, till a few years ago I joined Badger and Blade and in those few years I graduated from one razor, soap , blades etc, to well over a $500 worth of new and vintage razors, mostly vintage, blades, soaps, bowls and mugs, AF.

 

[OldSaw]

Over 30 years in and honestly couldn’t pin it down very accurately. But roughly $150 per year.

Now shoes, on the other hand... they are my nemesis. I don’t care if it’s work boots or dress shoes, I have worn out many pairs, but still have MANY in rotation, including a couple of Allen Edmonds that rarely get used much thanks to a career change to an owner operator truck driver. Oh, and suits, bow ties, and pocket squares. I’m way past $2000 just this year alone.

 

[Dovo1695]

So far I've invested about $300 and I'd say my collection is worth somewhere around $1,500 depending on the whims of the 'Bay. Shaving has given me a much better return than the stock market over the same 15 years.

The money is kind of beside the point for me though. I suffered from ingrown hairs for years; it's hard to put a price on not having to deal with that anymore.

 

[deafficianado]

Before I joined B&B in 2011 it was around $500. Since then it's well over $5000 on hundreds of razors, thousands of blades, and lots of soaps, aftershaves, & brushes. These new stainless, brass, and titanium razors raise the total figure quite fast. Still a cheap hobby compared to something like collecting cars or high end watches.

 

[Pepin]

I keep track of my purchases, and it is more than I like to say.
However I look at as two separate items: shaving and collecting.
I use about 8-10 different soaps/creams, six brushes, and have about a dozen razors in regular use.
Aftershaves and colognes I have more, but am going to try and reduce the number.

Collecting is a different story

 

[Dovo1695]

I keep track of my purchases, and it is more than I like to say.
However I look at as two separate items: shaving and collecting.

That's how I think of it too. I was raised never to talk about price, only about cost. Something costs the difference between what you buy it for and what you can sell it for. This applies to real estate, furniture, cars, and even razors. A $6.00 Baili BR172 costs ~$6.00 because a used one isn't worth the postage to mail it to another buyer (ironically it's my favorite razor though).

What's the cost of a Mint Gillette Aristocrat purchased for $20 at an antique store? Given that it's worth $150-$200, it doesn't have a cost; it has a net gain. If somebody bought $1,000 worth of vintage razors a decade ago when prices were as low as they were, I promise you it didn't cost them anything. The most "expensive" things in this hobby are cheap razors, postage, and software.

With all that said, it's just a hobby so it doesn't really matter what it costs as long you can afford it, and take pleasure in it. My point is just that it doesn't have to cost anything regardless of how much you spend.

 

[Noodles]

$500 on hardware. If I knew then...would have been more like $300-350 and could be quite happy with a $125-175 investment too.