Cheap vs expensive safety razors: does it matter?

[never-stop-learning]

The eternal debate goes on.....

We all have different faces, beards and skin. We all have different hands and dexterity. What feels right and works the best for each of us is an individual decision based on individual experience.

Going through the process and understanding your individual shaving needs will lead you to the best razor(s) for you.

Unless you shave with a razor and compare it for yourself, you don't really know if it's better, worse or makes no difference.

I have a particular affinity for the Blackland Vector and rank it among the best razors I own. Still regularly enjoy my other new and vintage razors, expensive, mid-priced and inexpensive.

Just my opinion and YMMV.

 

[Nidan]

I have a deep appreciation for finely made things, be they watches, tools, firearms, etc. In the scheme of these kind of things a high end modern razor is relatively affordable, as least for me, at the moment. I just purchased my first >$40 DE razor, a Karve Stainless. I don't know yet if it beats out my '50s Merkur or '60s Gillette, but I was curious to see if I might like it better.

 

[JWCowboy]

I have a deep appreciation for finely made things

Then I think you'll be quite pleased with your Karve.

 

[Blackland Razors]

I've said this before, but it's worth repeating. You can replace "razors" with literally any other product and we'd be having the exact same conversation.

 

[JWCowboy]

BTW - speaking of CG, if your on their mailing list check your inbox for an update that was just sent.

 

[P@tsfan6484]

All I know is that this is the "cheapest" hobby I have ever had. Even when buying Wolfman and other high end razors. I have collected guitars, cars, golf clubs, watches. All are crazy more expensive. I say if you can truly afford it, do it.

 

[DaveHStone]

I second what David (aka @never-stop-learning) and Shane (aka @Blackland Razors) have said.

My own take on this issue is that it never stops to fascinate me how people who have never owned/used a particular product, feel the need to tell other people who do own/use that item how it is pointless, waste of money, snobbish... and the list goes on.

FWIW, I have never ever looked down at anyone who claims he gets his best shaves with Arko and a $20 razor. Your money, your face. Do whatever you want.

However, there is always, under every thread that one (or two) smarta$$ who feels this uncontrollable need, has this burning desire to express his opinion about other people's financial well-being and mental sanity in general.

Me, I stick to the live and let live principle!

 

[never-stop-learning]

All I know is that this is the "cheapest" hobby I have ever had. Even when buying Wolfman and other high end razors. I have collected guitars, cars, golf clubs, watches. All are crazy more expensive. I say if you can truly afford it, do it.

Classic cars, sports cars, high-end audio, vintage wine, aged cigars.....

Yup, high-end shaving stuff ain't that bad at all.

I really feel sorry for anyone who collects ex-wives.

 

[flynshave]

All I know is that this is the "cheapest" hobby I have ever had. Even when buying Wolfman and other high end razors. I have collected guitars, cars, golf clubs, watches. All are crazy more expensive. I say if you can truly afford it, do it.

I have spent more on a single sparkplug than my most expensive DE razor.

 

[Scaramouche]

I have spent more on a single sparkplug than my most expensive DE razor.

But how did it shave?

 

[Multum in parvo]

Limbo, how low can you go...
4 shaves into a full month and I get very good results.
The P&G China Super Blue Tech, currently for 2.79 on AliE.

 

[glm38]

I second what David (aka @never-stop-learning) and Shane (aka @Blackland Razors) have said.

My own take on this issue is that it never stops to fascinate me how people who have never owned/used a particular product, feel the need to tell other people who do own/use that item how it is pointless, waste of money, snobbish... and the list goes on.

FWIW, I have never ever looked down at anyone who claims he gets his best shaves with Arko and a $20 razor. Your money, your face. Do whatever you want.

However, there is always, under every thread that one (or two) smarta$$ who feels this uncontrollable need, has this burning desire to express his opinion about other people's financial well-being and mental sanity in general.

Me, I stick to the live and let live principle!

Interesting points. Shaving is really just so subjective in many ways as to what is good and bad.

I have a lot of shaving gear both expensive and inexpensive. And truthfully one of my $10 beater techs and Arko DO provide me with his as good a shave as my razors and soaps costing many many times more. But to me that's part of the fun of this hobby.

 

[RussellR5555]

I would say whatever works for you , like a lot of things the value will vary depending on the person and their needs.

 

[Ivo4u2]

An interesting thought indeed!

I wouldn't buy a brand new $80 razor without considerable thought and research, either!!

In fact, I'd probably be far more careful with that money on the basis that the moment I unpack it, it's already worth less than I paid for it (and I don't return things unless they're poor quality or the retainer is aggressively marketing their returns policy as a selling point)... Whereas unless I'm extremely careless in my appraisal of a vintage razor (or get far too carried away bidding!!) I can sell it for what I paid for it, if not more.

In my view, the invested research time is probably similar enough as to not be a factor worth entering into comparison - and this would've been equally so early on my journey some ten or more years ago, if not more!!

The only exception I can really think of is the Rockwell (6S) - that was largely impulse, although the knowledge that I could play with multiple plates made it feel a safer buy...
And in a sense it was a safe buy, if I was buying once and being done with it, it makes a very sensible choice (and I could've lived with that alone - in practice, it fell by the wayside)

As ever, YMMV!

i learned to somewhere soon make a decision when that research turns into an obsession and is costing way more as the article. otoh the hunt is part of the process and it is hobby. ever thought onhow many hours you waste on the internet for all kind of topics....


soo i ordered a pereira bowl because i am coming back to it for a year or so..... should be there in a couple of hours...

 

[BigSpender]

"Cheap" and "expensive" are vague, subjective and overly broad terms. Perhaps it would be better to break things into price ranges, such as: $1 to $10, $10 to $20, $20 to $50, $50 to 100, $100 to $250, and $tratospheric.

I won't buy the old name brand razors like Parker, Merkur, etc., because judging from reviews they are not made all that well anymore, and can fall apart, things like plating coming off and the handle post breaking. Besides, there's a good chance they are using Chinese-made components and just assembling them, anyhow.

You can buy generic knockoffs, from China or India, that are quite good. The catch is finding the good ones. Without a label or reputable seller, these days you don't know what your are going to get, especially from Amazon, because the Chinese are making some stuff that looks nice in photographs, but is absolutely horrendously badly designed by idiots who probably have never used a DE razor in their lives.

And stuff that might cost under $10 from one seller on Amazon might be sold in a nicer box for $20 or $30 by another seller, and still be junk. Why? People are buying DE razors on Amazon who haven't a clue, just looking at pictures. And often what you receive doesn't look like the pictures, anyway.

Who are the Chinese sellers? For a start, the sellers with names made up of letters pulled from a Scrabble bag. Then, if you read their marketing copy, it reads like it was translated from Klingon using Google Translate: fancy words that don't make any sense if you actually read it carefully. If it does make some sense, it is probably not grammatically correct.

Some Chinese sellers are honest and sell good products, including razors. Some are not. I met a fellow in China who owned a franchise store selling bicycles who didn't know how to ride a bicycle. They might not know anything about their products.

That said, I dare say you can buy a razor as good as a Merkur for $10 or less, and maybe better: I got a knockoff with a brass handle and brass post for less than $10. It shaves great.

Now with zamak razors, we all know, they can fail if you drop them, etc. Spend 3x-5x more for a solid aluminum or stainless razor and it will be stronger, right? Perhaps, but you still don't want to drop ANY razor (except a disposable cartridge razor). You risk bending the parts out of alignment.

In sum: Yes, you can get a good cheap razor that will give you an excellent shave, but you may buy four bad razors in the process. And yes, an expensive razor may be worth the money, although I don't plan on finding out for myself. But the incremental difference between a cheap excellent shave performed with good technique and an expensive ecstatic shave may be limited. How much more can you improve on excellence? Could the raison d'être for more expensive razors be that they require less skill? Or simply that they make you drool? (Yes, I lust for them, too. But I will settle for looking at pictures.)

Fatip/Schone is also proof you don't have to spend a fortune on razors. But the real eye-opener for me has been vintage Gillette razors -- solid brass razors that shave better than most modern razors, and are cheaper (today). There are millions of them out there, some a century old and still shave great. Anyone planning to bequeath a cartridge razor to their great grandchildren?

 

[euro]

I get the best shaves from my Fatip OC v2 which I got for 18 euros. My most expensive razor is the Merkur Progress which I got for (iirc) 70 euros. The Merkur razor looks nicer but IMHO I didn't really needed it. If you can shave with one razor without any issues then you can shave with any razor. I really doubt a 300 euro razor will provide a better shave because it's expensive.

We could say the same about soaps, are expensive soaps better than cheap soaps? In my experience Proraso, Vitos and Palmolive soaps are great performers you really cannot go wrong with these soaps. I have some TOBS soaps, in my book I consider them "expensive" but there are more expensive soaps. IMHO these TOBS soaps are solid performers compared to the cheap ones I mentioned, the only difference is they smell much better. Once I recover from my shopping spree of 2023 I will try out some of the expensive soaps of Saponificio Varesino, Acca Kappa and some other brands I forgot.

Do I need all of this? Nope.
Will these soaps improve my shavings? Nope because I can achieve a BBS with any razor and any blade.

So why do I want them? Simple: the experience! Discovering new soaps, aftershaves, blades is fun. Shaving it self is fun and I find it very relaxing. IF I wanted to save money I could stick to my Fatip OC v2, Vitos Red+ shaving soap and Proraso Green AS.