Advice Wanted: Complete budget shave setup

[BlindFarmer]

Hello everyone. I would like help putting together a budget DE shave system. I have strayed over time and tried electric, cartridge, those all in one (one blade) type things. I want a complete, budget, no frill shave system. My goal is value for the money, not luxury. My goal is to shave, not collect. Function over pretty. Bang for the buck. Yet, I want quality, no stuff from Aliexpress. Here are my needs:
Sensitive skin
Shave soap/stick/cream with light or no fragrance...can trigger migraine. Arko shave stick, Williams used to work well.
Need DE safety Razor, soap/stick/cream, blades, value brush
There use to be a Gillette sensitive aftershave gel. It had a very light scent, but it is no longer made.

My goal is to shave on a budget while getting a far better shave than a Philips One Blade and without the crazy expense of a cartridge razor. I want to invest in quality yet basic tools. Think Ford F150 but the XL work truck, not the ultra platinum edition. Thank you for the help. Also, can you suggest online shave stores to purchase from? I live in a rural area so my only shave supply is CVS and Walmart. LOL Thank you for the help.

 

[Jay21]

Italianbarber.com is where I buy most of my shaving gear.

You can get a razor for under $20 and a brush for under $15.

My setup for March is a budget rig. The Baili razor was $6 (Italian Barber sells the same one for $10 and calls it the Quick Change), the brush was $23 (RazoRock 400) at Italian Barber, the soap was $5 on Amazon (they also make unscented), the blades were $10 for 100 on Amazon, and the mug was $3 at the local grocery store.

 

[Mr. Shavington]

How about a Fatip razor, Haslinger shave soap, Semogue 610 boar brush? All excellent quality gear regardless of price, and all easy to find online. I guess these would total about $55 altogether. Is that in budget?

I’m sure you’ll get many more great suggestions. There are a lot of options and good stuff at all price points.

 

[shaveandleather]

Any under $20 safety razor on amazon, a $9 tube of prorasso, a $12 bottle of prorasso AS, any budget bucket of blades (you wont know the difference). Spread italian goop on face, shave hair off, splash with pungent italian barbershop AS, no one you know will ever discern the difference (nor care) between this set up and those that cost $100 more. It's just shaving, not a lifestyle. If proraso smells triggers crippling headaches, you have greater problems than shaving and just go with barbasol unscented goop or mayonnaise and rinse with water sans italian urinal-cake AS.

 

[Phoenixkh]

The Lord 6 razor ($6.42 on Amazon) gets a lot of praise here and it's in the lower price range. The least expensive razor I have is the Merkur 37C which gives me very pleasant shaves. It's $45 at the moment and might be out of the set price range.

I have to use unscented soaps. Canada Shaving Soap is $32 on Amazon at the moment... It comes and goes there. If you have Prime, there are no shipping costs... I'm still on my first tub and I bought my first on one April 15th, 2022. The bottom of the tub just revealed itself recently. That means, since I use it for around 80% of my shaves or more, it's fairly economical.

Brushes: As @Mr. Shavington mentioned, you can pick up a very inexpensive Semogue boar.

DE blade prices seem to be fluctuating at the moment.... I only have a few different kinds. I'm sure others have a better handle on them than I do.

 

[Whisky]

Both Italian Barber and Maggard Razor’s have “starter kits.” Italian Barber’s is cheaper, Maggard’s give you more choices.

 

[Multum in parvo]

Have a read here for inspiration:

April Frugal Follies Cheapskate Challenge (AFFCC) - 2021.

This is a shaving game/challenge which grew out of a conversation begun on another shaving game thread... The challenge is to show how cheaply a den can be begun (for less than the cost of common "starter" DE razors) and still provide satisfaction... Oh, and to have fun!! Rules: 1) You have...

www.badgerandblade.com

April Frugal Follies Cheapskate Challenge (AFFCC) - 2022 Edition

This is a shaving game/challenge which was initiated last year by @BubblesUK and which we want to replicate this year as well. The challenge is to show how cheaply a den can be begun (for less than the cost of common "starter" DE razors) and still provide satisfaction... Oh, and to have fun...

www.badgerandblade.com

 

[BigJ]

My ‘travel’ kit is pretty much what you are describing (with Amazon prices):
Lord L6 razor ($6.50)
Astra SP blades ($10/100)
La Toja stick ($6)
Semogue 1250 brush ($19)**
AS of choice

** My choice is actually Simpsons Wee Scot best badger which is more expensive and worth the price IMO.

 

[DesertIguana]

Frugal choices.

 

[Goblin]

How about a Fatip razor, Haslinger shave soap, Semogue 610 boar brush?

That's pretty much what I used for years. You can pay a lot more, but it won't buy you a better or more luxurious shave.

 

[Quaznoid]

If a user grade Tech cannot be found: Lord L6, Personna Lab Blue, Arko!, VDH boar brush, Old Spice.

 

[spacemonkey42]

If you want value for the money, and not just lowest cost, take a look at the Razorock options. Solid stainless, often a choice of baseplates, various handles - all for not much at all. I'd suggest the Game Changer line if you like less bladefeel and the Lupo if you like more. More to the value, if you find yourself wanting different efficiency, you can buy just a baseplate.

Happy shaves to you!

 

[ErkRusselReserve]

Proraso white (sensitive) is rather low scent. Lord L6 razor and Lord Silver Star blades are very well regarded and budget options. $25 on Amazon gets you going!

 

[SmokedStanley]

Van Der Hagen Shaving Set (mug, soap, Brush) on Amazon for $19.99 - Cheap Vintage Gillette off Ebay (Tech or Adjustable) and some Astra SP blades.

 

[JimL911]

My goal is value for the money, not luxury. My goal is to shave, not collect. Function over pretty. Bang for the buck. Yet, I want quality,


My goal is to shave on a budget

I want to invest in quality yet basic tools. .

If you want value for the money, and not just lowest cost, take a look at the Razorock options. Solid stainless, often a choice of baseplates, various handles - all for not much at all. I'd suggest the Game Changer line if you like less bladefeel and the Lupo if you like more. More to the value, if you find yourself wanting different efficiency, you can buy just a baseplate.

Happy shaves to you!

This. Spend some $ on a quality tool that won't rot and will hold the blade true.

 

[lancre]

For one-stop shopping, get a Maggard starting kit - about $40

Ala Carte?

New Razor - Maggard V3, Fatip Piccolo SE, or Yates Winning in order of increasing price. Of those3, my favorite is the Yates but it's also the most expensive.

Vintage razor - Gillette SuperSpeed or Tech razors. Even decades old, they outclass most new razors.

Blades - Get a sampler or 2, nobody can predict which blade your face will love. My favorite middle-of-the-road blades are German Wilkinson Sword.

Brush - Any Semogue or Omega.

IMO, once they're broken in (20-50 shaves), boars win the value race in a walk. They start out nice but a little lather hungry at first, then improve rapidly. My Semogue 830 boar is softer than 90% of my badgers.

Synthetics are great for travel as they dry faster than natural hair brushes. Low maintainence, they're ths vinyl siding of the shaving world. My favorite here is the Simpson Trafalgar series, but house-brand brushes from Maggard or Stirling

Avoid the really cheap badger brushes. Way too much scritchiness. They'll rip your face up. More expensive badgers are nice but cost 2-10 times as much as quality boar or synthetic brushes.

Soaps - Stirling - great value, wide variety, and their samples are good sized (about an ounce).
Haslingers - Good value, great performance, and a good variety of scents
Proraso Cream in a tube

 

[kingfisher]

Tech. All day every day. Get a Tech off ebay or elsewhere. Shouldn't cost more than 20 bucks. Shaves circles around most razors.

Astra SP. You can get 100 of them for about 14 bucks.

Razorock What the Puck? shave soap in whichever scent strikes your fancy. This is a milled soap that lasts forever and can be picked up for well less than ten bucks.

Get a synthetic brush. Much cheaper than badger, and generally cheaper than boar. They work great and dry quickly. It's a no-brainer. A really good one can be had for less than $15, if you look around.

 

[Whisky]

There are many companies that make a scent less shave soap. Stirling, as mentioned above, is a good one. If you want a good aftershave with a light scent I’d get some Lucky Tiger. Works well and has a very light orange scent that fades quickly.

 

[KW Driver]

Any of the cheaper DEs that are mild I suppose. A vintage Tech would be an easy pick for me.

Hasslinger Aloe Vera is the only scent of theirs I can put up with. They’re all mild, but powdery floral off putting to me. Sterling’s unscented offerings if available easily to you. Arko’s scent is a no go for me.

I’d pick an Omega boar for >/= $10 over a softer, floppier and a bit more expensive Semogue. Or a synth that’s well recommended (I don’t like em, so have no recommendation). I assume you’re not likely to face lather so figure out your bowl.

Astra SPs are sharp enough and imminently smooth in any razor I’ve used. Cheap too.

That’s all I’ve got for your needs

 

[ewk]

I second the recommendations for Italian Barber and Maggard's as suppliers of choice. Great choices, good quality. A stainless steel razor will last you forever. A RazoRock GameChanger might be the safest bet. If that is too much cash, the Lord 6 or Baili 131 are great performers for only a few bucks. RazoRock triple milled soaps from Italian Barber will last a very long time at a very low cost. You can get your Aqua Velva from WalMart.