What's new

AGOCC - Anything Goes October Cheapskates Challenge

I don't plan on assembling a new kit for October, just using whatever srikes my fancy from my stock.
So I won't be participating. However.....

(Jokingly)
Assured brush from Dollar Tree: $1.00
Assured TTO razor and 5 blades from Dollar Tree: $1.00
Williams Mug Soap from Wegman's: $0.99
16oz Generic Witch Hazel from Wegman's: $1.99
3.3oz Nivea PSB from Walmart: $4.49
Total: $9.47

Or more seriously:

Gold NDC Ball End Tech from an antique mall a few years ago: $7.00
5 Wilkinson Sword blades from Maggard's: $1.75; I used one of these blades for February 2021, so 5 is overkill.
Omega 10049 from Maggard: Currently $9.99, I actually got it for $5.00 on a Black Friday sale.
Williams Mug Soap from Wegman's: $0.99 (about 2 months worth)
16oz Generic Witch Hazel from Wegman's: $1.99 (about 2 years worth)
3.3oz Nivea PSB from Walmart: $4.49 (about 10.5 months worth)
Total: $26.21
 
I don't plan to participate, but if I did, this would be my lineup (from previously purchased items):
$5.25 - Lord L5
$5.00 - Asco Platinum 105 pack
$1.75 - Williams Mug Soap
$5.00 - Van der Hagen pure badger shave brush
$2.00 - generic alum block from a local Indian market
$4.50 - Aqua Velva Ice Blue aftershave splash
$3.00 Nivea Maximum Hydration Post-shave Balm
Total: $26.50 (after taxes, that comes out to a little over $29)
 
I offer a contrarian view.

  • My $265 Blackland Tradere used every day over 30 years equates to $0.024 per day or under $0.73 for the month.
  • 8 Nacet blades at about $0.13 per blade equates to about $1.04 for the month.
  • My 130 g size MdC in the La Canelle bowl will yield more than 200 shaves or cost less than $0.25 per shave or less than $7.50 for the month.
  • My Shavemac Beagle at about $120 should yield over 400 shaves or less than $0.30 per shave or less than $9.00 for the month.
This kit would cost less than $19 for the month. Plenty left for aftershaves and no compromise on quality.

Many will find less expensive kit, but in the long run will they get as much enjoyment for well under a $1 a day?
 
Last edited:
I offer a contrarian view.

  • My $265 Blackland Tradere used every day over 30 years equates to $0.024 per day or under $0.73 for the month.
  • 8 Nacet blades at about $0.13 per blade equates to about $1.04 for the month.
  • My 130 g size MdC in the La Canelle bowl will yield more than 200 shaves or cost less than $0.25 per shave or less than $7.50 for the month.
  • My Shavemac Beagle at about $120 should yield over 400 shaves or less than $0.30 per shave or less than $9.00 for the month.
This kit would cost less than $19 for the month. Plenty left for aftershaves and no compromise on quality.

Many will find less expensive kit, but in the long run will they get as much enjoyment for well under a $1 a day?

It's a fair point and one I don't think anyone on these boards will deny - the economics of wetshaving with almost anything that's not a cart/disposable will rack up fast, and far higher quality goods can be used for the same money as your "average" man in the street spends on carts and canned foam.

However, that's not really the point here - the point is partly educational (something to point to to show how cheaply you can start and still have kit that satisfies enthusiasts like ourselves) and partly to encourage us to revisit cheaper items that we perhaps overlook... The March version showed me, at very least, that my cheap Baili makes a perfectly acceptable daily driver - I already knew it was decent, but a month of shaves hammers in that I don't really *need* something costing $100+ to do the job (of course I knew this already, but there's something satisfying in living with it for a while).

I accept this isn't the sort of challenge everyone would enjoy, but I found pleasure in the new goods only version and figured used into the mix would make it even moreso, perhaps with a bit more variety too!

I'm happy you've found kit you love, and hope it continues to satisfy you for as long as you project! (Vintage aside, I tend to get bored with modern razors after a few years and hope you don't find this to be the case!!)
 
I don't plan on assembling a new kit for October, just using whatever srikes my fancy from my stock.

If you want to participate and use things you've already got, just including what you paid is all fine! (Prices paid in 1925 might ruin the game a bit, but within reason it should still work just fine! 🤣 I'm intending to use a razor I bought about a month ago, it's no beauty queen but it shaves well!)
 
I don't plan to participate, but if I did, this would be my lineup (from previously purchased items):
$5.25 - Lord L5
$5.00 - Asco Platinum 105 pack
$1.75 - Williams Mug Soap
$5.00 - Van der Hagen pure badger shave brush
$2.00 - generic alum block from a local Indian market
$4.50 - Aqua Velva Ice Blue aftershave splash
$3.00 Nivea Maximum Hydration Post-shave Balm
Total: $26.50 (after taxes, that comes out to a little over $29)

Sounds like a great cheap kit to me - no compulsion to join in of course if you don't want to (there's always another opportunity in April if you prefer, as your kit appears to be all items still readily available 👍)
 
Using my shave today to test out a potential soap option...
Cyril R Salter - tallow based goodness at £3.90 for a 70g puck from Connaught's... Assuming I like it (🤞) I'll make a dish for the puck to sit in (if it's really good I may even but a few more and make dishes for them as Xmas presents!)

The razor was nearly £13 so that won't get in, but I love flat bottom Tech's so why not? 🙂

20210828_134454.jpg
 
Using my shave today to test out a potential soap option...
Cyril R Salter - tallow based goodness at £3.90 for a 70g puck from Connaught's... Assuming I like it (🤞) I'll make a dish for the puck to sit in (if it's really good I may even but a few more and make dishes for them as Xmas presents!)

The razor was nearly £13 so that won't get in, but I love flat bottom Tech's so why not? 🙂

View attachment 1318463

Oooh.

Now this stuff is really good.

Lathers very easily, nice and slick, enough cushion - slight hints of lavender in the scent but it's colouring rather than dominating the experience of that makes sense.

For that price, it's a good value soap (and very likely to make my final kit)
 
You could do both... 🤔🍻 I'm sure you of all people can get Tabac within budget!

Point taken though, I guess we'll see if there's any interest - if not, perhaps shift to Nov/Dec/January or let it go altogether, will play it by ear 🙂
IMHO, any of those three months would be good. As @Multum in parvo stated earlier, October is very popular with open-combs, Tabac, and now (maybe) SOCs. I'm not sure about November and January as far as monthly B&B challenges or events (I'm too lazy to perform a simple search right now), but Decemboar is an easy one (who doesn't have a $10 Omega in their den?) to combine with a cheapskates challenge.
 
IMHO, any of those three months would be good. As @Multum in parvo stated earlier, October is very popular with open-combs, Tabac, and now (maybe) SOCs. I'm not sure about November and January as far as monthly B&B challenges or events (I'm too lazy to perform a simple search right now), but Decemboar is an easy one (who doesn't have a $10 Omega in their den?) to combine with a cheapskates challenge.

I'm fine with moving it back a month... If everyone who's already in is okay with that (and if a mod is willing to edit the title and opening post) 👍
 
  • Like
Reactions: bjm
Sounds like a great cheap kit to me - no compulsion to join in of course if you don't want to (there's always another opportunity in April if you prefer, as your kit appears to be all items still readily available 👍)
I do use a fairly inexpensive setup regularly. In fact, I tend to use many of the items listed above. That said, I've never used my Williams Mug Shave Soap; for inexpensive shaves, I prefer to use my $2-$4 Proraso croaps and shave croaps/creams.

I also use a different VdH brush, which I received free as a replacement for a VdH pure badger brush that was falling apart within a several months of purchase.

The big issue is that I prefer to use my Fendrihan Kingston razor head with my WCS 79BR handle. Using this razor would mean the $30 budget would be almost blown entirely there.
 
This one I bought on eBay a month ago is probably what I'll pick for the razor...

It's not a show queen and I'll be making up a replacement handle at the very least (the top cap came slightly scratched and without all its plating, so by the time I tidied that up it's bare brass, I'll take pics of that later).

Importantly, though, the combs are straight!

But it was also £8.20 including postage which is not much different pricewise to the Baili I used in April.

View attachment 1316653
View attachment 1316652

Given this a better clean up tonight - it shaves well, so it's a fairly safe pick when this challenge runs (whether it's moved later or not!).

A few minutes of very light touches on the buffing wheels has it gleaming with the exception of just a couple of minor spots (under the cap and under the baseplate).

Speaking of which, there's something unusual about the cap that I've not seen before (I have two other 3-piece RFB New types and about half a dozen flat bottoms, and a couple of US style standard News)... The pins are shaped, not just regular oblongs as is normally the case.

20210905_003559.jpg

20210905_003625.jpg

20210905_003645.jpg

20210905_004017.jpg

20210905_004032.jpg
 
3.56 razor: Gillette Super Blue from Aliexpress 8.9US $ |Gillette Super Blue Shaving Razor For Men 1 Holder With Blade Classic Safety Razor Shave Beard For Men Shaving New|Razor| - AliExpress - https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005002253196806.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.0.0.208c40f4Hi35JK&algo_pvid=a656f885-3c03-4149-8571-5347942edaa7&algo_exp_id=a656f885-3c03-4149-8571-5347942edaa7-5

10.25 Brush: Yaqi 26mm Timberwolf from Aliexpress 10.25US $ 31% OFF|26mm Yaqi Timber Wolf Color Synthetic Hair Shaving Brush|shaving brush|synthetic hair shaving brushhair shaving brush - AliExpress - https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32838457823.html?spm=a2g0o.store_pc_promotion.promoteRecommendProducts_undefined.7

1.00 pack of blades from Dollar General. I haven't tried these nor seen much about these, but some think they are Dorcos which work well enough for me. Product page - https://www.dollargeneral.com/products/product-page.studio-selection-double-edge-stainless-steel-razor-blades-5-pack.html

7.50-8.00 Proraso from ebay

3.50 AV Ice Sport from the grocery store.

comes to about $27.61 all in.

You can knock about 2.50 off by getting a Arko stick from ebay instead of Proraso. Do that and skip the aftershave and you can get a pack of known blades.
I’m not participating but just curious about shipping times. If I ordered these items from AliExpress, they wouldn’t be here until mid-November. I assume that would disqualify me, yes?
 
I'm guessing it's postponed because of the Open Comb and Tabac things going on currently.

It'll take awhile like always from AliExpress, but there's some stuff going on locally in China that is disrupting things getting processed so add on even more time.
 
Please forgive me if this question has already been answered, but I need just a bit of clarification regarding Rule#4

4) You may use items you already own, or items loaned/PIF'd/etc, but factor in a price for them as if you were buying them for your $30 den - for example, what you paid (if you remember it!), a price from eBay completed listings or BST (roughly equivalent condition), etc.

Do we use today's cost or the price when it was purchased? For example, the brush I plan to use cost $7.99 when I acquired it but is currently selling for $11.49 from the same vendor. Which price should be used in the total $30 budget? It may seem like a silly question, but the extra $3.50 is the difference between using the razor I prefer and one selected because it fits within the budget constraints.

Thank you and please don't be too harsh in your response(s) :cool:
 
Please forgive me if this question has already been answered, but I need just a bit of clarification regarding Rule#4

4) You may use items you already own, or items loaned/PIF'd/etc, but factor in a price for them as if you were buying them for your $30 den - for example, what you paid (if you remember it!), a price from eBay completed listings or BST (roughly equivalent condition), etc.

Do we use today's cost or the price when it was purchased? For example, the brush I plan to use cost $7.99 when I acquired it but is currently selling for $11.49 from the same vendor. Which price should be used in the total $30 budget? It may seem like a silly question, but the extra $3.50 is the difference between using the razor I prefer and one selected because it fits within the budget constraints.

Thank you and please don't be too harsh in your response(s) :cool:
Never mind; I may have answered my own question. A moment ago I started thinking about this challenge and the question I had raised. I then looked at it as if it were college tuition and realized I wouldn't use what it cost for me years ago but what would it cost to attend classes today. And now that I've seen the price of my chosen brush fluctuate between $7.99 and $14.97 in the last few weeks, I will either shop around or choose another brush for the challenge. Problem solved.
 
Top Bottom