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Best value set up if you were to start over again?

Oh yeah, I know a lot of folks are here to find out about lots of great stuff to try. And that's awesome and lots of fun. But some folks really are trying to save money and want to avoid trying lots of things and want to get right to the best value. So B&B members, what would you say is the set up that provides the best shaving experience for the lowest cost?

My submission:
Get a decent Omega boar brush. The pro is on Amazon for like $11. Learn how to break it in, care for it, and use it.
Go with soaps. They give me more shaves per dollar than creams, I think. And you can buy kilo bricks of some Italian soft tallow soaps like Cella or p160 that will last you a very long time. Just pull off a piece and stick it in the bottom of a mug and lather it up. There are many good artisan soap makers all over that people love. I like Mystic Water because they are local to me in DC and I can get it from the farmers market.
Get an Edwin Jagger double edge razor from Amazon. Learn how to use it and take care of it. When the threads eventually get clogged up with soap residue, loosen it with pliers and WD-40 and keep it clean instead of buying a new one.
Once you know what kind of blades you like, buy 100 packs of them online.
Use lotion based after shave from any supermarket, like Nivea or Every Man Jack.

If you absolutely must get a badger brush, try any of our fine B&B members here who will sell you a resin handle and knot to glue into it. It will cost much less than any brand name brush and perform just as well.
If you want creams, exploit anyone you might know who is travelling overseas and can get you tubes of that country's creams. For example, I'm Indian so I always have some relative who is travelling to India. I've gotten tons of creams for a matter of a few cents each, while they would cost much more in the US. British creams cost about the same in Britain so that might not work there but Italians have gotten Italian products cheaper than the US.

If you don't have a credit card to buy things online:
Kiss my face is a good American brand that you can find at many organic food stores. Some ethnic stores will sell their country's shaving products.
There are double edge razors and blades to be gotten from Target or Walmart, but also check antique stores or flea markets for decent vintage razors.
Also watch Mantic59's videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8Id57M5-xA for good tips.

So experienced B&B members, share your value setups if you were to lose everything and start over.

:thumbup:
 
Ooo ooo ooo! I've been waiting for a thread like this! Here we go:

-Maggard Synthetic Brush ($10–$13)
-Viking's Blade TTO Razor ($30, excellent shave and will last forever)
-EITHER $1 store shave gel (super slick stuff) OR Arko stick for your cream
-100 pack of Astra SP or Voskhod blades
-Thayers witch hazel for aftershave

Cheap. Efficient. Super good quality. Thus, awesome value.

I know any Maggard or Razorock razor would do and some are as cheap as $14 but for a high value, long term setup, the aforementioned is pretty hard to beat and you don't have soak your brush, unscrew the head, or even BUY and LOAD your brush if you go with the gel. Everything travels well too. Good luck newfriends!
 
Ok so a good synthetic brush, I got my first brush from the body shop for £5, then a Parker 96 Daytona butterfly razor, £22, 100 pack Astra blades £10, Alum block ( not the pencil) £3,Nivea Cream £5 and Brut aftershave £1-2. Your all set.
 
Maybe a user grade vintage Gillette like a Tech or a NEW. Can find refill pucks of many soaps for great prices. Puck of Tabac which lasts forever for $8 with free shipping is pretty good value to me.
Oh and any of the cheap Omega boars like 10066, 10048, Proraso 10083.
 
~$10 synthetic brush from Maggards, Italian Barber, or other reputable synthetic brushes
~$1 oversize soup mug from the dollar store
~$11-20 900g of Arko, a 2 tins of Mike's Naturals in any scent in stock, or 500ml of Proraso Green in the barber tube
~$3-7 Witch Hazel, Old Spice AS, Aqua Velva (any scent), or Pinaud Clubman (any scent except the Veg)
~$5 Alum Block

SE Option
~$10-15 user grade GEM 1912 or ER Shovelhead
~$15 50 GEM PTFE SS Blades

DE Option
~$10-15 User grade vintage Tech
~$15 Blade sampler

SR Option
$18-20 Honed GD 66 from B&B Panjo
$25 Whipped Dog Poor Man Strop Kit
 
$30 for Razor - EJ DE89 or Merkur 34c or any solid vintage razor under or around $30.

$20 for blade sampler - Use the blade exchange to swap out samples for more samples. Try out all the blades, then buy a 100 pack of whatever you like. I feel sampling blades is really important.

$10-20 for brush - Omega or Semogue boar hair

$5-15 - Soap is dumb cheap for how much use they get...

$10 for Aftershave products - Nivea balm + Aqua Velva or Clubman spash.

$2 Styptic pencil

Less than $100 bucks for a years shaving with an ever decreasing cost/shave as the razor and brush gain years. You could get started for less, but you may suffer for it and some things may not last long term.
 
RazoRock Plissoft Brush
Fatip Piccolo razor
Favorite of the Rapira family of blades (dirt cheap off eBay from Russian seller)
Stirling shave soap (great bang for the buck)
Skin Bracer and Osage Rub to make a big supply of Bootlegger's Green Freeze

Not all the cheapest options but best value IMHO
 
Expensive as it was, I do not think I did too bad the first time.
I started with a trip to AoS so I could touch and sample some of the merchandise. That alone had value.
If I were to compare what I got then with what I discovered later...
1. Razor. I got a Mühle R106, the faux-ebony handled version of the R89. It is still my go-to no matter how many others I try. I did later find similar offerings from Merkur to be a bit cheaper. I eventually got a 39C slant. There are $20 longhandles such as Futuro that work quite well.
2. Brush. AoS Best Badger was my starter. High price for a mediocre brush, but not complaining. I now favor RazoRock Plissoft synthetics at the $10 price point. Best lather, easy on the face, and they do not shed.
3. Blades. I got Merkur at AoS. Pricey blades from a pricey place. For a quick-start you can now get Personna-made house brands in a lot of supermarkets and drugstores. Then proceed with web purchases of samples and 100-packs.
4. Cream/soap. AoS Lavender was a good starter choice. It works. So too does TOBS in the same lavender scent. Of course, I found cheaper offerings such as Arko Kremi and India Old Spice online. A month into creams I was ready to try Arko, which has been my go-to product since.
5. Preshave. I still have AoS and some eShave. I use pre-shave oil when using creams. Arko has enough slickness of its own to preclude any need for pre-shave oil.
6. Aftershave. AoS lavender balm was good for a start. Varieties acquired since include Arko AS balm, Blueness, SCC Rose AS milk, and SCC Lavender AS milk.
 
If I could start over I would get a starter kit from either Italian barber, Stirling or maggards with one of their synthetic brushes, one of their store brand razors, a sample pack of blades and soap from them. I pick those 3 as far as the hardware goes as they all 3 seem to have good affordable stuff and while I haven't heard much in the way of maggards soaps the other 2 have good reputations on soaps at affordable prices even though I haven't tride any of them yet(I have some Stirling soap and razorock on the way).
 
Blades are one area where a newbie should buy a sampler pack to try many brands out and see what works best. If you find that a cheap brand works well with your face, then you can get 100 pack for $10! Totally worth it.
 
Tough choice, but, I'll list the best value stuff from my existing set up as an example ....

Mug : Turkish Hammered Copper Shaving Mug - less than €5 at auction on eBay including shipping from Turkey to Spain
Brush : Unbranded Wood Handled Horsehair - €3,75 at auction on eBay with free shipping from China to Spain
Soap : Arko - included in the auction price when I bought the mug. Replace with Lea sticks - €1,25 each from Mercadona supermarket
Razor : Weishi 9306CL - less than €10 on eBay with free shipping from China to Spain
Blades : Bic Chrome Platinum - less than €11/100, 4 good shaves per blade
Alum block : less than €4 from India
Aftershave : Williams Expert Aqua Velva - €3,95/200ml from Mercadona supermarket
 
My turn my turn !

Whipped dog 24mm synthetic brush.
LA Shaving unscented soap.
Gillette New
Sample pack of blades one with at least 10 of each blade type.
Styptic pencil 'cause nicks and weepers are going to happen
Alum to help hold onto the slippery razor and as a post shave astringent.
Nivea Sensitive shave balm.
Bowl from Goodwill or raid the kitchen when SWMBO is out.

This is almost exactly what I use now except I have a Gillette Old Type
 
Mr high value, low cost setup:

Merkur 33c - $20
Voskhod Blades (100pk) - $17
Maggard Synthetic - $12
Arko (per stick in bulk) - $0.90
Thayer's Witch Hazel - $12

This setup would keep you going for quite a while, the only thing that would need replacing the most often would be the witch hazel since the blades would last a year or 2 depending on how many shaves, and the Arko lasts about 3 months.
 
Oh yeah, I know a lot of folks are here to find out about lots of great stuff to try. And that's awesome and lots of fun. But some folks really are trying to save money and want to avoid trying lots of things and want to get right to the best value. So B&B members, what would you say is the set up that provides the best shaving experience for the lowest cost?
I'd be very happy with:
Wilkinson Sword Classic razor $9.99
Astra SP blade $0.12
The Razor Rock Monster synthetic brush $10.99
Williams Mug Shaving Soap $1.49

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Maggard razor
A good synthetic brush (preferences vary)
Astra Sp blades or Personna reds (again - preferences vary)
KMF shaving cream. Good slick stuff and a kidney bean size dollop will produce enough lather for 3 passes (face lathering)
That setup will last a long time and give a newbie a good start in the hobby (addiction)
 
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