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Cheap luxuries

Mike M

...but this one IS cracked.
We can't all afford a €400 razor, €300 brush or €60 soap so what cheap items give you that feeling of luxury in your shave. Or what luxury products do you spend money on if you can.
For me it's a King C Gillette razor (currently €16), it feels heavy and like a quality product and Fine Lavender Pour Homme soap (refill picked up for €11).
I am partial to SV soaps and if I can spend a little more money on something to make my shave more luxurious then it's soap and a refill is so much cheaper than a tinned soap
 
I haven’t yet fallen to the lure of current production high end razors or artisanal soaps.

I get very nice shaves with Vitos Extra Super Coco (EUR 16.00/1,000ml) and the Chinese Super Blue Tech (EUR 2.75).

Yet shaving with my 1934 Aristocrat or 1921 New Improved Tuckaway always makes me smile AND yield excellent results.

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My shaves still feel luxurious to me, even if they are with a synthetic brush, zamac headed razor, and simple soap. There isn't the sense of prestige that one might get from from using high end kit and products, but the shave itself, still feels magnificent.
The history of the pieces might be one thing but they are excellent shavers by themselves and crafted with care and knowledge . Those two designs were high end in their time and have kept up very well through the years.
 
While I have much more expensive razors, soaps, and brushes, this setup provides wonderful shaves. If it were a RazoRock handle instead of the Weber, this setup would only be about $50 total.

Razor: King C. Gillette with Weber Handle (RazoRock handle would be just as good for less $)
I just got the King C. Gillette for $12 and once switched out to a better handle, it earned a spot in my rotation sitting next to my Wolfman, Timeless, Feather, and Rockwell razors. While it looks similar to an Edwin Jagger, I like the way it performs more.

Brush: Omega 11047 "Mixed Midget"
My very first brush from about 7 years ago and I still like it to this day. It was initially somewhat scritchy, but feels pretty soft now and has just the right amount of scrub. A great little brush with a lot of character, all for around $15.

Soap: Speick Stick
Fabulous soap that's also inexpensive. Like the King C. Gillette razor, this soap is good enough to earn a spot next to my more expensive soaps (i.e. SV, Santa Maria Novella, PannaCrema Nuavia, AOS Tallow).


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lasta

Blade Biter
I don't think a luxurious shave needs to have a matching price tag.

Picked up all three of these in near rubbish condition last week for ~$80.

Buffed them all to a mirror shine, pumped the common bar handle full of tungsten putty, and replated the lc top cap for a two-tone look.

There definitely is satisfaction in using something you breathed second life into.

The Tuckaway is loaded for tomorrow's resurrected virgin shave. Can't wait!
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steveclarkus

Goose Poop Connoisseur
We can't all afford a €400 razor, €300 brush or €60 soap so what cheap items give you that feeling of luxury in your shave. Or what luxury products do you spend money on if you can.
For me it's a King C Gillette razor (currently €16), it feels heavy and like a quality product and Fine Lavender Pour Homme soap (refill picked up for €11).
I am partial to SV soaps and if I can spend a little more money on something to make my shave more luxurious then it's soap and a refill is so much cheaper than a tinned soap
Can’t beat Palmolive cream or stick and save even more money. I like your style!
 

Ron R

I survived a lathey foreman
This is a nice luxury shave, The Yaqi evil Zebra 26mm brush does something for me when the lather is correct and the face feel luxury is awesome and bought it on a sale.$9.00 Canadian
Speick stick soap is another affordable but nice mild spice scented triple milled soap that has excellent lather qualities that I enjoy.$8 Canadian.
The razor is a Star bar #4 lather catcher made around 1920, shaves excellent and is a tame mid range but with a new blade will give any razor a run for its money.(The Star bar was around $100 Canadian($65 US) and was worth every dollar IMO, very rare razor in Canada and so I paid a little more than I wanted after talking it down a little from a seller on Ebay. That is the enjoyment of buying vintage razors some times!)
Ach Brito Lavanda Aftershave $20.00 is also a nice mild scent of lavender with great staying strength and CeraVe products $14 are the best IMO & are very affordable and last a long time also.
You do not have to spend a lot of money to feel a luxury shave & to put a smile on your face in the morning.
Brush collage, Dec 14, 2021 .jpg

Have some great shaves!
 
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Mike, you are correct IMHO.
You do not need to spend crazy money on hardware or software, to get a luxurious shave. I find that most vintage Gillette's, along with any middle priced soap <$25 provides me a luxurious shave. Whether that soap is veg or tallow...that's a different conversation.
 

Mike M

...but this one IS cracked.
This is a nice luxury shave, The Yaqi evil Zebra 26mm brush does something for me when the lather is correct and the face feel luxury is awesome and bought it on a sale.$9.00 Canadian
Speick stick soap is another affordable but nice mild spice scented triple milled soap that has excellent lather qualities that I enjoy.$8 Canadian.
The razor is a Star bar #4 lather catcher made around 1920, shaves excellent and is a tame mid range but with a new blade will give any razor a run for its money.(The Star bar was around $100 Canadian($65 US) and was worth every dollar IMO, very rare razor in Canada and so I paid a little more than I wanted after talking it down a little from a seller on Ebay. That is the enjoyment of buying vintage razors some times!)
Ach Brito Lavanda Aftershave $20.00 is also a nice mild scent of lavender with great staying strength and CeraVe products $14 are the best IMO & are very affordable and last a long time also.
You do not have to spend a lot of money to feel a luxury shave & to put a smile on your face in the morning.
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Have some great shaves!
I got my Yaqi Evil Zebra on sale too, I paid €12, one of my favourite brushes
 
Probably my Omega boar brushes. I bought the Pro 49 and the 10077 for a total of ~13 bucks. I have a few (quite a bit) dearer Simpsons and a Shavemac and they're amazing, but my Omegas are a treat to use and I don't use them nearly enough nowadays. Like lathering with a cloud they're so soft since each of them have a ton of uses.
 
The process of creating lather with a brush, a good smelling soap, and the face feel of a close shave is luxurious to me. Whether it be with high priced gear or budget gear.

We recently bought new bath, hand, and face towels for home. I have to say a nice towel adds a bit of luxury as well.
 
I reckon that Proraso make some top stuff at a very reasonable price. Their balms are packaged in very nice glass bottles.
However, their cream tubs are cheap looking. I transfer mine to a posh looking container and this for me makes for a classy looking set up. A joy to start the day.
 
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