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Cheap vs expensive safety razors: does it matter?

I enjoy reading you guys... I sold my Timeless to settle on a Fatip Grande :001_smile
The Fatip is a fine razor indeed, and although I know that "beauty is in eyes of the beholder", I find Fatips bellissimi!

I can't blame you for upgrading to a Fatip. :)
 

Raven Koenes

My precious!
Plisson/Joris razor is mere 10 times more expensive than the Fatip. I am clearly in the shaving elite. I'm a 1%er in the shaving world.

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Joris/Plisson a Fatip OC razor ten times the cost of a Fatip. Does it matter? It sure is pretty. :001_wub:
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I think there can be some correlation between price and quality, but once a good and modern factory is set up, then I think great quality costs very little now. Certainly my Qshave is insane quality for the money - and I had zero alignment issues in 18 months now, unlike another forgotten razor from Ali. Luckily I'm not into perfumes, and love the clean Arko soap... Remembering the prices on Gels and foams reminds me that pricing is often a case of what people will pay for perceived qUality.

I changed up to save money and can't think there's better value to be had shaving smooth for less than $10 per year; Dollar Shave is a crazy idea, Im into the $o.02 Shave... That's my two cents worth :")))))))))
 
I went from a micro one touch to a Timeless Ti. I'd be hard pressed to state there was a huge difference in the end result. Sure the Ti feels great in the hand with nice balance but the final results are pretty identical.
 
One of the very best razors I have shaved with (YMMV) is Saiver, loaded only with one blade. In my opinion it behaves better than some razors I have tried costing like 10 times more. A Saiver can be bought for about $10 including shipping.
Interesting razor. I just bought one on eBay to try. Did you ever try it w two blades?
 
Difficult even for Stevie wonder...
In general an expensive razor has a better finish feels better looks better...
But ymmv it might still be a mismatch to the user and an expensive wallhanger. I have got a cheap qshave merkur copy which for me blows my other razors out of the expensive waters. Consequently they collect some dust. And depending your view you wasted a loooot of money.
If you are lucky you find that razor/blade/soap/brush/bowl/as/asb combo first time, rad does not kick in and you shave a lot cheaper.
if not just enjoy the twist and turns of this slip and slide rollercoaster 🎢 🪒🥴
 
So I've been using a $16 Baili that had good reviews on Amazon. Obviously there are some out there that cost a lot more but how would people say they compare?
I figure the only thing that matters is how happy you are with it. Lots of things to consider, but the most important would seem to be "does it please you". I had a Baili that I quite enjoyed until I dropped it on the floor and broke the stem off. IF it had been a $160 razor instead of a $16 razor (mine was actually more like $8 I think, but I digress) would it have broke? IDK. But I enjoyed the Baili while I had it and still had money to get another when it was gone. So I was happy with it.
 
my awnser to the old question of cheep vs expensive is .
is it comfortable to use ? does it do a good job ?
I myself have had a better journey in a ford escort than in a rolls Royce and would you believe it the ford got me there quicker as the roll kept breaking down .
 
And for holidays it is relaxing to have a razor which is cheap tough crappy looking but great shaving not worrying about getting it or it’s blades nicked. Preferably awful color so you do not forget it from the sink etc
 
Short answer is the performance of a razor is not a price dependent factor. If you have two identical blades they will shave exactly to same in 2 razors whose head geometries are identical. The head geometry to make it to any spec. without going into specifics is not a price dependent factor in the manufacturing process. That head geometry is what determines the performance not the material the razor is made of or how purdy the finish is.
 
As with many things it is a matter of diminishing returns. And those returns start to diminish very quickly once you get to the $50 mark. At the top end you will likely be paying for better materials, brands and tiny details that have little effect on shave quality.

Personally I appreciate these details and for me they add to the overall experience. Given that a razor can last a very long time (i.e. a lifetime), the cost per use can actually be very low even with a high end razor. It depends what’s important for you and what you can afford. You can absolutely get just as good of a shave with a budget razor. In this field technique is 95% of the game. It is not possible to simply buy a better shave with a DE if you technique is off.

The real expensive thing is when you start to amass a collection that is larger than you need. There’s nothing wrong with collecting if that’s what you’re into. I prefer to have a small, collection of high end equipment that I use regularly. I have found that the most cost effective route is to go straight to the top as quickly as possible and stop one you find perfection (or close enough to it).
 

rbscebu

Girls call me Makaluod
my awnser to the old question of cheep vs expensive is .
is it comfortable to use ? does it do a good job ?
I myself have had a better journey in a ford escort than in a rolls Royce and would you believe it the ford got me there quicker as the roll kept breaking down .
Rollers NEVER break down, they just fail to proceed sometimes!
 
Let’s not forget. It’s the blade that does the cutting.
as Tomo said^^^, i have a few cheaper Chinese purchased razors as well as some higher end razors in my collection,ive had some good shaves with the cheaper Chinese razors as good as with my higher end razors, no doubting there are probably some cheap crap razors out there, but theres no need to spend lots on a razor the Chinese Yaqi razors etc do just as good a job as my high end ones, i just enjoy collecting hence why i have both cheaper and high end, but if i just wanted 1decent razor then i would be happy enough with a Yaqi or a DS Cosmetics etc👍🏼
 
I don't think a high end razors can guarantee that a person will get the best shaves ever. I always go for the middle ground of things, since that offers the best from both worlds. The other thing is that we have difference faces, skins and beards and what works for me may not work for you and vice versa.

I really don't care if somene wants to spend $300-500$ or more on razors, but saying that they are the bestest thing ever is nothing more than an overhype. I have a lots of razors which I really like, but I would never say that they the best razors in the world.
There's a huge difference between - ''I like something'' and ''this is the best thing ever''.

Sometimes people who own expensive and rare things like to give them magical and supernatural qualities. I've seen that with watches, cars and other things.

After all, the blade is doing the most part and there's no magic involved. What I always recommend to new DE shavers is to start with something inexpensive (not cheap) and then decide how far are they willing to go in their pursuit of the ''perfect'' shave.
 
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