Guys, I don't have any expensive razors. I know there's satisfaction in owning and using a beautiful hand-crafted tool, and I appreciate why someone would be willing to spend $150 or $200 on one. But has anyone compared their hand-made pride-and-joy with an ordinary razor that works well like a Merkur or an Edwin Jagger? I'm just asking about function here.
Has Anyone Compared Their Expensive Razors with Their Cheap Ones?
- Thread starter Carson West
- Start date
Functionaly, there is little difference. I absolutely love my thin cap open comb. I can't imagine any razor shaving any better. What you pay, in my opinion, for is the better materials, nicer finish, etc.
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"Functionally, there is little difference." Yep.
I shave with a Schone OC. Nickel over brass. You can buy one for $25 or less. Great razor! And a bargain.
A KIA or BMW will both do a fine job of getting you to work. But one is nicer, more $.
As a consumer, you decide what you want to buy and what you will pay.
I shave with a Schone OC. Nickel over brass. You can buy one for $25 or less. Great razor! And a bargain.
A KIA or BMW will both do a fine job of getting you to work. But one is nicer, more $.
As a consumer, you decide what you want to buy and what you will pay.
For me, it really depends on the razor. For example, I prefer my ATT S1 over the Merkur 37C.
I shaved for over three decades with my granddad’s Old Type and a Merkur 36 slant. Gave the slant to my eldest, retired the Gillette to heirloom status.
Now, suddenly, I have a couple ATT heads, a Karve, an iKon slant, as well as a myriad of well reviewed/hyped DE razors in the $20 to $60 range. I love playing with all my new toys, but, no, you are not missing anything. There are differences in how they shave. A few are bad dogs. But IMO the rave reviews are all overwrought.
The established brands like Merkur and EJ have passed the test of time and satisfied many, many shavers. Heck, the Schick injector I used for my first shave ever gave me an easy DFS long before that acronym was invented.
Now, suddenly, I have a couple ATT heads, a Karve, an iKon slant, as well as a myriad of well reviewed/hyped DE razors in the $20 to $60 range. I love playing with all my new toys, but, no, you are not missing anything. There are differences in how they shave. A few are bad dogs. But IMO the rave reviews are all overwrought.
The established brands like Merkur and EJ have passed the test of time and satisfied many, many shavers. Heck, the Schick injector I used for my first shave ever gave me an easy DFS long before that acronym was invented.
- Thread starter
- #6
Guys, your responses are about what I expected. Thanks for them, and please keep them coming.
I keep buying razors but on the cheaper end of the scale. My dearest razor was a Gold Merkur adjustable that I have not used yet and I have had it for over 12 months. I love gold razors but I do not own that many gold ones. I find a $10 Tech can give me as good as or better shave than my dearest razor that I have used which cost me $65. The Gold Merkur I paid $75 for still sits unused in a box. I might have to make it my Christmas week razor.
The cheapest razor i have is Yuma. It costs about half dollar. It is not as good as my favourite razor, Progress. But i like to use it in rotation very much.
Other cheap razors i have tried are Rimei, Orak, Wilkinson Classic, Baili TTO. I can not say they were bad shavers.
Other cheap razors i have tried are Rimei, Orak, Wilkinson Classic, Baili TTO. I can not say they were bad shavers.
Wunderbar. ATT S2. F4 toggle and wolfman wr1. Cant compare any of the vintages ive tries to these. I havent tried some of the more expensive 3 piece gillettes but this is a price comparison so yeah. These are WAY better than my EJ89 but im not sure if the price justifies the difference in shave. Only you can decide which is why RAD is so dangerous. After all they just hold a blade to scrape hair off 
If I look at the top 5 performing razors in my stable (ha...I have a stable of shave gear, not a den) its a good distribution of $ to $$$.
- Thread starter
- #11
I love experimenting with cheap razors too. There are a lot of good performers you can buy for $20 or less. They're made very precisely, with great fit and finish. I've found other great ones for $25. I get so much pleasure out of using my discoveries, I haven't even considered spending a lot on an artisan-razor.
For me it's not so much a matter of cheap vs expensive, but of effective and suited to my style of shaving vs inefficient and difficult to use. Some expensive razors fall into the latter category, and some cheap ones are in the former. High cost doesn't guarantee good performance by any means. However, I do find the expensive razors, like those from Timeless and ATT, and some vintage razors like the Aristocrats, are more of a pleasure to handle and look at.
There are long time members here who only use one razor and one type of brush. They must have gone through what we are going through now and come to the conclusion of what works for them.
Other members like me just use vintage razors. They, like me, want a variety of experience. I use DE, SE, Shavettes, and straight razors. It's cool to use a hundred year old razor.
Other members like me just use vintage razors. They, like me, want a variety of experience. I use DE, SE, Shavettes, and straight razors. It's cool to use a hundred year old razor.
^^^^^ I agree with all of that. I'm finding that I'll probably end up using the Gillette Tech (1940's) almost all the time. It's just so smooth and easy to work with for me. I like the looks of The New, etc, and yes it might give just a fractionally better shave but it's probably going to ride the bench most of the time..
My ‘daily driver’ is a Wolfman WR1 while my ‘travel razor’ is a Lord L6. Those two are near the ends of the $ spectrum in terms of cost and aesthetics.
The Wolfman is a very rigid design that provides superior shaves and daily pleasure from using a very well made tool. The Lord provides fine shaves that are far better than anything I got in my cart days.
Is the more expensive razor a better value? This hobby has certainly kept me from spending my hard-earned $ on more expensive hobbies. So in my case the answer is a definite, “Yes!”
The Wolfman is a very rigid design that provides superior shaves and daily pleasure from using a very well made tool. The Lord provides fine shaves that are far better than anything I got in my cart days.
Is the more expensive razor a better value? This hobby has certainly kept me from spending my hard-earned $ on more expensive hobbies. So in my case the answer is a definite, “Yes!”
+1! Yes, indeed!! True of many/most things in life.
This is why you need to understand the products you chose to spend $ on IMHO!
Just checked the price on a Scott G fly rod. $845.
Razors are cheap, fellas.
Besides, we are all saving money.
Razors are cheap, fellas.
Besides, we are all saving money.
For me there are way better performers than the EJ89 or 34C, and price has nothing to do with it. My $7 Baili (aka RR Teck2) is certainly an example. I can honestly say I preferred it to my $200 Blackbird (though not my Timeless).
You dont need to spend a lot to get the same performance of a razor thats even 10 times the price, or more. See the post below.
$30 or $300, its your money.
$30 or $300, its your money.
There is an important variable here: how the razor fits your particular face/beard.
I went through a progression of razors and each was a step up for me in terms of shave quality:
EJ 89, Gillette Slim, Mergress, ATT M1, M2, R1, S1 and finally Wolfman WR1.
I have used the Wolfman virtually every day I'm home since it arrived. I alternate some of the others as travel razors but usually reach for the S1.
Is the Wolfman a better razor? I obviously think so, but why wouldn't it be - it is not mass produced and the cost was quite a bit higher when I purchased it (and much higher than that now).
Did I get BBS with the other razors? Sometimes, and some were better than others. If your goal is not a daily BBS don't spend a lot of money for a razor. And there are certainly shavers getting a daily BBS with cheaper razors.
But I think a very fair question that each of us must answer would be, "Is it worth the extra money?" The difference between a good razor and a great razor is pretty darn small. The law of diminishing returns kicks in pretty hard here.
There are lots of high end razors on the market now, and soaps and colognes and cars and shoes. You don't need any of them. You'll have to decide if you want to spend a lot of money for a little improvement. It depends both on your wallet and your attitude.
And I am with you 1000% if you say that's too much money to spend for the small bump in quality. You can also fairly insist that you can't feel/see the increased improvement in any of these items. But you lose me when you insist that because you don't perceive a difference none exists.
I went through a progression of razors and each was a step up for me in terms of shave quality:
EJ 89, Gillette Slim, Mergress, ATT M1, M2, R1, S1 and finally Wolfman WR1.
I have used the Wolfman virtually every day I'm home since it arrived. I alternate some of the others as travel razors but usually reach for the S1.
Is the Wolfman a better razor? I obviously think so, but why wouldn't it be - it is not mass produced and the cost was quite a bit higher when I purchased it (and much higher than that now).
Did I get BBS with the other razors? Sometimes, and some were better than others. If your goal is not a daily BBS don't spend a lot of money for a razor. And there are certainly shavers getting a daily BBS with cheaper razors.
But I think a very fair question that each of us must answer would be, "Is it worth the extra money?" The difference between a good razor and a great razor is pretty darn small. The law of diminishing returns kicks in pretty hard here.
There are lots of high end razors on the market now, and soaps and colognes and cars and shoes. You don't need any of them. You'll have to decide if you want to spend a lot of money for a little improvement. It depends both on your wallet and your attitude.
And I am with you 1000% if you say that's too much money to spend for the small bump in quality. You can also fairly insist that you can't feel/see the increased improvement in any of these items. But you lose me when you insist that because you don't perceive a difference none exists.
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