No, it will be a few years until I catch up with my early buying spree. I'm settled into a nice semi-minimalist routine, and I have tons of unfinished soaps yo use up; I have four or five in rotation, and plenty of those, so I'm set. Let let the savings begin.
Have you saved money?
- Thread starter Oliviamaynard
- Start date
I'd been merrily using Gillette Good News disposables, as well as electrics for thirty or so years before resuming DE shaving in 2010. I've not saved a nickel since.
But that's not the point, is it?
But that's not the point, is it?
I am probably in the minority of having saved a lot of money by going the DE route for over 35 years. Tried a few electric razors as gifts when I started shaving but they did not work for me. Plastic disposables were too expensive and produced horrible results so bought a cheap TTO razor and some blades. Less than a year later picked up a Gillette slim adjustable at a flea market for $2 and used that razor for about 16 years. Would try used Gillette razors over the years, all used and cheap but nothing was any better. Once I tried a 37c I was hooked, found my soap (MWF) early on and once my Tabac is gone it will be only MWF going forward. First try with a Feather blade and I was sold.
The largest outlay for shaving equipment has been brushes. I currently have 10 brushes and did not find one I really liked until the tenth (2008 LE Kent) and will get rid of all my extra razors and brushes to put toward two or three custom brushes that will be enough to last my lifetime.
The trick to save money in the long term is spend money now to figure out what you really like. Then use up everything you have at some point.
If your shaving routine and trying products are a hobby then spend as much as you like if you enjoy it.
The largest outlay for shaving equipment has been brushes. I currently have 10 brushes and did not find one I really liked until the tenth (2008 LE Kent) and will get rid of all my extra razors and brushes to put toward two or three custom brushes that will be enough to last my lifetime.
The trick to save money in the long term is spend money now to figure out what you really like. Then use up everything you have at some point.
If your shaving routine and trying products are a hobby then spend as much as you like if you enjoy it.
I have been shaving near 45 years and I agree with your comments above.
Enjoy your shaves !
kinda hard to calculate it i feel like i get more use out of a puck of soap shaving my face and head versus a can of shaving cream 
but at the same time i am spending more buying soaps before i need any think if i buy as needed after using up the soaps i have i could say i am saving money then
but at the same time i am spending more buying soaps before i need any think if i buy as needed after using up the soaps i have i could say i am saving money then- Thread starter
- #106
I spend the same or less on soap. Now I use the Feather blade twice so doubled money there. Who knows maybe I will use it four times in the future.
I certainly enjoy shaving also get far far superior results and save money. I haven't had a breakout in like a month and my skin feels amazing. Just so good.
So win, win, win for me.
I certainly enjoy shaving also get far far superior results and save money. I haven't had a breakout in like a month and my skin feels amazing. Just so good.
So win, win, win for me.
I had a beard before this because yeah hipster. I have been trying to think what life was like Before Beard. Then I realized, in a way electrics are kind of minimalist. They don't shave as well and you can get irritation, but like cartridges you could be blissfully unaware of the alternatives. I always bought the most expensive, recent model. Of course I did. But over the course of about 4 years, that is only $150/year with head replacements. And environmentally, it's not terrible. I still have all my razors and they all work. The plastic bubbles they came in are probably the worst part. I just hate all the noise and I am tired of "modern" wiz bang solutions to simple problems.
No. I have not saved any money with wet shaving. But then, "saving money" (while very attractive to the "frugal" Scot in me) wasn't the point.
I shaved for 20 years with the same electric razor, three times a week. I got good shaves. Oh, sure, the stubble was noticeable within a couple of hours, but overall I got good shaves. I spent whatever a new set of cutters cost, every year on my birthday.
Then I was staying in a university dorm while attending a large conference, and dropped that razor on the concrete floor. I managed to patch it back together well enough to get a shave or three out of it, and when I got home I binned the bits and went to the store to buy a new electric, because that whole carve-away-with-a-dangerous-blade thing is just so barbaric if you'll pardon the pun.
The new version of my old fave won't shave well even if I threaten it. So that was my cue to investigate the wet side of the whiskers. I wanted a good shave. Got a couple. Tried some different stuff. Got some good shaves; also got some bad ones. Don't ride motorcycles anymore, back won't let me get out in the canoe, going into town is a big deal in this new world we live in, so I can pursue interesting razors.
I will say, however, that it's only just this week that I finally purchased a safety razor that cost more than my last electric.
O.H.
I shaved for 20 years with the same electric razor, three times a week. I got good shaves. Oh, sure, the stubble was noticeable within a couple of hours, but overall I got good shaves. I spent whatever a new set of cutters cost, every year on my birthday.
Then I was staying in a university dorm while attending a large conference, and dropped that razor on the concrete floor. I managed to patch it back together well enough to get a shave or three out of it, and when I got home I binned the bits and went to the store to buy a new electric, because that whole carve-away-with-a-dangerous-blade thing is just so barbaric if you'll pardon the pun.
The new version of my old fave won't shave well even if I threaten it. So that was my cue to investigate the wet side of the whiskers. I wanted a good shave. Got a couple. Tried some different stuff. Got some good shaves; also got some bad ones. Don't ride motorcycles anymore, back won't let me get out in the canoe, going into town is a big deal in this new world we live in, so I can pursue interesting razors.
I will say, however, that it's only just this week that I finally purchased a safety razor that cost more than my last electric.
O.H.
I saw that thread, the weakness overcame you huh
Same, my new Timeless plus the custom handle. I am actually embarrassed
I saw that thread, the weakness overcame you huh
It's funny. I will agonize for literally years before buying some things. As someone said, it may turn out to be a rental but at the moment there seems to be one way to know for sure.
What this means is that another interesting razor that would have cost me just as much is now off the table.
I'm sure my joy will be complete.
O.H.
You won't get it before Jan something right? I want to keep an eye out for your review.
You really can save money if you shave like people back in the old days. In other words, don't collect things or buy really luxurious things. Just have one inexpensive razor, one 100-pack of blades, a couple of soaps, one or two inexpensive brushes.
I'm trying to avoid the collecting phase these days. I figure it may take 2-3 years to break even after an initial period of buying more stuff than one person could reasonably use. Live and learn.
I'm trying to avoid the collecting phase these days. I figure it may take 2-3 years to break even after an initial period of buying more stuff than one person could reasonably use. Live and learn.
The only time I save money on shaving is when I grow out my beard. But then I spend money on beard products…
after 15 years, no, I have not saved any money in this hobby.
I was shaving when I transitioned from Gillette Mach 3 to a basic Merkur/EJ89 DE and cheap Lord branded blades, TOBS cream/soap, this lasted about 1-2 years. I was saving money, all things releative. Around the same time I was into pompadour hair styles and this grooming habbit was getting expensive with hair products.
Once I got more into Simpsons brushes (Chubby 1 best) and became comfortable spending $100-200 on big ticket items, it turned into an enthusiast/hobbyist persuit and not just grooming.
Once I got more into Simpsons brushes (Chubby 1 best) and became comfortable spending $100-200 on big ticket items, it turned into an enthusiast/hobbyist persuit and not just grooming.
I have over $600 US invested in hardware (two Tradere razors, Weber DLC razor, Fendrihan mk II razor, Wee Scot, Omega boar, Maggard travel synthetic), but I kinda don't consider that when thinking about if I'm saving money, as they aren't recurring costs. I bought them once and I'll use them for decades to come.
My go to soap is Tabac, which lasts about two years per puck, so that cost is basically negligible. Blades are about $20-40 per 100 pack, which again lasts much more than a year.
I don't bother much with aftershave or any other pre- or post-shave products.
When comparing this to how often I used to buy cartridges and shave gel, I think I'm totally saving money. And, FAR more importantly, I actually enjoy this kind of shaving. I hated shaving before I found wet shaving.
My go to soap is Tabac, which lasts about two years per puck, so that cost is basically negligible. Blades are about $20-40 per 100 pack, which again lasts much more than a year.
I don't bother much with aftershave or any other pre- or post-shave products.
When comparing this to how often I used to buy cartridges and shave gel, I think I'm totally saving money. And, FAR more importantly, I actually enjoy this kind of shaving. I hated shaving before I found wet shaving.
Just cause I find numbers fun.. if I spent $600 on a top end Wolfman razor, another $200 on a fancy Silvertip brush, and another $200 between a few 100-packs of blades, a few nice soaps, and some miscellaneous aftershaves, that's $1000 and it sounds like a lot.
But if you're shave habits are in the same ballpark as mine, you've got an easy 5-ish years of shaving before you even need to THINK about buying anything else. Call it an average of $200 a year. And steadily going down each year after that if you just get the blades/soaps you need.
You can get Gillette fusion 5 cartridges on Amazon for a little under $3 per cart. When I was still using carts, I was going through about 1 a week, so that's $156-ish a year before even looking at the gel.
It's really only the collecting and the hoarding (both not at all uncommon around here, lol) that push folk out of saving money, imho.
But if you're shave habits are in the same ballpark as mine, you've got an easy 5-ish years of shaving before you even need to THINK about buying anything else. Call it an average of $200 a year. And steadily going down each year after that if you just get the blades/soaps you need.
You can get Gillette fusion 5 cartridges on Amazon for a little under $3 per cart. When I was still using carts, I was going through about 1 a week, so that's $156-ish a year before even looking at the gel.
It's really only the collecting and the hoarding (both not at all uncommon around here, lol) that push folk out of saving money, imho.
I haven't saved money. Quite the opposite! But I have made numerous friends & talked with many friendly, interesting people as I've gotten into this hobby. And I have no regrets about getting into it, either.
Probably haven’t saved any money yet. Mainly because I’ve gone really far down the soap and razor rabbit holes. Started to climb out of the razor rabbit hole but still looking for the even quarter 1954 Gillette ball end techs (Z2 & Z4) Stocked up on my favorite blades (GSBs) so I haven’t purchased any blades for awhile
