High Priced Aftershaves

[heybatter]

I was browsing through Royal Shave last night and noticed they have a couple of aftershaves that are priced extremely high, at least for my budget....was just curious if anyone has used these here and if you would share your thoughts on them...

Washington Tremlett splash - $120

http://www.royalshave.com/p/425-058/washington-tremlett-aftershave-splash.html

Czech $ Speake No. 88 splash - $120

http://www.royalshave.com/p/425-043-01/czech-and-speake-no-88-aftershave-shaker.html

 

[ZackP]

Call me cheap, but I think I'll stick with AquaVelva and Skin Bracer

 

[ouch]

About a year ago, no less a personage than Doc4 sent me some of the green Aqua Velva from Canuckistan. It is one of my favorite possessions. I also find SCS, Proraso, and Speick to be as good as the megabuck offerings. The only aftershave that's fairly expensive that I can't live without is Musgo Real splash.

 

[ackvil]

Call me cheap, but I think I'll stick with AquaVelva and Skin Bracer

Funny you should say that.

This past weekend I was visiting some friends and all of us ended up at a flea market. There were no great finds there: no DE or SE razors, no straights, no brushes. However, one vendor was selling a few different AS. The vendor had some bottles of WH and a bottle of AV Ice Blue which I picked up and ended up buying.

One of the men I was with looked at me and asked, “are you going to use that cheap stuff?” I said, hell yes, it’s good. I then asked him if he ever tried it. He replied, “No, I buy all of my AS at Nordstrom.” I bought a second bottle and gave it to him and asked him to be objective and try it. He called me a little while ago to report “it wasn’t bad.” I asked him how much he spent for the AS he bought. He said the Boss’s he buys costs about $48 a bottle. I told him the AV costs less than $5. He was surprised at how nice he thought the AV felt. Will he change? Probably not. He is the type of person who is very brand conscious and if he doesn’t pay a lot for personal care items, he does not feel he is getting quality.

 

[ouch]

Tell him to save the empty bottle from the $48 a/s and refill it with AV.

And you may be disappointed with the Patron in my house.

 

[ackvil]

Tell him to save the empty bottle from the $48 a/s and refill it with AV.

And you may be disappointed with the Patron in my house.

He's the same guy who insists on Grey Goose vodka in a Bloody Mary and when my wife makes her drink with the cheap stuff he never knows the difference.

 

[michiganlover]

Aftershave is four basic ingredients, none of which cost very much at all: alcohol, water, glycerin, and fragrance. Some of the so called Higher End aftershaves lack glycerin, which means it has no moisturizing properties at all. This makes it watered down cologne, in my opinion, and not a proper aftershave.

Considering that the four basic ingredients cost next to nothing, ask yourself what is driving the higher price. A unique fragrance? Additional ingredients that make it a killer product? Or simply the value of the brand.

I think often times, the higher price is far from justified.

 

[JM]

The other night I was wearing Pinaud Virgin Island Bay Rum and received 3 compliments from the ladies. I paid under $10 for a large bottle of this stuff and wouldn't shell out more then $25 for an AS.

 

[Attila]

wouldn't shell out more then $25 for an AS.

I agree! Most of the aftershaves that work best for your skin I believe are around that price. Except for Musgo Real Aftershave which is slightly higher.

 

[winstonage]

My "upscale" after shaves which I wear mostly when I go out, are Alt Innsbruck, Tabac, TOBS Eaton College and Speick. All $30 or less. Can't imagine an after shave for $120 delivering anymore than these do. I love my drug store splashes the rest of the time.

 

[ZackP]

I'll say this...if someone insists on using a designer, good for them. AquaVelva, Skin Bracer, Clubman, those are all quality at low price. Heck, I even like Brut!

 

[jhe888]

Being a drug store witch hazel, Aqua Velva, and Osage Rub user, I can't imagine spending $20 on a bottle of after shave, never mind $120.

 

[hoseunyan]

Aftershave is four basic ingredients, none of which cost very much at all: alcohol, water, glycerin, and fragrance. Some of the so called Higher End aftershaves lack glycerin, which means it has no moisturizing properties at all. This makes it watered down cologne, in my opinion, and not a proper aftershave.

Considering that the four basic ingredients cost next to nothing, ask yourself what is driving the higher price. A unique fragrance? Additional ingredients that make it a killer product? Or simply the value of the brand.

I think often times, the higher price is far from justified.

It's fairly common to hear people claim that designer aftershave splashes are nothing but alcohol, water, and fragrance. However, my own experience is the exact opposite! In fact many of the modern high-end aftershaves are so chock-full of moisturizers (glycerin?) that they become too greasy and sticky to my liking. By contrast, the barbershop/drugstore splashes in my collection tend to have more alcohol and less grease.

 

[JM]

Less grease, for me, is better.

 

[mistercitizen]

I've never used the AS that the OP referenced.... but I have used a couple of what would be considered expensive AS. Acqua di Parma, T&H, to name a couple.... around $75 a bottle. I can't say that they are any better than my less expensive ones. I think it's fairly obvious that at some point you are paying for a designer name... as with most things. I've found that the AS splashes that seem to do the best job are almost always $30 or less.... and yes, I've found that the $5 ones like Aqua Velva work very well too.

Ben

 

[joe j]

Captain's Choice Bay Rum or Speick AS both are low priced and work for me

 

[Go West Young Man]

The problem is that when you only spend $5 on aftershave, you smell like you only spent $5.

 

[Gordy2]

My "upscale" after shaves which I wear mostly when I go out, are Alt Innsbruck, Tabac, TOBS Eaton College and Speick. All $30 or less. Can't imagine an after shave for $120 delivering anymore than these do. I love my drug store splashes the rest of the time.

For A/S I totally agree and have those picks. I managed to get some T&H AS last year at almost 1/2 price and use it as an AS/Cologne. Don't forget name alone is probably over 1/2-3/4 of the price.

 

[shave~extacy]

Proraso is number 1 for me

 

[ZackP]

The problem is that when you only spend $5 on aftershave, you smell like you only spent $5.

Simply not true unless you bathe in it.