I have just one Wolfman razor, but Three handles. Still, I have around the same amount in my one complete La Faulx and a separate La Faulx razor head. The nice thing is, I enjoy them so much, I forget the actual cost. I’d have to look up the paid invoices.
Reading everyone's posts has been both educational and enjoyable. Given the results so far I would have added an additional high end range (e.g. above $2,000 to $5,000) to better break out the above $2,000 group that is our largest. Once we hit 100 respondents on the poll I'll add a summary analysis of the results.
Oh man! And he hasn't yet tried MdC?!Hi everyone! Haven't seen a thread similar to this. One of the great things about wet shaving is the range of options available from basic kits for under $50 U.S. to exclusive super premium products and collections that can run into the thousands of dollars (or local currency of your choice). I suspect that many here will be interested in seeing that, no matter where they are in the spectrum, there are fellow B&Bers with similar preferences.
How much have you invested in soaps, creams, razors, brushes and other equipment since you began wet shaving? For those who have been wet shaving for decades the answer can be focused on what you invested in the most recent 5 -10 years. I've included a poll that will help summarize where we are across the spectrum.
I'll go first. While I started with a pretty basic kit, that included a Weishi razor, some Derby blades, Williams Shaving Soap and a cheap no-name brush for under $35, I've invested around $775 U.S. since returning to DE shaving just over five years ago. My investment has included roughly:
Overall, for me, spending under $800 over five years is a reasonable and even low cost for what has become an enjoyable and relaxing hobby/activity. Unless I fall into another rabbit hole the cost per year should go down given that my tools work well and I've plenty of software. Perhaps I'll wait another year before digging into that blade sample pack
- Razors: $100 for a Weishi, King C. Gillette & Razorock Adjust plus a backup of each. (All purchased at sale prices, also 3 other razors that didn't work for me)
- Brushes: $80 for Razorock Big Bruce, Monster and Blondie brushes and a backup of each (Also a couple of cheap discarded brushes)
- Soaps & Creams: $425, this has been my primary rabbit hole where I've expanded my variety and inventory of now discontinued/reformulated products over the past two years
- Blades: $110 for a 1,500 Derby, Dorco and Astra SP blades. Also a to-be used sample pack. Around 1,200-1,300 of these left.
- Misc. Equipment: $60 for mugs and brush/razor stands etc.
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I hope that you will find the included a poll interesting. Look forward to everyone's responses.
P.S. Don't worry about exact calculations, ball part estimates are fine.
Your post here is out of line and not consistent with how we treat each other at B&B. We respect and do not ridicule others choices in how we shave and the tools/products chosen.
www.badgerandblade.com
www.badgerandblade.com
Dear @Lane101,Your post here is out of line and not consistent with how we treat each other at B&B. We respect and do not ridicule others choices in how we shave and the tools/products chosen.
Surprised to see a post like this given the quality of your posts to-date and my earlier response, in another thread (link below) sharing my research on MdC at your request. In this response I clearly noted that I've purposely limited my soap rotation to commercial and custom products in moderate price ranges.
Additionally, if you take a few minutes to reflect on the data collected by this poll you would realize, given that over half the respondents have invested more in shaving than my roughly $775, that most likely there are many here with even higher spend levels who have not tried MdC.
We each participate in this hobby according to our personal preferences and YMMV. We've shavers here with likely high spends who prefer only vintage products or a specific brand of shaving soap. Others who prefer to focus on custom brushes and/or high end premium CNC razors. Former B&B member RayClem noted that "I have never tried MDC, I won't risk $70 on a tin of soap I might not like any better than my usual soaps and creams." (link to post below). RayClem invested thousands of dollars in over 200 soaps and creams and was well respected here by most.
Finally those in glass houses should not throw stones. Per your response to the post I linked below you also have yet to try MdC. Additionally, as you acknowledged in your response regarding your October BST trade offer, you requested that fellow B&Bers trade a 200 gram MdC for three AOS creams you picked up at Marshall's for $2-$3 each. Not a great start to building credibility here though you did eventually realize that the requested trade was unfair when you pulled the offer off the BST.
Your have recently joined B&B and most of your earlier posts have been sincere or perhaps you were trying to be humorous here so lets just move on and enjoy hearing about all our unique shaving journeys here on B&B.
Link to Lane101 post (#117 in thread) responding to Swistak's direct MdC query:
Pre de Provence -- a short review
would that be dependent of how new it is (therefore water content and how soft it is)?... Definitely can be. With PdP, it can become quicker & easier to load the soap if you use it more often. With Cella, the soap can become almost too soft. Some people say to load Cella with the container...
Link to RayClem post (#61 in thread) on Martin De Candre:
Thumbs down - Catie's Bubbles new price point
Many years ago I had a coworker who had once worked for a major supplier of fruit juice. At that time, a large can of juice sold for around $1.00. He said the metal can cost about $0.10. The juice in the can cost only $0.01. The remainder of the dollar price was labeling, marketing...
Holiday season, suspect there will be more of this.Just checking in to change my vote. Again.
Thank you for the thoughtful reply. We are good and I look forward to lots more productive dialogue between us. Often best to throw an emoji on our humorous posts to minimize risk of confusion here and address humor directly to the individual (e.g. "you haven't" vs. "he hasn't"). Now that I understand you intent no offense taken.
Divulge your hard-earned secrets
Spare us the time and money spent!
Straight Razor or DE?Divulge your hard-earned secrets
In all seriousness, what is a simple set up (brush, cream/soap, razor) that you could live with day to day? Something ‘no frills’ but not pinching pennies either.
My journey would have been cheaper if I went directly to straight razors. I don’t think I’d be missing anything with a small set up like this. Some of my favorite items also happen to be the cheapest. Throw in a Shapton Rockstar 1k, 3k, Atoma 600 and Tony Miller strop and you’d be all set. I’ve spent a lot of money chasing the next big thing when it was actually me that needed to improve.I was thinking DE, and any soap or cream. Straight too. Whatever is on your mind.
Lovely. Admire the simple yet elegant set-up. Simplicity is elegance.
