How much or how to spend it?

[BigJ]

Great question!

I really don’t want to know the answer!

I purchased my Wolfman polished SS + stand for about $500 years ago. Impressed with current cost.
Blades: I could get by with 25 GSB plus 25 Nacets for <$15 (purchased in bulk)
Brushes: I would prefer to rotate Shavemac and Simpsons badgers at NO cost since Christmas in coming!
Soaps: I could happily rotate Haslinger’s pucks for <$30-40.
AS: OS classic, La Toja and Floid in rotation for <$100.

In other words I hope LOTH does not see this post!!

 

[GNR]

Great question!

I really don’t want to know the answer!

I purchased my Wolfman polished SS + stand for about $500 years ago. Impressed with current cost.
Blades: I could get by with 25 GSB plus 25 Nacets for <$15 (purchased in bulk)
Brushes: I would prefer to rotate Shavemac and Simpsons badgers at NO cost since Christmas in coming!
Soaps: I could happily rotate Haslinger’s pucks for <$30-40.
AS: OS classic, La Toja and Floid in rotation for <$100.

In other words I hope LOTH does not see this post!!

Based on your brush reply, Just wait till she see what Santa brings you!!

 

[ewk]

Razor: Yates 921 M&H plates $153
Blades: Nacet $15
Soap: Soap Commander Vision $15
Brush: Yaqi la Sagrada Familia $10
AS: generic witch hazel, $10 for 1 year supply
AS: Aqua Velva $10

Grand total: $215

If I needed to be more frugal, I could easily live with a Merkur Progress or Henson AL13 medium, bringing the grand total closer to $130.

 

[ylekot]

Razor: Henson AL13 Mild ~ $85.00 US or a Gillette Tech ~ $20.00 for a nice one
Brush: Stirling Synthetic 2 band 24x56 ~ $15.00 US
Soap: Barrister and Mann Spice ~ $20.00 US (unless I can get my hands on Stirling Spice which has vanished ~ $15.00 US)
Blades: Dorco ST300 100 pack ~ $8.00 US or Personna Lab Blues ~ $10.00 US
Aftershave: Old Spice Splash ~ $20.00 for 2 bottles

~ $75.00 to $150.00 US and I'm good! This is what I use every day anyway. And I'm happy as a clam!

 

[RayClem]

I have enough straight razors, hones, strops, DE razors, DE blades, brushes, and soaps to last me for at least ten years if I did not purchasing anything in 2022. I might purchase a DE razor or blades during the year if something comes along that interests me. I am pretty sure I will add at least six new shaving soaps to my collection over the year as new formulas and scents are released. I get great satisfaction from smelling, using, and evaluating shaving soaps.

If I had to pick only one razor, blade, brush and soap to use in 2022 it would be:

Karve brass D plate razor $90
Personna Israeli Red blades $25 per 100 blades
Saville Row 24mm silvertip brush $150
Grooming Dept Mallard shave soap (5 tubs needed for the year) $130 total

Overall cost: $395

Fortunately, the Karve razor and the Saville Row brush should last a lifetime.

 

[Sinnbad11]

I'm torn between two razors here so I'll add both.

Razor(s): Ti Blackbird, Yates 921-EH (300$+140$)
Blades: 100 Voskhod (7$)
Brush: Omega Jade Boar (28$)
Soap/Aftershave: Barrister and Mann Bay Rum + Bootlegger's Bay Rum, Spearhead Spice + Spice Splash, Shannon's Coconut Lime + Coconut Lime Splash (20$+(12$+10$+15$+15$)+36$+28$)
Miscellaneous: 1 bag of menthol crystals (10$)

Total: 621$ and it would have saved me an awful lot of money and truth be told I wouldn't need anything for two years as a matter of fact.

 

[J-MN]

I was just thinking the other day about what my setup would look like if I somehow lost everything and had to start over. I'm thinking that I would try to cut back to just one razor. The three soaps listed would probably last me 2-3 years.

Razor: Feather AS-D2 ($175)
Blades: 100 Lord Platinum ($12)
Brushes: Simpson Chubby Synthetic ($95), Simpson Captain 2 Best ($130), Simpson Duke 3 Best ($115), Simpson Duke 3 Silvertip 2-Band ($320)
Soap/Cream: Santa Maria Novella ($70), Saponificio Varesino Dolomiti ($40), Saponificio Varesino Cosmo ($40),
Balms: Every Man Jack ($8), Duke Cannon ($10)

Total: $1,015

 

[Tirvine]

I'd be happy with an Above the Tie Windsor, a pair of small Kent silvertips, some Martin de Candre, a couple dozen Gillette Silver Blues, a big bottle of 4711, and some Acqua di Selva and some St. John's Lime for variety. Wait, that's my reality. Nice reality.

 

[Lee93]

Razors: Homelike Start 0.69/0.90 (lifetime) 100€, Gillette Tech 10€
Brushes: Omega Evo 50€, Chubby 2 synth 50€, 2 Omega Boar 15€
Blades: 100 Astra SP 6,50€
Soaps: Speick stick 3,50€, Palmolive stick 1€, Arko Stick 1,50€, Proraso red 1,50€, Proraso blu 1,50€, Palmolive menthol 1,50€
AS: Clubman Pinaud Bay Rum 377ml for 16€, Williams Aqua Velva 400ml for 7€

Total: 355€
Only softwares for 1 year: 40€

 

[steveclarkus]

You're starting from scratch in terms of gear, but with your current knowledge.

You have to buy stuff for a year.

By that I mean: what you buy now is what you can use for the next year WITHOUT any significant cravings.

You shouldn't save, if saving means not getting some gear you have grown fond of and not using it for a year would be a "significant loss".

It could be anything and that's not restricted to one item. If you're a one soap each day guy, shave everyday and can't stand the idea of repeating the same soap within the same month, you'd need at least 31 different soaps. And, if you "need" 8 different brushes, so be it: 31 soaps and 8 brushes. Not to mention razors and blades.

What would you buy, how much would you spend (roughly) and how would you feel?

My take:

Razor: Gillette Brazilian Goodwill - $20

Brush: EJ STF Large - $45

Soaps (this is where I'd spend big);

AdP - $60 (I got this from my wife and daughter for my bday and got hooked)

Fitjar Folgefonn - $35

Ach. Brito Mogno (2x) - $10

Blades Feather (100) - $35

Grand Total - $205

Two hundred bucks and I'd be feeling as if I had my own private jet!

That set up would mean a revolving $140/year for soaps and blades.

I'm not saying it's cheap. But I'm not saying it is outrageously expensive either. My point is twofold:

First, I can't think of any other hobby where that kind of money buys you "private plane" status for a year;

Second: I could keep the Mogno and change the AdP and Fitjar for Proraso Red and Haslinger Schafmilch, spend some $35 total on soaps and still feel like first class.

But the second point is not the objective of this post ("how little can you go and still feel like a million bucks?"). It's the opposite: "how much, if you're buying the absolute best you'd like to use for a year?".

The "for a year" is to give the idea of a one slump purchase.

Happy shaves!

I get by happily with Arko soap every day, a mid range badger brush, straight razor and drugstore aftershave. I would rather spend extra money on my fly fishing stuff. As you can see, I’ve been shaving a long long time. It’s the quality of the shave, not what you did it with.

 

[Messygoon]

Fun question @Cesare. So let’s say an errant Brazilian satellite falls out of orbit, hits the house, and we rebuild. Here is my new kit:

Razors: Rockwell 6S - $85; Rex Ambassador - $200
Brush: Zenith 27mm aluminum handle boar - $30
Soap: Haslinger Schafmilch - $12; Stirling Scots Pine - $14; Cella red - $9
Aftershave: Pre de Provence No. 63 - $15
Blades: Astra Superior Stainless (100) - $8
Grand Total - $373

Under four hundred bucks, I'm feeling as if my private jet is parked beside yours, and I’m buying a lottery ticket because my luck is surging after the fallen satellite!

 

[drb1956]

Parker 91R razor-$29
Omega brush-$22
shave bowl-$0(from kitchen)
Parker stand-$29
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Jack Black cream-$42 (2 tubes) asst. tucks blades-$25
Gillette aftershave-$25 (5 bottles)
______________________
All this for first year- $172 + tax
Everything below dotted line will be getting replaced as needed, after first year. Will be trying other creams, and other aftershaves. This is based on current brand choices...spend this much a year on golf+supplies(balls, gloves, tees). Not in this as a hobby, although I enjoy all things DE! I just enjoy a good, NO! A DFS!! Hope this is on topic...