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The biggest lie in traditional shaving

Ok, I need to address the elephant in the room. Almost every article or blog post I read as a beginner a few years ago had a gigantic lie in it.

Wet shaving will save you money.

Liars.

I looked at my bathroom closet this morning and thought about all the products I purchased just this year and had a silent moment of shame, and then had a fantastic shave.

I'm not saving money, but I am happy and enjoying the morning ritual, and that's priceless.

But to any newbies reading this, I am going to set the record straight. Wet shaving has the POTENTIAL to save you money, if you can control the urge to try all the different soaps and brushes and aftershaves. But what fun is that? 😎
 
I'm glad I didn't get into traditional wet shaving as a cost savings endeavor.
This is probably one of the few places where I can freely admit that I have ordered 3 new soaps, 1 cream, a pre shave, 4 aftershaves, 2 brushes, 2 straight razors, 2 DE razors, a captains Choice scuttle and copper shave bowl, in just this month alone, and not get looked at like a complete maniac.

Where's the gentlemanly restraint thread? I need to sign up for that next month...
 
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It's quite possible to save money and still enjoy a good DE wet shave. However if one should so indulge, DE, SE, Carts, or straight wet shaving can certainly get quite pricey. Hehe. That said, I'm not sure there is much hope in saving money wet shaving with carts.* 😂

*Disclaimer, I have to admit that I haven't priced cart razors and blades in some time though. If they've gone up from what I recall them costing, and I needed them to shave, I'd probably look more like Grizzly Adams.
 
I’m living proof that you CAN save money with DE vs. carts, IF you keep shaving as a chore, not a hobby.

In my first SIX YEARS DE shaving, I spent roughly:

Razor: $0 (hand me down)
Blades: $10 (100 Astras)
Brush: $8 (basic boar)
Soap: $28 (2 tubs Stirling)

That’s < $8 / year. I was spending at least $50 /year on carts.

Had I been content treating shaving like shower supplies or toilet paper, I’d have saved big time.

Then, I started lurking in forums like B&B when looking to buy a new razor, and here we are!
 
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This is probably one of the few places where I can freely admit that I have ordered 3 new soaps, 1 cream, a pre shave, 4 aftershaves, 2 brushes, 2 straight razors, 2 DE razors, a captains Choice scuttle and copper shave bowl, in just this month alone, and not get looked at like a complete maniac.

Where's the gentlemanly restraint thread? I need to sign up for that next month...
Here you go January 2023 Gentlemanly Restraint Until Month End (GRUME) - https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/threads/january-2023-gentlemanly-restraint-until-month-end-grume.634063/page-3#post-12066865
 

musicman1951

three-tu-tu, three-tu-tu
I’m living proof that you CAN save money with DE vs. carts, IF you keep shaving as a chore, not a hobby.

In my first SIX YEARS DE shaving, I spent roughly:

Razor: $0 (hand me down)
Blades: $10 (100 Astras)
Brush: $8 (basic boar)
Soap: $28 (2 tubs Stirling)

That’s < $8 / year. I was spending at least $50 /year on carts.

Had I been content treating shaving like shower supplies or toilet paper, I’d have saved big time.

Then, I started lurking in forums like B&B when looking to buy a new razor, and here we are!
Wow, that's impressive. I could never get 22 shaves from an Astra.
 
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My point is, it’s apples to oranges, comparing the cost of a regular person buying cartridge razors and a can of foaming goo on an as-needed basis, vs. a wetshaving enthusiast spending money on their hobby.

If you keep buying Barbasol as needed, but just replace the Gillette Mach-7 Turboglides with whatever DE razor & blades your local brick & mortar carries, you will absolutely save money.

Now, throw in badger hair brushes, artisan soaps, multiple razors; of course you’re in the red at that point. But by then it’s a hobby (or at least, an “interest”). And I’ve spent a lot more on other hobbies!
 
Counterpoint: I'm willing to bet that, if you add up the cost of every double edge razor in my collection, plus the cost of blades I've gotten for them, it's still probably less than I've spent in a year or so of shaving with cartridges. Remember, you need shaving cream, etc, for any kind of shaving. So, I can't an old fairness count that as an expense I would only accrue due to DE shaving.

I think it works out more like this: if you choose a single razor, and stick to it, you will save a ton of money over cartridge shaving, but if you choose to experiment with different kinds of razors, you only save a little.

Finally, I'm certain that I've spent less on my wet shaving collection than my ex-wife did in a single visit to her hairdresser!

-Z
 
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