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The Most Under-rated Straight (as well as brush, soap, and cream too)

Looking today at all the “stuff” I have in the bathroom got me to thinking; prices notwithstanding, there is a lot of variance among shave gear that is not purchase price driven. Some of the items I spent big bucks on just ain’t all that great. Conversely a lot of
bargain priced stuff rocks all day.
Opinion surveys are a ton of fun, so I thought I would kick one off. Hence, what we are doing here is naming what YOU believe to be the most under-rated straight razor, brush, soap, and cream. These items should be something you own or have previously owned. Under-rated meaning something which works so well it’s worth at least 1/2 again what you paid for it. Goes like this:

-Wapienica straight razor. Pride of Poland. They may require some tuning up but these little spuds are excellent shavers. Nimble, durable and hold a very good edge. A bit “inconsistent” but well worth $20-$50
-Omega Hi-Brush. Just does everything well. Surely not as fancy as my $200 Paladin but then I’m not getting a lathe turned by hand
handle either. $25-$45
-Derby shave cream. Slick, lathers up nicely, decent smell. Last tube I bought was $1
-Arko (in the red tub). Even better than the Arko stick. About $5-$7

What say ye all??
 
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rbscebu

Girls call me Makaluod
I have not tried a lot of different shaving gear. The most underrated for me is the Arko stick for USD 2 (haven't yet tried Derby) and my Chinese pure best badgerhair synthetic brush, also USD 2.

I guess this leaves me with some funds to expand my SR discoveries.
 
I like the Yaqi Silvertip brushes. They ship in for around £25 in total and are brilliant brushes. I’ve got a two band Badger and two silvertips and they’re miles better than anything you could buy in England for £25.
Tabac soap lathers better than anything out there. It’s a £40 soap for £7.99.
Palmolive shave sticks are brilliant little underdogs. What a great shave you get from these and amazing post shave smoothness.
Welsh slate finishers are brilliant for the price. They have estimated grits of 12k and 15k, who knows or cares, they make great edges and are cheap.
 
I have found swedish razors not branded Heljestrand are superb value. Not saying Heljestrands are bad, but they tend to command a premium compared to other Swedish manufacturers.

Palmolive sticks can be found cheap and I find them to perform well above their price point.

I really like my no name boar brush that I have used almost daily for the last few years. It was included as part of a beginner set, but I later bought an extra as back up. The cost for the brush was €8, but I would pay more if it was still available.
 
I do love the Wapienica, they are harder to find these days at the price you quoted.
It used to be the razor I would always take with me when I traveled, but I once had a scare and thought it lost. So I switched to something easier to replace, a Titan. Fortunately, the razor was found and recovered, I still got another one just in case though.
 

Slash McCoy

I freehand dog rockets
I don't think we really have any underrated razors any more. All the sleepers have been "discovered" and have their fans. There are perhaps many OVER-rated razors and I won't mention any to avoid raising any hackles, because some are expensive and there is considerable misplaced pride of ownership involved in having an expensive but mediocre or worse razor. Many soaps and brushes are overrated. Buyers often confuse price with effectiveness. The most humble but still very effective products are all finding acceptance these days. Many shavers are limiting or eliminating new purchases of high end items in favor of more pedestrian ones that they once would have scorned.
 
old American antique SR's are underrated.....

I like them a lot too.

underrated soaps........Caswell-Massey or The Holy Black Trading Co. for me. that's okay leaves more for me!!!!!

camo
 
Fendrihan’s” branded safety razors.

Bought one as an EMERGENCY razor when staying over at someone’s home.

Surprised by the grip and weight for the price (think it was less than $15). 🙂
 
Some guys will look down their nose at you when you mention using a Gold Dollar, but in my experience a well prepared and properly honed Gold Dollar 66 can run with any of the big dogs at a fraction of the price.

I also think that if Rigarazor was made in another country it would be one of the top custom makers. Some people don't believe anything of great quality can come out of Eastern Europe.

Like @Slash McCoy I have some contradictory opinions on a very popular and pricey brand, but alike I will avoid ruffling some feathers.

Budget soaps, I think it's hard to beat Cella, you can buy it very cheaply by the kilogram block, but because a tub of TOBS last me more than three months, I don't mind paying more for a luxury soap. £2-3 a month on shaving soap is nothing for something you really enjoy using on a daily basis.

I have never used any other brand of brush, other than Yaqui synthetics. Very happy with them, so I can't see a reason to spend more.
 
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Looking today at all the “stuff” I have in the bathroom got me to thinking; prices notwithstanding, there is a lot of variance among shave gear that is not purchase price driven. Some of the items I spent big bucks on just ain’t all that great. Conversely a lot of
bargain priced stuff rocks all day.
Opinion surveys are a ton of fun, so I thought I would kick one off. Hence, what we are doing here is naming what YOU believe to be the most under-rated straight razor, brush, soap, and cream. These items should be something you own or have previously owned. Under-rated meaning something which works so well it’s worth at least 1/2 again what you paid for it. Goes like this:

-Wapienica straight razor. Pride of Poland. They may require some tuning up but these little spuds are excellent shavers. Nimble, durable and hold a very good edge. A bit “inconsistent” but well worth $20-$50
-Omega Hi-Brush. Just does everything well. Surely not as fancy as my $200 Paladin but then I’m not getting a lathe turned by hand
handle either. $25-$45
-Derby shave cream. Slick, lathers up nicely, decent smell. Last tube I bought was $1
-Arko (in the red tub). Even better than the Arko stick. About $5-$7

What say ye all??
I thought Polish razors were junk? I suppose I should have tried instead of believing the typed word LOL

I like Gold Dollar 66 (has a good following but alot of haters too)
I like Arko (sort of in the same boat as GD66 on love/hate) and VDH pucks
My VDH Boar has treated me right for many a years. It may shed more than a shaggy dog in the heat of summer, but it ain't near bald yet LOL
 
old American antique SR's are underrated.....

I like them a lot too.

underrated soaps........Caswell-Massey or The Holy Black Trading Co. for me. that's okay leaves more for me!!!!!

camo

I agree that vintage American razors are quite a good value. There are some names that command a premium (Case, Winchester, a few others), but many Genco's and Torrey's can be found for quite a reasonable price. It's quite possible to find a decent razor that only needs some clean up and mild honing for around $15.00 off the 'bay if you're willing to settle for a Genco, Geneva, and are patient. The razors are actually worth many times that, when compared side by side with new razors, IMO.

I'm a fan of Cella soap. It's dirt cheap, and I think it performs nearly as well as AOTS soap. And it performs much better than some other bargain soaps I've tried.
 
LEA cream. Phenomenal performance, pleasant almost unscented scent (if I can say that), and very affordable.

Omega 10066 brush. Best $10 brush I know of.

Semogue 2015 HD. Great 2-band finest badger brush for under $70. I should add that I love 22 mm brushes.

I only wish that I knew of a great and under rated AS.
 
I don’t think these items are necessarily under rated but they do represent good value and compare well against much higher priced items. Probably the best SR starter kit you could get. You’d be all in for about the cost of a years worth of carts and goo.

SOC Boar Brush
Tabac refill puck
Nivea Sensitive Balm
Heirloom Horsehide & Linen Strop
Ralf Aust Razors
Lapping film and diamond paste
 
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Bang per buck the very best I ever had was the Wapienica, back when you could buy them for 7$ apiece.
The only thing against them was the stainless scales which unbalanced them a bit but phenomenal shavers.
 
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