What do you really need?

[ctr]

Another thread about dressing up and the means to purchase clothes got me thinking about shaving items. Perhaps the members of the B&B community as a whole have sufficient disposable income to purchase most shaving items we desire. RAD, large numbers of soaps, creams, blades, handles, etc, we have plenty.

So what do we really need versus what we want? If we did not have sufficient means, what would we choose for our modest setup to meet out daily needs? What is that for each of you?

To keep if fair, lets limit to DE and straights, as a suggestion.

For myself, perhaps a Merkur 33c, a drug store boars brush, and a cake of Williams soap would probably get the job done. Perhaps a splash of Old Spice to round it out.

 

[Barber-Eile]

The basics for me would be my Lady Gillette, an Arko stick, a badger brush of some sort and some yellow 7 o'clocks.
I could live quite happily with that set up for now until the end of time if I had to.

 

[Blue_2]

Dead minimum...hmm

Gold Dollar
Barbers hone
Illinois strop
Tweezerman brush
Puck of VDH
Skin Bracer splash

 

[kg4ghn]

Minimum:

Cheap vintage gillette tech or superspeed
vdh kit with soap bowl and brush

Cheapo extras:

better boar brush
conk soap
cheap walmart or drugstore AS: old spice/AV/Clubman

 

[pauls51]

My package would consist of;

Gillette superspeed (can be picked up very cheaply)
Tweezerman Brush
Tabac
Brut AS

 

[Pumpkin]

So what do we really need versus what we want? If we did not have sufficient means, what would we choose for our modest setup to meet out daily needs? What is that for each of you?

To keep if fair, lets limit to DE and straights, as a suggestion.

Bare minimum:

DE: Fat handle Tech, Palmolive stick, Wilkinson Sword Bristle Brush (face lathering so no bowl/scuttle), I'd prefer Feather blades so I'll just use generic Witch Hazel as AS.
Str8: My first razor (French 4/8 from ebay), my second hand strop, Palmolive and WS brush...I've saved on the blades so I'll upgrade to Old Spice AS

Optional extra if the budget allows....my Omega '49 boar in place of the WS brush

 

[jeff2011]

Bare minimum:

My lovely 66 Flare Tip
Tweezerman brush would suffice, but my Semogue 830 is pretty minimal regarding $$ as well, so I'll go the Semoge Route
Red IP
Speick Shave Stick
Plain old witch hazel
Nivea Balm.

 

[Vladbkf]

I would be content with this minimalist setup:

Vintage Gillette New Long Toothed razor
Basic Omega Boar Brush
Williams or Wilkinson Sword shaving soap (locally available)
Aqua Velva/Skin Bracer (locally available)
Derby blades (purchased in bulk online)

 

[Niles]

late 40s gillette super speed
gillette 7 o'clock yellow blades
proraso cream
shulton old spice as splash

 

[grouse79]

I could shave with the following setup for the foreseeable future and still leave the house in the mornings feeling good.

Gillette Tech (got 3 of these for £12)
Feather blades (£21 for 100)
Palmolive soap (sticks grated into a puck) or cream
Vulfix boar brush
Soup bowl (£1 from Poundland)

I think I could allow myself a bottle of Old Spice as it lasts so long

 

[grump]

I guess this would do it for me and all can be had locally except the Palmolive, but it can be had cheap enough on the net.

Antique store, flea market or trunk sale find for a razor, DE.
Drug store Personna blades.
Drug store brush boar brush.
Palmolive SS or Williams (must be tallow).
AS of your choice or witch hazel scented to your liking.

 

[Slivovitz]

. . .To keep if fair, lets limit to DE and straights, as a suggestion. . .

And injectors and SEs, surely?

The cheapest essential stuff from my current sizable stash would be:
Schick G1 Injector
Schick Injector blades (Arguably as economical as the Personna types since they last longer)
Omega Boar Brush
Williams or VdH soap. I like the Williams better.

I don't use any pre-shave or post-shave treatments other than water, so a saving there.

I'm glad I don't have to limit myself like that, but if I did, I promise I'd post about it here and be smug about how frugal and sensible I was.

 

[DavyRay]

I have two minimal set-ups, one straight, one DE. Here's the DE.

Gillette Red Tip (about $25).
Personna Red Pack DE blades (100 for $18, shipped).
Shea Moisture brush ($9).
VDH puck in a coffee cup, with a puck of Williams under it to prop it up.

A co-worker retired, and left behind a vendor-branded (RACOR) coffee mug, which he had stored pencils in.

To finish, a bottle of Pinaud Clubman, a big bottle from Sally Beauty (about $8 for 16 ounces).

I have made a few purchases since this, but this kit worked perfectly.

 

[GoldenBacon]

For me:
Gillitte Slim Adjustable
Shea Moisture Brush
Puck of Williams
Osage Rub.

​

 

[FL shaver]

If forced, I'd settle for my HD and some Astras, a puck of VDH, and a VDH boar brush. It wasn't long ago that I was living larger with VDH, a boar brush, and some Atra Plus knockoff cartridges.

 

[Topgumby]

Flint and some steel.

If not that minimal...

Any one of the "free" razors I've acquired, probably my dad's Slim.
The Personna blades I stocked up on for 85 cents a ten pack at closeout.
Omega #49 brush for ten bucks.
Williams at the same closeout...75 cents a puck.
Generic WH from Wallyworld.

It wouldn't be much fun, but I could stay well shaved until I used the flint and steel to start a fire, allowing me to fire-harden a spear and go forth and find a well stocked den whose owner was starting to doze off...

 

[john parker]

To be truly minimal I might just grow a beard. But I am not going to do that (again). I NEED my EJ89L with Iridiums, the Simpson Colonel, the TOBS sandalwood, and the T&H spanish leather! As a minimum!!

 

[michiganlover]

Two potential Setups:

Straight Shaving

Boker King Cutter 5/8
Barber's Hone
Chromium Oxide pasted onto Balsa
Omega #49 Boar Brush
$30 Ebay Strop
VDH Deluxe
Generic Witch Hazel
Aqua Velva/ Skin Bracer/ Barbasol Pacific Rush/ Barbasol Brisk (all locally available, and value priced).

Injector Shaving

Schick Type L Injector
Schick Injector Blades
Omega #49 Boar Brush
VDH Deluxe
Generic Witch Hazel
Aqua Velva/ Skin Bracer/ Barbasol Pacific Rush/ Barbasol Brisk (all locally available, and value priced).

 

[gordolindsay]

Is this the cheapest we can get by or only owning what we need to shave with? I mean I only have to buy the razor and brush once in my lifetime, why not get something I'll enjoy for that long...


For example, I don't NEED 4 tubs of TOBS and Proraso, 8 Aftershaves, 9 razors, 14 brushes, etc. (I don't really have all that stuff...except for the TOBS....and the Proraso )

But I DO need a razor, brush, cream/soap, aftershave, and a blade.

So I would take my DE89, a Rooney 3/1 (heard great things), Tub of TOBS, Aqua Velva (OK, I'll make 1 thing cheap), and some Astra's.

 

[kg0mz]

You did say modest and not spartan, right?. Picking from I have on hand I could make do with ...

the HD with some blades
a brush
a scuttle
Proraso white tub soap
styptic pencil or alum block
Proraso splash

the spartan option ...

the HD with some blades
a brush
Proraso white tub soap
styptic pencil or alum block