What do you splurge on? and skimp on?

[Chandu]

I don't splurge on anything. I am a volume over substance person and I look for bargains, which for me, is part of the excitement.

I'm just the opposite, at least on hardware. Give me 1 $200 razor over 10 20$ razors any time.

I will also add that cheap synthetic brushes are better brushes than expensive badgers, in my opinion.

You are wrong! LOL

I'm trying to like synthetic, but to me Muhle's Fiber still beats the latest synths and it falls short of real badger, boar or horse.

I think I know where in the future I am NOT going to skimp and that will be on scent. I use mostly witch hazel these days as a post have because I've tired of all the traditional drug store AS scents. I plan to spend the money for some nice AS and Cologne in the future. $50 or $100 spent on a scent I like is worth more to me than $6.99 on one I hate.

Soaps will be this route too. I like my MdC because of the scent as much as the performance. I had some Stirling samples I binned as I found them too over powering and just bad in the if a little is good, more is better sort of way. Hindsight, I probably should have sold them to drug dealers to throw the dogs off the scent off the shipments. I think unscented Stirling would be great as the soap itself is to my liking.

I'm in sabbatical and that seems to be hardening me or making me jaded about my products. I'm just not going to use something that I don't 100% like just because I own it. In the next few months, I will probably do a final pif of stuff I no longer use and that will be that.

 

[Wogus]

I'm usually willing to spend more as long as I'm convinced I'm getting more; and there needs to be a near 100% correlation between the two. Meaning, I'm not willing to spend twice as much to gain a marginal improvement. Then too I have limits on what I'm willing to spend on something, purely on principle. For instance (and I'm just pulling numbers out of my backside in this example) I won't spend $35 on four-ounces of shave soap. I don't care how magical it might be, I'm just not willing to spend that much on a shaving soap.

I use Personna and Nacet blades, Proraso and Stirling soaps, a $25 Simpsons brush, a $2 bowl I found at Target, Thayer's witch-hazel and Nivea and Proraso aftershaves; none of which are particularly expensive in my opinion. My most expensive shaving item is my $99 Rockwell 6S.

If I felt like my shaves would be greatly enhanced by some other product I'd be willing to try it but, at this point in time, I'm not convinced there's anything out there that would just blow me away and I'm not willing to spend some enormous sum on a new product only to be marginally impressed or utterly disappointed.

 

[Tirvine]

After putting thirty years on a sole brush, a Crabtree & Evelyn badger, I splurged by buying two brushes, a Kent BK4 and a Simpson T2 synthetic. If I had bought the T2 first I might have two of them and no BK4.

I splurged on a new razor, a Feather AS-D2, but I am, for now, hanging onto the Edwin Jagger DE89, just in case.

I have splurged a little on blades over the last few years, including Feathers, one sampler pack, and some PIRs, searching for the ones that I liked best. Fortunately I have concluded that they are Crystals and they are not pricey and give me over a month per blade.

I splurged on a tub of Martin de Candre Fougere, but I am predicting it will last two or three years if used daily. That is a HUGE tub, and I get a year off of the small tin of Pre de Provence.

Ages ago I splurged on one bottle each of Guerlain Vetiver and Habit Rouge and still have a half bottle of each, but my daily shave usually ends with a splash of 4711, not very pricey stuff but very pleasant to me.

 

[Galaktus]

I skimp on aftershaves. I love the "dime store" aftershaves. Clubman, Lustray, Florida Water etc.
Blades I buy what I like, and they are the 10 bucks for a hundred category. Lord, Shark, Bic, Treet.
Brushes, I've tried badger and boar, bit am perfectly happy with the current ctop of 15 dollar synthetics.
Soaps, I tend to buy Arko, Razorock hard soaps, Palmolive and Wilkinson shave sticks, recently fell in love with Tabac. I have tried samples of MdC, but can't seem to pull the trigger on a 70 dollar soap.
Razors, I have gone with flea market and antique store cheapies, injectors, but my current groove is stainless steel DEs. Razorock, Blackbird etc.

I guess you could say I don't intentionally skimp, I just use what I like, but am more likely to not justify a 70 dollar soap or 400 dollar razor.

 

[aldomarino]

The only shaving gear that I "splurge" on is Personna Med Prep blades. Everything else is VERY pedestrian.

 

[Noodles]

Expensive modern razors and AS. The quality and ingredients are worth it.

 

[dil_5]

I try not to splurge so to avoid falling down the AD rabbit hole (with the exception of blades) I only buy from brick and mortar stores. When I first started DE shaving I could get some decent creams/soaps/sticks in chain supermarkets and chemists. Now displays for brands like Harry's take up most of the shaving aisle so there's not such a wide variety. Palmolive sticks used to be 10 a penny but haven't seen one on a shelf in months. Even the independent chemists that used to be treasure troves don't have as much variety.

Though today I found a Tabac stick on a shelf for the first time in a while.

 

[OkieStubble]

While I'm not a cheap mizer or even an extreme minimalist, I do consider myself frugal or thrifty? So I look for shaving products that have a reputation of quality, while at decent or affordable prices. Like Arko for example. A very economical soap, which swings a big bat in the performance department. Or, I can remember when the more modern, stainless steel razors started becoming vogue.

I didn't wanna spend $200 on a SS modern razor when cheap, brass Gillette's had been treating me just fine. But I did want to see what all the hub bub was about. So I picked up a Modern SS from Fendrihan for $40.00 a few years back. Probably have used it, half of dozen times over that period.. Found out, I don't like heavy razors. I have owned and used every type, style and brand of many the razor, brush and soap over the years; and have finally whittled my den and shaving stuff down to what I will always have. Not minimalist per say, but definitely, more efficient, streamlined and purposeful. For me.

Razors

I kept 1 or 2 favorite razors from many of every type that I have, or have liked to use.

3 Piece DE: My very first razor ever from a decade ago, Merkur 33C. with case

TTO: Vintage Gillette Super Speed with case. Schick Krona with case.

SE: Vintage GEM Push Button with case

Injector: Schick Type D with case.

Straight: Dovo Bismarck 6/8 with box. Was a gift, didn't pay for it.

Shavette: Sanguin R5.


Blades

Have about a hundred each of GSB's, Israeli Red Personna's Personna Med Preps and somewhere around 800 Wizamet Super Iridium's

Brushes
I still have a few boar brushes and a badger I plan on PIF'ing soon, but I am strictly a Synthetic brush guy now.

I have a 22mm La Maison du Barbier I got from Plisson years ago. It has the first Plisson synthetic knot and works outstanding. I also have an Omega synthetic and a small 18mm from Maggard's for travel.


Soaps/Creams

I am seasonal on my soaps so,

Winter: Haslinger Schafmilch
Spring: La Toja
Summer: Proraso
Fall: Tabac
Travel: Arko or Van Der Hagen in the Dopp Kit.

Aftershaves/Balms
I have 200 aftershaves. Doubt I' ll ever make a dent in them in my lifetime.

Cologne/Fragrance
a few here and there, not too many.

Accessories

Green Rubber Marvy Shave Mug

 

[dmshaver]

I splurge on razors. I save on aftershaves.

 

[tankerjohn]

Hmm, interesting question. I’ve never thought of it in “splurge” and “skimp” terms. I’ve always bought items that I think are the best bang for the buck, neither skimping nor splurging - user-grade vintage Gillette razors, Semogue brushes, Stirling soap, etc. I shave like a prince at a relatively modest cost. Literally, if I use DR Harris soap, which bears the Royal Warrant. At this point, I’m all set for hardware and have enough soap and aftershave to last a couple years, so I guess any new purchase is a splurge. And I don’t use preshave, alum, lathering bowls, or EdT, so I suppose that’s where I skimp.

 

[MelC]

I've bought a lot of vintage razors, most often in user condition because I just want to try them. My biggest splurge was a used Karve and a new Gamechanger. Started with a vintage straight razor from a BST for $20 and then splurged for a new Ralf Aust on sale. I've decided that nothing beats Stirling Soap for slickness and comfort so I don't need to spend more on other soaps. I like badger and boar brushes so bought vintage brushes and reknotted with higher quality knots than what I had owned. I doubt if I'll ever buy a high end razor or brush because I'm happy with what I have. Though if I could find a nice used slant....

 

[Okranger86]

I spend my money on blades and anything poraso.

 

[blacksmallhand]

What I squander is a shaving brush!

I have been running crazy on the road of pursuing shaving brush!

Because I love the soft badger fur with a foam, and I feel a massage on my face.

It's a great enjoyment!

 

[iShave415]

I splurge on blades. I face and heads have so these go by real fast.

 

[Tirvine]

I am now a one razor guy, but it was a splurge, ATT Windsor SSR1. I feed it cheap blades, Crystals, my favorites. I like small brushes. I have two, a Simpson T2 and a Kent BK4, one not a splurge, one a splurge, both terrific. I still have half a puck of PdP, not a splurge at about $16 a year. I have a pretty full puck of MdC Fougere. I predict that on a per shave basis it will be similarly good value. I use 4711 for aftershave, about $35 for 800 ml. So on balance I am probably closer to the middle than some but getting plenty of luxury each morning. Oh, no pre, post, alum, or anything other than what I listed other than hot water.

 

[gdawg55]

I know I've spent way too much on this hobby, but it's fun and I enjoy it. I have splurged on razors definitely....not the $400 jobs, but the $100-250 models. I have several and enjoy them. I buy nice soaps (B&M, A&E, WSP for example) as I like their performance and scents. I skimp on brushes....I only have 3. Two are badger and one boar. I really do need to look into a nice brush at some point. My aftershaves are nothing extravagant.....I have several, but they are not high dollar.