What's your threshold?
- Thread starter Chef455
- Start date
straight razor- 120 to 250 not buying more these days. holding out for special/rare at stupid crazy prices.
soap- 35 to 60's range
strop- 50 to 150 I have one miller heirloom and need nothing else. wish he made a 2" short travel strop.
brush- NA. I love Semogue boars so I'm good there.
stones- 50 to 200. about wrapping up stone quests right now........but a slate could pop up. if my purchase today achieves what I'm looking for.......im done for finishers.
camo
soap- 35 to 60's range
strop- 50 to 150 I have one miller heirloom and need nothing else. wish he made a 2" short travel strop.
brush- NA. I love Semogue boars so I'm good there.
stones- 50 to 200. about wrapping up stone quests right now........but a slate could pop up. if my purchase today achieves what I'm looking for.......im done for finishers.
camo
I have never honestly taught about it in $ terms. So a candid answer is I have no threshold.
That said, I'm a "buy once, cry once" person (not only for shaving products), so I don't experiment, or to put it bluntly don't waste money in an endless search for what might work.
When I reverted to wet shaving, I was like Okay, what's the best razor money can buy, I'll get that. Then, I was like what most people say is a great soap, I'll get that.
I think by my buying top of the shelf stuff as my first and only, I managed to save hundreds, if not many thousands of $/€.
I only have 4 razors, the 6/8 Koraat (expensive artisan custom made), the Feather AS-D2, the Feather AC SS and the Muhle R41, with spare R89 head (and the Parker SRX shavette, which was a practice razor for my SR shaving adventure). I don't see myself buying any more razors anytime soon.
Soaps and creams I never have more than 4-5 in my rotation, as that alone is enough for couple of years of shaving.
I have 2 brushes, a Proraso Pro, which I never use and my Muhle Silver Tip, which is the only brush I ever use.
As, EDT, EDP wise I use many, from cheap stuff like Clubman and Brute to classics like Eau Sauvage and Kouros. The uber expensive Creed, Tom Ford is not smth. I'd spend my money on, overpriced, not worth it IMHO.
That said, I'm a "buy once, cry once" person (not only for shaving products), so I don't experiment, or to put it bluntly don't waste money in an endless search for what might work.
When I reverted to wet shaving, I was like Okay, what's the best razor money can buy, I'll get that. Then, I was like what most people say is a great soap, I'll get that.
I think by my buying top of the shelf stuff as my first and only, I managed to save hundreds, if not many thousands of $/€.
I only have 4 razors, the 6/8 Koraat (expensive artisan custom made), the Feather AS-D2, the Feather AC SS and the Muhle R41, with spare R89 head (and the Parker SRX shavette, which was a practice razor for my SR shaving adventure). I don't see myself buying any more razors anytime soon.
Soaps and creams I never have more than 4-5 in my rotation, as that alone is enough for couple of years of shaving.
I have 2 brushes, a Proraso Pro, which I never use and my Muhle Silver Tip, which is the only brush I ever use.
As, EDT, EDP wise I use many, from cheap stuff like Clubman and Brute to classics like Eau Sauvage and Kouros. The uber expensive Creed, Tom Ford is not smth. I'd spend my money on, overpriced, not worth it IMHO.
Great thread!
I’m always looking for the best bang for the buck. Although I’ve spent more than the below limits(!), I’ve come to learn they were completely unnecessary for me. Therefore:
Razor - $25: I’m getting simply amazing shaves with a vintage Gillette that cost me the above. The most I’ve spent is $50 and that was too much for the decrease in performance I get from the Gillette.
Brush - $50: While I love the low cost and maintenance of synthetics, badgers just do a better job. The little Simpsons like the Berkeley are amazing. Small lather bombers that don’t eat product and that are easy to maneuver.
Lather - $6: Yeah, you read that right. That’s what it costs for a stick of Speick. For me, it absolutely has to be a shave stick. This one is also very clean, smells amazing, and has healing properties. MdC cost me 10x the price, and doesn’t perform nearly as well!
Blades - $16/100: That’s what Gillette Silver Blues cost me. These have performed the best so far. I like Feathers but they are twice the price and don’t last more than 2 shaves where I get 3 from a GSB.
I’m always looking for the best bang for the buck. Although I’ve spent more than the below limits(!), I’ve come to learn they were completely unnecessary for me. Therefore:
Razor - $25: I’m getting simply amazing shaves with a vintage Gillette that cost me the above. The most I’ve spent is $50 and that was too much for the decrease in performance I get from the Gillette.
Brush - $50: While I love the low cost and maintenance of synthetics, badgers just do a better job. The little Simpsons like the Berkeley are amazing. Small lather bombers that don’t eat product and that are easy to maneuver.
Lather - $6: Yeah, you read that right. That’s what it costs for a stick of Speick. For me, it absolutely has to be a shave stick. This one is also very clean, smells amazing, and has healing properties. MdC cost me 10x the price, and doesn’t perform nearly as well!
Blades - $16/100: That’s what Gillette Silver Blues cost me. These have performed the best so far. I like Feathers but they are twice the price and don’t last more than 2 shaves where I get 3 from a GSB.
I have to break this question into two parts. The grooming part and the hobby part and that changes all of the answers.
Potentially spending thousand of dollars for grooming supplies is crazy, spending that same amount for a hobby is not.
Soaps, aftershaves, blades and witch hazel are grooming supplies to me and I’m willing to buy high quality but not exorbitant items. I’m comfortable with $20 for a soap refill which easily buys MWF, Tabac, DR Harris, Haslinger and Cella. A ceramic or wood container if needed is also acceptable. Aftershaves at around $20 for 100ml (3.3 oz) are reasonable with bargains like Clubman available for far less. Dickenson’s witch hazel is cheap enough to not have to shop. 100 packs of blades between Astra SP for u dear $10 and Feathers for under $25 are fine for me.
Razors and brushes can jump to my hobby side where I really have no limits.
I’m hesitant to go over $200 for a brush and have not yet done that but cannot rule it out in the future.
Razors are my weak spot. I have found inexpensive excellent condition vintage razors and also purchased more expensive artisan razors. I don’t think I would risk more than $100 on a razor that could not be returned. I’ve spent as much as $500 for a Janus that sadly I had to return.
There is no guilt in returning an expensive razor that does not work. Shane @blackland as a manufacturer convinced me that he preferred to get his razors into people’s hands and the risk of return was more than offset by his confidence that few products would be returned. This conversation led me to the conclusion that a manufacturer that offers a 30 day return policy makes a good product even if not for me and the risk of purchasing an expensive product that isn’t for me is mitigated. I would want to talk with the manufacturer before buying to avoid a senseless purchase. My Blackland Tradere SB is an example of such a purchase and a razor I’m happy to keep.
Potentially spending thousand of dollars for grooming supplies is crazy, spending that same amount for a hobby is not.
Soaps, aftershaves, blades and witch hazel are grooming supplies to me and I’m willing to buy high quality but not exorbitant items. I’m comfortable with $20 for a soap refill which easily buys MWF, Tabac, DR Harris, Haslinger and Cella. A ceramic or wood container if needed is also acceptable. Aftershaves at around $20 for 100ml (3.3 oz) are reasonable with bargains like Clubman available for far less. Dickenson’s witch hazel is cheap enough to not have to shop. 100 packs of blades between Astra SP for u dear $10 and Feathers for under $25 are fine for me.
Razors and brushes can jump to my hobby side where I really have no limits.
I’m hesitant to go over $200 for a brush and have not yet done that but cannot rule it out in the future.
Razors are my weak spot. I have found inexpensive excellent condition vintage razors and also purchased more expensive artisan razors. I don’t think I would risk more than $100 on a razor that could not be returned. I’ve spent as much as $500 for a Janus that sadly I had to return.
There is no guilt in returning an expensive razor that does not work. Shane @blackland as a manufacturer convinced me that he preferred to get his razors into people’s hands and the risk of return was more than offset by his confidence that few products would be returned. This conversation led me to the conclusion that a manufacturer that offers a 30 day return policy makes a good product even if not for me and the risk of purchasing an expensive product that isn’t for me is mitigated. I would want to talk with the manufacturer before buying to avoid a senseless purchase. My Blackland Tradere SB is an example of such a purchase and a razor I’m happy to keep.
I don’t have a limit. So long as my discretional spending budget is not exceeded and my financial planning is not effected I’m good to go. This goes a very long way in the wet shaving hobby. Particularly during lockdown.
Razor: Nominally $250. I have spent up to ~$400 to try the RS-10 and other pricey razors; but its price was an influence in my deciding to sell it rather than just keep it in my collection indefinitely. I'm much more comfortable buying and keeping a razor if it's below $200.
Brush: $250. Anything higher than that and I'm very likely to move on and lose interest. But I mostly prefer premium synthetics, so I can usually get what I want for right around $100.
Soap/Cream: $35. This one is a bit more product-specific. For softer soaps and artisan products, I'd prefer to be around $25/jar and under. For some triple milled soaps like SV, I can accept the $35-40 price per puck.
Blades: $35/100. Plenty of my favorite blades (GSB, PSI, etc.) can be found around this price point.
AS: $25/100 ml. I haven't been able to convince myself to buy any of the $40/100ml bottles like those of the classic English shaving brands. Luckily, my favorite (Speick) can be found for $15.
Brush: $250. Anything higher than that and I'm very likely to move on and lose interest. But I mostly prefer premium synthetics, so I can usually get what I want for right around $100.
Soap/Cream: $35. This one is a bit more product-specific. For softer soaps and artisan products, I'd prefer to be around $25/jar and under. For some triple milled soaps like SV, I can accept the $35-40 price per puck.
Blades: $35/100. Plenty of my favorite blades (GSB, PSI, etc.) can be found around this price point.
AS: $25/100 ml. I haven't been able to convince myself to buy any of the $40/100ml bottles like those of the classic English shaving brands. Luckily, my favorite (Speick) can be found for $15.
About the only thing I have a budget for would be aftershaves. Anything more than about $20 turns me off. The more expensive ones are usually aftershaves from design houses, and at those prices I would rather just buy the EDT of the fragrance itself and not even mess around with the aftershave version.
I will say that I am perfectly happy with the moderately priced products I currently have, so I would say I can be happy at the following price levels:
Razor: $70
Brush: $50 (only because I liked the design of the handle; I'm actually perfectly happy with the performance of synthetic brushes that cost under $20)
Soaps: $25
Razors: No real budget, I think they all end up being pretty cheap when averaged out on a cost per use basis
I will say that I am perfectly happy with the moderately priced products I currently have, so I would say I can be happy at the following price levels:
Razor: $70
Brush: $50 (only because I liked the design of the handle; I'm actually perfectly happy with the performance of synthetic brushes that cost under $20)
Soaps: $25
Razors: No real budget, I think they all end up being pretty cheap when averaged out on a cost per use basis
I should correct this. I have a limit to the size of my collection not the cost.
7 x Razors
8 x Soaps
10 x Brushes
That’s my limit. This is what fits comfortably in my den and it gives me a nice selection across the breadth of available options. An unlimited collection size is what really drives the cost up. Having a limited number of pieces forces me to be quite selective and ultimately focus on quality rather than quantity.
It’s definitely more than I need but I don’t think it’s too excessive.
7 x Razors
8 x Soaps
10 x Brushes
That’s my limit. This is what fits comfortably in my den and it gives me a nice selection across the breadth of available options. An unlimited collection size is what really drives the cost up. Having a limited number of pieces forces me to be quite selective and ultimately focus on quality rather than quantity.
It’s definitely more than I need but I don’t think it’s too excessive.
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Razor - so far $120 for a 1936 Aristocrat set. I have a $38 Fatboy and all the others have been under $25.
Brush - I have a $75 brush that I bought with a a gift certificate given to me. I don't ever expect to top that.
Soap - $20
Blades are cheap. I'll buy whatever works for me.
Brush - I have a $75 brush that I bought with a a gift certificate given to me. I don't ever expect to top that.
Soap - $20
Blades are cheap. I'll buy whatever works for me.
Razor: $100
Brush: $100
Soaps: $25
Blades: $20 per 100
Aftershave: $0
Brush: $100
Soaps: $25
Blades: $20 per 100
Aftershave: $0
Im basically looking at budgeting for gear to maintain my SR’s. It’s a sizeable investment, that I will acquire over time as I’m on a limited budget. It’s a very interesting question, what would I be willing to pay for unusable SR’s just so I could practice re pinning them and experiment on cleaning scales etc. That’s the hobby aspect, I could justify $500 to let me dip my toe in the water and acquire some gear. I can hear a lot of fellas laughing at that one. The upside is that it’s focused my intentions and put the breaks on trying any new soaps/creams/splashes/razors which I already have plenty of.
rbscebu
Girls call me Makaluod
That sounds like a great idea. I'll try to start limiting my SR's to no more than 4 M7DS's. Soon I'll have to decide which set to dispose of.
I’m sure your cabinet maker will be able to build a set of shelves that’s able to take a few more than that.
