Your cheapest and most expensive shave?

[awa54]

First, this is a no judgement zone... no matter how ghetto or highbrow your shave we're not here to call it out, just to learn the range of members' kits and to hear why they love or hate them.

To keep things simple let's stick to pre, soap, brush, razor and post/AS, and a summary of your results with this kit and what each element cost and contributes (good or bad).

I don't use any pre or post items, so this'll be short...

My cheapest:
Arko stick $1
RazoRock Bruce synth $6 on sale
Gillette black handle Super Speed $8 shipped off eBay
Total: $15
This is actually a fantastic setup, all of the items are great performers, but none are favorites... Arko isn't my favorite scent and I don't love stick soaps, the RR brush is a bit big and a tad soft for my taste and the black handle SS, while very competent just falls a bit short of greatness all around (very excusable for under ten bucks!).

My most expensive:
Barrister & Mann Hallows $25
Shavemac custom handle 20mm 2-band fan $130
RazoRock Mamba with stainless Halo handle $65
Total: $220
These are all among my favorite tools, the performance and scent of Hallows is fantastic, the Shavemac brush is a Grail item that I have wanted for many years and is very close to perfection in my book, while the Mamba is now one of my top ten favorite razors, performing as well as or better than many of my long time faves, it doesn't hurt that it's gorgeous 316 stainless either!

All that said, of the expensive kit only the Shavemac brush is truly the #1 item of its type in my arsenal, my current favorite soap is PAA Planet 9 and my all time favorite razor is the British flat bottom Tech, both of which can be had for less than their B&M and RR equivalents.

 

[zed117]

Most expensive:

Rex Ambassador($250), B&M Cologne Russe ($25), Stirling Badger ($40), Nacet ($10 for 100). The Rex is smooth, adjustable and heavy SS. Great efficient shave and I love the knurling. B&M is slick, and my badger is soft and luxurious.

Cheapest:

Schick Krona $10, Astra sp $7, Omega boar $10, Stirling MITA $12. An easy smooth shave from the krona, with an easy angle. Astras are a good blade for the price, and my boar whips up later in no time. Stirling is my favorite soap and always performs great.

Two great shaves at different price points. The first shave is better, but not $$ much better. My 6s beats them both for me in the smoothness I seek in a daily driver, and is right in middle price wise.

 

[Clay S]

Cheapest:
$0.25 - Scalpmaster Shaving Soap on sale
$1.00 - Dollar Store DE
$0.00 - Dollar Store blade included
$0.00 - PIFed 200N Nylon brush or
$10.00 - Vintage boar brush
Total $11.25 or
$1.25

Most expensive:
$14.00 - L'Occitane's Cade
$20.00 - Vintage Gillette Slim
~$0.50 - Brick & Mortar Blade
$15.00 - Omega Pro 10098
Total $49.50

 

[Canadian Mountain Man]

Least expensive (unit price & per use price*):

• Pre: Hot shower: $0.11/$0.11 - easy, decently effective
• Soap/cream: Derby Menthol†: $4.50/$0.09 - quite good, quickly builds a decent lather although the menthol is a little anemic
• Brush: Wilkinson - Boar: $5.00/$0.05‡ - for the money OK, a bit to scritchy for my liking
• Razor: Wilkinson - Plastic DE: $12.00/$0.12‡ - it does shave but has all the aggression of a butter knife
• Blade: Derby Premium: $0.10/$0.02 - remarkably smooth blade
• A/S: Aqua Velva - Ice Blue: $5.00/$0.05 - classic scent, feels great on the face

Total: $26.71/$0.44


Most expensive (unit price & per use price*):

• Pre: Proraso - Azul Lime Oil: $18.00/$0.60 - technically a beard oil but works brilliantly as a pre-shave & I love the scent
• Soap/cream: Geo Trumper - Limes: $30.00/$0.60 - very good cream with excellent glide & slickness, nice lively fresh scent but not my ATF soap or cream
• Brush: Semogue - 2040HD: $100.00/$0.10 - brilliant brush, I'm sure it would be able to lather sour cream, feels wonderful on the face and excellent lather flow through
• Razor: RazoRock - Baby Smooth Titanium: $160/$0.32 - gorgeously made, a relatively mild razor but enough of a bite to get a close shave when paired with a more aggressive blade, because of titanium's low thermal conductivity coefficient it has an almost soft feel in the hand
• Blade: Merkur: $1.00/$0.20 - lousy blade, double so given its high price
• A/S: Montblanc - Presence: $65.00/$0.65 - spicy & smooth, according to the GF it makes me smell like spiced hot coco

Total: $374.00/$2.47

Does the most expensive config deliver a 14x better shave than the least expensive? Not a chance. Same way that a Hublot Fusion doesn't tell the time 14x better than a Hamilton Khaki.


*all values CAD
†technically the Arko stick is the cheapest but figure I'll take a bit of creative licence and not be as obvious
‡per use price adjusted to 100 uses (500 uses is what I apply to other brushes & razors) since I don't expect either of these items to survive past 100 uses

 

[awa54]

I left blades out, since the most a single blade is likely to cost is still only a couple bucks... but since folks are doing it, my most expensive blades are eBay purchased vintage Personna 74* plus (coated) blades, I think my earliest purchases of these I payed around three or four bucks each when buying a 5 pack to try. Once I realized how much I liked them and how long they last i started trying to buy them at more sustainable prices, usually fifty cents to a buck per blade, though I eventually scored a box with about 1500 of the last production tungsten alloy "Super Platinum Chrome" blades for $108 or about $0.07 per blade, which at three to four weeks of daily shaves per blade is $0.003 per shave. That makes them both my most expensive and cheapest blades! I also use Treet Dura Sharps, Astra SPs, Feathers, Med Preps and the odd occasional other blade from the archives (blades that are OK, but not good enough to be in regular rotation).

As far as the price differential, the most expensive shave certainly doesn't deliver value compared to the cheapest, but if I'm going to shave every day I want it to be an enjoyable experience, so I'm just fine with investing more in the gear that makes that possible!

 

[jdp93]

All right, here goes:

Cheapest:

soap - Arko ($2)
brush - Razorock synthetic ($8)
razor - Ming Shi ($10)
post/AS - Clubman ($7)
Total - $27

Most Expensive:

soap - Nuavia Blu ($65)
brush - Simpson Chubby 2 ($180)
razor - Ralf Aust straight razor ($250)
post/AS - Floid Blue ($50)
Total - $545

As with most consumer goods, we definitely see diminishing returns here. My most expensive shave is a lot more enjoyable than my cheapest shave, but 20 times more enjoyable? Doubtful.

 

[wimbouman]

I believe my cheapest set-up to be:

• Soap: TFS RasoZero Eucalyptus & Methol (bought in a kilogram pack)
• Brush: Muhle Black Fibre
• Blade: SuperMax Blue Diamond (bought several hundreds on eBay)
• Razor: Gillette Tech Sportsman, Made in England, 1963 (lucky, lucky eBay find in the old days)

Below 20 USD.

Most expensive probably:

• Soap: Queen Charlotte's Limited Edition Wim's No.3
• Brush: Simpsons - Chubby 3, butterscotch, Manchurian badger
• Blade: Feather
• Razor: Mongoose B2, satin finish

Way above 20 USD.

 

[TheVez2]

Cheapest:
Soap - Williams - $1.00
Brush - VDH Boar - $3.00
Razor - Gillette Tech - $2.00 (Antique Store)
Aftershave - Vintage Avon Spicy - $1.00 (Antique Store)
TOTAL: $7.00

This was the first brush I ever purchased, and rarely gets used, but still whips up a good lather. Tips are well broken in, so it's nice and soft. Williams is always a stellar performer and super slick. The Tech never disappoints. It's still my go to razor when traveling. Avon and Old Spice can be found very cheaply at antique stores and thrift shops. I'm always out hunting for deals on razors and other shave items.


Most Expensive:
Soap - MdC - $60
Brush - Paladin 28mm Deep Sea Ebonite Buck Rogers - $350
Razor - Darwin Deluxe - $1100
Aftershave - Myrsol Emulsion - $30 (although I may have spent $40 on one of my vintage aftershaves off the Bay)
TOTAL: $1540

MdC used to be the cream of the crop, and worth every penny. But does it really outperform Williams? Not really. They are pretty close in performance. And the quality of todays artisans at a fraction of the cost, blows MdC out of the water. I like it for the scent, but really that's about it. The Paladin brush is of typical Paladin quality. But it's in a handle material and handle shape that I just had to have. Before this brush even existed, I had done a "7 sins of wetshaving" video and this was the item I lusted after. Once it came into being, it was soon mine. But it functions just as well as my other good badger brushes. The razor too, was just something I had to have, and splurged when I had the money. No way I could afford to buy it now, but at the time I had the means. This was something I had wanted from my first days on the forum. So how does it shave? Too aggressive for me. But it's a collector piece that I'll never part with. Myrsol Emulsion is good, but again isn't 4 times as good as bargain balms or aftershaves.


High price does not mean better shaves. But high dollar items are just something that we like having, if we have the means. I'm a firm believer that you can get a great shave without spending much. But in the end, this is a hobby for many of us and we dive down some pretty deep rabbit holes at times.

 

[BigJ]

Great question!!

My least expensive (but still high quality, so not ‘cheap’ IMO):
Lord L6 razor
Old blond boar brush
Cella (from the 1 kg brick)
Pinaud clubman AS

My most expensive:
Wolfman WR1 razor with WRH2 handle
Rudy Vey Shavemac 2-band badger brush
MdC soap
C&S Oxford and Cambridge AS

 

[Scaramouche]

Soap runs out, blades run out, AS runs out. I tend to amortize my razors over multiple shaves.

 

[Northstonehill]

Well, my most expensive almost identical to @jdp93!

Cheapest
Razor - user grade 1957 Tech on slim handle
Brush - Semogue 620 boar
Soap - Proraso Green soap
Post/AS - Aqua Velva Ice Blue
Scent - Calvin Klein cK 1

Most expensive
Razor - F4 Toggle or Apollo Mikron
Brush - Simpson Chubby 2
Soap - Nuavia Blue
Post/AS - Christian Dior Eau Sauvage
Scent - Creed Aventus

 

[Roy]

Cheap. ..Jagen David razor, Vulfix Grosvenor brush, proraso cream £30 total .

Present.....Muhle Rocca , Simpson CH3 , SV Dolomiti £225 total .

Dearest better? Well, both gave close shaves, but latter is mufh more enjoyable and luxurious. Gear so much more enjoyable to use, a daily pleasure.
Probably like cameras. Expensive won't get better pics, but the camera will be so much more enjoyable to use.

 

[dfoulk]

Cheapest
Razor - Gillette New LC - $20
Brush - Stirling 24mm Finest Fan - $35
Soap - Sudsy Soapery Lavender & Peppermint - $14
Post Shave - Nuetrogena Post Shave Lotion - $6
Total - $75

No complaints here as I'm certainly not slumming it with this setup. The Gillette New is (in my opinion) the best vintage razor, or at least the very best I've experienced myself from a pure performance standpoint. The Stirling brush performs above it's price point. The handle is a bit cheap and clunky but the knot is great. Sudsy Soapery makes great soaps and they give you a lot in a tub making them an excellent value. The Neutrogena Post shave lotion I believe is not discontinued but it's great stuff for six bucks and contains a sub block as well. Hard to go wrong with this setup as it's likely better that what most are using on a daily basis.

Most Expensive
Razor - LA Shaving BBS-1 - $1500
Brush - Declaration Grooming - $225
Soap - PannaCrema Nuavia Blue - $65
Post Shave - L'Occitane Cade ASB - $34
Total - $1824

While I've chosen my most expensive gear here it's not usually what I reach for. The expensive version shave is outstanding but not as good as it gets. The BBS-1 is an outstanding razor that's rather expensive and hard to get. Numbered and won't be made again. The Declaration brushes are (in my opinion) as good as it gets. PannaCrema Nuavia Blue is the best shaving scent made. I bit pricey at $65 but you get a lot and it comes in a nice ceramic crock. The scent is worth the asking price. L'Occitane Cade is an excellent aftershave balm but it's a bit on the pricey side. Still a little goes a long way and it's really excellent stuff.

Normal Daily Shave
Razor - Wolfman WR2 with a Wolfman WRH2 handle, or Timeless .68 SB with a UFO Colibri handle
Brush - Declaration Grooming
Soap - Grooming Dept or Tallow & Steel.
Aftershave - L'Occitane Cade in the winter and Neutrogena Post shave lotion (in the summer as I live in Arizona and it has a sun block in it).
Blades - Feather.

While I do sometimes stray from this setup to use something up, if I could find anything better than these products then that's what I'd be using. Both of these razors are exceptional. The Brush is absolutely outstanding. Grooming Dept is the very best soap by a good margin. Tallow & Steel is exceptional as well. Both of these soaps noticeably change my skin for the better. Aftershaves are discussed above and the Feather blades are about as good as it gets as well.

 

[lancre]

When I was new here Hudson MacBeth PIF'd me a Maggard Standard Starter Kit so:

Cheapest PIF:
$0.00 - Maggard Lime & Bergamot Shaving Soap
$0.00 - Maggard V3A/MR7
$0.00 - Derby Extra blade
$0.00 - Omega 11574 boar brush
$0.00 - Cold Water Rinse
Total $0.00

Cheapest Non-PIF:
$0.75 - First Canadian Shaving Soap Sample Loretto Lime & Rosemary
$1.00 - Assured Dollar Tree DE
$0.00 - Assured blade included
$5.00 - Omega 10049 boar brush (Black Friday)
$1.49 - Generic WH
Total $7.24

Most expensive:
$18.99 - B&M 42 (If I remember the price correctly)
$42.25 - Maggard Mk. I
$0.85 - Kai Blade
$68.99 - SOC 2-band Badger
$10.95 - Thayer's Rose Petal WH
$5.99 - Nivea Men Sensitive PSB
Total $148.02

The expensive shave was definitely better than than the PIF version, but not by a whole lot.
Either of them blew away the Assured razor & blade.

 

[Clay S]

When I was new here Hudson MacBeth PIF'd me a Maggard Standard Starter Kit so:

Cheapest PIF:
$0.00 - Maggard Lime & Bergamot Shaving Soap
$0.00 - Maggard V3A/MR7
$0.00 - Derby Extra blade
$0.00 - Omega 11574 boar brush
$0.00 - Cold Water Rinse
Total $0.00

Cheapest Non-PIF:
$0.75 - First Canadian Shaving Soap Sample Loretto Lime & Rosemary
$1.00 - Assured Dollar Tree DE
$0.00 - Assured blade included
$5.00 - Omega 10049 boar brush (Black Friday)
$1.49 - Generic WH
Total $7.24

Most expensive:
$18.99 - B&M 42 (If I remember the price correctly)
$42.25 - Maggard Mk. I
$0.85 - Kai Blade
$68.99 - SOC 2-band Badger
$10.95 - Thayer's Rose Petal WH
$5.99 - Nivea Men Sensitive PSB
Total $148.02

The expensive shave was definitely better than than the PIF version, but not by a whole lot.
Either of them blew away the Assured razor & blade.

Yeah! Assured. I just said Dollar Tree. Forgot the name of them. The razors were scary being that flexible, the blades were horrid. Only did 1 pass with those blades IIRC. Did a week with the Razor.

 

[lancre]

Cheapest - camping in Finland, killed a white-tailed deer with a bow, forgot shaving cream, but had a sharp knife, rendered down fat from the groinal area of the deer (its more jiggly down there for some reason, less dense), let it cool, and smeared on my stubble, shaved with freshly honed buck knife, not a nick.

Most expensive - Treated myself to a full shave and a bit of slap and tickle while at the Sofitel in Manilla for contractual negotiations.

LOL! Sounds like the shave was the least of your expense for that trip

 

[Badgerstate36]

Cheapest: Bic Hybrid 3 and Barbasol
Most expensive: Timeless .68, Semogue Owner's Club badger brush, Barrister & Mann Latha Sandalwood
You know whats funny? They both deliver an equally good shave.

 

[PreachTheWord]

Cheapest: Not my fave stuff, but produces a DFS
Eversharp Hydro-Matic-Free
Razorock WTP: $2.99
Razorock Bruce Synthetic: $10
Total: 12.99

Most Expense:
Timeless Bronze SB: $130
MdC Agrumes: $50
Simpson Chubby in Super: $200
Total: $380

 

[Aziraphale]

Cheapest: (and these are all good things)
Multipack of 29 blades for $6.25 = $0.22 per blade
Proraso White Preshave bought in a lot with 4 other items for $15 but when you break down the cost of each item = $3
Proraso SB Azur Lime SC (birthday gift) = free
Proraso SB Azur Lime AS (birthday gift) = free
AoS Badger Brush (gift) = free
Old (mid 70s) margarine tub as bowl (inherited) = free
Dollar Store Safety Razor (thrown in free when I bought a lot) but if you break down all the items in the lot = $3
Total = $6.22

Most Expensive
Mongoose SE Razor Head (came with a tuck of blades that I haven't used up yet) = $95
Maggard MR6 stainless handle = $14
RazoRock Italian Flag Shaving Brush = $20
Proraso White Preshave = $15
Fendrihan - Moderno Apothecary Shaving Mug (blue) = $22.50
Proraso White Tub Croap = $10
Proraso White AS = $16
Total = $192.50

 

[razorhead63]

My cheapest shave:
Gillette Tech from antique store:
3 bucks
Williams Mug Soap: One dollar.
Small Omega Boar brush: 9 dollars:
Personna Lab: 9 cents.
Day Logic AS from Rite Aid: about 3 and a half bucks.Total:
$16.59
Oh if I use a dollar store disposable razor: 10 cents and a small amount of a slick bath soap costing 50 cents and no AS product it will total: 60 cents.
Just realized this!