Cost of Sheffield Razors - Then & Now

[rbscebu]

Sheffield straight razors were all the rage in the 1800s. By the 1890s, a good quality new Sheffield SR would cost you GB£1 to £2. In today's money, that would be about GB£150 to £300.

Things haven't changed much - except for inflation.

 

[Frank Shaves]

Interesting. Thanks for posting this.

If I could go back in time, I would definitely buy a few for that price.

Frank

 

[rbscebu]

Interesting. Thanks for posting this.

If I could go back in time, I would definitely buy a few for that price.

Frank

If Sheffield silver steel blanks were still available, you could now probably have a custom SR make for you for GB£150 to £300.

 

[aussie]

Indeed Sheffield razors in good condition represent outstanding value for money.

 

[cotedupy]

Sheffield straight razors were all the rage in the 1800s. By the 1890s, a good quality new Sheffield SR would cost you GB£1 to £2. In today's money, that would be about GB£150 to £300.

Things haven't changed much - except for inflation.

Interesting! Though it's only a little bit of the story, cos other things have actually also changed. Most notably average income, which is quite different from currency inflation...

£1 in 1900 adjusted for inflation may equal £150 now. But the average adult male wage in 1900 was about £55, which adjusted for inflation is £8,250. Whereas the average wage in the UK now is probably around £30,000.

Ergo in 'real terms': a £1 Sheffield razor in 1900 probably cost more like £550 now, a £2 razor - a grand.

 

[cotedupy]

The reason that people still bought them of course is that there just wasn't as much other stuff to spend money on. Take away your iphones, computers, televisions, fancy clothes, foreign holidays &c. and you've suddenly got a load more disposable income.

 

[rbscebu]

Interesting! Though it's only a little bit of the story, cos other things have actually also changed. Most notably average income, which is quite different from currency inflation...

£1 in 1900 adjusted for inflation may equal £150 now. But the average adult male wage in 1900 was about £55, which adjusted for inflation is £8,250. Whereas the average wage in the UK now is probably around £30,000.

Ergo in 'real terms': a £1 Sheffield razor in 1900 probably cost more like £550 now, a £2 razor - a grand.

Thank you. I didn't have access to average wages then and now. Based on average wages, good new SRs now only cost about half-a-week's salary or less compared to the week's salary it took in the 1890s.

Current SR buyers have never had it so good.

 

[Legion]

Interesting! Though it's only a little bit of the story, cos other things have actually also changed. Most notably average income, which is quite different from currency inflation...

£1 in 1900 adjusted for inflation may equal £150 now. But the average adult male wage in 1900 was about £55, which adjusted for inflation is £8,250. Whereas the average wage in the UK now is probably around £30,000.

Ergo in 'real terms': a £1 Sheffield razor in 1900 probably cost more like £550 now, a £2 razor - a grand.

But a trip to the barber was really cheap. A shave probably cost the equivalent of £2.

 

[Legion]

The reason that people still bought them of course is that there just wasn't as much other stuff to spend money on. Take away your iphones, computers, televisions, fancy clothes, foreign holidays &c. and you've suddenly got a load more disposable income.

And people back then were happy with one straight razor, that they looked after and used for years or decades. Not 10+, that they use in a “rotation”, or just have sitting in a draw.

 

[rbscebu]

And people back then were happy with one straight razor, that they looked after and used for years or decades. Not 10+, that they use in a “rotation”, or just have sitting in a draw.

Only 10+? They must be those deranged minimalists we occasionally hear about.

 

[siarhei]

computers and iphones are also much more cheaper now

 

[Darth Scandalous]

computers and iphones are also much more cheaper now

What were they going for in 1890? Google isn't helping.

 

[tamahagane]

Richard Feynman once commented that large numbers used to be called astronomical. Nowadays they should better be called economic.

 

[PWJ]

And people back then were happy with one straight razor, that they looked after and used for years or decades. Not 10+, that they use in a “rotation”, or just have sitting in a draw.

Seems to be a trend generally. Same with watches, fragrances etc. While I enjoy the process of learning and collecting (although I try to keep it small), part of me wish I was born in a simpler time where consumption wasn’t the primary occupant of one’s mind…

 

[Ankerwycke]

I’ve seen ad prices for new straight razors in 1890s U.K. ranging from around 1/6 to
1 Guinea (£1 - 1s) for a single razor. So all classes were catered for.
Although some farm workers, and similar, earning 15/- a week would probably have struggled to find 1/6 for a razor.