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You don't need to break the bank to enjoy your shave.

I probably like most members of this forum have a variety of creams and soaps and I'd rather not think about how much I've spent on them. Well today I picked up a bowl at the back of the shelf which had a grated Palmolive stick in it. The stick cost me the princley sum of €.59 cents and I had a most enjoyable shave, sure I used more product than normal but at that price who cares.
I just thought I would post this for the new members who, whilst starting to browse the site, might get overwhelmed by all the brands/scents which everyone talks about on here. Spending $20/$30+ on a soap or a cream is pure self indulgance(not that there's anything wrong with that) but you can start having enjoyable shaves with cheap and cheerful products that are available in any drug store.
 
I agree. I have had wonderful shaves with some very inexpensive components. Today I used Arko, regular scent,cream, followed up with a liberal application of Aqua Velva. A perfect start to the day and definitely easy on the wallet.
 
If you check the thread on the most protective soap over in the Shaving Soap forum, Tabac is getting the most love, followed by MWF and Prairie Creations. VdH also gets some votes.

Granted, except for VdH, these aren't budget products, but they're not exorbitant, especially if you can forgo the fancy dishes for Tabac and MWF and just buy the refills.

I think that in many cases, what you're paying for with the premium priced soaps and creams is the scent. Fine essential and fragrance oils aren't cheap, and that cost is passed along to the consumer. But a good smell, while pleasant, does not a good shave make. I'm not surprised you got a good shave with the Palmolive shavings.
 
I agree with the sentiment that you can get quality shaves with cheap products. However, spending a little extra coin is not always self indulgent. If you buy a refill of Tabac it may set you back about $10 but it will last a very long time. Remember, a D.R. Harris puck is triple milled as well and will last a long time. A VDH puck is about $1.50 and it will last about a month with continual use. Multiply by 12 and you have spent $18.00. Using this logic, it's not that big of a deal to spend the extra and enjoy some tallow goodness!
 
Amen to that!
Here in France you can have the most inexpensive combo (Monsavon + Aqua Velva AS) for something around 5,00 Euros. And by George what a combo! :001_rolle
 
I have to agree with the original poster, you can achieve shaves that are far superior to anything that multi-bladed monsters are capable of producing, and you don't have to spend a ton of money to achieve it:

-Vintage Gillette Tech: $10-15
-Red Pack Personnas: $10 for 100
-Omega #49 Boar brush: $10
-VDH Deluxe soap: $1.50
-C.O. Bigelow Shaving Cream: $5/$10
-The Real Shaving Company Shaving Cream: $5
-Aqua Velva Ice Blue AS: $5-$6
-C.O. Bigelow Elixir ASB: $10

Newbies (really all wet shavers) really need to be aware of the following point:

The difference in quality between a budget minded shaving cream/soap, and a high end expensive shaving cream/soap is not that great.

When examining ingredients of soaps/ shaving creams that work well for shaving, they are going to be remarkably similar.

An increase in price, doesn't seem to result in a proportional increase in quality; paying 50 times more for a soap, doesn't mean it will perform 50 times better.

There is a point in pricing, where you are no longer paying for an increase in performance, but are instead paying for the prestige of the brand name, and for a unique scent.

:thumbup::thumbup:
 
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Yea that's right, you don't need to spend huge amount of money on shaving stuff to get a good shave.
A good example for me is the Arko stick witch is almost free and do a very good job.
The Lord Tech witch cost me 6$ and is a wonderful shaver and a good Omega boar brush that won't cost you more than 15$
 
You guys make some great points here. And Trendkill, I like your logic about annual costs. Personally, I use Van Der Hagen soap and love it (you can get 12 bars on Amazon for $15). As for aftershave, I use Clubman Virgin Island Bay Rum (around $7.50 for 12 fl. oz.). I'm sure I will try out other products to explore things a little, but I don't really intend to spend a lot of cash. You all have given some great leads. Thanks!!
 
Preach on Brother John. The trap that many newbies or for that matter veterans fall into is the false idea that price equals better results. As you so eloquently stated, It Ain't So!. Concentration on quality PREP and proper TECHNIQUE will allow you to achieve an excellent shave.
 
Yah, but what about Rads, and other ADs? Shaving is cheap! Collecting gets pricey. But what the He.. it's only Money. And a great sense of personal satisfaction.
Mark
 
I probably like most members of this forum have a variety of creams and soaps and I'd rather not think about how much I've spent on them. Well today I picked up a bowl at the back of the shelf which had a grated Palmolive stick in it. The stick cost me the princley sum of €.59 cents and I had a most enjoyable shave, sure I used more product than normal but at that price who cares.
I just thought I would post this for the new members who, whilst starting to browse the site, might get overwhelmed by all the brands/scents which everyone talks about on here. Spending $20/$30+ on a soap or a cream is pure self indulgance(not that there's anything wrong with that) but you can start having enjoyable shaves with cheap and cheerful products that are available in any drug store.

Could not agree more. In fact I like it better when I had it as a bargain :thumbup:
 
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If you're on a budget, I can't recommend Arko Shave Sticks highly enough! They are simply incredible, even moreso considering that you can get them for less than $1.00 each!

Seriously, they're one of the best lathering, best protecting soaps I've used, and they're about the cheapest you can get. I get mine on Amazon: 18 sticks for $15.00. You really can't beat that deal!

proxy.php
Here's a link if you're interested. :)
 
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I received a free stick of Arko with a 100 pack of derbys and I figured that it was crap since they gave it away. Went straight to my Tabac for most of a month and loved it(truly a great soap)! Last week, I tried the Arko for the first time and was VERY impressed. Lots of Super slick lather for a very low price! As was mentioned above, I did notice that it disappears more quickly than Tabac, but it was still a great shave!

You can save money with this hobby, right....?:001_rolle
~Ben
 
Yea that's right, you don't need to spend huge amount of money on shaving stuff to get a good shave.
A good example for me is the Arko stick witch is almost free and do a very good job.
The Lord Tech witch cost me 6$ and is a wonderful shaver and a good Omega boar brush that won't cost you more than 15$

Amen.

But then again you picked great stuff for bottom prices. It is not that hard to spend 5 times your budget ending up with lesser products. All in all it is possible to get top notch for little money but it isn't that hard either to get a lousy shave for a fair amount too.

Trust your senses here and try the cheepo's too; some of them really rock!!
 

Luc

"To Wiki or Not To Wiki, That's The Question".
Staff member
Good points.

Down under, Palmolive/Mennen shave stick, $1.99 (AUD). Palmolive shave cream, $2.20 (AUD). Faulding shaving cream, $1.85 (AUD).

Windsor brushes are supposed to be all right, they're cheap but I never used one...
 
Angus --

As you've learned, price isn't much of an indicator in obtaining a fine shave. To simplify this whole process, I break it down to two categories:

1) What you use, (razor, brush, cream, blade, alum, aftershaves, etc,. eg, 'stuff'),

and

2) What you do, (location, direction, order, and length of razor strokes, pressure or lack of pressure on razor, buffing if any, blade angle, etc,. eg, 'technique').

As Angus indicated, you can use rather humble, modest cost products and get a very fine, comfortable shave using good technique. You can also use the very finest products, sharpest blades, high-end razor, and with poor technique suffer weepers, cuts, nicks, scuffs, razor burn and be frustrated.

In the end, 'Technique' is more important than 'stuff'. You can't buy 'Technique' but it *is* easily learned and only takes a modest effort.

-- John Gehman
 
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