Looking closer at the lower end of the spectrum...

[The Kiwi]

Thanks to all you fine gents for the very helpful responses to my question. I'm motivated to try some of these very affordable and easy to find old products now. One area I've yet to focus on is aftershaves...so I'm going to pick-up some AV, Old Spice and Brut to add some variety to my shaves.

I already had half-full bottles of Aqua Velva (regular), AV Musk, Brut, Skin Bracer, and something else in the medicine cabinet, being ignored for the most part. I've been using VDH when lathering, for longer than I was switched around to mostly cartridge shaving and only occasionally making my own lather for my DE razor. It has always done what I need for me at a cost I can afford.

My Social Security account was badly degraded at the end of my working career by several years worth of low-paid jobs. The money doesn't go very far, so I don't consider shopping among the high-dollar products of any variety.

[Snargle]

I've found VDH Deluxe soap to be a good performer, albeit a little boring. The newer VDH Luxury soap (now available at Target stores) kicks it up a few notches and is quite a nice product. I'm taking a container of it on vacation next week.

[jsj_297]

I love the vdh deluxe and above versions of the soap, but their bottom teired "select" soap, I donot like very much. The deluxe and luxury and glycerine varieties are wonderful bargins, and lather super eas and provide plenty of protection and slickness IMO.

[PugslyCat]

My question: Is the VDH stuff worth getting? I mean, it's so cheap I'm struggling to take it seriously. How about Aqua Velva Cool Blue I think it's called. Any good? Brut after shave?

I have worked my way through a couple pucks of VDH Deluxe soap. It's a good utilitarian soap that gets the job done. I have used the VDH Luxury soap, and that is actually pretty nice, but I'm guessing that isn't what you are seeing due to the price you listed. I would guess it's the pink VDH Deluxe you are seeing. I have never actually seen the white select nor the glycerin soap in any stores.

My brush that I use on weekends is the VDH boar brush. Again, it's a good utilitarian product that does the job, but isn't going to send thrills up the spine of this audience.

I use Brut aftershave some of the time. It does the job and doesn't seem to offend anybody.

[GDCarrington]

Inexpensive items that are of good quality while using proper technique will provide excellent shaves. Nothing wrong with that at all.

[Go West Young Man]

VdH soaps give fantastic results, but the scent is polarizing. Turns my stomach, personally, but if you can live with it you won't find a better soap for 5 times the price.

Drugstore aftershaves are generally just alcohol, glycerin and fragrance. Great for antiseptic and sealing up the skin, not so great for moisturizing or promoting skin health - guys in the old days didn't care about sissy stuff like that. Also, the scents tend to be heavy handed and are very, shall we say, traditional. Some people smell them and think "classic manly", some think "that weird old guy at the supermarket".

[Pietro]

I use the Vander Hagen deluxe soap and boar brush that I bought in the PX and it works well for me. I soak the brush in warm water for 1 minute and then I give it three good shakes. I then swirl it around on the soap. After a minute of briskly swirling the brush I start to swirl the brush in a separate shaving mug. I do this for two minutes while adding a little water every 30 seconds. The lather works up well for me. I usually get a pretty good shave from the Vander Hagen soap plus I don't like heavy fragrances on my soaps and this soap really doesn't have a strong fragrance.

[Azarius]

Hey Jeff,

I use the VDH soap everyday. No matter what other soap/cream I may use, I load my brush with 20 swirls in the VDH first, I just love it.

I have both the boar and badger brush, they perform well, although I find the loft of the badger brush too large for my taste, my wife likes it for her legs.

I am very frugal when it comes to any products, and have found low price does not equate to low quality. For 90% of my shaving I use the KMF and VDH. When I face lather, I use the VDH boar brush with the VDH soap.

Any of the old school aftershaves I love, I think Aqua Velvet and Brut are must haves, along with Old Spice, Clubman and English Leather.

[OldGreyGuy]

Any of the old school aftershaves I love, I think Aqua Velvet and Brut are must haves, along with Old Spice, Clubman and English Leather.

I admit that I love Imperial Leather and best of all it is stocked in my local supermarket at under $7 per bottle. While I prefer soaps that are not available to me in local stores (and in my location even Williams is exotic) I am happy to find even one thing that is cheap and available where I regularly shop.

[Debrushman]

If you PM me with your info, I will mail you a stick of Arko to try. It lathers like a rabid badger, its slick and cushiony. Many find it far superior to Williams or VDH.
I should mention, that it has a strong fragrance. But if you unwrap it completely, and let it air out, it smells like a lemony Ivory Snow soap.
It really is a fantastic inexpensive shave soap.

[bluesbishop]

I use VDH loaded on my brush along with any other cream i use that day....I sometimes use some expensive creams....but still use the VDH as part of my superlather.

I've tried arko...lather ok....BUT the smell....smells like the pink hand soap in public bathrooms on steriods...LOL

I have some clubman that i do use once in a blue moon....BUT Im not a fan of cheap as/colognes...I like my high end scents....I'm divorced after all ...have to smell good for the ladies! ( and yes...the fragrance counter is a great place to meet women....ask one what she thinks of the scent!)

[The Count of Merkur Cristo]

For me...VDH Deluxe Soap it's my one & only 'go-to' soap!!!

In terms of performance...(soaps and/or shaving creams), most give great lather, lubercation, cushion and glide. As for VDH Deluxe, it's hypo-allergenic and contains 40% moisturizers, including Aloe Vera & Shea Butter with no animal products and no harsh chemicals to irritate my sensitive skin (for further input, see the Reveiws (http://badgerandblade.com/reviews/sh...ve-soap&cat=40), for this soap).

Plus I add about 6-8 drops of glycerine per puck before I melt it (nuke), into my Sears Catalog Shaving mug for extra lubercation, cushion, glide
and Überlather.

“Laughter is the [Überlather]...that sweeps away the cobwebs of your heart”. Mort Walker

[Debrushman]

Your package with the Arko is on its way. I also included 28 assorted blades to try.
Check your PM for tracking information.
Let us know what you think of the Arko.
Enjoy.

[retturn2blades]

Your package with the Arko is on its way. I also included 28 assorted blades to try.
Check your PM for tracking information.
Let us know what you think of the Arko.
Enjoy.

Thanks Dman! Very kind of you!

[The Kiwi]

For me...VDH Deluxe Soap it's my one & only 'go-to' soap!!!

In terms of performance...(soaps and/or shaving creams), most give great lather, lubercation, cushion and glide. As for VDH Deluxe, it's hypo-allergenic and contains 40% moisturizers, including Aloe Vera & Shea Butter with no animal products and no harsh chemicals to irritate my sensitive skin (for further input, see the Reveiws (http://badgerandblade.com/reviews/sh...ve-soap&cat=40), for this soap).

I have two VDH soaps that are a dark rose pink, transparent color, and one that is a pale salmon pink, opaque color. I don't at this moment remember how well the second kind lathers for me with my water and my brush. The transparent rose variety works well for me. But I've discarded the boxes that the last two came in too soon (the original of the dark pink dates back several years).

(Added in an edit) P. S. I was just wide awake in the middle of what is still "night" here, and drove over to a nearby Walmart. While I was there, they have VDH "deLuxe", and that's what the pale salmon pink variety is called.

[OkieStubble]

How about Aqua Velva Cool Blue I think it's called. Any good?

It doesn't get any better than AV.

[BallisticBurrito]

All this VdH love is making me wish I got the $9 set at wal-mart instead of buying a $45 brush then a $9 thing of RR, lol.

[Mandina]

More cheap but good stuff: Generic witch hazel costs about $1.49 at Target or maybe even less at Walmart. The exact same thing costs $4 or $5 at CVS and Walgreen's--and add $1 or $2 more for the exact same product in a fancier Dickinson's bottle. Non-alcohol Thayer's WH, at $9 or $10, is not worth it, IMHO, if you follow up alcohol-containing WH with a moisturizing AS, such as a dab of any olive, safflower, sunflower, grape seed, or other cooking oil you keep in your kitchen pantry (any of which can also be a pre-shave oil). I've experimented with a wide variety of products during my first 5 months of DE shaving, and I've concluded that Arko, VDH Deluxe or (even better for me) Luxury ($4 at Target), generic WH, and AS from my kitchen pantry work just fine. I did purchase a life-time supply of my favorite, "splurge" blades (Perma-sharp Supers and Gillette Yellows), bringing the average cost per blade down to less than 17 cents and--with improving prep and technique, based on B&B advice threads--the average blade cost per shave down to less than 3 cents. That's my same per shave blade cost for Derby's (which I do, however, like and use regularly, and which I also purchased online for cheap). This is all consistent with the fact that my Dad--with a third-grade education--made his living as the owner/barber of Joe's Barber Shop. (Oh yeah, he did shave with a straight razor.)

[Parallax]

I agree. Witch hazel is an excellent product and the generic stuff works fine.

I've got a single puck of VDH (the cheap version) that I'm trying to use up simply because I'm too cheap to throw it away. If it really didn't work, it would be in the trash. But the truth is it works fine. Not particularly exciting to use. The scent is nothing to write home about. Doesn't lather quite as well as some more expensive soaps. But in terms of basic quality and bang for the buck, it's hard to beat.

Now my first puck of Mitchell's Wool Fat arrived yesterday so I'm thinking the VDH may not get a spin this morning.