Does cost affect your view of a product

I have been a semi constant follower and very, very infrequent poster but I have a question. First please do not get upset at the question of does cost affect a decision about a product because I do not see the people here as snobs eliminating lower cost items. What I could see happening is that first interest in a type product could be influenced by what could be considered as The Subliminal bombardment we have all been subjected to most of our life. I have seen it in the world of Road Bicycles and guns so why not in the world of Shaving Accoutrements.

I look forward to your responses and again, please do not think I ask this in a negative way.

Cost does affect what I buy. But it's not because I think cheap stuff performs poorly, I look for deals and cost per ounce or ml. I tend to look for cheap stuff that performs well, because in all honesty, it washes down the drain. So Proraso, Stirling, Col Conk, Clubman...etc are favorites of mine, but also won't cost me more than $10 per item. I don't see the point of paying more that $15 for a puck of soap or aftershave, and i don't see the point of paying more than $50 for a cologne.

I guess I have to say yes as I am really not ready to pay, let say, $50 for a 100gr of shave soap. However, as much I love Arko, I don't think I can live with only Arko for the price. I mean, I have a few sticks of Arko but I have more expensive soaps. So while I do enjoy "more expensive" soaps. I also have a limit that I spend. At the end of the day, it's not a new car, it's soap. The same type of idea goes for Aftershaves. I'm pretty much settled on razors but I always limited myself on straight razors to pay less than $100 for each of them.

So, I do limit myself but I'm not going extremely cheap. I do rate and evaluate my products the same way regardless of the price.


(Please note that I took Arko as an example and not as the cheapest soap around)

As far as hobbies go, this one is quite affordable. So, for me, whether inexpensive and great performer or higher priced and indulgent, it's all good.

When I started wet shaving, (more precisely returned to wet shaving, as that was how I first shaved at a teenager in the 70s), I only used inexpensive products. I looked for razors, soaps, etc that had good reviews, bought them, and loved using them.. Since then, I have occasionally dug deep and bought some products that are on the high end for their kind, and I enjoy their luxury. I still have a special respect for products that have low-end cost with high-end performance. Some of my favorite values include Parker razors, Soap Commander soaps, Old Spice aftershave, the Razorock Plissoft brush, Nivea Sensitive post shave balm, and Gillette Silver Blue DE blades. I love hearing about similar "bang for your buck" products.

I've had the best results, generally speaking, with higher-end products. I use one razor, one brand of blades, one brush, one bowl, so my some-times expensive soap purchases don't really break the bank.

Yes, cost sure does effect my view of a product. Some of my biggest disappointments have been with expensive shave soaps. I found you very quickly hit the point were the performance to cost ratio is not really worth the extra money spent. I still treat myself to little luxuries because I can though. I just like bang for the buck products.

Bob

One factor to consider is the cost per use of a product.
Many of the men in the 3017 thread have sub .10 cent per shave costs. This is the actual cost of the use of the product not how much it costs to buy the product. a 20 or 30 dollar puck of hard English/Italian soap can cost less per shave than a soft artisianal soap.

More here> http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showth...st-per-shave-Data-mined-from-the-3017-thread?

I say yes and no. The most I'm willing to pay on a soap is $25 (Meissner Shaving Paste). I feel like much after $25, the law of diminishing returns kick in and you don't get much more bang for your buck. Other things however like razors my top dollar is $75 (only if it's a vintage that could use a replate). There are so many great vintage razors that will last a lifetime for well under the price of some of the modern stainless razors.

Cost to me is a major factor. If something costs TWICE as much as something else it should be twice as good. I have found that many of the pricier soaps/creams are great but not to the extent that the value is there when you can buy similar quality for a lot less. Also being a Canadian a big thing is buying local or within Canada with our Dollar being horrible for exchange

Jim said:

One factor to consider is the cost per use of a product.
Many of the men in the 3017 thread have sub .10 cent per shave costs. This is the actual cost of the use of the product not how much it costs to buy the product. a 20 or 30 dollar puck of hard English/Italian soap can cost less per shave than a soft artisianal soap.

More here> http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showth...st-per-shave-Data-mined-from-the-3017-thread?

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+1 this is very true.

Cost does affect my purchases to a degree. It really depends on if I feel that the price is warranted.

Some of my best performing products come from a wide variety of prices; from Arko up to Truefitt & Hill and Geo F. Trumpers soaps.

It definitely does, for me. My favorite razor cost $6 for the head and $20 for the stainless handle. My favorite soap cost $14. My scuttle cost less than $30. All 3 of my brushes combined cost about $35. My favorite aftershave splash cost $8. Favortite blades are less than $2 per tuck. And it all performs flawlessly.

I bought these products based on positive reviews and cost comparison. When all factors are conaidered, if 2 identical products both have equally outstanding performance reviews, and one is half the price...Im getting the lower priced one...everytime...

In anything I do, I try to compare quality & effectiveness versus cost. Sometimes a "cheap" product comes out on top, other times it is better to spend more. However, over the years I have realized that "you get what you pay for" isn't ALWAYS true.

Oh for certain. Cost is always a contributing factor in just about everything I buy. Example: I always thought I would like to own a Pils razor; no way for $275. My Muhle R41 does quite well for the $40 or so I paid for it. I think my $20 Omega boar or $45 Semogue badger do an exceptional job price notwithstanding. Now, I am NOT saying items like a Pils, or Simpson Chubby, or Yamazaki Scotch ($75.00 a shot ) are not worth it, just not to me.

My $425 Zowada Straight shaves great and is a grand example of near-perfect craftsmanship. My $130 Ralf Aust does a super job as well.
I can buy two bottles of Ardbeg 10 year old for the price of one 2 oz. shot. You get the picture I''m sure.

Some stuff just has an abstract value that transcends certain purchasing "logic". The recent Rudy Vey brush group purchase might be a good example. I need another brush like a hole in the head. But that is one sweet looking brush Rudy has put together..I have a couple of his brushes and they are all just wonderful. The Shavemac knot is indeed a class act. My Vey with a Shavemac finest quickly rose to be one of my favorites; can't hardly wait to experience the two band. Wrap all that up with the concept that there will only be 50 made? Yes I can see spending a few bucks for that package. Conversely, $200 for a Muhle Sophist Silvertip in Buffalo horn?? I'll pass.

Boils down to an assessment of personal values really. Like Rick Nelson said-
"Can't please everyone, so you got to please yourself."

Yes, of course. There are many products that are just too expensive for my limited budget. I will never purchase them for that reason. I got a partial bottle of Captains Choice Bay Rum AS in a trade. I really like it a lot, but have a hard time justifying spending $18 on a small bottle of AS. There are many that are much cheaper that are not quite as good, but still enjoyable and get the job done. MY view of the product is that's it's too expensive for regular use. But I really enjoy it.
I have limits on other items as well - would not spend over $20 for a shaving soap, not over $50 for a razor, etc.
On the opposite end of the scale, I have tried many cheaper items, some are very good and others are not worth buying no matter what price! I suppose it could be argued that in spending a few dollars on 6 different AS, I could have a bottle of more expensive AS, but it would not last nearly as long.
Bottom line for me - I rule out many items because they are too expensive, but will try most lower cost items and judge based on performance.

I value shop for everything, not just shaving items. If item A is subjectively as good as item B and item A costs less, why not buy item A? Name brand doesn't mean much to me but I use it as a guide.

I agree with Luc. I look for my definition of "best bang for the buck." Sometimes, that is cheap stuff that performs above its weight and sometimes that is expensive stuff that really performs better and/or lasts longer then cheap stuff.

Luc said:

I guess I have to say yes as I am really not ready to pay, let say, $50 for a 100gr of shave soap. However, as much I love Arko, I don't think I can live with only Arko for the price. I mean, I have a few sticks of Arko but I have more expensive soaps. So while I do enjoy "more expensive" soaps. I also have a limit that I spend. At the end of the day, it's not a new car, it's soap. The same type of idea goes for Aftershaves. I'm pretty much settled on razors but I always limited myself on straight razors to pay less than $100 for each of them.

So, I do limit myself but I'm not going extremely cheap. I do rate and evaluate my products the same way regardless of the price.


(Please note that I took Arko as an example and not as the cheapest soap around)

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In a way of course it does. But I put a lot more emphasis on whether it was not tested on animals and what ingredients are in it. I'm happy to pay more if those criteria are met.

I always consider cost. While I don't consider myself cheap, I am thrifty. In other words, I don't mind spending money, but I expect to get my money's worth. Any soap that performs adequately to warrant a $50 price tag will join my den without a complaint by me over the price. With the value in products like Stirling I have difficulty imagining a soap worth that much, but if I find one I won't mind buying it.

Cost does matter but not in a purely objective matter. I generally won't pay more than $20 for a tin, tub, tube, or puck of soap or cream. However, there are exceptions. If I find a soap that is exceptional or has an exceptional quality, then I will lay down some cash for it. Case in point is PannaCrema Nuavia. Once I get over a couple of bills I need to pay I plan on purchasing a crock.