Has anyone sat down and figured out the true cost of their shave? I am talking about the soap/cream, blade, razor, after shave, balm, and water etc.
Cost of a Shave
- Thread starter BigJoe
- Start date
about .10 cent+- a penny,including the water
Hardware:
Razor: Merkur 33c ($27.95)
Brush: Maggard Synthetic ($11.95)
Software:
Blade: Voskhod ($0.16 per blade, $0.05 per use)
Soap: Arko ($0.92 per stick in pack of 12, $0.01 per use)
AS: Thayers ($9.75 per 12 oz, $0.04 per use)
Water: Average is about .0004 per gal. number would be too small to factor in since I don't leave water running and don't soak my brush
Hardware to date: ~$0.25 per shave (Take hardware costs divided by the time using them)
Software: $0.10 per shave
So tomorrow's shave will cost $0.35!
Razor: Merkur 33c ($27.95)
Brush: Maggard Synthetic ($11.95)
Software:
Blade: Voskhod ($0.16 per blade, $0.05 per use)
Soap: Arko ($0.92 per stick in pack of 12, $0.01 per use)
AS: Thayers ($9.75 per 12 oz, $0.04 per use)
Water: Average is about .0004 per gal. number would be too small to factor in since I don't leave water running and don't soak my brush
Hardware to date: ~$0.25 per shave (Take hardware costs divided by the time using them)
Software: $0.10 per shave
So tomorrow's shave will cost $0.35!
Stick of Arko: $0.009 per shave (I get about 150-200 shaves per stick and I can normally purchase 12 sticks shipped for under $15)
GEM PTFE Coated SS Blade: $0.043
0.052 cents for replaceable items
My Gem G-Bar came in a lot. We'll call it $6.
I've been shaving for ~3 years, on average about twice a day. So, 0.008 per shave for the razor, and it costs less every time I use it.
My most used brush was $12.50. We'll say it'll last 3 years. I'm sure it'll last much longer. 0.017 for the brush
I'm at $0.077 per shave for those items.
I don't know what the expected life span of a brush is. I don't know how often my straights will need to be honed before I learn how to do it myself. So, I went with costs of things I know.
GEM PTFE Coated SS Blade: $0.043
0.052 cents for replaceable items
My Gem G-Bar came in a lot. We'll call it $6.
I've been shaving for ~3 years, on average about twice a day. So, 0.008 per shave for the razor, and it costs less every time I use it.
My most used brush was $12.50. We'll say it'll last 3 years. I'm sure it'll last much longer. 0.017 for the brush
I'm at $0.077 per shave for those items.
I don't know what the expected life span of a brush is. I don't know how often my straights will need to be honed before I learn how to do it myself. So, I went with costs of things I know.
+/- a dime.
My Floris brush was expensive, when I bought it in London in 1971. In 2014, I hard it rebadgered for 45 bucks by Larry at Whipped Dog. At the same time, I bought a Fatboy, just like the one I learned to shave with in 1960. Again, not cheap. Blades aren't costly. I have a bowl and a blade bank I really like, $20 each. Too many soaps and creams to accurately count. 35? I'll never need to buy any of these again, except for more GSB blades sometime next year. 4711 cologne is my go-to AS splash, again needing replacement in a few months. But I've never figured out the price per shave; whatever it is, it's worth it. Better than buying Mach 3 carts.
I don't get that deeply into the weeds. I've never figured out the true cost, and probably never will. For me, it's all about the shave. I enjoy it now, and never did before I switched to DE. That's all I need to know.
Have you determined what your cost is?
Have you determined what your cost is?
stones & hones, strops, shelves, cabinets, towels, gas hunting "antique" shops, bathroom remodel, gifts to keep the other half happy, ???
I've never looked that closely into it, but;
Razors -
The cost per shave decreases every time it's used : ie my 27 Windrose razor cost 27/shave the 1st time I used it, but only 27c/shave the 100th time I'll use it
My 7,50 Rapira Platinum Lux Razor cost me 7,50/shave the 1st time I used it, but the 100th shave will only cost me 7.5c
Blades -
My cheapest blades, Rapira Super Stainless cost me 5/100 which is 5c/blade, I get 3 shaves per blade = <2c/shave
My most expensive blades, Personna Platinum cost me 2,35/10 from Mercadona in Palmanova, which is 23.5c/blade, I get 4 shaves per blade = <6c/shave
I've got a lot of different blades, each costing from 7/100 (Rapira) to 2,00/10 (Feather) ie 2c/shave to 5c/shave
Soap -
My cheapest soap is a 50g Lea stick which cost 1,15 from Mercadona, I'll estimate at least 100 shaves with it = 1c/shave +/-
My most expensive soap is a 100g Tabac Original stick which cost about 15, I'll estimate at least 200 shaves with it = 7c/shave +/-
Cream -
My cheapest cream is 100g Nivea Mild which cost me 2,45, I'll estimate at least 50 shaves from it = 5c/shave +/-
My most expensive cream are 150g tubes of Proraso Red, White, Blue & Green which I bought as a job lot on eBay along with a 500g tube of Proraso Green. I sold on the 500g tube, so the average cost of the 150g tubes is 5/tube, I'll estimate at least 100 shaves from each tube = 5c/shave
Brushes -
My 3,75 Chinese Horsehair brush cost me 3,75 for the 1st shave, my 100th shave will cost me <4c
My 10,00 Black Badger brush cost me 10 for the 1st shave, my 100th shave cost me 10c
My 12 Vie Long 4101 cost me 12 for the 1st shave, my 100th shave will cost me 12c
Alum Block -
My 4,00 Indian Alum Block cost me 4 the 1st time I used it, I've used it after every shave for about 20 months, so it costs less than 1c whenever I use it
Aftershave -
My cheapest aftershave is a litre bottle of Varon Dandy which cost me 12,00 from Eroski, I'll estimate at least 2000 uses from it = < 1c/splash
My most expensive aftershave is a 100ml bottle of Pino Silvestre which cost me 20 , I'll estimate at least 200 uses from it = 10c/splash
Razors -
The cost per shave decreases every time it's used : ie my 27 Windrose razor cost 27/shave the 1st time I used it, but only 27c/shave the 100th time I'll use it
My 7,50 Rapira Platinum Lux Razor cost me 7,50/shave the 1st time I used it, but the 100th shave will only cost me 7.5c
Blades -
My cheapest blades, Rapira Super Stainless cost me 5/100 which is 5c/blade, I get 3 shaves per blade = <2c/shave
My most expensive blades, Personna Platinum cost me 2,35/10 from Mercadona in Palmanova, which is 23.5c/blade, I get 4 shaves per blade = <6c/shave
I've got a lot of different blades, each costing from 7/100 (Rapira) to 2,00/10 (Feather) ie 2c/shave to 5c/shave
Soap -
My cheapest soap is a 50g Lea stick which cost 1,15 from Mercadona, I'll estimate at least 100 shaves with it = 1c/shave +/-
My most expensive soap is a 100g Tabac Original stick which cost about 15, I'll estimate at least 200 shaves with it = 7c/shave +/-
Cream -
My cheapest cream is 100g Nivea Mild which cost me 2,45, I'll estimate at least 50 shaves from it = 5c/shave +/-
My most expensive cream are 150g tubes of Proraso Red, White, Blue & Green which I bought as a job lot on eBay along with a 500g tube of Proraso Green. I sold on the 500g tube, so the average cost of the 150g tubes is 5/tube, I'll estimate at least 100 shaves from each tube = 5c/shave
Brushes -
My 3,75 Chinese Horsehair brush cost me 3,75 for the 1st shave, my 100th shave will cost me <4c
My 10,00 Black Badger brush cost me 10 for the 1st shave, my 100th shave cost me 10c
My 12 Vie Long 4101 cost me 12 for the 1st shave, my 100th shave will cost me 12c
Alum Block -
My 4,00 Indian Alum Block cost me 4 the 1st time I used it, I've used it after every shave for about 20 months, so it costs less than 1c whenever I use it
Aftershave -
My cheapest aftershave is a litre bottle of Varon Dandy which cost me 12,00 from Eroski, I'll estimate at least 2000 uses from it = < 1c/splash
My most expensive aftershave is a 100ml bottle of Pino Silvestre which cost me 20 , I'll estimate at least 200 uses from it = 10c/splash
Probably about $5 dollars a shave 
- Thread starter
- #11
Here is my list of costs per shave. This was based on using Proraso Soap and A/S, Astra blades and my Simpson Duke 3.
I used Amazon pricing for a Gillete Fusion and Gillette Gel. This assuming changing the cartridge once a month as I actually did and by end of 3rd week I wanted to change it.
I HAVE NO INTENT IF GOING BACK TO USING A CARTRIDGE
Wet Shave Costs
= $0.31/shave
---------------------------------------------
Cartridge Shaving
=$0.21/shave
I used Amazon pricing for a Gillete Fusion and Gillette Gel. This assuming changing the cartridge once a month as I actually did and by end of 3rd week I wanted to change it.
I HAVE NO INTENT IF GOING BACK TO USING A CARTRIDGE
Wet Shave Costs
- Soap - .06/shave (6months)
- Blade - .02/shave (5 shaves per Blade)
- Razor .005/shave (based on 20 year replacement)
- A/S - .02/shave (3months per 100ml)
- Brush - .03/shave (based on 10 year replacement at $95.00)
- Water -.02/shave
= $0.31/shave
---------------------------------------------
Cartridge Shaving
- Canned Goo - .06/shave (3months/can)
- Fusion Razor - .16/shave(Based on 2 yrs)
- Fusion Cartridges - .95/shave
- Water - .02/shave
- A/S -.02/shave
=$0.21/shave
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Interesting concept. For me, the biggest cost is my collection of stuff that I am NOT using for a particular shave! (Inexpensive for a hobby!)
- Thread starter
- #13
I agree BigJ. Very cheap for a hobby. Unlike the mountain biking, hunting, fishing I do.
