Wet shaving and the economy

[SevereWX]

I started out DE shaving in the late 80's. In the early 90's I switched to cartridges, but I always felt they weren't all they were cracked up to be. When it got to the point that the 5-blade uber-cartridges came out and the prices for the refills became obnoxiously expensive, I bought a new Muhle R89 went back to DE shaving to save money. Then I got away from the canned goo and discovered the fascinating world of shaving soaps, badger hair brushes, and old-fashioned/classic aftershaves. Now I end up spending more on shaving than I ever have.

 

[Raydermiike]

Absolutely, the price of current blades is why I checked out DE shaving, so glad I did. Not just for the price of blades but all the other positive aspects that I have come to find.

 

[dparish1952]

$ is why I am here, but the power of the dark side AD is strong in this forum.

 

[An Traein Dubh]

When my wife's last job ended and my public safety salary had to stretch to provide for my family of four, I knew I couldn't keep throwing money away on muti-blade cartridges. I thought back to how my dad shaved and lo and behold, I found I could still buy DE blades. I got a cheapo Chinese razor off Amazon which I used with Derby's for a long time with much better results. I've since acquired better tools and gradually add new soaps and aftershaves to my den. I'm still keeping the spending down and a generous PIF helped in that regard. I've since shared what I can with other work a day guys who deserve a better shave at a better value.

 

[SSGShave]

I switched on a whim to give it a shot. I was moreso sold on the old school experience, and ultimately, the enjoyable time spent in from of the mirror finding my zen is what converted me. With that said, outside of initial purchases to build my stock go to set, and complimenting thereafter, I still see savings from the cartridge days of past. Not to mention, nothing felt good about a cartridge shave to me....nothing. As many others felt, it was a means to an end. Luckily, im stockpiling the blades now so I wont have to worry about the ridiculous prices of the future

 

[Scaramouche]

I doubt it. Shaving is one of the few things most men do every morning to improve their appearance, so most guys are willing to shell out a little $ for something that allows them to do that in a quick, easy, and painless manner. For most, spending a little extra $ on cartridges and goo is a no brainer.

Then there's the wet shaving crowd, where guys take their shaves seriously, and end up spending money on pre-shave oils, and shaving soaps, and brushes, and scuttles, and after shave tonics, and razor sampler packs, and 100 packs of blades, and aftermarket replacement handles, and cabinetry to keep all of the above.

Suddenly the $15 or so a month for cartridges and goo seems like a distinct bargain.

Yes, there may be some frugal folks that use Williams or VDH exclusively, and don't need more than a thrift shop DE and a 100 pack of blades per year, but for many of us, the budgetary considerations aren't the primary factor (and that's if wet shaving hasn't resulted in a net OUTFLOW of additional cash).

What he said...