Frugality and false economies.

Discussion in 'General Shaving Talk' started by Bookworm, Jan 21, 2018.

  1. Bookworm

    Bookworm Well-Known Member

    Oh - absolutely. Notice that I mentioned that with the straights, even if you sent it out for honing every 16 shaves, you'd still be cheaper than those Gillette Proglide cartridges. I left out all the stones as being accessories, or like the handles. I mean, there are folks dropping a grand on a DE handle. There are others, like me, who used a 'gifted' SuperSpeed. Stones could be $500 or more, depending on what you get, from what I've seen. I was trying to just compare the actual disposable parts for shaving. I had to include straights because, well, there are a bunch of people that use them :)
     
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  2. Eeyore

    Eeyore Well-Known Member

    What's the use of a global forum when we are not allowed to point out that things are different in Europe (or name your continent)? ;)

    --
    Pitralon forever - Real pens have a nib - If it doesn't tick, it's not a watch.
     
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  3. Bookworm

    Bookworm Well-Known Member

    Yeah. I mean, do you know how expensive blades are in Antarctica?
     
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  4. Badgerstate

    Badgerstate Well-Known Member

    Thats why I chose to go with the Feather Artist Club over a traditional straight. Every 6 shaves I toss out the blade and put a new one in. No honing, no stropping and its as sharp as the most perfectly honed straight in the world. Cost of blade: about 50 cents a piece.
     
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  5. Spyder

    Spyder Well-Known Member

    You forgot harsher and less forgiving :p
     
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  6. subvet

    subvet Well-Known Member

    Nice write up if a bit dishonest. We cannot simply exclude all the "stuff" shavers "need", it all counts toward the cost of shaving. When I look at everything in my "stuff" I come out far cheaper than what many here pay for a single razor, never mind the artisan mugs-brushes-soaps-aftershaves so if I amortize my real outlay over my shaving years, 60 at this point, I come out well below even the cheapo DE blade cost per shave. Either we are hobbyists and don't care about expenses or we are simple shavers but let's not pretend to be one when we are the other, nobody cares.
     
  7. PickledNorthern

    PickledNorthern Fabulous, the unicorn

    I hear you. I just meant that the point was valid, and to please not argue semantics.



    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
     
  8. Bookworm

    Bookworm Well-Known Member

    No, it's not dishonest. All of those accessories can be used no matter what shaving utensil you hold to your face. That means that for the purpose of calculating a 'cost per shave' comparison, they can be completely discounted.

    There are folks here that shave with carts, but use a brush, mug, bowl, and Mitchell's Wool Fat soap. (Okay, they might use Williams) There are those with straight razors using Barbasol. The only shaving utensil that has accessories that can't be used for other items is a straight razor. Hones and strops are pretty much designed for a single tool. (You could use the hones for your kitchen knives, I suppose, but you don't want a shaving edge on your cleaver. )

    Now, if I tried to do a cost comparison per shave on Barbasol vs ARKO... it'll probably still come out on the ARKO side in cost per shave.

    If I tried to compare a brand new stainless steel DE monster at $375 vs a $10 Gillette cartridge handle vs a $100 Fatboy... Those are all individual preferences, and can't be counted for a cost per shave comparison.
     
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  9. Shaver X

    Shaver X Well-Known Member

    If a blade gives you good shaves for five days and you change it every day or two, that is discarding three or four days of shaves. I would consider that wasteful. That being said, it is your shave. And like you said, the blades are cheap. Besides, if you choose to change your blade every day, it is no skin off of anyone else's nose.

    That must have hurt. ;)
     
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  10. Shaver X

    Shaver X Well-Known Member

    Razor + pack of blades + mug or bowl + soap or cream + brush probably comes out around the $100 mark. After that, it is only replacement blades and soap/cream for expenses, and perhaps aftershave. Everything else is optional, and so would not count towards the cost of shaving. Even the initial outlay will pay for itself in a year or less. Stainless steel razors, razors and brushes with ivory and gold handles, and all the fancy artisan stuff is optional.
     
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  11. Arnout

    Arnout Well-Known Member

    In the past I shaved 2 or 3 times a week with a mach three, canned foam or gel and some aftershave.
    The cost??? Less than 7 euro a month

    The only problem with that kind of shaving was that the spaces between the blades blokkednwith a hairy mess.

    Than I changed to straight razors, I started with a new blade, strop and a pasted loomstrop, a cheap brush and cheap Chinese soap, ..
    Than a hone and a practice razor,
    Than some prorao soaps
    Than a second good kni've
    Than, than than,...

    Shaving with a mach 3 or even a fusion and some canned goo was so cheap
     
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  12. jar

    jar Well-Known Member

    Yawn.

    Of all my expenses shaving stuff doesn't really make much of a dent. I can look around and find lots of ways to spend far more money far faster; tennis, golf, skiing, replacing cars, what folk spend on suits and shoes and ties and ...

    Life is not about frugality.
     
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  13. richgem

    richgem suffering from chronic clicker hand cramps

    No idea.
    [​IMG]
     
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  14. Bama Samurai

    Bama Samurai with Laser-like Focus

    Agree!

    Observations:

    I've had an SR go 100 shaves with no honing.

    Even if DE is changed daily, still cheaper than carts.

    Don't ever start a thread about horse hair brushes or blooming soap. (ask @swarden43)

    Carry on.
     
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  15. Bookworm

    Bookworm Well-Known Member

    I'm not Australian, so I wouldn't talk about blooming anything, other than flowers. As for horse hair brushes, all I can say is that I want to try one at some point :)
     
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