Hi everyone After the 30 day november challenge I have quite some stuff lying around here that I haven't used yet. So I'll start off with a "bargain week", using some of the most inexpensive stuff I have. The whole kit you see here costs less than 20 €. Razor: 4 € (blade included) Brush: 8.90 € Soap: 3.30 € AS: 3 € Haven't used razor and soap yet, the brush I used 2 or 3 times before. So let's see how it turns out. I'm a little scared by the blade that came with the razor, but hey - what's the worst that can happen? Maybe I'll PIF Razor and Brush after the test, no matter the outcome
Proraso is awesome soap, with some good thick lather you could probably get a good shave providing the technique is on point.
12/02/2015: My first shave of the bargain focus - Proraso white - Omega 49 - Rimei 2003 - Rimei blade - Tüff sensitiv Rasierwasser Well - that was a very pleasant surprise and a really excellent shave I started with soaking the brush while I brushed my teeth and washed my face with warm water. After that I loaded the Omega just like I did last month with the Semogue and D.R. Harris soap. But boy, what a difference it was. The huge, soaking wet Omega produced ridiculous amounts of lather already at loading up (I made quite a mess actually) and even more on my face later on. Great lather, thick and creamy, and probably enough for 4 or 5 passes. The scent is okay, I'd say, a little citrusy with a hint of laundry detergent. Since I knew nothing about the chinese razor and the blade, I was very cautious with my first few strokes, but this cheap little razor really amazed me. Super smooth, very very mild, just a great 2-pass-shave. I would say this one is pretty similar to a Gillette Tech (from which it was cloned obviously). The blade, of course, did a fantastic job as well - I absolutely had not expected that. First pass WTG, second X/ATG, a little touchup at the jawline - no nicks, no weepers, I'd place the result somewhere between DFS and BBS. Not to bad for a completely unfamiliar tool. Upon closer inspection I saw a little dent under the top cap of the razor, but this doesn't seem to affect the performance at all. And of course that chinese knockoff feels and even sounds cheaper than the "real thing", but it does its job - much much better than expected at this price point. The Aftershave did not sting or burn, the skin felt really good afterwards - very, very nice.
Marverel, fantastic! I think your prep and brush soak helped immensely in conjunction with proraso to produce this fine result and good technique too probably. Goes to show when all the above is in check the tools don't have to be too luxurious.
Yup - and looks like some remnant from the 50ies But it's actually great stuff - especially if you consider the give-away price. But the green variety is almost impossible to buy offline.
Hello everybody Day 2 of my "bargain focus", same setup as day 1: - Proraso white - Omega 49 - Rimei 2003 - Rimei blade - Tüff sensitiv Rasierwasser Same nice shave as yesterday, no problem at all with the cheap Chinese hardware. I just think that my face did not stay smooth just as long as it did with the R89 and the GSB blades (I could feel the first stubbles in the afternoon yesterday, hours earlier than usual). This time I did not abuse the soap as much as I did the first time - and the brush was a little drier, so I got just a little more lather than I actually needed. The Proraso is a really good performer, but I'd actually prefer it if the soap was unscented. And I think the Omega is a bit too big for my taste. Very soft and a real lathering monster, but I prefer smaller brushes. If I wanna stay true to the motto "if you don't love it, PIF it", I'll just give away another small shaving set soon I like the razor, but I have two of the original Techs, so I don't really need it.
I agree. Once you get your technique down you can get a good shave with just about anything if you take your time and use what you have learned. I like that you are doing a cheap shaves theme.
Hello everyone Third shave with the same setup today, same nice results: - Proraso white - Omega 49 - Rimei 2003 - Rimei blade (#3) - Tüff sensitiv The Proraso is a great performer - and apparently it doesn't care about how much water you use or how heavily you load your brush - it just works and produces efficient lather. But I still don't love the scent. All the Prorasos have some sort of chemical/soapy background note - can't really put my finger on what it is exactly that bothers me. The Rimei blade is what surprised me most. Pretty sharp and smooth and obviously capable of more than one nice shave. Tomorrow I'll try another cheapo razor: the Wilkinson. This is the one DE razor you can buy offline here in Germany at almost any drugstore/pharmacy chain. 3.45 Euros and it comes with a pack of Wilkinson blades. And I think I'll change from Proraso to La Toja soap. At 1.75 Euros for the stick I consider that a bargain as well Yes - I think the last 30-Day-Challenge helped immensely to develop a proper technique. It's a lot to fun actually. And I have at least two more razors to try
I thought that it would be interesting to do a "cheap razor" trial trade but then thought the cost of shipping most likely negates the logic here. I'm sure many of us have accumulated some inexpensive razors both new and old just for experimental purposes.
Day 4 and a new setup - La Toja Stick - Vulfix 404 mixed - Wilkinson classic - Wilkinson blade - Tüff sensitiv Rasierwasser Here's the new hardware: The Vulfix is not the cheapest brush you can buy, but great quality and because of that still a bargain for less than 20 Euros Second shave with the La Toja soap - fantastic! It lathers just as easily as the Proraso, lather is slick and creamy and smells just great. #1 on my list for price-performance-ratio. The brush is a bit bigger than my Semogue 620 boar, so it holds more lather ... I guess I had enough for at least 3 passes. The weight distribution on the razor is pretty strange. The handle has a metal core, so it's relatively heavy, the head is just plastic and extemely lightweight. The Razor is very mild, I had to constantly remind myself not to use too much pressure because of the combination of weight and mildness. The blades are okay, but nothing to write home about. Average performance at best, a bit rougher than the chinese Rimei, not as sharp and smooth. Anyways, I still managed to achieve a better than DFS shave in 2 passes (WTG and X/ATG) with the usual touchup at the jawline. After the cold water rinse the Aftershave stung a bit and I saw 2 or 3 tiny red spots on my cheek where I obviously had used too much pressure during the shave. But no blood - so not a big deal at all. So the set is usable, but not as good as the Rimei for the same price. I think about changing the blade tomorrow, maybe use a Sputnik with the razor.
