What should I add to my Shave Den for $50 or less? Here is what I have now: Gillette Ball End Tech 46’-49’ Parker Best Badger Brush I am also pretty sure for Christmas I will be getting the Merkur 34C razor and the L’ Occitane Plisson Synthetic Bush My current creams and soaps: Proraso Green (tube) TOBS Sandalwood Cream RazoRock XXX Soap Wm. Neumann & Co 1907 Soap Geo F Trumper Violet Cream (Won as a PIF on another forum) And I have a nice razor and brush stand So what should I add for $50 or less to the den
For $50 you can easily pick up 15 samples of Stirling shave soap. Each sample will last two weeks or so. If you store them in ziplock baggies you can try them, compare and go back and forth for the next two years.
I would try a bit more stuff than Stirling soap. I would make an order from TSDstore, some lanolin soap and some aftershave mild. Maybe her M-bomb. Then I would get The body shop maca root shave cream Or maybe some new aftershaves =)
Shipping might eat his budget alive. Ordering from three different places can likely mean triple the shipping. So you spend $30 on product and $20 on shipping. Just a thought.
Very good point. Hmm, maybe make a 50$ order from the same store =P Maca root can be found in a mall. Stirling I believe charges 5$ for shipping and JoAnna about the same. Maybe a dollar more but I reckon it's faster shipping. I'm talking wishful here, that's the stuff I would like to try. Some Stirling some TSD and some aftershaves =P
Had already been thinking about the whipped dog brush. - Thought it might be a great upgrade from the Parker.
How about a vintage adjustable? You should be able to get a good condition Slim for under $50 shipped.
First, I'll +1 the TSD soaps. Can't go wrong. The shipping really is the deal-killer, isn't it? You might also try a place that has a "free shipping for orders over $__." I can only remember two at the moment: Italian Barber $60 Bestshave.net $50 If I were going to spend $50 on product and another $10 on shipping, I would shop where I can convert all of my dollars! At the top of my "must try" recommendation list is the Omega 10098 brush. The Omega 31064 is right behind. The 98 is cheaper. The 31064 is pretty. Both are AWESOME brushes (as is anything from whipped dog!). If you are firm on your $50 and choose to wait for the shipping delay from Bestshave in Turkey, they have some soaps and creams that do not get a whole lot of mention on the boards, but are solid performers nonetheless. Arko creams Dalan d'men cream Füme soap Kapo cream Also... if you are going all the way to Turkey, you may as well add a Turkish #6 brush and a Yuma razor to your order. Together they will be less than $5 of your total. Lots of TSD posts on both.
GEM, Star or Ever-Ready 1912, Ever-Ready 1914, GEM Micromatic and a Schick injector would be a good start to improving your den.
$50 dollars worth of Arko?? My Goodness!! That's out of control..lol. It's really up to you my friend. Are you a face or bowl lather type guy? I say upgrade your brush or aftershave selection.
LOL, didn't mean $50 of Arko, just buy an Arko and forget the rest of the INFERIOR soaps In all seriousness though, I'd recommend a vintage Gillette, maybe more so the aforementioned Ever Ready 1912 because they are just fantastic to shave with. Brush wise, I think you're on the right track with the Plisson although more boars will never go a miss!
For $50, I would, personally, recommend one of these options; a) A small scuttle ("winter is coming" and warm lather is nice), b) Some aftershave balm. Once again a little seasonal as winter, at least for me, is a great season to use balms. I am really liking both Stirling's and Soap Commander's ASBs. (I believe all SC's are mentholated balms), or c) Your birth-year/quarter razor. If you're born during the years when the Gillette Slim was made that might be a great option as you'd get to experience an adjustable razor and for some reason the Slims are seeing somewhat of a price drop on eBay these months so it might be a good time to pick up a nice one.
Looking at your current stock I would suggest going to either The Shave Den Shop or Maggard Razors and buy $50 worth of samples. You can get soaps, creams, aftershaves, pre-shave oils, etc. and have a great time experimenting while making decisions for future full size purchases. Variety is the great benefit of this addiction.
