Odd you should mention this. I melted a puck of VDH in a coffee mug ( on my candle warmer ) and added a generous dollop of AV. I then removed it from the candle warmer, and let it reharden. Now I have a wonderful puck of AV scented shave soap. The VDH soap scent is so subtle you can do this with a number of AS brands. I read about this process on another forum so I can't claim credit.
Cost to length of usage, nothing beats MWF it's one of the best deals out there for 13 bucks a puck, this stuff lasts months n months of weekly usage. The lubrication is amazing tooboot. Cheers David
When in Germany I always pick up the Palmolive Classic, the Nivea and the Florena. They are about a Euro and a half for the first two and just shy of a Euro for Florena. All really good, honest creams for crazy cheap prices. For US$ 15, I am good for a long time. Kind of takes the fun out of it. I have always thought TOBS to be a great value. Been away from the the sites a while so haven't tried any of the newer stuff.
I don't know if these qualify as cheap but they surely don't get enough Love as far as I'm concerned. Cade - Nice lather and scent and it will leave your face extremely smooth and soft. A+ Cyril R Salter - This nice lavender soap is not the best soap ever but for 6 dollars it will beat out the Colonel. The scent is amazing but the lather isn't perfect. B Ogallaga - Nice smelling Bay Rum soap that is about 5 bucks. This one is also a super nice smelling soap with middle of the road lather but it does leave your face smooth and soft. If you wanna match your Bay Rum splash then don't even think about, just buy it. B+ Tobs - Along with Cade these 2 soaps are my favorites. Lavender and Sandalwood are available and they are unique in that the fragrance's for both are spicy and complex. No single note scents with these. The shave is very nice and they are super with Mr. Taylor and Sandalwood colognes and after shaves. A Pre de Provence - This sage shave soap can be had for about 12 bucks at FrenchyBee and the puck is large and you even get a nice tin making this one a great traveler. This along with the PdP aftershave balm makes for a first class shave and the clean, fresh, soapy, sage scent is first rate. A+
After trying one for the 1st time today, I'm going to say Dorco 300 blades. A very good shave with minimal irritation. You can get a hundred of them on ebay for $9.49 shipping included.
Faulding Shave Cream (Australia) is cheap and works pretty well. The directions say to apply directly to wet skin or brush; if you want to whisk it with a brush, cut right back on the water. Some reviewers rave about the "old barber shop" smell; it's pleasant enough. Given it's a low end product, I don't think you could justify the shipping costs to overseas, but if you're ever Downunder you'll find it in most supermarkets and chemists.
Reasonably priced; excellent results Any comments about "Burt's"? Same company that makes all the so-called "bee products" (lip balm, etc.). I have found it to be a wonderful non foaming pre-shave. They also make a non irritating after shave that's great! Has anyone ever run across a "warming" non foam shave cream by Bliss? I was given a free sample; turned out it was the best I ever used It actually warms the beard and the blade literally glides over the beard.When I attempted to purchase it, I was told it was no longer being made. I tried to contact Bliss; no reply at all!!
I really enjoy the Arko 'Cool' shave cream. It was about $3 for a tube, and the little lady really enjoys the scent, and I like the way it works. I've also tried their 'Moist' cream, but it wasn't as good to me. YMMV. Many have mentioned the KMF products, but they are worth mentioning again. Another low cost product I really like is the Headslick cream for head shaving. It's about $7 for a decent sized bottle. It has a generous dollop of menthol in it with very little scent. It makes a very lubricating lather, and I can find it in almost any CVS and Walgreens. The TSD wheat creams are wonderful, and a very good deal from the $$$ standpoint. I've been shaving out of the last tub I got from here for quite a few months. It performs as well as any high dollar cream I've ever used, and it smells great.
Yes I agree. I have been using it for about 3 months now and I reckon it is as good as the Palmolive (UK) shave stick I also use
A few more products to add: Arko Shavestick Murray and Lanman Florida Water English Leather AS/Cologne British Sterling AS/Cologne Omega Soaps
Just low cost creams. In the UK, as already noted, we are lucky enough to have Palmolive, Erasmic and Ingram creams. All cheap, all excellent. If you visit here make sure you take some back. (as well as Palmolive sticks) Also as noted India has lots and lots of different shaving creams. Godrej menthol mist is probably the most famous and rightly so, but there are plenty more. Connaught Shaving on the interwebs used to do loads, they still do quite a few. Russia is the dark horse here. They have lots of really excellent shaving creams which my wife brings back for me from Latvia. It is well worth trying to get hold of some of these. Best known is Svoboda http://www.svobodako.ru/home
