I know this has turned into a hobby. I still use my first razor - a Merkur 34c. The 34 c is a wonderful razor I have not used any other, yet, but I am purchasing additional razors just for their looks. The latest was an Edwin Jagger Chatsworth. The sickness has taken hold. But again - I guess I'm fortunate to be able to afford such an illness. I'm pretty frugal in other areas and at my age, spending a bit more on personal pleasure is worth it. If I don't do it now - when will I do it?
On a per shave basis, probably a decent savings, if one were to assume I was using a single razor, as others have alluded to. I did give a close friend of mine with a very low income a basic setup with a Fat Boy, Tech, blades, soap, Semogue boar brush, and Clubman AS after he complained about the cost of cartridge razors. He is undoubtedly saving significant money, and he is not collecting. Like most of us on a shaving enthusiast forum, it is a hobby, and I have spent way more than will allow me to every truly save money. I bought a bunch of razors several years ago in initial enthusiasm, and I am truly scared to think of how much I have invested in razors and brushes. I have downsized since, but when I had about 65 razors, I started to calculate the value of my shaving gear including the many, many items of software. I stopped after I hit four figures, and I would conservatively put it closer to five than three. But, it was a period of early middle age transition, and still cheaper than old Airstreams, Buicks and Land Rovers (though I still managed a few ), and paid for by a side job.
I believe that we (us that are here) are in the minority of traditional wet shavers, in that most have a DE and a AOS kit (or something similar)...so for those people its probably around $150 to start up and $40-$50 a year after that.
Good answer! There is some investment up front, even if your goal is to save money. I got interested in DE shaving, with soap and brush because I was sick of paying cart prices. Although I very much enjoy DE, soap and brush shaving, and would love to have a lot of different razors, brushes, etc, I have keep my collection fairly modest. I have most definitely saved money once past the initial investment, and will save much more as I have all I need for quite some time to come.
Well said, true that's if you don't succumb to the addition, like I have first it was razors, then blades.... Soap that may turn into a business, I now make my own brushes, and the newest endeavor a very fine wood razor cabinet. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Sounds like you really have the bug! I am all for artisan soap makers although looking at UK makers on the forums there, it is an awful lot of work trying to get the formula right, consulting toxicologists and dermatologists etc before putting it on sale. I have not gone down the handmade brush route yet as I have a good synthetic and for my own reasons will not buy a badger brush as I have issues with the way Chinese slaughter animals (not wishing to start discussion just my own view). However a decent but razor as said, puck of prorasso a good, cheap synthetic brush like a Razorock Plissoft and even a 50 pack of Astras and you will be pretty much have a good and cheap shave. I have a plastic Dorco that I use as a travel razor which was literally a couple of bucks and yet it gives lovely, smooth shaves so you can get a good shave experience for peanuts if you opt for one of those.
I posted back in April that yes, it has saved me money if only because I was able to sell at cost or profit pretty much whatever I'd bought that ended up not agreeing with me. Having mastered technique, cutting my own hair, having narrowed down the collection (yet again) and being satisfied with less-than-top drawer soaps, creams, etc, I'm now even more convinced that it saves money vs the alternate reality where I buy Fusion ProGlide carts every few months (because that's probably what I'd use) and regularly go to the barber. Yes, it is definitely saving me money.
I would not trust myself to cut my own hair but I am with you everywhere else. A vintage razor if you bought for a reasonable price probably will not lose money so you can sell for what you paid or a bit more. The same goes for a quality vintage straight razor in good condition.
Once upon a time I wouldn't have trusted myself with my own hair, but then I found one of these. They can be found cheap and with blades that hold up very well.
oh gawd I dread to think what the results would be if I used on of those. Going back to the Dorco though and the Russian Rapira DE (the head is a Gilette Tech clone) you are dealing with razors that people use in Russia and developing world countries where DE is the norm so it is heartening when they work well. I know Gilette is trying to push its Guard cartridge razor in India but DE still rules as the cheap efficient way to shave. This is why companies like Treet and Vidyut are so big there. They make their money on numbers by selling a disposable product in the millions that is tossed after a few shaves and used in a product (the DE razor) that will hopefully last. P&G want to use its ludicrous high mark up method in developing countries too while bizarrely trying to promote DE and traditional wet shaving as a high end luxury thing through its Art of Shaving stores in the US.It is all a bit sad as the St Petersburg factory makes some really good DE blades. I hope ee don't see "shavegeddon" happening where DE blade availability stops or choice is limited. You can tell P&G have not really got a clue about the DE shaving market when you read about them killing off Polsilver one of the most highly regarded blades out there. Rant over
You know, I never really thought about the cutting your own hair angle. I started buzzing my own head twenty five years ago. I am on my third Wahl clipper at probably forty bucks. Let's just call it $150. So if I figured ten haircuts a year at $15, times twenty five years, that would be $3750. Okay, I guess I'm still not saving any money.......
I've spent $105 on Wahl Clippers in ten years. $15 on a Barber in same period. $12/year on haircuts, not counting time and electricity.
Wow! I thought I was the only one! I've been cutting my hair for 20 years now. I did it to save money because we couldn't afford the mortgage and all of the kids activities. I do a fine job and my wife trims the back. 2 wahls over the past 20 years! Yeah, maybe that paid for my RAD!
Hmmmmm yea but my barber is not expensive, been going for years and it is a social thing too. I like to have a chat. Also I love going to Turkish barbers for a hot towel shave. That is an treat though#
My Dad had one of those when I was a kid. He used to trim up the back of my neck between visits to the barber.
The only possible way I'm saving money is that the pleasure of wet shaving led me to shave my head and the money saved on haircuts maybe balances things out. Nah.
I get a hair cut every 3rd month wether it needs it or not. saves having to listen to the prattle of the hair cutters trying to get better tips from everyone through useless chatter.. I save money. not much I admit. gotta get more stuff you know. but you can look at it this way. whats more ENJOYABLE? spending 50 dollars on a plastic doll made in korea because its the "cool" Christmas gift"... or spending 4 hours hunting down a vintage razor, say a krona in mint knick, and then getting a brush, two good decent tubs of soap spending 50 $ after shipping charges..... and having something to show, and discuss, and teach a younger relative of yours and pass on something USEFULL to that said relative?
I think the real answer to your original question, "Do you really save money?", is yes...if you try. You could buy a huge blade pack that would last your lifetime for very little. Buy a $2 de razor and a bulk order of a cheap soap like arko, Palmolive, or Williams...and face lather with your hand. Using this method, yes...you could definitely save money. Heck, you could even just buy a starter kit along with the aforementioned items and save tons. The real problem lies in the fact that most of us tend to go from thinking of shaving as a chore that HAS to be done and turning into a hobby that we ENJOY and can't wait to do. Hobbies aren't cheap. they usually infer a sense of variety, experimentation, luxury, and time/money spent. I, for example, could easily never buy another shaving implementation again and do just fine...but I'm sure I will because this is one of my hobbies, I enjoy it, and I really appreciate a luxurious, top-notch shaving experience. I suspect that the only ones of us that actually "save" money are the ones that truly don't care for variety, don't enjoy shaving, or possibly have so little money that they cannot turn it into a hobby (which likely isn't any of us since we largely live in first world countries and are using a computer or smartphone to communicate in the first place). Bottom line: Yes, you can save money, however, most of us will end up spending, not saving.
