I'm Cheap. No need to ignore that. I like my VDH Boar brushes. I love Williams Mug shave soap. I use Wal-Mart and Dollar Store DE blades more then the others. I like my Treet SE blades. I think the Smells just like stuff if great. (Aqua Velva, Brut, Old Spice,) I like Barbasol After Shaves. I can get quality shaves from any and all of this. Just as good and as fast as I can with the "other stuff". What brought this on you may ask. I was thinking about why I like all this kinda cheaper after reading several threads here with people taking about how much better the "Other stuff" is. I have come to the conclusion that I like it because it can all be bought local. Most of it with in walking distance of me. Even in this little ole Southern town that I live in. So while I am not knocking what you like to use, I just wanted to point out to some of the newer folks that you do not have to break the bank to get a good comfortable shave. Any other cheap people out there? Fuzzy
Yup, I'm one. I like the other stuff too, but am generally just as happy being a cheap date. The one item I usually don't scrimp on is blades, but I need to give cheap blades another shot one of these days (now that I'm all old and experienced-like).
yeah, I'm cheap...if you're lucky and catch me on a good evening, I'm even free! oh, wait..... I like a little of both, but find myself preferential to the inexpensive stuff (I tend to differentiate between "cheap" and "inexpensive" ) one problem I may have with this now is Proraso AS - K-Bong sent me a sample awhile back, and as a result I ordered some awhile back. At $17, it definitely ain't inexpensive, but it's also definitely not cheap, but it's great stuff, and I can probably guarantee you it'll last longer than my Old Spice or Aqua Velve! :rofl
Many people don't - but there is a big difference between those terms. Cheap implies "shoddy" where "inexpensive" implies "value for money".
First, I'm consistant in saying we all have our own skin issues and noses, meaning different products work well for different people. When you get great results with cheap products, you're lucky. I'm fairly frugal, so I lean to less expensive products, but will pay for higher quality and performance if I see value. Here are some personal product takes: VDH Boar brushes - recently discussed in another thread. I don't care for this brush, but individual units vary enough I don't doubt good ones can be found. Williams Mug shave soap - can't stand the scent, but I do like VDH Deluxe which isn't much more. Wal-Mart and Dollar Store DE blades - Decent blades, but not my favorite and when ordering in bulk I feel I get better blades for less (Astra Superior and Dorco ST301) Treet SE blades - Again, not my preference but decent blades Aqua Velva - I'll hold back before reviving the Velva Wars. Just Say No. Brut - Functional, but nothing special Old Spice - Not my favorite, but good. Wife doesn't like it, so I don't own any. Barbasol After Shaves - Never tried them, I think they're balms which I can't use.
You know I'm there with you. Williams/ Colgate all the way, with a dash of Barbasol a/s on the side. Oh, and personna blades. I *do* like to buy IPs in bulk via the internet. They're cheaper that way. They are not balms. They're standard , alcohol laden aftershaves similar to Skin Bracer (barbasol green) and AquaVelva Musk (barbasol orange). I hear there's also a blue variety that's similar to standard AV but my local dollar store doesn't carry it.
Me too! I get great shaves, not "ok" or "just fine", but GREAT shaves from Williams. I also use VDH Deluxe, and these are the only two soaps I use anymore. My brush of choice is a Tweezerman, but I will be buying an Omega boar very soon. My setup is as follows: Slim adjustable with Derby blades VDH or Williams soap Tweezerman Skin Bracer or Aqua Velva (I alternate) store-brand witch hazel The closest Walmart is 45 miles away, so I can get everything (except the Derbys) at my local Walgreens. I like that.....
I'm cheap, but unfortunately the cheap stuff gives me an inferior end result after the shave. It's still workable, but I have not come away from having eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil with the same cheap innocent bliss I once had
I too am...well...frugal. I like both VDH and Williams soap and seldom use anything but Walgreens SE and Dollar Store DE Blades. True I keep some TSD soaps on hand for occassional indulgence but my brushes are exclusively boar bristle. Aqua Velva, Ivory Club Por Homme (the Dollar Store knock off of the classic Old Spice), Clubman AS and knock off colognes are all prominent in my line up. I suppose I could splurge and use higher end products but why? What I have works just fine and makes me happy.
I would like to say that I use inexpensive products. However, the only local blades I can buy are the Dorco ripoffs of the Persona blades. I might as well shave with a tin can - they just don't work for me. VDH has SLS which as a family we are avoiding and Williams burns my skin up.
Nope I am just plain Cheap Justin I have never heard of Williams causing that.... You must have really sensitive skin, Fuzzy
I always see on here people buying blades from Wal-Mart. I have been to 3 different Wal-Mart’s and have yet to run across any. I look specifically for them. I do look in the shave aisle, am I looking in the wrong area?
Well, I'm frugal as well and after over four decades of wet shaving I found that the Williams and VDH products are no longer available where I live. I had to go to the internet to find products and as a result I found this site. Now I've learned that there are other yet not necessarily better ways to go so I'm trying lots of things but without breaking the bank. I've found shaving creams which I've never used before and and that's been a great experience so far. Always had cheap brushes and bought a silver tip badger knot from The Golden Nib and turned a nice corian handle for it. Yes I've been struck with AD but I'm getting it under control.
I have seen them in the Walmart on Rosedale. It's a hit or miss kind of thing. They are out of stock sometimes, but they usually have the Personnas.
I'm all for cheap! I still use my Personna blades from Wal-Mart. I also have a few straights, so there the cost is just my time in maintenance. And after all the fancy soaps and creams I have tried, I think Col. Conk Bay Rum is still my fav (about $5 at a little general store over in Greenville, SC).
Try wal greens and the like.. they are usually the same blades.. unless you are unlucky enough to run into the Korean blades... I would avoid them.
To mean, frugal means you don't like to be wasteful or do things only for show. Cheap means you won't spend money, even if it means getting better quality or better results. Being frugal, I'll spend a little more for MWF and TSD splashes compared to Williams and Skin Bracer because they give me better results. I won't spend the money for AOS, Floris, Penhalligan, etc. because they are know to be no better than the products I buy and cost WAY too much. If the Williams and Skin Bracer worked great for me, I'd buy them.
I'm cheap but definitely not by choice. A family of 5 and 1 income makes me so... I really love the nice things but I tend to only buy inexpensive for myself and I put the nice stuff on holiday wish lists. We as a family tend to buy luxuries for one another as gifts so in the end I usually have some decent stuff around. I currently shave with Loccitane soap and balm which came as a gift but if I replace it myself it will be with something less pricey. My first DE is enroute and assuming they work okay I'll be using the cheap blades. I think I paid under $20 for my str8 and spent a lot of time at the sharpening glass on it. I sure would like a new Merkur DE or TI str8 but not in the cards right now. Well, it IS my birthday next month so who knows?
I am not cheap; I am the opposite. However, I am also an anti-snob. If something works as well or better and costs less, then that's the one for me. If something costs more and does a better job, then it's worth it; also, if it lasts forever, then spending more but buying it once is also worth it. Example: Automotive Tools You can get some Craftsman tools and keep bringing them back to Sears for life when they break, or, you can get some Mac, Snap-On, or my favorite, SK hand tools, and give them to your grandchildren. Back to the topic, I was not born in this country, came here when I was 2, we lived in a BAD neighborhood, we were very poor and we took nothing for granted. So nothing bothers me more than snobbery and people who look down on others. I like it a lot that this board is not polluted with snob think, and no one should be ashamed of the tools they use; not everyone has hundreds of dollars for a shave brush, and let me tell you, you're not missing out. And I am very much aware that I would be a hypocrite to call myself cheap or frugal; I might prefer a brush that's $20 but when you have 100 of them, that's not frugal. And, I have probably given away more than 100 of them. So, the word 'smart' exists in there someplace; I don't think the OP is buying the items he can get for the least possible amount, he sees the value and also the reward (not monetary) in making decisions that make him happy AND save him money. But the VDH brush is unforgivable crap; Fuzzy, send me a PM and I'll send you a real brush!