Thread: $20 budget

I am sick of seeing mach 12 5 blade vibrator commercials on TV. Bunch of nonsense, but i need to find something better then bics. Something about my facial hair makes it hard to cut and easy to plug up razors, maybe i am greasy, or maybe its because i often only shave once a week. I would rather look like a bum then spend 15 minutes shoveling at my face with this crap. I have big clutz hands so i must hold this tiny plastic thing while using it like a paint scraper, back and forth 10 times over the same 2 square inch spot. Then i have to rub it backwards with my thumb while running it underwater to clear it out so it cuts again. I could deal with the pain if it was actually cutting the hair.... but it just doesn't cut. I figure what i need is one good blade instead of 3+ crappy blades.

I am 23, budget is low. Maybe i should be looking for a "safety razor" and a pack of good blades. I like the idea of a straight razor though, i have an old one somewhere which might be salvageable, it has a broken shield/hinge part or whatever you call it. I have some old whetstones too, very dinged up and abused. No idea what grit (coarse). They are probably useless, unless i could fix them on a piece of glass with some sandpaper or something.

Would this stone do? 10000 3000 Grit Knife Razor Sharpener Stone Whetstone Polishing Tool Two Sides | eBay
Would a smooth leather belt do as a strop? I have some 2footx2foot pieces of swede i might be able to cut a strip from, but its quite thin. I think they are color samples from leather couches or something. Would this even work?
Could a decent strait razor be obtained for under $20? Or should i look for mine.

thanks for the help

Hello there, and welcome to SRP!
For a really tight budget, there is Larry at Whipped Dog, he sells a "sight unseen" razor for $43 and a "flawed sight unseen" for$28, but apart from that there is only a lucky find at an antique shop or in an auction, both would require some hands on love before use (and might not work at all, in a worst case scenario. I would not recommend this route). Not an easy feat to find a useable straight for that little money. Larry does sell double edge razors for as little as $16 I see, so perhaps that is your best bet on your current budget.

Best of luck!

$20 is really going to be a challenge. I have found nice razors in antique shops for that but then sending them out for a honing is going to cost you at least $10 with no insurance in mailing to and fro even if the honing is free. Hired its going to be $20. The hone you mention is just throwing away good money if you are looking to use it on a razor.

I think you need to double your budget for a razor to get one from whipped dog that is shave ready and then plan on newspaper stropping until you save enough for a proper strop. Sure you might get lucky and stumble onto the deal of the century that gets you set for $20 but the beginner's section is full of stories where the initial investment is squandered on worthless junk. Knowledge always produces better results, so its good you are asking before "pulling the trigger" on any of this. Remember when buying at the bottom limit, frequently adding just a few more dollars to the budget can make an order of magnitude improvement in the result.

$20 is definitely tight... But, you say you may have a SR already so I'd suggest digging that up and posting some pics to get a better idea of what "broken" is. If the scales are broken completely yet you have some time, patience and skill you could build a workable set out of an old acrylic clipoard you may be able to find at a yard sale/landfill for free as if one corner is broken it won't be a good clipboard but could be a fewsets of scales. Pinning is just done with 1/16" brass typically and I've seen some that were done with a smaller copper nail... If you can Frankenstein your razor to functional, at least temporarily, then your $20 covers a Honing/Shipping. Once you have that you are set to at least get 6+/? SR shaves in to see if it is your thing/what you are looking for. Then, as time and budget allow you can send your SR in for restoration or start shopping for your next one. ?!

Also, don't forget about the WTT section... You may very well have stuff someone would trade SR/Shaving Gear for!

Best of luck!

Shawn
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$28 at Whipped dog will get you set up with a razor.
Strop out of an old pair of jeans.
Any old glycerine soap or just shaving gel/foam if you’re pushed.


or.

Ebay shavette with disposable blades + some spare blades = very cheap way to get into it.

On such a tight budget, my bet would be on the shavette - it’s a known quantity and it will come in under $20. A DE razor would do the trick too, depends whether you want to straight or double ended style.

Don’t give up on the stones or the razor - they may well be salvageable. DO yourself a favour and get something that will give a good shave and experiment separately.

+1 whipped dog razors.

You can find some decent DE at antique stores for < $20 if you want that route. The blades for DE's are nice and can cut through a good amount of growth but may clog like a normal multiple blade razor. Starting out for less than $50 in this hobby is hard enough. Let alone $20. But it's doable if you get pretty thrifty good luck and have fun!

Hi and welcome. Is always a good idea to add your location in your profile as there may be someone close who can help. If you have a razor post pics as it may be you already have what you need. scales can be salvaged if not to badly broken to at least get you shaving and there are many folk will help a new guy with a free hone for postage costs. If this isn't possible larry is your best bet for a razor ready to go. $20 is probably just not enough to start out unless you have the knowledge and skills for repairs and honing. Tandy do strips of leather mentioned on the forum many times that people have use to start out with. Good luck

Unless you are highly skilled in restoration I would say save your money until you can afford a quality piece in good shape.

A safety razor will immediately solve all of your problems. I suggest that you go ahead and get one of those first. Whether or not the straight later works out for you, the safety razor definitely will. They are cheap, highly effective even for once a week shaving, and require very little to learn how to transition from what you are currently using.

Yes, in that budget get a safety razor or if you are really set on shaving with more exposed blade, a shavette type of razors could be found quite cheaply.
You want to stop by walmart/grocery store and pick a shaving soap for $1-$1.50 and a brush for $5 (your budget doesn't allow anything else) - then spend half an hour making lather over and over until you figure it out. Proper beard/skin preparation is non-negotiable for a good shave regardless of how you cut the hair.
I think you'd be better off getting the tweezerman brush right now and get the razor in another few weeks when you have set aside a bit more money. Though if you don't have anything else to shave with right now may as well get a razor and DE blades instead of another pack of bic's.
(I suspect you have problem with them because you do not prepare your face well and you're using them for longer than the 1-2 shaves that they're good for - unless you strop the edge that's how much you'll get out of it regardless of whether it's a cartdridge, de/injector type blade, or straight razor.)