low budget first shave

Last night after work me and an anonymous user honed all 4 of my razors and all 4 passed the hanging hair test with flying colors. I wont go into any detail about how and what we used for this as it might start unwanted conversation. I got home late last night took a steaming hot shower. I then lathered up with a cheap bar of Col conk bayrum and the cheapest Col conk mug and brush. As I am typing this my face is baby's bottom smooth with not one nick cut or any sign of razor burn and the shave only took about 8 min. All of my razors are vintage at a total cost of $20, soap mug and brush roughly 30 bucks and sharpening supplies used including stones strops and pastes only around 100 so this just goes to show it can be done super cheap with great results..... unless you are looking for perfection or reason to spend money this doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg.

$150 does not sound super cheap..... You must be part of the 1% ;)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Slartibartfast

$150 does not sound super cheap..... You must be part of the 1% ;)

---

The 100 for sharpening supplies are another persons I only have 50 invested not including the strop I just ordered for 34

Also with the $85 total investment I own 4 quality vintage razors one is wh Morley and sons one is a dorko one is a torrey and the other is a wedge that I cannot remember the name I am at work and do not have it in front of me but it should be pre 1870 as its birth place is not stamped in the blade

I AM ANONYMOUS....


lol... ethan.... i am really happy i was able to get them sharp for you........ remember ... if they start to lose their edge you know where i live....

i helped him hone out his razors last night..... and removed a sizable chip from the heel area of that dorko *(didn't take before or after photos cause you guys have seen it done a million times).... i was able to remove the chip with my water wheel stone without losing a great amount of blade thickness... if he posts a photo you will see what i am talking about.... and man that dorko takes a super sweet edge......

all 4 of his razors honed right up with ease..... for a beginner he made 4 great choices.........

i even hooked him up with a 6' length of seat belt material and a bit of cerium oxide so he can have a strop and maybe make a pasted if he wants to so he can maintain that edge......

really glad you got that nice of a shave ethan.... you are welcome here at my house anytime....

Hi Ragnarokk

You are right this whole thing can be done on a relative cheap budget and be done well. I don't think any has really ever said different here. I think if I was to add up my initial set up including 3 razors (one professionally honed), strop, soap, brush, strop paste, and a cheap fine knife stone I come to about 87 usd. With this I could also sharpen and maintain my own razors. However this is rarely where people on here stop as this quickly turns from being a way to get a economical shave in to a hobby. Once this turns into a hobby the amount of money involved quickly becomes much much more like a lot of hobby's do.

I see.. So having paco live near by was your secret weapon to frugality.

@paco: Did you reshape the heel? Trying to visualize what you are talking about?

edit: Going to take this opportunity to plug the wiki

Shopping list for beginners - Straight Razor Place Wiki
Beginner's guide to straight razor shaving - Straight Razor Place Wiki
Buying a beginner's set on a budget - Straight Razor Place Wiki

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Slartibartfast

I see.. So having paco live near by was your secret weapon to frugality.

@paco: Did you reshape the heel? Trying to visualize what you are talking about?

edit: Going to take this opportunity to plug the wiki

Shopping list for beginners - Straight Razor Place Wiki
Beginner's guide to straight razor shaving - Straight Razor Place Wiki
Buying a beginner's set on a budget - Straight Razor Place Wiki

---

yes... reshape the heel area... the chip was located about 1/4 th the way up the blade from the heel.... i filled up the water wheel and started from the heel making light passes up to the chip with a kind of "rolling" motion..... after i got it completely out i re-beveled everything..... but due to the new shape there is a 1/4" area right at the heel where the blade is unhoneable... but damn that dorko took one incredible edge..... i think i may start hunting for me one....

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Slartibartfast

I see.. So having paco live near by was your secret weapon to frugality.

@paco: Did you reshape the heel? Trying to visualize what you are talking about?

edit: Going to take this opportunity to plug the wiki

Shopping list for beginners - Straight Razor Place Wiki
Beginner's guide to straight razor shaving - Straight Razor Place Wiki
Buying a beginner's set on a budget - Straight Razor Place Wiki

---

I will try to post pictures tonight wont be till late the old lady has us going to see footloose tonight :-(

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Ragnarokk

I will try to post pictures tonight wont be till late the old lady has us going to see footloose tonight :-(

---

just don't use one of them to cut your wrists.....



sheesh... footloose.... i would run away screaming....

Quote:

---

unless you are looking for perfection or reason to spend money this doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg.

---

man after my own heart, I ended up with 8 ebay razors for 40 quid, a fiver each which included delivery, but this was a year and a half ago when razors were going cheaper, seems to be getting busy nowadays... not that I'm complaining, more straight users the better.


actually I worked out that, for me, personally, over a lifetime I would spend about £20,000 quid if I shaved with mach 3's instead of straights. Straight shaving has cost me, so far, 640 quid(3 high quality strops, Naniwa 1k, coticule bout, BBW, 18 razors and an Ozoku kiita hone). all I need to pay for now is witchhazel, skinfood and pucks of soap.

well done you've left yourself alot of room for expansion.

Budgetary concerns were actually my number 1 factor in this. I was running through electric shavers/parts and mach 3 cartridges and canned foams to the tune of 4 or 5 hundred dollars a year. So far I've got a little over $100 invested in my wetshaving endeavour, which is about 2 months of what my previous shaving supplies cost. The great thing is, I could conceivably spend only a few bucks a month on just cream and be done with it. I don't plan on buying anything else, but Christmas is coming, followed quickly by a birthday, so I've been spreading the word when people ask me about it. I've specifically got my eye on a Boker Edelweiss and a Star Shaving strop. I like the Tweezerman brush too.

My breakdown has, I think, been pretty reasonable. I spent $30 on a razor, including honing. $7 on a strop. $10 on a brush. $25 on a barber hone(it's funny that this is the most expensive part of it). $15 on a handful of DE and SE razors. $5 on a bowl. $20 on a storage box. $5 on cream. And I'm set almost for life. No more cartridges, electric razors, cutters, cleaners, cans of foam...it's great.