save money and conserve?

I heard the argument that classic wet shaving with a straight or DE razor will save money and conserve resources. I'm not sure if it conserves resources but we would have to get a whole lot of figures and statistics to figure that one out and I'm not quite up to it as of now. I was curious about how much money one would save though so I thought I'd make some comparisons (these figures are guaranteed to be all messed up because there are so many variables but I figured I'd give it a shot and you can feel free to make whatever comments you feel like making).

Now before I start I want to make one thing absolutely clear! I am not even almost considering going back to one of those multiple bladed monstrosities and I don't recommend that anybody else does either. I just felt that this particular argument wasn't all that accurate. I enjoyed shaving about as much as a trip to the dentist before I started this and now not only do I enjoy it but I'm frickin obsessed! I just think that people actually do this more as a hobby and because it brings some fun and a sense of pride to a daily activity.

alright, enough of the soap-box! lets get to it

Mach 3 w/ 3 blades $8.77
24 pack of blades on sale $35.95

-it is recommended that you change the blade every week so for the mach 3 and a year supply of blades at this cost we have $80.67

a 7 oz can of aveeno shaving gel costs $4 but I'm not sure how long it will last so I didn't include this

now everybody is different but here are some costs that I came up with for straight shaving

vulfix super badger brush $60
taylor of old bond street shaving cream $13.50
heirloom razor strop $50
norton 4k/8k waterstone $75
new dovo 5/8 carbon blade $60

total 258.50

Now this is higher but over time I'm thinking this would pay itself off as long as you stuck to what is on this list but I don't think anybody on this forum could do that.

when you throw in extra products like other soaps, creams, preshaves, aftershaves, more stones, more brushes, and more blades....

so my conclusion is that this would save money over time if one were to stick to the necessities but I think we are all addicts so this argument for saving money does not even almost apply in our case

:nj

actually a can of goo lasts for about a month. And some cans are more expensive than others....also blades are more expensive over here (more like $6 a piece almost)

and don't even get started on the Fusion blades and goo....those cost even more.

Once you have a nice stack of soaps etc (like I do now) you can last for AGES without buying something new.

I have't bought nything shaving related in almost six months now.

That's 26 mach 3 blades at (let's be kind) say $5 a piece makes $130 on blades and 6 cans of goo that I used to buy for around $6 a piece. That makes $166 dollars for half a year.

That's what I USED to pay in realism. So yeah...considering the $140 razor I bought a year ago....and the (somewhere around) $50 or so dollars of soap I have (both of which will last me more than a year) including the $40 strop, the $40 brush and the other $20 razor I have I'd say I'm WAAY ahead of the game.

I mean let's face it.

$270 for more than 3 year's of shaving with a straight (ok let's include stones and it'd be up to $300 or so)

or around $300 for a year? Methinnks my straight is winning this.

$6 a blade! Holy Jesus! You should've bought that s*^t online!

from what I here (although it sucks) the mach 3 does offer a close shave and was a pretty innovative design but the fusion pretty much brings nothing new to the table except more blades.

I do see that over time the gear would start paying for itself and maybe this buy everything I can possibly think of is just a phase that newbies go through.

Anywho, this was just for fun. I don't think anybody who has tried classic wetshaving with a straight or DE (I wouldn't say it is the recommended method but it's better than some of the alternatives) would go back. I don't see how anybody could go back to a can of goo after applying a lathering shaving cream or soap with a badger brush or go back to scraping 3 or 5 blades across your face after getting great results from 1.

If you use a boar bristle brush and palmolive or gilette shaving cream you'll save already $50 on your initial outlay methinks. Instead of a DOVO you can also buy a Wapienica razor at about $ 10.-- from SRP member Wojtec. They have the added advantage for a newb they're real easy to hone. It is not necessary to use top of the market creams and brushes to successfully shave w/ a str8. the razor, strop and stone will last you a life time so w/ an initial outlay of less than $200 you can get started. What makes str8 shaving real expensive is the highly contagious SRAAD (straight razor associated acquisition disorder).

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by saladbar2000

I heard the argument that classic wet shaving with a straight or DE razor will save money and conserve resources. I'm not sure if it conserves resources but we would have to get a whole lot of figures and statistics to figure that one out and I'm not quite up to it as of now. I was curious about how much money one would save though so I thought I'd make some comparisons (these figures are guaranteed to be all messed up because there are so many variables but I figured I'd give it a shot and you can feel free to make whatever comments you feel like making).

Now before I start I want to make one thing absolutely clear! I am not even almost considering going back to one of those multiple bladed monstrosities and I don't recommend that anybody else does either. I just felt that this particular argument wasn't all that accurate. I enjoyed shaving about as much as a trip to the dentist before I started this and now not only do I enjoy it but I'm frickin obsessed! I just think that people actually do this more as a hobby and because it brings some fun and a sense of pride to a daily activity.

alright, enough of the soap-box! lets get to it

Mach 3 w/ 3 blades $8.77
24 pack of blades on sale $35.95

-it is recommended that you change the blade every week so for the mach 3 and a year supply of blades at this cost we have $80.67

a 7 oz can of aveeno shaving gel costs $4 but I'm not sure how long it will last so I didn't include this

now everybody is different but here are some costs that I came up with for straight shaving

vulfix super badger brush $60
taylor of old bond street shaving cream $13.50
heirloom razor strop $50
norton 4k/8k waterstone $75
new dovo 5/8 carbon blade $60

total 258.50

Now this is higher but over time I'm thinking this would pay itself off as long as you stuck to what is on this list but I don't think anybody on this forum could do that.

when you throw in extra products like other soaps, creams, preshaves, aftershaves, more stones, more brushes, and more blades....

so my conclusion is that this would save money over time if one were to stick to the necessities but I think we are all addicts so this argument for saving money does not even almost apply in our case

:nj

---

Just my $0.02

Although my argument has been officially shot down, I am still glad I wrote this thread. Most of the gear that I have purchased could probably last a lifetime if properly cared for. I'm saving money (even with a higher end soap or cream like one from the 3 Ts) since most of the shaving creams we use are super concentrated and when applied with a badger brush we're getting more lather with less cream. I'm getting better lather and the brush is doing several things for me that canned goo could never do right. Like I said before, I can't see 1 reason why anybody would go back if they just stuck it out and got the technique down.

Cheaper in the long run is ok by me but my reasons also run into the footprint left. All the cans, cartriges, packaging and stuff involved in the disposable lifestyle. I love the fact that straights are out there that have been around for over a houndred years and still useable. Infact I'm honeing a 200 year old so I can shave with it :D

I'm not a granola head by any meens but I also don't like the ammount of crap we dump, use up, wrap around stuff, just because it's easyer than doing it yourself.

Amazing what things come into focus when you look out the back door of you work to see the amounts a garbage that piles up everyday.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by LX_Emergency

also blades are more expensive over here (more like $6 a piece almost)

---

:eek: where have you been buying cartridges? $6 is a bit much, they're usually about $3.5 (per cartridge) in shops, if you buy a packet of eight.

As DwarvenChef said that is one of the reasons I did take this up. To Conserve the amounts of shite we place in our landfills and such from such a task. The Disposable razor inventor was a genius, EVIL genius really.

I feel that I am doing my part some ways more then others lol. But it is nice to get this accomplishment through sharpening and keeping things in good shape to keep YOU in good shape.

well i definately belive that my straight WILL last a life time and more who can buy just one?? i sure cant but maybe that is the impulse shopper in me or i just having choice in what i use, but yea i could never go back to those crappy razors that just cost way to much for the job that they do plus i am (as the chef so lightly put it) kind of a granola head and cant dont really like the waste that goes on so much these days. and the stuff in a can ewww, which reminds me im almost out of my shaving cream (good thing i go on leave in 5 days so wont be needing it for a bit) any suggestions on a soap/cream to go for next?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by bjrn

:eek: where have you been buying cartridges? $6 is a bit much, they're usually about $3.5 (per cartridge) in shops, if you buy a packet of eight.

---

I think you're confusing euro's for dollars now. When I was shaving with the M3 they were around 3.5-4 euro's a piece. That's almost $6 us dollars.

Besides...it doesn't matter. That's still TOO expensive.

If your mission is to save money and not get sucked into AD, straights win easy.
A wapienica, fine barber hone and strop are a relatively small investment.
Just getting some soap on the bristles of a boar brush and lathering it on your face and your soap will last forever.
I'm actually scared my soaps and cremes will last me forever, I wanna try new stuff :(.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Friggin Joe

If your mission is to save money and not get sucked into AD, straights win easy.
A wapienica, fine barber hone and strop are a relatively small investment.
Just getting some soap on the bristles of a boar brush and lathering it on your face and your soap will last forever.
I'm actually scared my soaps and cremes will last me forever, I wanna try new stuff :(.

---

There is always room to buy more. Then if you really want you can give someone else a soap, either by you selling or gifting a 'slightly used' soap :nj

Joe is Friggin right... sorry, Friggin Joe is right!

If the object is to save and consume less, then it's so easy with a straight. Buuuuuut.....

I for one got into this for reasons nothing to do with saving. I have spent a fortune. I don't even want to total it up because my wife would go nuts. But the list includes at least 6 different creams, 2 different soaps, 2 badger hair brushes, 5 razors (with a custom Livi paid for and will be picked up in person in Italy this August, so I guess 6 really), 3 colognes, 2 strops, 2 AF balms, 3 pre-shave products, moss scuttle, lather bowl, styptics and alum block, coticule, Norton 4k/8k, red paste, yellow paste... OK, now I'm really scared!

Ummmm, don't anybody tell my wife, OK? :ziplip:

I decided to take the plunge because the concept was just so damn sick! I did some calculations and found that I would be saving money after just 1-2 years (although now it seems the return investment is more like 3 years).

Now the broader argument that it conserves resources (in my mind, money is a resource that should be conserved too), I've concluded that straight shaving does save resources on a more global scale.

When you take into account manufacturing, transporting/distributing, and disposing of razors on a one to one scale, it's about the same. Straight razors would have a negligible win. Take it on a more global scale, say 1000 users to 1000 users on multiple generations, you see straight razors will start taking a more noticable lead. I think if you take it to a real-world situation, you will see straight razors taking even more of a lead. You can team up a real environmentalist (someone whose read a more recent EPA report saying how much more harmful and costly the current recycling system is compared to just throwing things into a landfill is) and a mathematician, you can probably see that how harmful using a cartridge razor is vs. time follows more of a geometric trend (or exponential?). On the other hand, how harmful using a straight razor is vs. time follows more of a logarithmic curve.

Interesting topic. It reminded me of a discussion when I was in 8th grade or there about. The discussion was more than the cost of wet shaving, but rather the cost of shaving in general.

My teacher was talking about energy costs and the discussion went something like this, "You guys are going to wake up one morning and notice that you have hair growing on your face. When it comes time to remove that hair, you'll have 2 options -- an electric razor or with shaving cream and a blade." Fast forwarding to the end of the discussion, we were told that electric razors are the least expensive way to shave.

However, all or almost all of us on this forum know that putting all costs aside, the best and only real way to shave is by using a straight razor.

Since almost exclusively using a straight razor for over 2 years now, my philosophy is this: Yes, I may be using more energy than if I used an electric razor and I'm possibly spending more than if I used a different razor for wet shaving, but it comes down to this...the shaves are superior to any other method, I really enjoy and now look forward to actually shaving, and maintaining an almost lost art is just the "icing on the cake!"

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by saladbar2000

I just think that people actually do this more as a hobby and because it brings some fun and a sense of pride to a daily activity.

when you throw in extra products like other soaps, creams, preshaves, aftershaves, more stones, more brushes, and more blades....

so my conclusion is that this would save money over time if one were to stick to the necessities but I think we are all addicts so this argument for saving money does not even almost apply in our case

:nj

---

I agree with you, Saladbar. Guys can say what they want about saving money, and maybe some of those guys are saving money, those that don't suffer from RAD. I've only been in to this since March and I'd hate to add up what I've spent on a brush and mug collection, + I now have over 30 razors, and over 25 different soaps to choose from every day, etc., etc.. (and more coming) - and believe it or not, compared to some guys, I'm a piker! :roflmao Have you seen TAZ's collection? :tu I wish I had a fouth of his stuff! But honestly, I am proud that I shave with a str8. I love it, and I don't care what it costs! :D

Regards,

Steve (also the proud owner of a turntable and many great albums)

You've got to standardise guys - compare like with like. On a per-shave basis, straights and associated paraphenalia come out cheaper (and cleaner) than Mach 3s and the like. (Hey, that's what I tell the wife, and I'm sticking to it :tu)

And in any event, I think cost is only one side of the story. Benefit should enter the equation too somewhere. "A Cost-Benefit Analysis of Straight Razor Use" - we could probably get funding from Dovo and TI....:w

James.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by DwarvenChef

Cheaper in the long run is ok by me but my reasons also run into the footprint left. All the cans, cartriges, packaging and stuff involved in the disposable lifestyle. I love the fact that straights are out there that have been around for over a houndred years and still useable. Infact I'm honeing a 200 year old so I can shave with it :D

I'm not a granola head by any meens but I also don't like the ammount of crap we dump, use up, wrap around stuff, just because it's easyer than doing it yourself.

Amazing what things come into focus when you look out the back door of you work to see the amounts a garbage that piles up everyday.

---

I guess we don't really need to bring statistics and any crazy calculations to figure this one out. 26 blades and 6 cans of goo in 6 months compared to maybe 1 pvc tub or maybe the package of your soap before you throw it in your bowl. The badger brush, razor, and strop aren't going anywhere if I can do anything about it! I read in The Art of the Straight Razor Shave pdf by chris moss that the badger brushes are made with the hair of the chinese badger which isn't endangered and is used in some chinese cuisine. Why not make full use of it if they are going to eat it anyway. From what I hear a good badger brush if properly cared for can last 10 years or longer. If you aren't sharpening hundreds of razors the stones will probably last plenty of time. It looks like we've got people shaving with 200 year old razors so compare that to the 26 disposable blades in a timespan of 6 months.....

Consider as well that most blades will last MORE than a lifetime. Guys are turning up with their grandfather's razor. I've got at least one that's over 100 years old which could be my great-great-great-grandfather's! Then there's the fact that you can sell them any time you like if you were so inclined and probably make exactly what you paid for the vintage blades. Not only is it a savings in the long run, it's an investment in the medium range ... run.

X