LGSOTD 28-July

• Brush: Erasmic Shave Brush #FAUXFUR
• Razor: Gillette - Tech
• Blade: Gillette Super Blue
• Lather: Arko – Shaving Stick
• Post Shave: Nivea - Balm

The only positive to this shave is the razor and blade. I cannot stand the solid arko soap, be better off as a urinal cake. The brush is also terrible, seemingly synthetic bristle. I think the brush put more 'hair' on my face than the razor took off and felt like I was running a steel brush over my face.

I'm pretty damn sure I've gone off on a tangent and completely missed the point of today's theme and challenge, and I was egged on by the Mrs to attempt to work this out, whether it's right or not is another thing. I've tried to put the workings under a spoiler so no one was forced to read it. If it didn't work I'm sorry, I would strongly suggest just skipping to the end!

!Someone threw in an arko stick on a bst purchase a good while ago, so I haven't actually bought any. But went checking prices. So a 12 pack of arko = £10.87, each stick is approx 75g(91p per stick) which equals about 10.87/(12x75) = 1.2p per g. This stick was 76g pre shave, and this was the weight of the stick post shave. Obviously no change so I'll round up,  shave soap cost me 1.2p for this shave.!<

!The nivea men fresh is about £3 for 150ml, this one is a fresh jar so the weight is as new (can't discount the jar on this one). So the same exercise will have to suffice with this being the 189g pre shave and this is the 188g post shave. So 300p/188g = 1.6p, so I used 1g for a total cost in this shave of 1.6 pence.!<

!The razor is a little trickier, I wasn't sure what this one went for, but the best I could find was 89¢ (CAD) in 1968. So to account for inflation this would equate to approximately $7.48 (CAD). This would convert to approximately £4.42.!<

!The blades picked up from bigdealsmart, 100 for £9.20, so 9p.!<

!The god awful brush was popped in as an extra on an ebay purchase for a puck and mug of Shulton Old Spice, clearly hasn't been used since purchase. This is £3.15 from Savers.!<

!Finally the water, it's £1.4526 per cubic meter, 1 cubic meter = 1000 litres =1,000,000mL. 145.26p/1,000,000 = 0.00015p. 1g water =1mL.Weight of water pre shave 934g, and weight of water post shave 540g. So with 394g = 394mL x 0.00015p = £0.06p!<

So this shave cost approximately £3.15 (brush) + £4.42 (razor) + £0.09p (blade) + £0.01 (soap) + £0.02p (balm) + £0.06p (water) = £7.75, though the hardware is of course reusable.

Converted to USD for the majority this is $9.91.

Nice finish, cheap but not an enjoyable shave. I think I'm a little happier with the extra cash I've dropped on my gear, I feel a little more justified in my hoarding ways.

Hope everyone has a grand shave.

Cheers

Marc

#ROTY

Fri Jul 28 2023

• Prep: Coffee, Face wash soap/warm water
• Razor: Merkur - 34C HD
• Blade: Feather HI Stainless
• Brush: AP Shave Co 26mm 2Bed Knot In The Zen Handle
• Lather: Derby - Normal Moisturizing Cream
• Post Shave: Pinaud - Clubman AS Lotion

Not a fan of the derby but it sure is cheap and the Pinaud is very well priced.

ROTY

July 28, 2023 – El Cheapo

• Brush: Omega 40033 24mm
• Razor: Gillette Tech
• Blade: 7 O’Clock – Sharpedge (Yellow) (4)
• Lather: Arko – Arko
• Post Shave: Nivea – Sensitive Post Shave Balm
• Fragrance: Chatillon Lux – Agua Fresca

Cheap day! I will be honest, if I told myself I’d save money for it was only briefly. Before I bought my first razor I was actually concerned about getting started because the barrier to entry into wetshaving, before you even know if you can do it, is pretty high. (Starter sets make it easier but, unless you stumble into the sub first you may not find them. So you end up like me, buying a $27 Parker, then separately soaps and splashes in samples, which cost shipping, remembering you need a brush, paying more shipping. Then trying to figure out how blades work, shipping more.) I did some back of the napkin math to make sure I wouldn’t spend significantly more. That math was useless once I found the sub and thrill. Oh well. TBQH, I’ve probably still spent less than a new norelco costs over it’s (increasingly short) life cycle. And I’m starting to tamp down my fomo, and focus on using what I already have… Oh remote learning, gotta order that.

OK, well fine. But this still is less than some of my other hobbies (gaming, homebrew, hunting). And it’s less by… A lot. Pretty sure my den is less than my Xbox, nevermind the TV we got for it, the gamepass, new controllers…. Let’s not talk about how much I could spend on the hunting equipment if I wanted to.

So anyway, here’s my discount shave. Obviously Arko is the cheapest you can get. I planned on this early but didn't have any in my den, but u/loudmusicboy saved me from having to buy a whole tub or stick. Thanks! I didn’t find the smell horrible (but I’ve used war.) definitely medicinal. Brush is a $6 boar I got to try boars when I ordered But first an experiment. The razor is a post war tech. Based on some research they went for less than a dollar around the time this was made (mid to late 50s) which is less than $10 today. All the blades in my den basically cost the same. On a per shave basis I get a bit more shaves out of the yellows. This one in particular has been abused to hell, baby oil shaves 3 different razors. Left handed shaving. And it’s still going. Nivea balm is pretty cheap, certainly cheaper than artisan stuff and the Jack Black I have as well. About the frag. As mentioned I don’t have a lot of frags, and the Chatillon Lux discovery set is really well priced. 11 two ml samples for $25, at the time I bought it, making this the cheapest frag in my den. Even now it’s only $30. If you’re like me and don’t use a lot of frags, and want variety, you could almost survive on ordering this set over and over again. On a price/ml basis it’s the same as the full bottles basically and you aren’t tied to one scent. Though I might get some YRP or maybe unconditional surrender.

Speaking of frags my #fof is a little disjointed here. The Arko is as I said medicinal. Maybe a hint of lemon. I was stunned that it kinda worked with the soft unisex fruit in the Agua Fresca. But it did. I had a little trouble developing expectations for the Agua Fresca. As noted, I’m from the same area as Shawn and this is another scent where the inspiration just doesn’t match my experience. It’s supposedly inspired by Cherokee Street, but that area is known for Mexican culture and food. I was pretty sure a margarita frag was not sometime he’d do. Sure “fruity drinks” I guess, but it’s not really a Pina colada either. The bars of the central west end (heavily trafficked by college students) may have been a better narrative. (seeing as Landing was already taken for admiral.) But it’s a good scent, probably a bit too fruity to me.

For #photocontest here is gaming. My daughter insisted we use Tears of the kingdom since she’s playing that. So I obliged. I wanted to use “Sorry” which is like the theme of lather games. (“sorry honey about this choas,” sorry players I stole your bit, etc.)

OK #ROTY people, 2 more. Let’s do this!

Edited because I forgot to thank u/loudmusicboy.

Lather games day 28

• Prep: Warm water
• Brush: Hand - right
• Razor: Tih Trud safety razor #UNICORN #JETSETTER
• Blade: Sputnik
• Lather: Fresh Up Cosmetics - Kupa
• Post Shave: Men's Master Professional - Aftershave

Today I'll go cheapest I can!

--- Prep: ~1.7$/1000l use 50 ml.( asking why?!? Coz I am one scrape penny son of a bitch) ~0.000085 $

--- Brush: Right hand 0.00$ ( but priceless lover and has a name to and if judges want to know it = 10 000 points ) I don't wanted to amortize any of my brushes coz it worth maybe 0.000000007 $ and I don't wanted to spend so much money.

--- Razor: old Bulgarian safety razor. Outdated. Not in production from got known when. Friend found it in drawer " you like this stuff take it" price 0.00$. I found some of them selling about 10-25$ totally overpriced and nobody will give them this money and they'll have them forever. My friend from shaving club find picture to similar from same brand with price from 12 may 1965 and it is ~0.72$. Another shave buddy's uncle worked in this factory said that make it from late '50 to '80 but he think my OC is '50-'60. I believed because is so shity like I make it in my garage with dremel and hammer ( and maybe I'll make it better ).

--- Blade: safety razor was given to me with some old blades inside the box and because I find same brand but new production I take 100 of them coz they was discounted. Sputnik 2.24$ for 100 blades ~ 0.02$

--- Lather: you already knew two of deck of cards shaving creams clubs, diamonds now is hearts! There is spades to. Price is ~ 0.76$ / 100 grams and I used ~2 grams ( more then enough ) and price is ~ 0.01$

--- Post shave: today I didn't use alum block to not money only aftershave. I already use Men's Master Professional - Aftershave balm. Now i used aftershave. I keep it for today because is cheaper then balm. Price ~2.24$/120ml I use 2ml price ~0.03$

Today luxury and expensive shave cost: ~0.060085 $ bite me Uncle Scrooge!!!

In conclusion cheap is cheap. Cream and aftershave is kinda OK but safety razor is so pure made and even you can't make a right angle to the blade because teeth of base plate are to long and blade can't touch the face. Has a travel plastic case with designated compartment for blades but this is only convenience that this set provides.

And a short video if someone wants to waste time

ROTY

July 28, 2023

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• Prep: Shower
• Brush: Zenith 507U XSE
• Razor: Gillette - Slim Adjustable
• Blade: Gillette Platinum
• Lather: Arko - Stick
• Post Shave: Old Spice - Original
• Fragrance: Stirling - Barbershop

​

For today's frugal shave and challenge, I went with my "cheapest" items. Cheap of course being relative, but I picked the items that cost the least amount at MSRP. Starting with the Zenith brush, which costs $20.72, a Gillette Slim Adjustable which costed $1.50 when new, Gillette Platinum blades which were 100 for $10, an Arko stick at $2.99, Old Spice from India for $8.99, and finishing it up with some Stirling Barbershop EDT for $23.95. Coming in at a grand total of $58.25 if you only calculate the cost of one of the 100 blades. But the true metric would be cost per use, as the Arko and Barbershop EDT have a finite number of uses, while the razor doesn't. The Arko itself comes out to 4 cents per gram, which is probably one of, if not the cheapest price per gram for a soap.

​

Honestly, saving money always feels nice, but I didn't get into the hobby for savings. Some of these products, such as the Arko, are a legit bargain, as well as the cost of the blades. Compared to other hobbies however, it can be very affordable, and you can spend as much or little as you'd like. Anyway, a good "frugal" shave today

​

Until tomorrow!

#ROTY

• Brush: Omega 10098

• Razor: Gillette Old Type

• Blade: Dorco ST-300

• Lather: Arko - Shaving Soap

• Post Shave: Aqua Velva - Classic Ice Blue

• Fragrance: Parfums Belcam - Nitro

Today's Theme: Frugal Friday - Arko, for the same reason everyone else picked arko. Because we're not sophisticated enough to use Derby shave sticks.

Today's Challenge: Frugal Friday - Alright so let's walk through this.

• Omega 10098 is a $10 boar brush, easily the cheapest brush I own.
• Gillette Old Type because inflation isn't real. Inflation can't hurt me. Now why don't you just get a job as a cashier and buy a house like your parents did. They're millionaires now and all you do is complain that things are expensive. Oh, you have a corporate job? And you rent from your parents? And they charge you 4x their 1980's-era mortgage payment for that rent? Well sheesh, maybe you shouldn't have taken out so much in college loans. Your dad paid his way through college by working at the campus book store part time.
• Dorco ST-300 is actually $5.50 for a 100-pack on Amazon right now, almost half the price of astra SP's. Buy now before prices go up or something https://www.amazon.com/Dorco-ST300-Platinum-Double-Blades/dp/B001MJSAJQ
• Arko - again, for the same reason everyone else picked arko. Because we missed out on La Toja thrill when prices were reasonable.
• Aqua Velva Classic Ice Blue, was a decant from /u/j33pguy13 he sent me a while back because I'd never tried AV. I wonder if we paid USPS more to ship this decant than it would have cost me to buy it at the store.
• And now, the pièce de résistance of my frugal friday shave - my fragrance.

I actually was planning to use Southern Witchcraft's Valley of Ashes. At $22 for a 30ml bottle it's one of the best deals in artisan fragrances. I'd had it planned out for weeks. This was going to be the one nice part of my shave today! But then, as I was going through my LG spreadsheet yesterday afternoon and reveling in the recent shitlisting of my matcha lather post, it dawned on me. I had pivoted to Tabac for dickhole day and gotten the cheapest Tabac Eau de Cologne I could find online in order to limit my losses.

$17.31 for 150ml of geriatric misery. and it was already used on a prior day of our blessed Lather Games.

I played myself.

I fell to my knees in an arby's. I drove around downtown Denver begging (thru texts) /u/USS-Spongebob family for cheap juice. I cried out to the heavens "DOES AXE BODY SPRAY COUNT AS A FRAGRANCE" in the lather games discord channel. But alas, I had only one option: I was compelled to return to Walmart. I had accidentally gotten rerouted to a nearby walmart of which I was previously unaware when road work blocked off the usual back entrance to my favorite King Soopers when I needed heavy whipping cream for my matcha lather the night before wildcard wednesday. So now I knew where I could get some cheap stuff. But what would I get? Well, as I waited for the non-functioning "call attendant" button to summon a Walmart employee to unlock the glass case that housed their collection of sub-$20 colognes and perfumes, I saw it. My savior. $7.98 for 100ml of something called Nitro that blatantly displayed on the box that it was a dupe of HUGO. I'd never smelled HUGO before, but the bottle looked blue, and the AV decant was also blue, so I sussed out a theme I could pivot to. Toilet bowl cleaner. God bless walmart, and god bless America.

My theme for today's shave: Office Bathrooms After They've Been Cleaned

Everyone is familiar with the Arko = urinal cake scent comparison. But have you considered that Aqua Velva and Nitro (the supposed HUGO dupe) both smell like that blue toilet bowl cleaning liquid that janitorial staff always leaves in the toilet bowls after they clean a stall? Well they do. So now I smell like a clean office bathroom. I'm not happy about it, but surprisingly my fiancee said I smell kind of good. I think she's just happy I didn't get to use Valley of Ashes. #photocontest #FOF #ROTY

Edit: I forgot to talk about music. In honor of the HUGO dupe called Nitro, I picked Dark Passion Play by Nightwish which is the first album the band released after they kicked out Tarja Turunen. Dark Passion Play is a cheap imitation of what Nightwish was with Tarja. I don't know if they ever found their identity with the new singer, but I will forever cherish the Tarja era of Nightwish.

July 28, 2023 – Month of Lather Day 28

• Brush: Yaqi 20mm Tuxedo Synthetic
• Razor: No-Name-Brand Tech Knock-off
• Blade: Feiyu New Carbon Steel (1)
• Blade: Rapira Swedish Supersteel (2)
• Preshave: Stirling Soap Co. – Unscented
• Lather: RazoRock – Classic
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. – Stirling Blu Balm
• Fragrance: No-Name-Brand - Sport Club for Men EdP
• Music: Molly Hatchet - Flirtin' with Disaster

Daily Theme/Challenge: Here are the cheapest products in my staving stash:

1. Brush: $7.00 USD. This is a second/reject with a cosmetic flaw that does not affect performance. I got this for the Games just in case I needed a "disposable" brush.
2. Bowl: $1.50 USD. Purchased for $2 SGD at the local Singapore dollar store. My first "dedicated" lather bowl and still one of my better performers.
3. Razor: $1.54 USD. This is Cheap China $#!+ (CCS) at its finest. The head is a stamped aluminum Tech head knock-off and the handle is a cast aluminum Merkur 23C long handle knock-off; both with sus quality control typical of CCS. I got this to make an AliExpress purchase quality for free shipping. In hindsight i should have paid the shipping charge.
4. Blade: $0.024 USD. Yes, you read that right - 2.4 cents. It came with a cheap-@$$ razor hair cutter comb. The only place I can them are on Alibaba at 8 cents for a tuck of 10 (minimum purchase 400 tucks). Assuming 50% logistics cost and 100% retail markup, that works out to 24 cents for the tuck and 2.4 cents for the blade. This price should have scared me, but you only live once...

Total Hardware Cost: $10.064

1. Preshave: $0.0321 per gram. Stirling is half the price of other preshaves I've used yet it's better than the rest. Well done Stirling!
2. Lather: $0.0399 per gram. This is 40% cheaper than the retail tubs of Proraso and Cella that I have. Wow.
3. Post Shave: $0.0701 per gram. Stirling Rocks!
4. Fragrance: $0.0214 per gram. Purchased for $1 SGD at the local Singapore dollar store. The alcohol content is so high that it nearly evaporates on contact.

Total Software Cost: $0.1635 per gram

The Shave: Pass 1 with the Feiyu CCS blade was the worst shaving pass I've ever experienced. Imagine taking a blade, buffing it on broken chunks of concrete and then shaving with it. That was this pass. Stupidly, I forced myself to do Pass 1 with the blade and it was torturous. Call me a wimp but there was no way I was doing another pass with that blade, so I loaded the Rapira Sweed and did Pass 2 without donating any more blood. I'm not going to pull an u/OnionMiasma and be stuck having to use the CCS blade or razor ever again, so they immediately were tossed in the sharps/recycle bins. #ROTY

• Brush: Simpson Classic #1 synthetic brush
• Razor: Karve Shaving Christopher Bradley
• Lather: Gillette - regular shaving cream
• Post Shave: Old spice - Original
• Fragrance: Barrister and Mann - Lavender Interrupted

ROTY

Only 2 shaves remaining...

Today I shaved with what I have determined to be the absolute cheapest available lather product sold at Maggards. It is the Gillette brand regular shaving cream. Apparently this is the Maha jumbo offering with a whopping 33 percent extra for free! Lucky me… At 4.95 per 93 grams, it costs a wallet friendly 5 cents per gram. Cheaper than a Godrej puck at 6 cent per gram. (sold out at time of writing) Technically the Derby and Arko shave sticks would have been cheaper per gram, but they are both also sold out and I don't think I would buy any lather product in "stick" form. Smells like all the other crappy tube creams readily available from the store.

Went with the old spice classic aftershave because it was free to me, but is probably also very cheap when compared to artisan splashes I'm sure. So I think it fits the bill

The razor was a gift so although not particularly cheap it didn't cost me anything. I also only have 2 brushes and the Simpson classic is the cheaper of the 2.

I guess it feels good saving money. But to be honest I'd rather use all the great artisan software I have and support those who make it. Hopefully this tube of crap will last many lather games as it will surely be packed away until next games. Photographic evidence below.

https://imgur.com/gallery/XGBdhTg

Went with Barrister and Mann's Lavender Interrupted for the fragrance choice again because it was also free to me. I wore this one yesterday as well for lavender day and had the chance to meet up with Mr and Mrs. u/OnionMiasma for beers at my work. We were both wearing the same fragrance and apologized to each other for its strength, which I found pretty hilarious. To be honest though, I couldn't tell because I could only smell myself. It was wonderful to link up with another member of the sub and I really had a good time hanging. With the enjoyable evening u/tsrblke and family provided earlier this month, I'm 2 for 2 on meeting awesome people from the sub. Both were perfect gentleman and would love to meet up again sometime. Open invite to anyone in or traveling through Chicago, shoot me a message, well crush some beers!

Cheers and have an awesome day everyone!

• Brush: Van Der Hagen Boar Brush
• Razor: Van Der Hagen 85mm Safety Razor
• Blade: Tiger Platinum
• Lather: Stirling Soap Company- Triumph
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Company - Triumph

ROTY

July 28, 2023

• Brush: Omega Pro 49
• Razor: Maggard Razors DE Safety Razor MR1 Stainless Steel V3
• Blade: Astra Superior Platinum (1)
• Lather: Arko – Shave Stick
• Post Shave: Aqua Velva - Ice Blue
• Fragrance: Antonio Puig - Agua Lavanda

Arko -- $2.99 for 75g

Aqua Velva -- $4.98 ($0.71 / Fl Oz)

Astra Superior Platinum -- $8.09 ($0.08 / Blade)

Omega Pro 49 -- $9.99, my cheapest brush

Lavanda Puig -- 14.99 for 25.5 Oz ($0.59 / Fl Oz)

Maggard Razors V3 -- Don't remember how much I paid for this exactly, currently listed at $24.95 and easily my cheapest razor.

All in all a pretty good shave, none of them are my favorites these days but definitely useable. If I really was in this for saving money I would mostly be happy with these products, but variety is the spice of life.

#ROTY

July 28, 2023 – Frugal Friday

• Brush: Edwin Jagger Best Badger #ANCIENT #WEDONTNEEDNOSTINKINGBADGERS
• Razor: Merkur 34C
• Blade: Astra SP (1)
• Lather: Red House Farm – Prairie Dog
• Post Shave: Thayers - Original
• Fragrance: Duke Cannon – Sawtooth

The Brush/Soap: I bought this brush a little over 11 years ago for $46 when I first began my foray into better shaving with creams. This little workhorse got me through a number of years and remains my go to traveling brush. While I did receive this soap as a PIF from u/grindermonk, thanks again for that, it is also the cheapest soap in my den at ($0.11/g). Don’t let the steal of a price fool you though as this soap has a fantastic scent and lathers up well even using my cheap Cumberbatch bowl ($10).

The Razor/Shave: Admittedly I never started with a super cheap razor. I went from cartridge shaving to DE shaving via a Merkur 34C. For the low cost of $47 from Pasteur this is a hell of a gentle razor. I paired my cheapest blade with it, a $0.1 Astra SP, for ultimate cost saving shaving. The combination provided a gentle and smooth shave.

Post Shave/Frag: By far my cheapest post shave is Thayers at a whopping $0.79 per ounce. While cheap, it is also quite effective and still in regular use for me. I followed that up with some Duke Cannon Sawtooth ($13.53/oz).

Theme/Challenge: For the cheapest shave out of my den it is actually quite an enjoyable experience. The real question is how much did I save? Well lets add up what the most expensive shave would cost assuming 2 grams of soap are used, 0.1 oz aftershave, and .005 oz Fragrance. The cost differential per shave turns out to be a massive $508.12 when brush, bowl, and razor are included. If we remove them, however, and only focus on the consumables the differential drops to $1.12. So let me tell you, It feels good to save a buck and change. Only 23 more shaves and I can save enough for a new soap, Hooray.

#ROTY

Day 28 - Frugal Friday

• Brush: Maggard Razors - Black Resin Handle Synthetic Shaving Brush
• Razor: Baili - BR179
• Blade: Derby
• Lather: Edge - Extra Moisturizing
• Post Shave: Lubriderm - Daily
• Fragrance: Clinique Happy - Clinique Happy

I bought most of my stuff from the bazaar, so it all was cheap... cheaper. But today, I went with the edge and lotion. Changed the blade out for Derby to keep the cost down. Haha. I didn't really use the brush because of the foam.

For the fragrance, I went to the Clinique Happy. You can't beat it at that price point.

Edit I have been thinking about this since my post and looking at other people's posts. I bet if you did the math the 5.8 oz Stirling is the cheapest per shave. It is such a good soap and heavy pour. I wish I would have used my Stirling. Tear.

ROTY #FOF

July 28, 2023

https://imgur.com/gallery/S5bjgDI

Prep: None

Brush: Anbbas - Birch handle synthetic

Razor: Rockwell 6s R6 Plate

Blade: Astra - Platinum Green

Lather: Arko

Post Shave: None

All things cheap day! So this was my 2nd shave using Arko soap, and I really can't get past the burnt plastic smell. But, hey, it's cheap. Also, credit where credit is due; my face did feel freaking awesome after the shave, so it's definitely not a bad soap at all. Just the smell, man. That damn smell. Anyways I used a cheap synthetic brush/stand/bowl combo I bought on Amazon a while back. The Astra greens were super cheap in a 500 pack. Besides the scratchy brush, it turned out to be a nice shave. And I'm sure I saved some money along the way somewhere.

#ROTY

7/28/23

• Brush: Muninn Woodworks w/ 24mm Silvertip
• Razor: Wade & Butcher 7/8, "The Celebrated Extra Hollow" Barber's Notch
• Lather: Arko - Shave Stick
• Post Shave: Pinaud - Clubman Aftershave Lotion

This is a brush I had made for my dad a couple years ago. The knot is a 24mm Silvertip from The Golden Nib and the handle is a piece of black buffalo horn. The knot I had gotten for $30 and the horn for $10. Making this the cheapest brush in my den at $40.

I wanted to try this Arko stick again after trying it for the first time on "It's so fluffy I could die" day. Then I realized it was the cheapest soap I have. It still smells super soapy, but my lather was better this time. It's definitely a good alternative for a quick travel shave soap. My only real gripe with it is the scent. Smells like I'm shaving with hand soap. I got this stick for $2.87.

This W&B I paid $49 for and cleaned up myself. It is a wonderful shaver that takes a keen edge and has a super light feel. I also made the scales myself, which contain $3.33 in hardware, about $.25 in Buckeye Burl and about $.10 in resin. This brings the total for this razor to $52.68. Making it surprisingly my cheapest razor.

The Pinaud I picked up for $9, and by volume is the cheapest splash I have. I really like this splash, I wish the scent would last a lot longer. I also wish an artisan would do a scent like this.

I didn't break this all down by $:ml/g, but in what I ultimately paid for each of these things. I have razors that don't cost as much, but I didn't pay for those. This brings todays shave set up to: $104.55.

#ROTY

July. 28, 2023 - SOTD 

• Prep: Splash of warm water
• Brush: Van Der Hagen Synthetic
• Razor: Van Der Hagen Gun Metal Safety Razor
• Blade: Van Der Hagen Safety Blade
• Lather: 345 Soap Co - Apotheosis
• Post Shave: Nivea Men - Sensitive Soothing Aftershave Balm

Went back to my very first kit I ever got on the cheap in case I didn't like the hobby.

ROTY

July 28, 2023 – R/wicked_edge Made Me Do It

• Brush: My Own Bare Hands
• Razor: Gillette Guard
• Lather: Old Spice – Swagger Shampoo and Conditioner
• Post Shave: Stirling Soap Co. – Arkadia

When the LG calendar was released THIS was not the shave I had planned. In fact I hadn’t really had much of a plan. I started on this wetshaving journey with a Maggard starter kit and then some samples and eventually sets. I’d only in the last couple years secured a job in a field that afforded me actual disposable income to spend on hobbies. So while still a frugal and price conscious consumer I am happy to pay a premium for premium products. So what to do? Arko? Derby? Col. Conk? Maybe another canned goo to replace the awful one time use of the one earlier this month that has been banished from my den?

And then, as if from the gods, an answer appeared from r/wicked_edge. Apparently more than one person over there has figure out that all you really need to a great shave is plain old hair conditioner! Forget the brush. Forget the creams, the croaps, the pre shaves, pucks, and tallow based soaps! Apparently the revelation had left previous enthusiasts crushed, wayward, yet secure in knowing the truth. That the answer to a perfect shave lay right there in the corner of their shower. Conditioner. So I had to.

I entered this shave with trepidation. What if they were right? Who would I be? To myself, my family, my community. To God. As a greenhorn to the conditioner game I wanted to trust a purveyor with legacy, a soap maker I could trust, but one who is not afraid of innovation. The sweetest fruit of Proctor and Gambles portfolio, Old Spice. Checked over there on ol man Bezos site and I can get 58.4 ounces of this sucker for a ball hairs less than $20 US. For my scent… Swagger. Trust me there were plenty cartoon characters to choose from. But I don’t need a Tony the Tiger, I am a man so I chose swagger for its classy branding and having a scent profile described as an intoxicating blend of citrus and cedar. The only prep I needed for tonight was a nice cool bath after a day out in the sun and a good hair washing and conditioning with… Swagger.

As for the shave? Terrible. Jesus. This one was bad. I’m not sure if it’s because I was out on the beach all day, or that I was using a Gillette Guard for the fourth time that was hanging out at the bottom of my Dopp kit, maybe that I’ve been shaving daily for the past month, or that fucking 2 in 1 shampoo and conditioner is just a shit dumper of a product to use as a shaving soap. This was not a fun shave. I’m not going to do it any justice by describe any sort of performance or passes. But it was fun to write and I hope fun to read. I could have splashed with my cheapest, Clubman Special Reserve, but I want to sleep in the same bed as my girlfriend tonight. Also, after that shave I wanted to treat myself with a splash that was actually nice to my face and actually citrus and cedar so Stirling’s Arkadia fit the bill, and my girl will be happy to kiss me tonight.

Cheers! 🤙

ROTY

Jul. 28, 2023
Brush: Omega Synthetic
Razor: Merkur 37c
Blade: Astra SP Green
Lather: Van Der Hagen - Shave Soap - Soap

I got this shave soap like 8~ years ago before I gave up wet shaving and used a buzzer. I got a job that requires me to be clean shaven about 4 years ago that got me back into wet shaving. When I bought the puck it was at a Walgreens. I went through two pucks at the time this was my 3rd I ever bought and I had no idea about artisan soaps at all. I got this merkur 37c on sale for like 23$. Coulda used a bic disposable but no fun in that. And this omega brush I bought for travel. It’s a trash brush though so I just let it fester in my den.

Here’s my lineup.

Van der hagen soap: $2.99 Shitty dollar tree mug: $1.00 Merkur 37c: 23$ Omega synthetic shit brush: $8~

Shave went surprisingly well. The soap no longer smells of the shea butter they used to use. It smells like basic soap now. I cut it up and melted it in this shitty bowl 8-9 years ago. Merkur 37c I love for one pass shaves. Omega brush is trash and sucks at splaying or lathering. It’s stiff af and took work to get a good lather(prob a brush soap combo issue). 5/10 shave. Cheers!

https://imgur.com/a/wyOOCFt

ROTY

JULY 28, 2023

• Brush: Stirling Synthetic 24mm ($10)
• Razor: Shaving Revolution - Long Handle DE butterfly ($16.88)
• Lather: Harry’s - Shaving Gel ($6 for 4oz)
• Post Shave: CeraVe - daily moisturizing Lotion ($10 for 12 oz)

Today sucked!!! Save myself some Mulaa but was not comfortable throughout the day. What can I say about Harry’s gel….. aside from the price not much else to say. I tried using my brush with it = epic failure! Didn’t smell like anything and the lotion didn’t help. One pass and I had enough. Maybe tomorrow’s shave will bring me joy? One can only hope!!!

DAILY CHALLENGE: So HERE is the breakdown of my morning shave savings!!! It’s actually one of my first sets that I got when I started wetshaving. Oh the memories…. Yeah don’t miss it. Total for all including lotion = $42.88!!! That’s a cheap deal for hardware. Ya’ll have a good night!

ROTY

July 28, 2023

• Brush: Assured for Men 16mm Synthetic #RUNT #SMOLL
• Razor: Assured for Men DE
• Blade: Assure for Men (1)
• Lather: Power Stick Shave Gel
• Post Shave: Power Stick After Shave Lotion
• Fragrance: Abbate y La Mantia – Garribaldi

Welp. Today is this day that I make good on the u/OnionMiasma Power Stick PIF. Some quick googling puts the gel and aftershave at around $0.03 per mL. By far the cheapest thing I own. I didn’t even bother to look up the brush or the razor because they are absolutely the cheapest things I’ve ever seen. I’m also pretty sure this box of blades is cheaper than a box of Astra Greens (the other cheap blade I own). Garibaldi is by far my cheapest frag ($0.275 per mL), entirely due to it being in a comically large bottle. The original PIF included a Power Stick Deodorant spray that I think I was supposed to call a frag? I didn't do this for two reasons: first deodorants aren't frags (I may work in a school, but I don't behave like I'm in school); second the sprayer didn't work on arrival. I blame the heat in transit. I'll gladly take the easy way out.

Now for the shave. This stuff SUCKS. Surprisingly it lathered, this process was surprisingly quick with this brush. The brush broke while applying to the face, so I just scooped and used my hands for most of the shave. After applying the lather, the bubbles all disappeared instantly, which is probably why you don’t lather gels, but after the shave I absolutely can not get this shit off my face. I had to towel off the extra gel and it’s still not gone. This is the worst. I only did one pass, because the safety bar is clearly bent. So, it has two entirely different shave angles depending on which side you use. I used the same side for the whole shave, and the blade was super tuggy and, pretty much, barely worked. Luckily I’m shaving before bed, so I can fix it with tomorrow’s shave. By far the worst shave of the lather games, quite possibly the worst shave of my entire life. If this is what it takes to save money, I'd rather spend myself into debt.

No ride today, dropped my bike off with the shop to get a new stem put on to try and get some handlebar changes. Hoping I can fix my hand numbness (which also made today’s shave worse). LG Mileage: 111 miles.

Tags: #ROTY