June 28, 2024 - Feats of Frugality
Cheap Shave theme and challenge:
Prices were at the time of purchase that I recall. I did not ounces because even though US was supposed to go metric when I was a kid, stubborn people canned it in the 80s.
Colonel Conk - $1.60 per oz.
Thayers - $0.84 per oz.
Racing club - $1.19 per oz.
Bic Metal - $1.00
Colonel Conk Brushy (aka Shaggy) approx. $6. It was part of a set with brush, mug, and soap.
I almost wrecked it using Williams earlier this month, but I got it on Ebay after I couldn’t find it in stores anymore and paid $12 for 2 pucks + shipping. Colonel Conk was in a 4 pack for $15 or $16 dollars with free shipping.
I am surprised I kept up wetshaving with how bad the brush I used when I was starting out. It is both really floppy and scratchy. Not a nice scrub, it is very unpleasant. I couldn’t find the other really cheap brush I called Pokie. It had broken off most of the tips losing about 5mm of loft. Shaggy on other hand is still losing about 10 or so hairs per shave and gets floppier each time I use it.
I chose the Bic Metal that I recently purchased to not travel with a DE in my carry on bag. Also, when I started out it was the soap, mug, and brush I went to first. DE razors came along about a month later for me. If I bought the BICs in bulk, would be even cheaper per razor and be really competitive vs. many DE razors in price per shave over a couple years.
Feats of Fragrance:
Not much good to be said here. I had 4 soaps to choose from the 4 pack of Conk I bought. I decided since Racing Club - Blue is sort of a very cheap dupe of Polo Blue, Lime would be the best fit. The vaguely citrus scent of the puck translated to almost nothing lathered. The Thayers Cucumber at least was pleasant and very recognizable as cucumber. It was the best of the bunch, and Thayers may be the best bargain in post shave products. It has been less than an hour since I applied Blue, and the scent is already getting very faint. This is after the really cheap sprayer pissed a stream of cheap cologne? all over my arm instead of a spritz of the scent. What is weaker than cologne? I know in the scent realm highest to lowest % of fragrance content goes parfum, eau de parfum, eau de toilette, and eau de cologne. I guess this is eau de bath water. Sadly, when I bought it last year at 5 Below, it was probably the best of the scents they had there.
I might need to give myself a luxury pre-travel shave before I head to the airport tonight. Or maybe a bit of a nicer EdT would be a good choice.