How much have you spent on shaving

Pjotr

Pjotr

Cultured Philistine
Moderator
2016 Sabbatical
Joined
Feb 15, 2011
Location
Western Australia
Although I don't hang out at other forums anymore I can't ever recall seeing a thread where people estimate how much they've actually spent. There's plenty of pretend frugality expressed as indignation that Joe Blog charges $2 more for postage than Mrs Mop, but I don't see people actually adding up totals.

Some of course are legitimate daily use expenses but the rate at which some here seem to accumulate soaps, blades, after shaves etc intrigues me. I'd suggest just listing the value of what you've got in stock rather than the whole historical shooting match. Splitting it up in to razors, blades, brushes, soaps and aftershaves would be handy too.

Razors: $400........Given that I ended up shaving with a fairly worthless plastic razor, that number took me by surprise I have to admit. Put it down to the rookie search for the right razor. And of course I shave with SE too so there is some added expense there.

Blades: $350...........My only true indulgence. I've got about 400 vintage blades @ 70c/blade (say) and a few others too.

Brushes: $300.......Seven in total. Have bought only two ready made brushes and the rest are all restores.

Soaps: $200........Mainly a decent sized hoard of Sir Irish Moos soap and cream.

Aftershave: $20.....A bottle of Nivea Aftershave Balm.

A grand total of $1,300ish . Scary.
 
Just counting what's in the den at present? You would have gone through more than just one aftershave in your time?
 
Razors: $200 of which the majority was on the eclipse red ring
Brushes: $55 (not including the Berkeley which I sold and reinvested in soaps)
Blades I imagine around $250-300. No idea how many I have but estimate around 3-400.
Soaps/creams; $250
Aftershave: $100
 
eggbert said:
.........You would have gone through more than just one aftershave in your time?
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Absolutely but that's just a consumable you can't avoid. What I'm trying to determine is how much people have spent on gear. Hopefully it'll make me feel a bit better and allow me to take the moral high ground. By the way, in that regard your stash is a disappointment.
 
Pjotr said:
Absolutely but that's just a consumable you can't avoid. What I'm trying to determine is how much people have spent on gear. Hopefully it'll make me feel a bit better and allow me to take the moral high ground. By the way, in that regard your stash is a disappointment.
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You'll feel much better and get vertigo from your high ground once @Mark1966 replies
 
Yeah but that's a collection. Doesn't really count. I'm sure Marks too scared to even attempt to total that on.
 
I had a moment of realisation a while ago about how ridiculous my shaving expenditure was, which is why I opted into the Sabbatical this year.

Razors: $250-300

Brushes: $400-450 (mostly the manchurian Simmo and the Duke)

Soaps/creams: $250-300

Blades: $200

A/S: $80

So that puts me in the $1300 range, but add some miscellaneous stuff and it's probably closer to $1500. Although some of that has been recouped in sales, it's still bloody overboard. I'm thinking that it's just about time for another den cull, because the urge to collect gear that just sits around is well and truly over. I'd rather have less stuff (and better quality) that actually gets used these days.
 
Less in total than I spent on just my bike (not including helmet, clothes, pump, lights, backpack etc etc etc). Just putting some perspective. My road bike, at $1600, was considered 'entry level'. So numbers like $1500 doesn't scare me at all. Shaving is easily my cheapest hobby...

If I had to put a number on it, I would say it's less than $1000. I don't have that much...
 
Mark hasn't replied yet, because he's currently working out how to quit his job and study, in order to find the year or two required to work out how much he's spent.

I really couldn't say, it's been 6 years, and in the early days I ran through maybe half a dozen modern razors and a couple of vintage. Then there's the sells off and funds put towards other stuff. I'd be surprised if it got near $1000. But then, I've probably done $300+ on brushes alone so I probably have. I've never acquired a taste for top shelf or artisan anything though, nor accumulated stuff. Divide it all by 6 years and I reckon I'm still ahead on equivalent cart purchases. I'd go through $30 month on those. That's $2k+

There's still no doubt you'll save good money if you don't make it a hobby. Aside from consumables like cream, aftershave or balms (which you'd need whatever you shave with) the only purchases I've made recently was a 30C about year ago, a 23C two months ago and a Weber handle on sale the last month. I'd have forgone the 23 if the Weber sale had happened quicker, as a long handle was primarily what i was after. Then there's that Aesop brush too...

Can't see me buying anything but software top ups for a long time.
 
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@Mark1966 has it upon a spreadsheet iirc
 
MrT said:
Shaving is easily my cheapest hobby...
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It's possibly my only definable hobby. But it's comparatively cheap compared to what you could spend on... bikes, cars, tools, cameras, Sky-diving, adventure sports, camping, travelling, or even just going to the movies (at $20 pp that's an aftershave or US artisan soap right there!!!).
 
Lets start with postage on purchases.

515 lines in my spreadsheet before I stopped.

Lets say 75% from eBay.com

Average postage - small flat rate box - was $US15 for my peak period.

You do the maths ...

You are all doing fine guys!
 
Wow! Just think of the hundreds you have "saved" by getting in with your postage early before the Aussie dollar tanked!!! Well done. [emoji14]
 
Drubbing said:
I probably spend more playing golf than I do on shaving….
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and let me guess, the punchline is you don't play/like golf ?
 
Drubbing said:
I play once a month and aside from a new driver a couple a years ago, I haven't bought a set of clubs in 20 years. I wins all me golf balls at our comps…Got a longest drive and a closest to the flag last week.
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...and I respect the fact that your woods are made of precisely that....folks and their new fangled unwoody long sticks! It's an abomination!!!

My greatest loss was in the start-up costs where I bought Edwin Jagger fascination ware from The Rootthemraggedupthearsesidewaysandinsisttheyscreamthankyou Shop (a.k.a. The Shaver Shop). Don't have a single item left from that initial purchase, and made more than a 70% loss on every item, but since then have bought, sold and traded smart and I've got decent supplies (a.k.a 'too much shit'). Got to say, the sabbatical has been really good way to start really trimming down what I need...and refining what it is I really want.

Now I might share a name and a city with @Mark1966 but I've not a shred of his counting things up skills (I've invested in my writing things down abiltitles). But the short version - which is not my forte in case that eluded any of you - is that my total gear spend would come in the $500-$1k range.
 
Well just some random figures here, not at all comprehensive but it will give you an idea.

GBE's - $800 (at the time)
Gold Traveller, cased - $200 (at the time).
2x Milords, cased - $160
Large Spoiler lot: $250-odd
3x 400-blade lots of Permasharps - $300

That's just some stuff off the top of my head. Having a look at some of my other purchases is extremely scary!
 
Don't like this thread - I thought we are enablers? In any case nothing in comparison to my Metallica collection ;)
 
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