Cost Effective Shaving

If you want good shaves you can rely on for years balanced with minimal long-term expense, you might not think you have options but you do. 

The first happens to be the oldest: buy a quality straight razor. However, it isn't every man who trusts himself with a cutthroat (I know I don't). And some of us just like the straightforward simplicity of 20th century style wetshaving; meaning, with disposable blades.

Disposables and cheaper cartridge razors may seem cost effective but in the long run - we're talking years or decades here - they're not. True, they're convenient, ubiquitous and most of them give at least acceptable if not excellent shaves. But their first problem is  "planned obsolescence." That means a disposable or cartridge razor you swear by today will be an inferior product in ten years, maybe even in five, to force you to buy the manufacturer's 'next big thing.' Second: most carts, no matter how many or few blades it has, tend to not last as long as single or double edge blades both due to their lower initial quality and because they can barely be maintained (if at all) to increase their longevity, the way individual loose blades often can. 

Injectors are a venerable, highly respectable option and I am a fan. However, I leave this option off the list only because blades have recently become much more difficult, thus more expensive, to obtain. I always had relatively good longevity from my injectors blades no matter which brand I used so no longer being able to walk into a store to buy them is a pity.

In my opinion, the main thing to consider is a minimal outlay of cash for the razor itself. Below are three excellent choices you could go with, each ranked on a very loose formula taking into account availability, reliability, maintainability and cost.

1. The Rolls Razor. Oft described, accurately so, as "a straight razor on a stick," a properly maintained Rolls will provide a literal lifetime of straight razor-close shaves. Once you've bought it nothing further need be purchased. Ever. Given it's fairly wide availability and the generally good (or at least restorable) condition in which they're found, ounce for ounce it is the best value on this list. However, at least one tradeoff will be a consistently unforgiving shaver that requires practice and constant attention to master, plus the absolute necessity of habitual maintenance, though that process couldn't be any easier the designers of the Rolls made it.

2. A vintage single edge razor. Pictured is my Gem Heavy Flat Top, aka the G-bar, but there are many excellent SE razors ranging from specimens from the very early 1900s up to the 1980s. These are readily available in a wide variety of conditions, qualities, styles and aggressiveness. The trick will be to obtain a good stock of reliable blades that works for your face. Guaranteed, not every SE blade will agree with you. However, they are widely available, relatively cheap and probably not going anywhere soon...which is why SE razors are on this list. Carbon SE blades can be stropped and honed - increasing their life, thus increasing your savings. In fact, they can be brought to the point where they are virtually as sharp as a Rolls wedge blade (which is probably too sharp, truth be told).

3. The Shake Sharp razor. This oddball is the one razor I'm aware of that actually succeeds in maintaining otherwise disposable DE blades by use of an installed hone. As the Shakey gets more exposure within the wetshaving community, though, a consensus appears to be forming that stainless steel blades are best left unhoned. That means to get the full, true value out of even a cheaply obtained Shake Sharp, one probably (though not necessarily) needs to have already become accustomed the quirks of using carbon double edge blades. While most of us carbon-heads lean toward vintage stock (only because they're so many of them floating around out there for next to nothing) there is at least one brand in current production which I've not tried. Whether that fact makes the Shake Sharp desirable is up to you. Though it's a fantastic shaver no matter what blade you use, if you're a die-hard stainless user it's probably not worth your time to wait for one to show up.


These are just a few suggestions from a guy who isn't dreading the arrival of some Shavepocalypse, Bladepocalypse or whatever, but just wants to be a cheapskate because, dang it, that's what I am. As a result, the three razors pictured above are now 90% of my usual shaving routine. 

REVIEW: Vintage Ingram Lather Shave

Is it right to go about trying old shaving creams and aftershaves you find at antique shops? In my experience, the answer is an emphatic YES! if they are full, or nearly so, if you have no reason to suspect the contents have been adulterated, and if the price is right. 

Today, this dandy little 2 oz jar cost me $4.50; even if it flopped, I figured it'd look nice sitting on my bathroom shelf but, being 98% full, I was hopeful. 

Ingram (or a company so named) apparently still makes shave cream that is said to be strong on the menthol. 

This jar, made in the U.S. by Bristol-Myers back who knows when (I believe this one is post-war) isn't particularly strong on menthol, perhaps due to age. What it does have is a subtle, background menthol kick to it. It won't open up your sinuses but it does give a mild, cool, lasting tingle. Better yet, it's got a pleasant bergamot (I think) scent, which seemed to be a common fragrance in men's products back in the heyday of wet shaving.

So how did it work? 

Latherwise, four or five swirls atop the jar with a old dampened Ever-Ready boar brush (I'm a cheapskate if you haven't noticed) whipped up an impressive amount of lather...not the mounds of whipped cream I see some guys getting but I have no doubt this would have done similarly if the effort was put into it. 

It also provided excellent coverage - I'm a committed face-latherer - resulting in a very smooth, comfortable shave with my current go-to pair of the Shake Sharp and Big Ben blade. 

The only drawback I can name is that my face is noticeably dryer and tighter than I'm used to from using Tabac. That tightness is not something I really mind, though, so I don't consider it a minus. The faint fragrance is lingering, too. 

I don't know about the new stuff but this ancient Ingrams is  not as face-freezing as C.O. Bigelow/ Proraso (again, probably just due to age) but for some, that might be a nice thing. When I'm in the mood for COLD! I reach for my supermentholated Osage Rub/witch hazel/Skin Bracer concoction. Since temps just dipped into the 40s, today is not that day.

Is this product recommended? Yes, if you have a time machine or, much more likely, you see a full jar sitting on the shelf in a shop. Since I'm not planning to use this every shave, I expect to get a few years enjoyment out of this little jar, for far less than I'd have paid for a comparable modern product.

MORAL OF THE STORY: When going into antique shops, don't just limit yourself to razors. EVERYTHING shave related - blades, soaps, creams and more - can and do show up, and sometimes you find a sweet deal that makes your shaving day.

(this ad dates from 1936; several others like it 

can be found on Google Images)

REVIEW: Remington Azor

I did not plan to review this razor because I figured it couldn't be much different from its sister, the Remington "S" which I reviewed below. But when I found several on clearance at Big Lots for $5 (including THREE carts), I just had to give it a shot. You know how it is.

Cut to the chase: The Azor is a pleasant surprise. It is superior to the "S" for sure - any positives I gave the "S" apply to the Azor, and then some. Feel-wise and result-wise, it is dead comparable to my personal gold standard for cart shavers, the Gillette Pro-Glide.In short: The "S" is meh. The Azor is VERY GOOD.

Details: I wasn't expecting to find any but the Azor has a few pluses over the "S." First, the two flex points that hold the cart are softer and much more flexible right out of the package, meaning I did not have to flex them for 15 minutes like I did with the "S" in order to get a somewhat improved shave. Second, the more traditionally narrow handle is much more grip-friendly, at least for face shaving. Third, the handle also has some metal content, giving it some weight and thereby making it easier to maneuver, paradoxically, than the near-weightless "S."  Fourth, it has superb balance and I did not have to shove the razor against my face in order to take off whiskers, the way I did with the "S."

I just took off a day and a half's growth in under five minutes with zero irritation, and did so in just two passes. Most of that was ATG but that's normal for me with this type of razor. 

Going by hand feel, the results are no different than I get with the Pro-Glide...that is to say, BBS. I managed to get the same with the "S" but it took longer and was so much more work that my hand ached afterwards. This time? Nothing.

The only problem I can point to is that the lube strip is lacking. I know a lot of guys dislike them and some even remove them before shaving; however, I've come to enjoy them and the slimier they better. These carts might as well have a strip of white plastic running across the top, as useless as it is.

Conclusion: I really can't come up with any negatives for the Azor except for the lack of lube strip. So if you're looking for a good travel razor that CANNOT screw up your shave, or are just curious, find and buy it. Since they're now showing up at Big Lots, I'll take that as a sign that they're about to be discontinued, if they haven't been already. 

I'll be stocking up just for the carts...five bucks for three carts versus almost $20 for four Pro-Glide carts? I'm not great at math but even I can figure this one out.