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December 6, 2008 2:44 PM

Best ye olde tyme shave complete kit for men?

This has been touched on before, but not completely enough to really help me.

Mr. cestmoi has expressed interest in a complete shave kit for men; regular and straight razor, brush, stand and shave cream. Much to my surprise these things are crazy expensive.

I was looking to spend about $150 for this but they seem to be running about $250, so, worth the extra cash? Good value in my range?

He'll be a newbie to the brush and straight razor, rather hairy guy (gets the 5 o'clock shadow by about 2:30 type)

posted by cestmoi15 to clothing, beauty, & fashion (20 comments total)

Try a search on ebay for straigh razors.
posted by rongorongo at 3:29 PM on December 6, 2008

Expensive, yes, but take into account the amount of money saved in the long term. An 8-pack of Mach3 cartridges go for like, what, $15+? Multiply that times a lifetime a shaving and the savings become apparent. Also, why does he need a straight razor and a regular razor? It might be a convention I'm unfamiliar with, but I thought most guys use either/or.

Regular razors like the Merkur safety are a pretty good alternative to a modern one, cheaper blade replacements.

Anyway, to sum up my rambling, yes, in my opinion it's a good value.
posted by empyrean at 3:31 PM on December 6, 2008

lifetime a of shaving

Also, I forgot to mention -- you didn't include a strop in your list, make sure whatever set you buy or put together has either a strop or sharpening stone.
posted by empyrean at 3:33 PM on December 6, 2008

yikes! I had to look up "strop". Thanks all.
posted by cestmoi15 at 3:38 PM on December 6, 2008

Also, I have no idea why he'd need a straight razor and regular, but my first search showed stands that held both, so I just assumed (and we know what you are when you assume)... I just stressed and asked the green, so please do ramble at me...:)
posted by cestmoi15 at 3:42 PM on December 6, 2008

Taylor's of Old Bond Street. The sandalwood stuff. Seriously, it will change your life. Also, it's expensive, but one container of shaving cream will last at least half a year, if not longer.
posted by Freen at 3:59 PM on December 6, 2008

When I got all huffy to dump the Trac II and go with a straight razor, I learned that double-edged safety razors like the Merkur Classic get you 90% of the way there. As for accessories, the brush is going to be the most expensive as long as you leave out the straight razor, and these can get expensive indeed. You don't need to do this until you know he's into it, so get a $75 brush and a disc of soap (you can also get creams and whatever at many soap stores). Mug optional!
posted by rhizome at 3:59 PM on December 6, 2008

Also, instead of a straight razor, try Merkur's safety razors. Much easier to use and also, doesn't require sharpening, just replace the razor. The big difference here is that if you've got real shaving cream, your blades won't get dull as quickly, and a good razor blade from merkur will last much longer than you'd expect.
posted by Freen at 4:03 PM on December 6, 2008

Here are some cheaper kits, but you could do a pretty good job of making your own kit. A entry level Merkur razor costs 25-35 dollars, and is really all you need. A decent brush (pure badger is fine, you don't need to drop 100 dollars on stupid expensive brsuhes) should be 30-40 dollars. Soaps/creams are 5-15 dollars each, but you don't need that many of them. I go with something like the omega shave soap, and Taylor of Old Bond Street (I'm partial to lavender myself), and maybe a tube of Proraso red. For razors that same site has pretty good sampler packs for 20 dollars or so, and once he finds a razor brand he likes you can get them dirt cheap on ebay in lots of 100.
posted by aspo at 4:25 PM on December 6, 2008

Brush: Crabtree and Evelyn Best Badger Brush $35


Cream: Proraso Cream (rebranded Bigelow at Bath and Body Works) $10


Soap: William's Mug at Wal-Mart $2


Razor: Merkur HD $35

(Don't get him a straight razor until he is confident with the above. Promise one when he is ready.Trust me.)


Blades: Letterk Blade Sampler Pack (highly recommend)


Post Shave Treatment: Corn Huskers Lotion at Wal-Mart $3


(note that Corn Huskers lotion is nearly identical to the famous/popular $35 Coral Skin Food)

Stand: No good answer. You can buy one at Bath and Body works for around $20, or any other similar store, but it's a lot simpler to find something with another intended use and use that as a stand, because it doesn't need to do much.

MeFi Mail me for more/questions. I am an experienced wet shaver.
posted by bradly at 4:58 PM on December 6, 2008 [5 favorites]

oh, and that blade pack is $18.
posted by bradly at 5:05 PM on December 6, 2008

Save the straight razor for next year. Start with a double-edged -- Merkur HD is great for entry-level, as it won't slice him up -- decent brush, good cream or soap (Taylor is good, Trumper is good), shaving mug, blade sampler, aftershave balm (or Trumper's skin food). You can get a cheapish ceramic stand, though the metal ones are more elegant.

Do support the websites that specialise in this stuff -- ClassicShaving, Tryphon, QED among others -- just because they're well-regarded online operations.
posted by holgate at 5:08 PM on December 6, 2008

What bradly said, except that I'd get the Tryphon sampler pack of 25 different types of blade, which is twice as much as the Letterk pack at $36.50, but has five times as many types of blade (three times as many blades overall). And if Mr cestmoi has particularly wiry or dense facial hair, you might consider a Merkur Slant . The slant bar is more aggressive, and I like it better than the regular HD, but it might not make for the best introduction to wet shaving.

And while there's plenty of great information online, Leisureguy's Guide to Gourmet Shaving: Shaving Made Enjoyable is a good distillation of a lot the information out there on the discussion boards, if Mr cestmoi prefers books.
posted by hades at 6:16 PM on December 6, 2008

Merkur Futur adjustable safety razor. Vulfix pure badger brush. L'Occitane cade shaving soap. Works for me!
posted by tim_in_oz at 8:20 PM on December 6, 2008

You need to know if he really wants a straight razor, or just a bit of old school shaving. A classic safety razor, like the Merkur HD (aka Merkur 34C), is very nice, but it's completely different from a straight. A straight razor requires a bit more of the shaver. There's a bit more of a learning curve, and that's just for the shaving. Between shavings you'd have to use a strop, and every few months you'd probably want to hone the razor too (which is an art in itself) or send it out to someone who really knows how to hone razors.

If you want to get a straight razor, don't just buy one off ebay. Seriously. You're much better off buying a new straight, or a vintage straight that's been honed (sharpened) by someone who knows what they're doing. A community like StraightRazorPlace or Badger & Blade is bound to have some gents who will gladly help you out. If you're going with a shop, the mentioned Classic Shaving and QED are good, I've dealt with both and have been very pleased with them. Vintage Blades apparently has great customer service too.
posted by bjrn at 2:06 AM on December 7, 2008

Starting with a double-edged safety razor is good advice. I've been shaving with one for a couple of years. I tried a straight razor and went back to the DE -- it gets you most of the benefits of a straight razor but is much easier to use. I only use a Gillette disposable now when I fly somewhere without checked bags.

I started out using cream, but switched to soap 18 months ago and now prefer it. It takes a bit of practice to get the lather right, but once you've mastered it, the soap gives a good shave and is much less expensive than creams.

I use a Merkur Vision 2000 razor, but you don't need to an expensive one. Japanese Feather brand blades work better for me than the Merkur models.
posted by quidividi at 2:21 AM on December 7, 2008

I tried a straight once: terrified me. :7) Too early in the morning to slit mu own throat every day! Definitely get a Merkur HD (a.k.a. "heavy classic" some places).

The recommendations above are pretty good. That Cade stuff is icky, though -- I like the scents of Crabtree & Evelyn's soaps & creams better. Or Taylors of Old Bond Street creams or the glorious Mitchell's Wool Fat soap. Or go to shavemyface.com and browse through the "soaps & creams" forums for a few ideas. If you insist on a straight, there are honest guys there who will sell you one, all prepared for use, with the extra gear.

Some of the vendors ill send sample packs of after-shave balms, creams, etc. -- and trying these out can be fun, too.
posted by wenestvedt at 11:36 AM on December 7, 2008

In my experience, L'Occitane is WAY over-priced.

I got a good set (brush, bowl, stand) at shavemac. You can customize your own set. They're in Germany, but shipping wasn't too expensive.

For soap, just make sure you get one made with clay - bentonine or kaoline. Helps the blade slide over the skin. I found an ebay store I like (email me for details, as I'm at work now).

And, not to poo-poo bradly's great advice, but I find that for aftershave, a witch hazel gel works best. I get mine from Em's Place (just checked - she's got some witch hazel products, but I don't know which is the gel I use).
posted by ObscureReferenceMan at 10:31 AM on December 8, 2008

Trumper's Limes Shaving Cream is great and get the smallest brush you can find
posted by Lanark at 11:56 AM on December 8, 2008

Best shave soap for the cheapest price here (3.5 oz for $4).
posted by ObscureReferenceMan at 8:26 PM on December 8, 2008