Wednesday & Thursday
Razor: Rex Supply Co. Ambassador
Blade: Perma-Sharp (2nd and 3rd use)
Brush: Mühle 70th Anniversary Silvertip
Cream: Truefitt & Hill Almond
Aftershave Balm: The Art of Shaving Unscented
Friday
Razor: Dorco
Blade: Perma-Sharp (4th use)
Brush: $1.99 Boar Brush
Soap: Williams Mug
Aftershave: Family Dollar Spice
Spoiler alert: I enjoyed the premium products better.
@vino_lance recommended a comparison of my least expensive items and my most expensive items the other day, so I thought it would make an interesting experiment.
The Perma-Sharp blades have been the best pairing I’ve had with the Rex Ambassador yet, with all three passes on setting 3. One thing I’ve really dialed in on is the angle on this razor. The Mühle brush has soft tips and a beautiful design, although it is probably overpriced at $180.00 (this was a frivolous gift to myself with my annual bonus). Truefitt & Hill has a wonderful almond scent that does not come off artificial at all. Although it did take me awhile to dial in product-to-water ratio with it. Clearly at $8.46 per ounce there are better value creams out there, but I can’t argue with its performance.
The post has been amazing AOS balm. I am guilty of dismissing it before trying based on price and commercial availability, but I can safely say it is one of the top five balms on the market.
The Dorco feels cheap. The longer handle is nice and it is extremely mild, but it is smooth and allowed for touch ups without nicks. Quite frankly I have no idea why I bought this other than it might have been to qualify an Amazon order for free shipping. The Wilkinson Sword Classic razor or a cheap pot metal one for a few dollars more would probably be a better value.
The boar brush came from a local thrift store. Unbranded and in a plain white box; it lacks the knot density that you would get from a Semogue or an Omega, but it gets the job done.
Williams Mug Soap. I have a nostalgic feel for this since my grandma kept a vintage box of this on display in her bathroom. As a matter of fact its probably safe to assume it’s the same box she sent me recently in a care package. It’s somewhat drying on the skin and yes, harder to whip up a lather, but I think gets an unfair shake in the hobby.
The Family Dollar spice is a pretty close dupe of contemporary Old Spice. A nice hack with this stuff that was suggested to me-buy a few bottles of this and rebottle it in a fancier bottles. I am going to make a point to do this.
At the end of the day both cut hair and produced presentable shaves, but the premium shave products were more enjoyable to use no doubt. Most of us will probably opt for products in between these price ranges so this is a more extreme comparison. I just say not to begrudge someone because they chose to save money with the budget items or because someone chose to spend their disposable income on something a little nicer.
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