Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Shaving on a Budget

How will I shave in the post collapse world. Money will be tight or non existent and what is had should be spent on items that keep you alive. But common things like grooming are necessary and give you a feeling for normalcy. Is shaving a necessity or a luxury.

I shave my head so purchasing decent razors is now a necessity but a four pack of Gillette Fusion blades run about $14 bucks. This makes them a luxury. I hate cheap two blade disposables and can only get a couple of shaves out of them before they dull. Plus at the rate I go through them they quickly become just as expensive as the Fusion's.

I have thought about purchasing a straight razor and with practice could probably use it to shave my face. Unfortunately there are several divots and troughs in my head which makes shaving even with nice razor difficult, it could be outright deadly with the straight razor.

I could just let it grow out...but I like it really short and have gotten used to it shaved. If I let it run wild I would have to wash it and deal with combing and such...possibly a pony tail.

But I have a solution!

Save a bundle on razor blades with the ingenious new razor sharpener, Save A Blade™.

Save A Blade´s patented Micro Honing technology sharpens old, dull blades to like-new condition saving you hundreds of dollars every year and it works on all types of razors.

Get up to 200 smooth shaves from a single blade.
The Gillette Fusion blades are horrible expensive but they shave great, especially when you are shaving your entire head several times a week. I could get about 2 weeks out of one blade if lucky. I started using the Save A Blade and can now get roughly 2 months out of one blade. Granted this is not the 200 smooth shaves they advertise but it has saved me a good deal of money. The only problem is the lubrication strip wears completely off, but I can deal with that.

An 8 pack of blades should last me about 16 months. I picked up the Save A Blade at Walgreen's for about $10.

Or I could just get come clippers and keep it burred down and forget about razors all together.

Buy the way I am not selling this thing just letting you know my experience with it.

13 comments:

The Urban Survivalist said...

My wife is a hair stylist so even if it comes down to using kitchen shears to keep my hair at a reasonable level I'm confident that she can take care of me. Besides that, I'm a baby face so shaving with cheap razors isn't an issue. I buy about 10 cheapo razors a year at the most. If I had to stretch them more than I do I probably could.

Anonymous said...

I use plain old liquid soap for shaving and find it superior than canned foams. I coulda saved a bundle if I had known this earlier. I also buy the cheapie throw aways, and can get about three months, but I only shave only my face once / twice a week - generally keep a pretty low maintenance profile. Wife sez I look like Richard Boone in one of his more scruffier roles, lol.

Yeah, personal grooming is going to take a hit when TSHTF for most of us. I bought a pair of those hair clippers you squeeze to operate - geez, what a waste of money - mainly remove hair by pulling it out.

My wife isn't a stylist, but she learns by watching others - she cuts our hair pretty well.

Good topic.

Anonymous said...

I have been stashing away razors for years, When I traveled for corp job, I always hit the hotel up for a disposalable even If i had my own good razor( which I did). I also have been stocking up on shave mug soap cakes, I Think they are $1.00 at wally world. You can pick up a shaving mug and brush or have your wife/GF give you one. I thought about a straight razor but I am not that brave.

Anonymous said...

Have you tried the HeadBlade? headblade.com

I used one when I shaved my head...loved it. Even better, it uses older model blades. You can get Gillette Atras on eBay for about $0.50 each or better if you shop around.

Mayberry said...

I think my beard is stainless steel. One shave with a disposable and the razor is toast. Try to re use it, and it just rips the hair out! Expensive blades don't fare much better. Maybe I'll try one of those things!

riverwalker said...

I'll probably just grow a beard.

RW

Anonymous said...

Check out the "Infinity Razor" or the "Lady Infinity Razor" at www.asseenontv.com.

Anonymous said...

So, have you tried it yet? How well did it work?

Ryan said...

I think I am going to get one of those things. Is it battery powered? Since I must be clean shaven every day razors are becoming something of an expense. I also am not ready at this point to go to the strait razor.

Anonymous said...

I have facial hair like a bear. That said, I can get a good 3-4 weeks out of Schick's two bladed disposables (at a shave a day). Sure, it takes a bit more effort, sometimes have to go over the same area more than once, but still works.
Rub the razor across a ceramic mug from time to time to keep it sharp.

I tried the infinity razor, what a ripoff. Garbage.

Anonymous said...

I once heard on clark howard (the radio show) that razors don't degrade due to the use or coursness of your hair but by the water breaking down the edge of the blade. As someone who has done a lot of reasearch on keeping my knife blades sharp I realized the truth of this. I currently blow the water of the blade right after I get done with it and have switched to the cheap razors and can use them for 4 months and probably longer. Try it out!

Anonymous said...

Soilman may have a good point, as my daily use razors get wiped clean and dry after use (and last a very long time, see above), while the same exact razors in my travel shave kit often get put away wet, and typically last only a few shaves.

Anonymous said...

I shave with a double edged razor. I bought a nice German razor for less than $30, and the DE blades are realy cheap. You can buy 100 high quality blades for around $10, and each blade is good for 3 or more shaves. They are *very* compact and you could store up a large supply in a miniscule amount of space. I also shave with a brush and shaving soap. A good brush will last a long time if it is well cared for. The cakes of shaving soap are also much more compact than cans of shaving cream/gel. Wal-Mart and other drug stores sell cheap shaving soap for around a buck or two. Once you have done the intitial outlay for the razor and brush, the supplies are very cheap and can be stored in bulk easily. It also gives me one of the best sahves I've ever had, consistently. A DE razor is a good compromise between disposables and a straight razor, and I reccomend it for survival minded types who aren't willing to go with a straight razor. I'd like to work up to that eventually, so that I won't have any need for blades at all.