As we have said plenty of times before, old fashioned shaving products are making a huge comeback. Everybody is wanting to give the ol’ straight razor and safety razors a chance. This comeback can be chalked up to nostalgia and economics. People want to bring back relics from our grandfather’s era. Also, we are catching onto the inconvenience and unsustainable costs of getting a modern razor.
Our main purpose here is to facilitate this renaissance and review what we think are the finest products for you handsome devils! Old school shaving kits are no exception.
Why Should I Go Old School?
For those of you that are new to the old school ways of wet shaving, we’d like to say welcome! We also want to let you in on some of the awesome benefits that go along with it. Hopefully having this extra bit of information will make you feel better about dropping a wad of cash on an old school shave kit. So, with all of that being said, how’s about we get right to it and talk about the benefits of wet shaving so that we can fully bring you over to the dark side!
Easier on the Wallet:
By now you probably already know how dang expensive disposable razor cartridges are. You can easily spend at least $50 a year shaving with mass market blades. It is so much more affordable to switch to wet shaving. The blades for dry shaving will run you about $30 a year and since we are tight wads, this sounds like an awesome savings.
You are also getting better quality blades when you travel down the road to we shaving, so when you add in the cheaper cost on top of the better quality, it kind of seems like a no brainer to us. The wet shaving razor itself is also of superior quality and will likely not need to be replaced, which is quite different from the razors that take disposable cartridges. The initial cost of the wet shaving razor is the only thing that may make you wince, but it will actually save in the long run.
Shaving cream is another area that is impacted by wet shaving. Sure, shaving gel that you buy in a can is cheaper than shaving cream that you buy to use with your wet shaving kit. The difference here though is that shaving gel doesn’t last very long and will require you to buy about 11 cans of it a year. Higher quality shaving cream will run you on average about $11 more than a can will, but it will last so much longer. Based upon our experience, you will only need to purchase about 2 tubes of shaving cream a year.
Enjoy the Smoothness:
If you are a newb to wet shaving then you will probably be pretty surprised by your first shaving experience. Each tool in your wet shave kit helps you to get the closest shave possible with the smoothest skin to look forward to afterward. Wet shaving it much more comfortable than cartridge shaving too and you don’t have to worry as much about how long your whiskers are.
With wet shaving you will be left will a flawless shave and will be able to forgo the bumps and roughness that comes with disposable razors. Think about all of the soothing razor burn products that you see on the shelves in drug store if you need an extra incentive to switch. Say good bye to the burn and hello to smooth clean shaven skin!
There you have it, guys! Now let’s get into the good stuff and tell you about some of the best old school shaving kits out there!
Here are our recommendations for the best old school shaving kits!
Merkur Shaving Set with Safety Razor:
We have reviewed tons of Merkur shaving products on this site. We generally enjoy them, and we think you guys do as well. First, let’s talk about the price. Our purpose here isn’t to convince you guys to go out and splurge on the most expensive set possible. Quite honestly, this set isn’t even close to the most expensive we’ve seen. We do think you get a lot of bang for your buck with this set. This set is handsome as hell, and it really gives you the old school shaving look.
Also, this set has all the essentials to get your started. It comes with the razor, brush, bowl, and stand. They are all quality products and what you need to get have a solid, consistent set.
Harry D Koenig & Co Shave Set
This is a very attractive, silver plated old fashioned shaving set. We would recommend this product for basically anybody who is starting out. If you buy any complete shaving set, you are going to look at spending around $100. That might be a bit much for those of you who are starting out. However, you can pick this set up for around $60. We believe this is a reasonable price, and it will allow beginners to try wet shaving without having to spend a ton of money. This set is very good looking, and even if you don’t end up using it, it will still look awesome and manly on your bathroom counter!
Aside from looks and price, we have come across several Koenig products before, and we are generally happy with them. Although they are not an incredibly well known company, they seem to produce solid products at a reasonable price. This old fashioned shaving set is no exception.
Old Fashioned Shaving Set by Bey-Berk
Bey-Berk isn’t necessarily known for their shaving products. Although, they are well known for the quality of their jewelery boxes, clocks, and other silver plated products. However, since they are a trusted name in other areas, we believe you’d be getting a quality product with Bey-Berk. This old school shaving kit will look sleek as hell on your bathroom counter. It comes with almost all the essential to get you started: brush, bowl, stand, and razor. The brush is badger, which is an upgrade from the usual boar that comes with starter kits. Also, although this set keeps its old school feel with the silver plate, the design gives it a modern edge. It really fits in the best of both worlds!
The only conceivable downfalls of this set would be that the set comes with a Mach III razor. We tend to vote against those sort of contemporary style razors on this site. We believe one well made blade does the trick, not four, five, or six. Also, this set doesn’t come with shaving soap, so you would have to buy that separately.
Simply Beautiful Shaving Set with Merkur Razor
This set is a compilation of great shaving products. We have reviewed a few products from Simply Beautiful. We can only speak to the quality of their shaving paraphernalia (stands, shaving bowls, etc), but everybody we come across is really happy with the product they get. This stand also comes with a Merkur razor, which as you know, we strongly recommend. Also, it includes a badger brush, which is a fantastic brush for the shaving set. It also comes with Omega shaving soap. We consider Omega shaving soap to be a solid, mid-level product that fits perfectly with this set.
Overall, this is a price that fits the product, a handsome and great beginner to intermediate old school styled shaving set.
Straight Razor Shaving Set by Haryali Fashion London
We wanted to save this bad ass set for last. Really, if you are wanting an old school shaving set, this is it. It really doesn’t get any more old fashioned than a straight razor. This set gives you everything you need to get started. Also, if you are wanting a complete or backup set, this would be perfect. This set comes with a straight razor, strop, honing stone, a brush and soap. Even if you find straight razor shaving isn’t for you, imagine how manly you will look if a woman happens to walk in your bathroom with a strop hanging from your wall and a safety razor on your sink. This is a reasonably priced set, and it will look sexy as shit in your bathroom.
This is really the way to go if you’re looking for a set based on pure nostalgia. However, we are not insinuating that by buying this set you’re sacrificing quality. We have said before that straight razors are capable of some of the closest shaves possible. This is a fantastic set to get you started.