If Money Was No Object...

What would your ideal shaving set-up look like if you did not have to bother with details such as cost? The only caveat is, you are limited to one razor, one brush, one aftershave, one cologne, one cream and one soap. Let the fun begin.

Gillette Open Comb, M&F Blonde, TOBS Jermyn Street, Cella, no cologne and Med Prep Blades. I'd have said MdC, but I've never tried that.

I can never do these because I keep changing my mind so don't have an "ideal".

(03-11-2012, 05:04 PM)freddy Wrote: I can never do these because I keep changing my mind so don't have an "ideal".

Yes...the opportunity cost is daunting.

(03-11-2012, 05:05 PM)bullgoose Wrote:

(03-11-2012, 05:04 PM)freddy Wrote: I can never do these because I keep changing my mind so don't have an "ideal".

Yes...the opportunity cost is daunting.

Hey, Phil, we gotta keep you in business.

Merkur Futur
Vulfix 660 Large
Tabac Soap
TOBS Sandlewood Cream
Proraso Aftershave Splash
YSL Rive Gauche

I find all these products reliable and nice to use. If I was forced to just one, these would do

My preferences

Cobra Classic
Kai Captain Titan Mild blades
Penworks Butterscotch Silvertip
Nivea Balm
Herve Leger Homme
Any KMF Shave Cream

subject to change without notice

My ideal set-up can be found in my current den. However, that will change by the end of the month or sooner when I will have try a new brush like the new Vie-Long LE brushes or a new soap or cream. I start looking at the photos or reading a review about a product and I know that my den needs a new addition.

Now, if money were not a question here's what I would like to try:

Plisson HMW 14 or 16 estimate $400+

Zafirro Iridium Razor $100,000 - The Zafirro Iridium has a handle made of 99.9 per cent pure iridium - the most corrosion-resistant platinum metal, found only in meteorites. The Zafirro has two blades made from white sapphire grown at a former Soviet Union lab in Ukraine.

Martin de Candre wooden bowl $65 or a NOS vintage tallow based soap

Tom Ford EdT in Arabian Wood $475 or Tuscan Leather $265

(03-11-2012, 06:04 PM)ridgerunner Wrote: My ideal set-up can be found in my current den. However, that will change by the end of the month or sooner when I will have try a new brush like the new Vie-Long LE brushes or a new soap or cream. I start looking at the photos or reading a review about a product and I know that my den needs a new addition.

Now, if money were not a question here's what I would like to try:

Plisson HMW 14 or 16 estimate $400+

Zafirro Iridium Razor $100,000 - The Zafirro Iridium has a handle made of 99.9 per cent pure iridium - the most corrosion-resistant platinum metal, found only in meteorites. The Zafirro has two blades made from white sapphire grown at a former Soviet Union lab in Ukraine.��

Martin de Candre wooden bowl $65 or a NOS vintage tallow based soap

Tom Ford EdT in Arabian Wood $475 or Tuscan Leather $265

Which is exactly why money is almost always an object.

Razor: Cobra Classic
Blades: Kai mild blades
Brush: Rooney 2xl
Soap: AOS Sandalwood
Cream: Castle Forbes Lavender
AS: Boosters Mosswood
Cologne: Montale Safron Aoud

The hardest part of this was choosing my soap and cream. I thought that the cologne was going to be harder to pick but it wasn't. I love, love Safron Aoud.

Actually, I've spent a shameless amount of money on this hobby and I already have what I would most like to have!

Razor: Edwin Jagger DE98BA11 Barley
Blade: Treet Dura Sharp
Brush: Semogue 2040 silvertip in standard density
Soap: Valobra Shave Stick or AoS
Aftershave: Thayer's or Dickinson's Witch Hazel
Cologne: None, and please don't wear any in my proximity!

I already have two EJ razors and another on the way, a Feather AS, an iKon three-piece Bulldog (with interchangeable safety bars and open comb), a Weber, and a whole buncha Gillettes, including my favored Techs. The new gold EJs look nice. I would need to decide between the smooth DE8911GBL and the DE89BA11GBL Barley, but I don't think I would actually purchase one.

I've bought a lot of brushes, in all the big name brands, and the perfect brushes I've found for me are the traditional Semogue silvertips (2040, 2015, and 730) for Valobra/AoS soaps and Semogue boar (1305, 830, and 2000) for Cella soft soap, all of which I have. I haven't found a Simpson or Plisson brush that works anywhere near as well for me as these. Two-banded badger and rounded/bulb-shaped brushes don't work for me (I have both among my less successful purchases).

I have my soaps narrowed down to Valobra/AoS hard soaps and Cella soft soap, and I have a lifetime supply of these cached away.

My favorite blades are Treet Dura Sharps and Personna for Hospital Use, and I have a LOT of these. I'm favorable impressed with the Perma Sharps (in the cardboard tuck), so I may order more of them. I also have 500 Super Iridiums, 300 late English production Wilkinson Swords, and some vintage blades.

Then there is all the Injector and SE stuff I have, but use little.

- Murray

I'd hire a barber to shave me in an older style barber chair.

(03-11-2012, 10:53 PM)andrewjs18 Wrote: I'd hire a barber to shave me in an older style barber chair.

My thought exactly. If money were no object, I'd hire a master barber to be on call for me and my friends.

Well, there are a lot of one's in there, so I will keep it simple.

Schick G1
Schick Blade
Semogue SOC Ash Boar
MWF
Floid Blue

Now, if money were no object, I would buy a plane ticket to Italy and Portugal to have a shave and a glass of wine with my new found shaving friends. I would visit the Semogue factory, then I would find the genious that decided to no longer make Floid Blue. As my Daddy use to say, we would have a come to Jesus meeting out behind the wood shed.

(03-11-2012, 06:04 PM)ridgerunner Wrote: My ideal set-up can be found in my current den. However, that will change by the end of the month or sooner when I will have try a new brush like the new Vie-Long LE brushes or a new soap or cream. I start looking at the photos or reading a review about a product and I know that my den needs a new addition.

Now, if money were not a question here's what I would like to try:

Plisson HMW 14 or 16 estimate $400+

Zafirro Iridium Razor $100,000 - The Zafirro Iridium has a handle made of 99.9 per cent pure iridium - the most corrosion-resistant platinum metal, found only in meteorites. The Zafirro has two blades made from white sapphire grown at a former Soviet Union lab in Ukraine.��

Martin de Candre wooden bowl $65 or a NOS vintage tallow based soap

Tom Ford EdT in Arabian Wood $475 or Tuscan Leather $265

I have to say that you really embraced this challenge!

(03-12-2012, 06:52 AM)Sully Wrote:

(03-11-2012, 06:04 PM)ridgerunner Wrote: My ideal set-up can be found in my current den. However, that will change by the end of the month or sooner when I will have try a new brush like the new Vie-Long LE brushes or a new soap or cream. I start looking at the photos or reading a review about a product and I know that my den needs a new addition.

Now, if money were not a question here's what I would like to try:

Plisson HMW 14 or 16 estimate $400+

Zafirro Iridium Razor $100,000 - The Zafirro Iridium has a handle made of 99.9 per cent pure iridium - the most corrosion-resistant platinum metal, found only in meteorites. The Zafirro has two blades made from white sapphire grown at a former Soviet Union lab in Ukraine.��

Martin de Candre wooden bowl $65 or a NOS vintage tallow based soap

Tom Ford EdT in Arabian Wood $475 or Tuscan Leather $265

I have to say that you really embraced this challenge!

I chose to have fun with the post to this thread rather than be too serious. I remembered reading about the Zafirro some time back and googled it for the name and spelling. I can't imagine someone buying this razor let alone the company producing 100 of the razors for sale.

For those of you who cannot afford a $100,000 razor they make a $19,000 and a cheapo $9000.00 razor plus a few spares and a live Badger to brush and a Ming China bowl with some Truffle scented soap and a towel warmer with a couple shave girls to hold the mirrors...I,m up to $500,000.00 give or take..kind of make RAD no big deal !!!!!!

I think I would really like to one day have a high end Pils or iKon safety razor and a "singing" Thiers Issard straight razor. Those Manchurian Badger brushes sure seem fancy as well.

(03-12-2012, 05:14 AM)Songwind Wrote:

(03-11-2012, 10:53 PM)andrewjs18 Wrote: I'd hire a barber to shave me in an older style barber chair.

My thought exactly. If money were no object, I'd hire a master barber to be on call for me and my friends.

Sign me up. My dad told me about an uncle (or great uncle) of his who would come home for lunch every day and have a barber hot towel and cut throat shave him in his own private barber chair. He would have a cigar sticking out from a pile of hot towel on his face. This was 60 years ago in Nicaragua. With a setup like that, I could let the barber pick the brush, soap and razor and not care in the least.

Brush : Plisson,HWM 10
EdT : Creed and more Creed
Soap : I already have the best,MdC,so Ill go for a vintage one,like Yardley.
Razor : I love too much Edwin Jagger/Muhle,but an old Apollo/Hoffritz HD would be more than welcome.