There is something remarkably well ballanced about these old Gillette Super Speeds. This shot illustrates what I’d recommend to anyone looking at DE shaving on a budget. It comprises of: Gillette black tip Super Speed from 1952: you can’t really go wrong with a Super Speed, considering you can get a good one for around $15 on eBay – shipped - if you can take a week or so to make your purchase. (The crazy bidding is over new-in-box items and adjustables.) Dorco blades: I got 100 shipped for less than $10. They are supposed to be forgiving and recently long lasting. (I still cut my face tho’ – having used a cartridge system for years I am used to pressing too hard when I shave.) Vulfix #404 “Grosvenor” mixed badger/bristle shaving brush: I got this for less than $20 shipped (from diamondedgeltd.com in the UK). It is a good feeling brush on a solid base. Williams Mug Soap: Less than $2, including tax. This is a love-it-or-hate it shaving item. I want to try a more upmarket soap to see if it dries out my face less – the Williams certainly shaves. (The soap is on a 50 cent ceramic dish from Ming Wo, which sells low priced Asian tableware.) It’s wrong to harp on about money, but I’ve got more than a year’s shaving for a little over $50. It would have been a bargain if I hadn’t have gone nuts over vintage Gillettes and bought a whole haul of ‘em, but that’s another story.

My daily shaving kit – at the moment. Of course, it will all be different this time next week. This is what I’d recommend to anyone looking at DE shaving on a budget. It comprises of: Gillette black tip Super Speed from 1952: you can’t really go wrong with a Super Speed, considering you can get a good one for around $15 on eBay – shipped - if you can take a week or so to make your purchase. (The crazy bidding is over new-in-box items and adjustables.) Dorco blades: I got 100 shipped for less than $10. They are supposed to be forgiving and recently long lasting. (I still cut my face tho’ – having used a cartridge system for years I am used to pressing too hard when I shave.) Vulfix #404 “Grosvenor” mixed badger/bristle shaving brush: I got this for less than $20 shipped (from diamondedgeltd.com in the UK). It is a good feeling brush on a solid base. Williams Mug Soap: Less than $2, including tax. This is a love-it-or-hate it shaving item. I want to try a more upmarket soap to see if it dries out my face less – the Williams certainly shaves. (The soap is on a 50 cent ceramic dish from Ming Wo, which sells low priced Asian tableware.) It’s wrong to harp on about money, but I’ve got more than a year’s shaving for a little over $50. It would have been a bargain if I hadn’t have gone nuts over vintage Gillettes and bought a whole haul of ‘em, but that’s another story.