Quality and utility don’t always come with a high price tag; if you know where to look, you can find products that are useful, enjoyable, and inexpensive! Following our previous list from 2018, today we’re sharing 9 more cheap but awesome things.
9 (More) Cheap But Awesome Things
1. Feather Razor Blades
You always like it when you look sharp and so we’re starting off with Feather razor blades. We’ve talked many times about the benefits of the double-edged razor on our website as we are fans of this shaving method. Personally, my favorite blade is the Feather blade because it is the sharpest, and I have relatively thick beard hair.
Feather blades are made of platinum-coated, high-quality Japanese steel, and the company is headquartered in Osaka and was founded in 1932. Feather double-edge razor blades are famous for being extremely sharp, so if you’re still perfecting the art of shaving, it’s not a blade we’d recommend. Also, if you have very thin hair, it may not be the best blade.
Some men, even though they may have sensitive skin or very thin hair, still like the Feather blades because it gives them the feeling of a very close shave with a baby butt result. To prevent any razor burn, you want to change out the blade after a second or third shave.
No matter if you use a Feather DE razor blade or one from a different manufacturer, it’ll always save you money. Among the DE blades, Feather is more expensive, but it’s also the sharpest. So, a box of a hundred blades costs around $35, which means 35 cents a piece. If you shave three times with it, it’s a cost per shave of 12 cents, which is extremely cheap. Other cartridge systems will cost you a multiple of that, sometimes even more than a dollar per shave.
Apart from that, double-edged razor blades produce a lot less waste. So, it’s better for landfills and at a cost of just 12 cents per shave, you get a fantastic product. Now, that’s what I call cheap but awesome!
2. Smoked Maldon Sea Salt
Why smoked salt? It helps to enhance the flavors and aromas of your food. The Maldon Salt Company comes from Essex in England and was founded in 1882. The special thing about their salt is that it has these relatively large crystals and if you look at it, you might think it’s extremely salty but, in fact, it’s not, which is why it’s a wonderful finishing salt that looks really nice on your dishes but it’s not overpowering.
Yes, it’s still salty but compared to conventional salt, the same volume is less salty. They only use natural ingredients, as well as oak chips to get that subtle smoky flavor that’s not overpowering, but just rounding out the flavors of your meal. I love pairing it with all sorts of red meats, but also use it for stews and you can use it for basically anything you want.
If you don’t like the smoky flavor, they also have non-smoked sea salts, which are also really nice as a finishing salt. Price-wise, you can buy a container for around $5 for around four and a half ounces, which gets you to about $17 per pound.
3. Sleeve Ironing Board
Let’s jump from food to clothes maintenance with a sleeve ironing board. If you ever wear a dress shirt without a jacket or if you have a jacket and it needs to be ironed, then you must have a sleeve ironing board. It’s the easiest, quickest, and pretty much only way to get a sleeve without a stark ironing crease. While some people might not mind them on a dress shirt, I certainly do. And if you have a jacket, a crease down the center of your sleeve just looks terrible.
Considering it costs just $12, an ironing sleeve board is one of those tools every gentleman must have in his collection. Want to learn more about how to iron like a pro? Discover the other tools that are useful when it comes to ironing from our guide!
4. Flexible Measuring Tape
If you ever want to order clothes online or if you have close alterations, you want a quality flexible measuring tape that doesn’t get longer or shorter as it ages.
You may assume all measuring tapes are created equal, but that’s not true. Some are super flimsy, others are quite rigid. Some have numbers that rub off and others change their size over time. We found that the Singer brand measuring tapes have stayed in good shape for years, and we can use them over and over again.
Sometimes, they can be hard to find. You might spot them at antique shops or at flea markets. If you can’t find them, vinyl or fiberglass tape is a good substitute. Cost is around $2 to $4, so it’s extremely affordable. I own many different measuring tapes. I even have some in my computer bags whenever I travel, so I’ll always have a measuring tape, in case I need it.
5. The Laundress Stain Solution
As noted in our guide on stain removal, it is best to apply a stain solution as soon as you can after the stain hits the garment, otherwise, it has more time to set in.
The Laundress offers many high-quality products, but we like their stain solution because it works for so many different stains. It’s a solution that works best on organic stains, such as tannins and proteins. So, that would include wine, coffee, ink, grass, blood, or tomato stains. Personally, I love to cook, and I’ve definitely gotten cherry juice on my clothes or pomegranate stains, and this Laundress solution has always helped to get them out right away.
I also have a toddler, so sometimes she touches me with her greasy or dirty hands, and I get stains on my clothes. The Laundress Stain Solution has always been a lifesaver for me. If I have stubborn stains, I apply it onto the garment and rub it in with a little brush. Then, I just add the garment to the regular load of laundry.
A bottle costs about $18 for 16 fluid ounces, which may sound like a lot, at first. But, I found that it lasts for around 200 stain treatments, which is quite a lot. And so, it’s less than 10 cents per stain, which is totally worth it in my book.
6. CeraVe Lotion
We’ve mentioned moisturizing, grooming, and skincare many times on our website, but if you go to the very base level, you need something that provides a good amount of moisturization for your skin. Throughout the day, there are many opportunities for the skin to dry out. It can be the summertime heat or the dry air during the cold winters. It can be your excessively hot showers or the wrong soap that you use when you wash yourself.
If your skin is insufficiently moist, it leaves it dry, itchy, and uncomfortable. It’s also unsightly. While you can spend hundreds of dollars on brand name moisturizers, we found that the CeraVe does a really good job, and it doesn’t break the bank.
So, how does it keep your skin moist? Well, first of all, it’s through ceramides. These are naturally-occurring, fatty molecules that basically insulate the moisture inside your skin. Secondly, it relies on hyaluronic acid, which is a naturally-recurring acid that helps to retain moisture in your skin.
CeraVe is also hypoallergenic oil-free and fragrance-free, which is important, especially if you have sensitive skin. It also means there are no weird smells that conflict with your cologne and not a fatty or greasy film that remains on your skin. A bottle of about 19 ounces costs around $18.
7. The Criterion Channel Subscription
For a long time, there was a joke: hundreds of channels on TV, but nothing to watch. Lately, it has become a dozen subscriptions, but nothing to watch. Most major subscription services out there like Hulu, Netflix, or Amazon Prime try to clasp a really wide net and offer various shows in various formats to just interest everybody.
The Criterion Channel is different in the sense that they take a quality-over-quantity approach. Cinephiles may be already familiar with a Criterion Collection, which was started in 1984. The goal was to make significant, important, classic, and contemporary movies available to a large number of people.
In 2019, they entered the subscription service game and started The Criterion Channel. There are a thousand titles from the collection itself that include classics, art, foreign, and experimental movies. It’s also one of the few streaming services where you can find works of Akira Kurosawa, Michelangelo Antonioni, Busby Berkeley, and John Waters.
Every month, they offer rotating collections of films focused on a subject-matter genre, which can help you find new things that you might otherwise not have found or search for. Because, after all, you don’t know what you don’t know.
Nearly all the films also contain bonus features, such as interviews or behind-the-scenes documentaries. So, if you’re really into that stuff, this is the channel for you. With a price of $10.99 a month or $99 a year, it is definitely on par but less expensive than Netflix, which costs $108 a year, and the base version for Amazon Prime, which is $120 for the year.
As a clotheshorse, you can also find clothing inspiration for movies of Cary Grant, William Powell, Marcello Mastroianni, and Sidney Poitier
8. Martini & Rossi Vermouth
Vermouth is basically a fortified wine, meaning liquor is added to wine and it is enhanced with botanicals to achieve a different flavor profile. There are basically two main varieties: the dry, pale, or white vermouth, which is just slightly aromatized; and there is the red sweet vermouth, which is more heavily aromatized, sometimes also with beets.
Vermouth, in general, is a very versatile drink that can be enjoyed on its own. Personally, I like to mix up Manhattans or whenever a cocktail asks for vermouth. One of the oldest manufacturers of vermouth is the company Martini & Rossi from Italy, which was founded just outside Turin in 1863.
The company is famous for its vintage ad campaigns, and you can find many great posters, which make great wall decorations. It’s theorized that the name of the martini cocktail came from the Martini & Rossi vermouth. In the U.S., you can buy a bottle of 750 milliliters for around $12. It’s good quality vermouth that I personally enjoy and have used.
Is it the best vermouth in the world? In my opinion, no. I prefer the Carpano Antica Formula, which, in the U.S., costs $35 for a 750-milliliter bottle or $20 bucks for a half-size bottle. Of course, as with everything regarding your pellets, taste is very subjective. So, you have to figure out for yourself what you like.
Another contender to throw in there is the Dolin vermouth, and it costs also like $12 for a 750-milliliter bottle. Also keep in mind that while vermouth is a fortified wine and it won’t spoil, per se, like regular wine, it will definitely deteriorate over time. So, it’s best to either consume it quickly, which means within two or three months, or to just go with smaller bottles so you can achieve that goal.
9. Peter Pauper Journals
The last but not least cheap but awesome item is the journal book by Peter Pauper. Yes, we may live in a digital age, but there truly is no substitute for an old school journal.
Of course, there are many uses for a journal. You can use it as a commonplace book. You can utilize it to just write down any notes or things that are on your mind. You can actually use it to journal, meaning you write things down so you kind of take the pressure off of your mind, and you can unwind and relax and not think about thousands of things all the time. It also makes for a great gift and newlywed gentlemen should keep in mind that traditionally paper goods were the traditional one-year anniversary gift.
Peter Pauper Press has been producing journals since 1928, and they all have a unique kind of artistic look with gold edging. And considering they’re just $10 to $20, most of them being around $13, you really get something that looks a lot more impressive than that.
Each journal features a unique cover image that’s either inspired by works of art or vintage books. The binding is solid and durable and has the right amount of give. Our scriptwriter Eb Daniels has been using the journal for months, and he hasn’t found any loose folios or cracked bindings. So, it’s definitely a solid, quality product.
Also, the acid-free, archival-quality paper takes ink from a fountain pen extremely well, which can’t be said of all journals. The pair is also thick enough so it doesn’t bleed through to the next page. So, if you like fountain pens, it’s definitely one thing to consider.
Sized at 8.5 by 6.5 inches or 21.6 by 15.6 centimeters, they’re portable, yet big enough to actually write things down without feeling cramped. Honestly, looking at them, you never think they’re as cheap as they actually are.
Know of any cheap-but-awesome products that we haven’t mentioned? Share them in the comments below, so we can make a part three in this series!
Outfit Rundown
I’m wearing a cheap jacket from a canon of Scotland that I picked up for under 20 bucks at a consignment store.
I’m pairing it with a bow tie in red and blue small paisley, which I picked up for less than a dollar at an estate sale. My shirt is light blue with a fine stripe. My vest is from Cordings in a light fawn color that picks up the earthy tones of the jacket. My pants are corduroys from Polo Ralph Lauren, and my shoes are unlined chukka boots in a natural color. They’re contrasting with my pants, but pick up those earthy color scheme of the rest of the outfit.
My socks are two-tone solids in red and blue cotton by Fort Belvedere that tie everything together, particularly the bow tie, which has the same colors. My pocket square is also from Fort Belvedere and it’s a light blue linen one that picks up the color of the shirt. Thus, looking harmonious and you can find it in our shop.
#1, absolutely, unless you’re a straight razor guy (like me). When I was gaining proficiency with the straight, I used to keep a DE safety razor around for doing the awkward spots, but now I just keep it at the office if the shave needs an emergency touch-up. The DE razor is MILES ahead on shave quality over any cartridge razors (especially if you have sensitive skin), and far cheaper. Good shave soap with a quality brush complete the package, whether you go straight or DE.
#4, definitely. Measuring is a big part of what I do for a living, and measuring tools are something I always keep around. I keep one of these in my desk at work, because not everything I measure is a straight line.
#8… call me crazy, but I actually like Gallo. Often half the price of the Martini & Rossi. Perhaps it’s because I’m just throwing a splash of it in a glass of ice cold Beefeater? But yeah, vermouth is underrated. Apertif, digestif, cocktail component, whatever.
When I was in my teens, a neighbor man kept his white vermouth in a spray bottle. He’d pour the gin and then merely spritz the top of the glass only once. I think it was a joke, he could not have possibly detected it.
People have come up with crazy ways of drinking straight gin and calling it a “dry martini”. Nodding at the unopened vermouth bottle while pouring the gin, allowing the unopened vermouth bottle to sit next to the gin in the cabinet and calling that close enough, titrating the vermouth, etc. If I can’t taste vermouth, it ain’t a martini.
I sometimes like to sip white vermouth while cooking, and I dated a (Ukrainian) girl in college that almost always had a small glass of red vermouth with dinner.
I changed from disposable razors to blade razors around 4 years ago. Yes, itโs takes a while to learn the doโs and dontโs but I can say that itโs a way better way to shave. Cleaner, smoother and I find that aftershave and cologne lasts longer now.
Astra blades, Luksusowa vodka, John Bull cigars. Cheapo but bueno, for when you care enough to send what’s good enough.
French-made Opinel folding knives are a very good value. They are offered in various numbered sizes and in a choice of carbon steel or stainless steel blades. The carbon steel blades become discolored in use, but take a superb cutting edge and sharpen easily. The stainless blades do not become discolored, but do not take as fine an edge or resharpen as easily. Opinel knives can be found in many French kitchens. They have no equal as picnic knives: safe, convenient, effective, and cheap.
Opinels are underrated. Really, I think the Victorinox Swiss Army Knives are also a fantastic value (if you stick to the smaller 2- and 3-layer offerings). I usually carry the Tourist. I actually bought a half a dozen of this model because I liked it so much, for gifts and spares. The fit and finish, consistency, and overall usefulness are incredible for the low price you pay. To be honest, Buck also makes some great stuff for the price. The 110, 55, 501, 105, 103, etc are all fantastic. I have some higher-end production and custom knives, but I’ve come to appreciate what Victorinox and Buck really bring to the market, and they’re what I carry every day.
Raphael! I was in a bit of a hurry today and was just going to breeze through the text here till I saw the tweed jacket. Fabulous earth tone Price of Wales look tweed. Had to watch the video just to enjoy the tweed. You really scored on that purchase.
Oh, by the way, I did enjoy the tips you presented as well and plan to follow up on some of them.
I wanted to subscribe immediately to The Criterion Channel โ but apparently it is not available internationally :-/
Maybe a vpn can help…
Spot on for these! What a surprise as I was writing in my Peter Pauper journal when I came across these tips. And just last month discovered making Negronies with M&R Rosso vermouth.