(This post was last modified: 06-08-2016, 07:17 PM by BadDad.)
Everything in my den is budget, vintage, or gifts from other shavers and I have no guilt nor shame in using, displaying and proudly declaring their sources, so my 2 "guilty pleasures" are the 2 most expensive items in my den.
First...My burl box elder silvertip badger brush. Not nearly as costly as many of the beautiful brushes I see, but at $65, it was an "investment" for me and was the most expensive and luxurious item in my den until I purchased my second "guilty pleasure"...
Second...my RazorEmporium.com horsehide strop. I mean...WOW! I have a Poor Man's Strop from WhippedDog.com that I attached to a board for a paddle strop. Works very well, cost about $10. I have a "Mac Professional Strop" that I received in a trade that also has performed very well for me. But neither of those compare to the luxury of stropping on this new horsehide strop. Smooooooooth, like butter. The strokes barely make a sound on the smooth leather side, and the linen side is equally a pleasure to use. My first real linen strop, this thing touches up an edge really quick, and has given me a new appreciation for what, exactly, a strop is used for. At $85 it is currently the single most expensive piece of gear in my den, and worth every penny.
My guilty pleasures are not in the same context as what others are calling, but they are outside of my budget, truthfully, and they are something that if I was married...I would have had to hide...something my budget cannot accomodate rationally, but which I bought and use with some guilt because I sacrificed elsewhere to get them. This is, to me, what a "guilty pleasure" really is...