Shaving as a hobby/AD

bandito

Ex-Addict
On a more serious note, I too love the process - I hope, even if I never buy any new stuff again (slim chance of that); that DE shaving will never become like the mindless process that I personally experience (d) with a cartridge razor, for example. It's an opportunity to slow down and be mindful.

Of course I also like buying stuff! That's slowly slowing down, but there'll always be new products that will tempt me - fortunately I've now tried so many that the pool of untried products is drying up!
 
Walking in the bathroom and seeing those beautifully presented products, smelling, selecting, setting up, selecting music. It's not, and could never be, mundane.
Is this a hobby for me? I don't know, I don't collect, I don't restore, @JamieM sets the bevels and hones my straights and then I just maintain an edge best I can. I barely contribute anything other than photographs of what I've bought or used that day.
In fact, I only come here to see what Mick's selling :wink:
 

Rowlers

Massive Member
Staff member
Some great thought provoking replies gents.
For me, I have calmed down the buying. I started hunting out Gillettes, then Injectors and NOS blades, then I had a run on soaps and bought a few, fairly cheap brushes.
I sold some of my higher end razors (and one Shavemac) as I am perfectly happy with what I have. I still browse and enjoy the pass arounds.
Would love to be able to try some of the re-creations by PAA.
I have a few razors on my want list, but until I win the lottery they will stay on the want list!
 

Conservator

Forum GOD!
I have been shaving for a very long time before I started acquiring brushes, razor, and soaps. I have not bought a soap in a year, any new blades in 6 months, or any creams in over a year. I have enough of a supply of everything to last me a very long time. However, for me, it's the process I enjoy. It's sort of like fishing or playing golf. Only it's me against the razor! :D
 

JamieM

Extreme sharpness is ephemeral!
I no longer seek out or look for razors having so many high end custom and top of the range vintage razors coming in weekly, I find I get my fix from honing restoring and even shaving with one if I so fancy, as far as scents and soaps go I could happily live with 4 soaps max same goes for scents, I have one more brush coming in and that's me done.
 

Mr Bigmem

Forum GOD!
I have said before that without the purchases and the thrill for me of new items then it just becomes shaving which is just a mundane daily activity and I may as well return to cartridges and canned gloop. I am giving away soaps so I have the excuse to go buy some more. The only caveat to that is I will no longer buy new products directly from the U.S. The razors are already expensive and I am not adding £50 on top for the privilege of owning new razors. Buying, testing and enjoying, or not, is what makes shaving into an enjoyable hobby for me. Without new stainless razors all that is left is pot metal ancient Gillettes and I know many in the community love these but not me. I'd rather use a BIC.
Any soaps you'd like to give away would be welcome into my home lol
 

Mr Bigmem

Forum GOD!
Yeah I cannot disagree with your comment, buying for me is the largest part of the enjoyment for me. Shaving is just the thing I do to keep hair free on my face.
Buying is one part of my persona, my shaving ritual is something that just happened one day when the soap, razor, brush and aftershave all worked in harmony and it was like wow that was so relaxing. Lol I know some will see me as a loon but I also know there will be some that totally get it. I shut out the world and for that prep, those 4 passes and the clean up and post care i'm in my meditation. Buying is the part that ensures my meditation is done with the right kit
 

UKRob

Forum GOD!
I have said before that without the purchases and the thrill for me of new items then it just becomes shaving which is just a mundane daily activity and I may as well return to cartridges and canned gloop. I am giving away soaps so I have the excuse to go buy some more. The only caveat to that is I will no longer buy new products directly from the U.S. The razors are already expensive and I am not adding £50 on top for the privilege of owning new razors. Buying, testing and enjoying, or not, is what makes shaving into an enjoyable hobby for me. Without new stainless razors all that is left is pot metal ancient Gillettes and I know many in the community love these but not me. I'd rather use a BIC.
I come at this from a completely different point of view. From the time I started shaving in 1965 or thereabouts, I've used a brush and hard soap - the only thing that changed was the razor. The first revelation was soft soap in a tube, Ingrams or whatever, it lathered much better than a hard soap. All of a sudden, different razors became available, the Gillette Tech (I think), with a wind on strip of steel that was probably the worst shave ever, but quickly followed by cartridge blades, which were absolutely brilliant.

Gillette and Wilkinson competed in terms of how many blades they could get into a cartridge - and then Gillette added a battery - and that was, at the time, the best shave I'd ever have. In fact I don't think I've ever improved on that shave, despite trying straights, SE razors, DE razors and all kinds of weird things from the 1900's onwards.

My current favourite is a Schick Proline SE blade in either my Cobra or General. Other days, I prefer one of my straight razors - but what doesn't change is a decent badger brush and soap. That's the definition of shaving to my mind.
 

Wayne

Forum Sod
I come at this from a completely different point of view. From the time I started shaving in 1965 or thereabouts, I've used a brush and hard soap - the only thing that changed was the razor. The first revelation was soft soap in a tube, Ingrams or whatever, it lathered much better than a hard soap. All of a sudden, different razors became available, the Gillette Tech (I think), with a wind on strip of steel that was probably the worst shave ever, but quickly followed by cartridge blades, which were absolutely brilliant.

Gillette and Wilkinson competed in terms of how many blades they could get into a cartridge - and then Gillette added a battery - and that was, at the time, the best shave I'd ever have. In fact I don't think I've ever improved on that shave, despite trying straights, SE razors, DE razors and all kinds of weird things from the 1900's onwards.

My current favourite is a Schick Proline SE blade in either my Cobra or General. Other days, I prefer one of my straight razors - but what doesn't change is a decent badger brush and soap. That's the definition of shaving to my mind.
My journey is very similar apart from not using a Straight until recently and I started shaving in the late 70's. If I remember rightly what brought me to forums was looking at something called a razor pit (I think) some device for sharpening cartridge razors. I thought someone must know if they are any good. Searched for shaving forums and Voila.
 

UKRob

Forum GOD!
My journey is very similar apart from not using a Straight until recently and I started shaving in the late 70's. If I remember rightly what brought me to forums was looking at something called a razor pit (I think) some device for sharpening cartridge razors. I thought someone must know if they are any good. Searched for shaving forums and Voila.
Well,Wayne it just goes to show how fate or whatever, works. My epiphany was getting a Saturday morning haircut where I noticed that they had added a couple of barber chairs that tilted backwards for a proper shave. I accepted the offer of a straight razor (shavette) shave and within a week had ordered a proper (Dovo) straight razor and a few things for pre and post use. What I didn't need to change was the brush and soap - until, of course, I joined a couple of forums, and soon realised that my Crabtree and Evelyn soap was not acceptable, and neither was my long used brush.
 

HirsuteB4

Über Member
Well,Wayne it just goes to show how fate or whatever, works. My epiphany was getting a Saturday morning haircut where I noticed that they had added a couple of barber chairs that tilted backwards for a proper shave. I accepted the offer of a straight razor (shavette) shave and within a week had ordered a proper (Dovo) straight razor and a few things for pre and post use. What I didn't need to change was the brush and soap - until, of course, I joined a couple of forums, and soon realised that my Crabtree and Evelyn soap was not acceptable, and neither was my long used brush.
Good GRIEF! Why would C & E be acceptable? some of my absolutely favorite shaves have been with their vintage products!
Has it hit the bin yet? If not...pls advise and I will gladly take any of it off your hands.

Thanks, Glenn
 

R181

Grumpy old man
Good GRIEF! Why would C & E be acceptable? some of my absolutely favorite shaves have been with their vintage products!
Has it hit the bin yet? If not...pls advise and I will gladly take any of it off your hands.

Thanks, Glenn
You have to be careful with C&E soaps. From what I understand the vintage soap was excellent. Then the formula was changed a while back and the soap became a poor performer. That was followed by another formula change and the most recent version is again a good performer. I believe the shave shave creams were unaffected by formula changes and are good performers.

Bob
 

halvor

a most elusive fish
You have to be careful with C&E soaps. From what I understand the vintage soap was excellent. Then the formula was changed a while back and the soap became a poor performer. That was followed by another formula change and the most recent version is again a good performer. I believe the shave shave creams were unaffected by formula changes and are good performers.

Bob
+1 @HirsuteB4

My recent experience with C&E was crap. Sandalwood soap. Think this was even supposed to be the better of the recent formulations.
 
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