How has your shaving journey evolved?

[Randy]

You can have great technique but no tools, just saying!

Yes, I find that I have excellent technique but I don't have any razors or soaps or blades.
Tbh, I have a beard.

 

[Epikouros]

For those who’ve been traditional wet shaving for a while, how has your routine changed as your skills and experience have developed?

Did you start out with a DE and later move to injectors, straights, or something else entirely? Or have you stuck with what you started with?

What changes did you make along the way — fewer passes, different prep, new soaps, brushes, blades, or techniques?

And what drove those changes? Better results, comfort, efficiency, curiosity… or something else?

It’d be interesting to hear how your shaving journey has evolved over time.

Started with a very simple and extremely cheap setup (cheap shaving machine, soap, brush and aftershave) in an effort to explore wet shaving and I was surprised by the elimination of razor burns, rashes and comfort. All of these pleasant surprises led me to invest in more expensive materials in an effort to explore what does a change in budget add at the end result of a shave. Haven't regretted with the change, became a true follower and will never go back to the plastic multi blade marketing scam. Nothing can compare to those 10-15 mins of a man's shaving time, the time we all need to calm down, relax, plan our day and face the world. The practice have made me a better shaver, in the beginning was paying to much attention in the process and not-getting-cut. Now it is a pampering process and loving every minute of it. I've changed everything in the process, the budget etc.

 

[DesertIguana]

You can have great technique but no tools, just saying!

Well trying to make that you do not NEED $1,000.00 DE Made by Swiss, Blade that cost $1.50 Each, or a $500.00 Btrudsh with Secret Badge Hair from the Manchuria.

All you need to get a good shave is a Vintage TECH in working order, $3.00-$5.00 Boar, Blades, and some Soap, Croap, or Cream. Then learn to use your tool before going TOOLNUTS.

 

[AndThatsARockFact]

I just looked up Gillette DE razor prices in previous decades, adjusted for inflation. Cheap by any metric!

We’re all crazy here.

Not that I feel guilty at all. It’s a hobby. I have a backup for my backup but that’s it.

I sometimes think of this guy I used to know who collected 1911 pistols. He had like thirty, and they were all modern. To him they were all special in some way. Custom shop, limited production, etc. All very expensive. But I couldn’t understand why he would build a collection like that without a single vintage example.

Not sure I’ll ever build a collection of shaving gear but if I did it would be very old examples.

 

[TobyC]

I just looked up Gillette DE razor prices in previous decades, adjusted for inflation. Cheap by any metric!

We’re all crazy here.

Not that I feel guilty at all. It’s a hobby. I have a backup for my backup but that’s it.

I sometimes think of this guy I used to know who collected 1911 pistols. He had like thirty, and they were all modern. To him they were all special in some way. Custom shop, limited production, etc. All very expensive. But I couldn’t understand why he would build a collection like that without a single vintage example.

Not sure I’ll ever build a collection of shaving gear but if I did it would be very old examples.

Proof that new crap is just bling for the suckers, we won two world wars with the 1911 and the 1911A1, that's all the 45ACP anybody needs.

 

[Twelvefret]

I just looked up Gillette DE razor prices in previous decades, adjusted for inflation. Cheap by any metric!

We’re all crazy here.

Not that I feel guilty at all. It’s a hobby. I have a backup for my backup but that’s it.

I sometimes think of this guy I used to know who collected 1911 pistols. He had like thirty, and they were all modern. To him they were all special in some way. Custom shop, limited production, etc. All very expensive. But I couldn’t understand why he would build a collection like that without a single vintage example.

Not sure I’ll ever build a collection of shaving gear but if I did it would be very old examples.

Correct, it’s a hobby. The ones complaining have more shaving products than is required or needed.

 

[chazt]

Correct, it’s a hobby. The ones complaining have more shaving products than is required or needed.

No complaints here. I hope to live another two decades, maybe more, the good lord willing, and still have enough hardware and software to see my grandson into his second decade of shaving. I’m part hobbyist, part savvy hoarder, part shavearmageddon-theorist, part obsessive-compulsive.
Life is good

 

[Twelvefret]

No complaints here. I hope to live another two decades, maybe more, the good lord willing, and still have enough hardware and software to see my grandson into his second decade of shaving. I’m part hobbyist, part savvy hoarder, part shavearmageddon-theorist, part obsessive-compulsive.
Life is good

Fabulously well said!

 

[Randy]

No complaints here. I hope to live another two decades, maybe more, the good lord willing, and still have enough hardware and software to see my grandson into his second decade of shaving. I’m part hobbyist, part savvy hoarder, part shavearmageddon-theorist, part obsessive-compulsive.
Life is good

Full OC is Randy's middle name

 

[Sideburns]

I’m probably a bit long in the tooth to seriously consider becoming a collector (despite the well-worn mantra that you’re never too old). Other than postage stamps as a kid, I’ve managed to sidestep collecting for most of my life.
Mrs Sideburns might strongly contest that, though — especially if she points to my toolboxes, which seem to have multiplied into a sizeable hand-tool archive over the years, or my shoe cupboard, home to what I’d argue is an entirely reasonable selection of “essential” footwear for every conceivable occasion.
That said, I can confirm I currently own two boar brushes (both under £10), one second-hand badger, and one bargain-bin Yaqi synthetic… so perhaps I’m past the denial stage and finally admitting there may be a collector lurking within.

 

[Sideburns]

Started with a very simple and extremely cheap setup (cheap shaving machine, soap, brush and aftershave) in an effort to explore wet shaving and I was surprised by the elimination of razor burns, rashes and comfort. All of these pleasant surprises led me to invest in more expensive materials in an effort to explore what does a change in budget add at the end result of a shave. Haven't regretted with the change, became a true follower and will never go back to the plastic multi blade marketing scam. Nothing can compare to those 10-15 mins of a man's shaving time, the time we all need to calm down, relax, plan our day and face the world. The practice have made me a better shaver, in the beginning was paying to much attention in the process and not-getting-cut. Now it is a pampering process and loving every minute of it. I've changed everything in the process, the budget etc.

That’s a nice way of putting it, especially the bit about those 10–15 minutes being time to reset and prepare for the day. Maybe that’s something a lot of us can relate to—it’s probably one of the reasons wet shaving becomes more than just beard removal.
My foray into DE shaving has been fairly modest in terms of gear, but similar in that the more comfortable and enjoyable the shaves became, the more curious I got. I started out simply enough and told myself I’d keep it simple and practical … but somehow a few brushes and a couple of razors have quietly found their way onto my bathroom shelf.
Like you, experience has changed my process more than the equipment. In the beginning it was definitely all concentration and caution; now it’s a bit more relaxed and way more enjoyable, though it’s always been enjoyable. I have fewer mistakes, marginally better technique, and a better understanding of what works for my face—and surely that’s the point?

 

[Twelvefret]

No way to gain knowledge without experience. There are shaving tools you have to experience. I like vintage blade holders and have no experience with modern ones. This means I cannot say with knowledge that the new ones are not worth the asking price.

One of the most innovative holders I have seen is the Leaf Razor which allows the user to replace the multiple blade design to duplicate, I suppose, the modern disposable multi blade type.

 

[Sideburns]

No way to gain knowledge without experience. There are shaving tools you have to experience. I like vintage blade holders and have no experience with modern ones. This means I cannot say with knowledge that the new ones are not worth the asking price.

One of the most innovative holders I have seen is the Leaf Razor which allows the user to replace the multiple blade design to duplicate, I suppose, the modern disposable multi blade type.

Fair point — you don’t really know until you’ve tried it. That’s half the fun of this hobby, finding what works for you.
I’ve kept things fairly simple myself, but I can see the appeal of vintage gear. My daily driver is a Fatboy, but I hate the blade tabs that stick out either end of the head - though I know why they’re there. There’s something nice about using a tool with a bit of history behind it, but at my stage I don’t want to restrict my direction as yet - sort of feeling my way.
The Leaf does look interesting too, although part of the appeal for me is getting away from multiple blades. In a way it also shows that there’s not much under the sun that’s truly new — more often it’s familiar ideas reworked and refined for a different audience.

 

[Twelvefret]

Fair point — you don’t really know until you’ve tried it. That’s half the fun of this hobby, finding what works for you.
I’ve kept things fairly simple myself, but I can see the appeal of vintage gear. My daily driver is a Fatboy, but I hate the blade tabs that stick out either end of the head - though I know why they’re there. There’s something nice about using a tool with a bit of history behind it, but at my stage I don’t want to restrict my direction as yet - sort of feeling my way.
The Leaf does look interesting too, although part of the appeal for me is getting away from multiple blades. In a way it also shows that there’s not much under the sun that’s truly new — more often it’s familiar ideas reworked and refined for a different audience.

There is also the opportunity to find many ways that work best for you leaving you free to develop the skill set you use a GEM, Gillette, Schick, Feather, straight/shavette, etc to accomplish a daily activity. In other words, you are not bound to only one tool. This is one value of a shaving as a hobbie.

Another hobby for me is target shooting with a sling shot. Some in the hobby have several frames, but I have settled on one.

When I began to collect vintage railroad lanterns, I found the one I was after in one purchase. I still consider myself hobbiest.

 

[Cannoncocker]

Proof that new crap is just bling for the suckers, we won two world wars with the 1911 and the 1911A1, that's all the 45ACP anybody needs.

Need vs Want