A hobby but...

[Bungo Pete]

Well, so I guess I'll add my own 21 cents (2 cents adjusted for inflation since the year I was born). I had always used a cartridge razor starting with a Trac II ca. 1975, and never knew any of this existed until I heard a radio interview regarding the subject. This revelation coincided with my desire to end my decades long relationship with Gillette/P&G. The thought of using a DE razor also conjured up memories of watching my father shave with one when I was really little. Interestingly, in the early 1970s, he went from using a DE razor to dry shaving and did so for the rest of his life.

In any case, I have one razor, one brush, one container of shaving soap and one container of aftershave balm. I also have about 75% of the variety pack of blades I initially bought. While I may get another razor at some point, I have enough projects and a full-time job and do not envision this becoming more than what it is; and more luxurious and yes, economical way to get a close shave.

 

[Rosseforp]

In any case, I have one razor, one brush, one container of shaving soap and one container of aftershave balm. I also have about 75% of the variety pack of blades I initially bought. While I may get another razor at some point, I have enough projects and a full-time job and do not envision this becoming more than what it is; and more luxurious and yes, economical way to get a close shave.

That, my friend is a very good start!
Enjoy your DE shaves.

~doug~

 

[timetofly]

Never knew there would be a forum for shaving until I stumbled upon B&B in 2014. By the way, welcome! Do I take shaving as serious as some of these fine gents here at B&B? No, but then again, I would never berate them for what they like in life. Do I enjoy shaving more after joining B&B? Absolutely! The camaraderie here is second to none, and you never know what tidbits you may pick up. I'm having fun! Hope you do as well!
Again, welcome to B&B!!

 

[Gentleman in Japan]

Never knew there would be a forum for shaving until I stumbled upon B&B in 2014. By the way, welcome! Do I take shaving as serious as some of these fine gents here at B&B? No, but then again, I would never berate them for what they like in life. Do I enjoy shaving more after joining B&B? Absolutely! The camaraderie here is second to none, and you never know what tidbits you may pick up. I'm having fun! Hope you do as well!
Again, welcome to B&B!!

Agree with you there.
I take my shaving seriously but my collection is nothing quite like it used to be.

just for nostalgia here is an old pic. Cant buy Floris face wash in UK but I saw it in a shop in Malta back in December! Anyway I digress.
My shaving journey started back in 2013 when I wanted to actually get over razor burn. I think it was B&B that helped me get started. I got my Goodfella DE (which I dont think you can buy anymore?) and some feather blades. I bought a little Edwin Jagger silvertip brush and started with a range of software from TOBS.

By 2018 I took the leap to straights and had was already a regular Floris purchaser.

For me I now shave 6 or 7 days a week when once only every other day with my DE and now I find shaving really relaxing too.

My wishlist of products is quite long but makes it fun.

 

[tyoung]

Great thread! It is such a weird thing to become a hobby, but I guess not really since so many of us are into it. I have been shaving since I was 17, and started shaving my head when I was around 24 (I'm 50 now, but always had really thin hair so decided to just shave it) I had always used canned foam or gel, but would have to get really heavy duty moisturizers because my scalp would always be itchy and flaky. I thought I had dandruff or something. My wife bought me the Body Shop maca root cream maybe 10-12 years ago, and the itchy flaky skin went away! I had never had such amazing shaves. This lead to me to try a bunch of other shave creams in looking for nicer scents. It's really the scents that drove my soap and aftershave addiction, and it took until now to calm way down on that and use the great smelling, excellent performing things I already have tons of!

 

[KW Driver]

Some are super minimalist. Some have a few things. Some have expensive gear. If they can afford it? So what?

For those who full bore hobbyist… so what?

It’s still cheaper and healthier than plenty of other hobbies

 

[funkateer76]

Hello, people of B&B!


So today I want to talk about our hobby, which we all love. Thats what it is a hobby, because no one does it for the fuctunality of it. Yes, we all started because we heard how much better it is for sensitive skin or wanted to see how our fathers shaved, but if you have 10+ razors, way too many razor blades that you are starting to lose count, and questinable quantities of shaving cream, is not just shaving, is a hobby or addiction depending on the point of view.

All the talk about how much more economical it is compared to modern shaving, or once you find your definitive razor-blade-cream combo you will be at peace. Let me tell the truth, IS ALL BULL****. It doesn't matter how many shaves you got out of your last blade if you just bought a Walfram razor and a custom brush, you can throw the economic part out of the window. Definitive insert *blank* is not a real concept it is an abstract one, almost philosophical. You don't find a "definitive" *blank* is just an excuse to buy more stuff, a reflection of the capitalist world we live in. And i intend to elaborate more on the definitive concept in another thread in the future.
It dosen't apply to everyone of course, but I will say the majority of this forum for sure.

Don't get me wrong, I love traditional wet shaving. It transformed shaving for me, from a chore to a fun experience. Before was boring, now it's amazing having to think about what I will use today, how this new thing will perform, or will I make a good lather, or is going to be a disaster again. It gives me something to focus on, to think about, and not just mindlessness dragging a razor across my face. There is also the "me time" part, having a moment of the day dedicated to yourself where you can relax and stop thinking about the stress and anxiety that life gives you.

So I am curious what made you start wet shaving, and most importantly what made you stay?

Great post buddy! To answer your questions . What made me start DE shaving? It was 2020 . Lucked in my house , found my father’s DE in an old box and started experimenting, the eventually got in DE shaving , since then , I’ve never used disposable shaving blades

 

[nelsonic21]

I had been using electric razors for years. In 2013 my Norleco needed new blades and the replacement was different from the original causing some irritation. I checked out some Youtube videos to figure out what was wrong. This sent me down a rabbit hole of skin types, beard growth and shaving methods. I ended up buying a Braun series 5 that worked very well.

However I didn't stop watching shaving videos and DE shaving looked interesting. I was leery about wet shaving because I remembered how many nicks/cuts resulted from carts. The Gillette Sensor Excel had worked, but I had lost the handle years before and replacements weren't available in stores. Towards the end of the year I decided to give it another shot.

So I got a vintage Superspeed, some Van der Hagen products and a blade sampler. The first few shaves went poorly and it took me a month or two to get a nick free shave. I thought about quitting several times, but was determined not give up on something because it was challenging. Years of applying pressure while shaving with electrics was a tough habit to break.

After that the variety of products is what kept me in the hobby. Today it's mostly about how many soaps/creams I have (and continue to get as gifts) plus how cheap replacement blades are. The rest is about how relaxing I find a shave after a shower to be.

 

[Atarian]

So I've been shaving with a DE razor since my wife bought me a no-name set with a brush and a holder, probably three or four years ago. I never cared about blades and used that shaving gel stuff.

It's only recently that I've found this community and I promptly ordered a Qshave adjustable and a sample pack of various blades. I've bought one proper soap recently and a cheap shaving bowl.

I think I've probably saved money! Problem is, I've started now looking into various aftershaves and frags... Hopefully I won't end up with more bathroom bottles than the wife.

 

[abies]

I started because of a misunderstanding. It's a long story but I needed to replace a nicer cartridge razor given to me by my mom, and a friend misinterpreted what I was looking for, and thought I meant a DE. Long story short, I decided to try it. It was sort of an epiphany and went from there.

Even with all my purchases I'm pretty confident I've saved money over cartridges, doing some back of the napkin calculations.

Regardless, I don't think the monetary savings were the reason I continued with it. It was more like a lightbulb went off and I finally understood why someone would shave for reasons other than solely to avoid having a beard.

 

[FarmerTan]

I started because of a misunderstanding. It's a long story but I needed to replace a nicer cartridge razor given to me by my mom, and a friend misinterpreted what I was looking for, and thought I meant a DE. Long story short, I decided to try it. It was sort of an epiphany and went from there.

Even with all my purchases I'm pretty confident I've saved money over cartridges, doing some back of the napkin calculations.

Regardless, I don't think the monetary savings were the reason I continued with it. It was more like a lightbulb went off and I finally understood why someone would shave for reasons other than solely to avoid having a beard.

I'm glad you had your "lightbulb moment" my friend!

 

[zifnab]

I want to hold the middle ground.

I'm selling off razors, so I only use 3.

Selling off soaps as I plan to just use the 3 MdC soaps I got coming and various splashes.

I hoarded my favorite blades, don't need more.

Still sorta hobby but more focused on what's good for my skin rather than constantly trying new razors, new blades and new soaps and splashes.

 

[Quaznoid]

Hello, people of B&B!


So today I want to talk about our hobby, which we all love. Thats what it is a hobby, because no one does it for the fuctunality of it. Yes, we all started because we heard how much better it is for sensitive skin or wanted to see how our fathers shaved, but if you have 10+ razors, way too many razor blades that you are starting to lose count, and questinable quantities of shaving cream, is not just shaving, is a hobby or addiction depending on the point of view.

All the talk about how much more economical it is compared to modern shaving, or once you find your definitive razor-blade-cream combo you will be at peace. Let me tell the truth, IS ALL BULL****. It doesn't matter how many shaves you got out of your last blade if you just bought a Walfram razor and a custom brush, you can throw the economic part out of the window. Definitive insert *blank* is not a real concept it is an abstract one, almost philosophical. You don't find a "definitive" *blank* is just an excuse to buy more stuff, a reflection of the capitalist world we live in. And i intend to elaborate more on the definitive concept in another thread in the future.
It dosen't apply to everyone of course, but I will say the majority of this forum for sure.

Don't get me wrong, I love traditional wet shaving. It transformed shaving for me, from a chore to a fun experience. Before was boring, now it's amazing having to think about what I will use today, how this new thing will perform, or will I make a good lather, or is going to be a disaster again. It gives me something to focus on, to think about, and not just mindlessness dragging a razor across my face. There is also the "me time" part, having a moment of the day dedicated to yourself where you can relax and stop thinking about the stress and anxiety that life gives you.

So I am curious what made you start wet shaving, and most importantly what made you stay?

Marlin, I must respectfully disagree. I got into DE and SE shaving 1) because 50 years ago there were no other options available to me and 2) to save money. If you avoid RAD and the expensive-stuff-acquisition-competition you can shave very cheaply for life.

 

[Lockback]

I posted in this thread way back in April but figured I'd add a little to it ...
Shaving isn't a hobby to most people, it's a necessity and often an annoyance. And so it was to me for dozens of years. I didn't hate shaving, I tolerated it, but I certainly didn't wake up in the morning thinking, "I can't wait to shave today!"
That was back in the days when cartridges were expensive (they're worse now!), I had a job and time was of the essence in the early morning so it's no surprise that I felt that way.
So over the last few years, I retired, I got COVID twice and its lingering effects caused me to slow down. I've always been one of those, "work to live not live to work" guys. Not that I hated the two main jobs I had in my life. In fact, I genuinely enjoyed them and, if I may be immodest, was very good at them. But I've always been a guy with a hobby. When I was a little boy, it was comic books. I collected them (how do the first issues of Spider-Man, Daredevil and The X-Men grab you?) but then at about 14 years old, I got into sports. Big time. I read everything about sports. I immersed myself in sports history and how to play each sport. (Lacking a father, I didn't really have any great mentors but I picked things up.) I was a decent, if not spectacular athlete, particularly football. I still love sports to this day but never was a serious player.
Then, in college, I got into motorcycles, a hobby I had for a half century. Ten different motorcycles, tens of thousands of miles, lots of bike tours through many states. I hooked up with a motorcycle website form, where I eventually became a moderator, then super moderator, then administrator. Again, it was my hobby ... sometimes almost all-consuming. I continued riding for 52 years until I sold my last motorcycle this past fall. Health issues, including wobbly balance, have limited me and I had to make a tough decision to finally leave something I've loved passionately for a long time.
Firearms also because a hobby about 40 years ago, when I married my first wife. I wanted a means to defend her and had done some trap shooting with a buddy and it expanded from there. Dozens of handguns, rifles and shotguns passed through my homes. I still own several and have reloaded ammunition for them all for decades, although I do less now, partially because of cost.
About seven years ago, on a whim, I picked up an electric guitar and an amp. Both were inexpensive in case I didn't take to it. But I did. And have added four more electrics and two more amps and two acoustic guitars. That became another hobby, one I enjoy immensely. I've always loved music and have been told I have a natural talent for it so now I have another creative outlet.
And then there's this, this odd shaving thing. When I got tired of paying ridiculous prices for crummy cartridge razors and bought a $13 Van Der Hagen TTO razor from Amazon and a cheap badger brush and a tub of Proraso Green, who knew it would become yet another hobby for me??
But it has. I actually enjoy shaving now. I love it. I plan the next day's shave the night before, knowing what razor/blade/soap/brush I'll use. I'm now up to 15 razors, over 600 blades, 26 soaps/creams, 4 brushes and 2 after shaves. It's frankly silly and unnecessary. It's kind of ridiculous. Who needs that many variables? Won't just one great razor and one great blade and one great soap and one great brush get the job done?
Of course.
But this isn't just a necessity anymore. It's a hobby. It's a passion. I read reviews, watch YouTube reviews, scour Etsy for vintage Gillettes, peruse Amazon for blade deals, all to feed my silly hobby. I am a man of modest means, a retired blue collar guy, not one with massive 401K's bursting with zillions of dollars. I'm the typical "fixed income retired guy". But one of the beauties of the shaving hobby is that I'm not spending $16,500 on a new motorcycle or $600 for a new 9mm pistol or $700 on another guitar but instead $50 for a new razor and $12 for a hundred blades. Sure, it adds up after awhile but that's what hobbies do. They feed your passion.
And that's okay with me.
That's why I'm here.

 

[Lane101]

@Marlin , @Quaznoid is right in that this is not a hobby for everyone. Whether this turns into a hobby is very much a YMMV decision for each member here. There are lots of folks here who use a basic set of DE equipment for great economical shaves. Think about how many times we've seen a member post about their sole brush wearing out after many years and inquiring about what they should replace it with.

That said there are also many here who treat DE/SE shaving as a hobby whether it's trying lots of different soaps, collecting premium tools or displaying a large collection of vintage shaving items. The hobbyists here tend to post more often, on average, since they have a lot more interesting variety to talk about. Suspect this is what may have given you the impression that most here are hobbyists.

Also just saw @Lockback 's excellent post as I've been typing here that explains so well how this has become a hobby for a number of us with his shaving journey as an example. In reality there is a spectrum here from the basic shaver to the high end collectors.

For me I started out as a basic shaver with with a Weishi razor and Williams shaving soap. While I continue to use a small set of tools (three moderately priced quality razors and three brushes) I have, over the past year and a half, explored a large number of soaps and creams to qualify as a hobbyist in that area. For me creating and applying a creamy/slick lather is my favorite part of the shaving process and like Lockback I enjoy planning out what I'll be using for my next shave. It's the area of DE shaving were we create our own finished product, something rare in today's world of mass production. It's enjoyable to experiment with various ingredients and variations to technique to build the ideal lather.

I've focused on commercial soap brands like MWF, Tabac, LEA, Cyril R. Salter, Williams and D.R. Harris. Shaving soap was a hobby for me almost from the start as I've also experimented with a number of custom blends leveraging budget shaving soaps with some bath soaps like Arko,Williams, Dove, Ivory and Van Der Hagen as the primary ingredients. My formula has evolved to the point where my custom blends deliver core shaving performance that's as good as my best commercial soaps.

My razors (all purchased for less than $15 each) were purchased purely for functional reasons to provide access to my desired aggressiveness range at less total cost than a single one of my electric razors. Similarly my brushes (all purchased on sale for under $10 each) were also acquired for functional reasons as I alternate between my two synthetics as primary drivers and a boar that works well with my hardest soaps. Blades have never become a hobby as I've found, after acquiring three different brands during my first couple years of DE shaving, that I get similar great quality shaves from all three (Derby, Astra SP and Dorco) with the only difference being blade longevity.

 

[sm29]

Hobby? Maybe. Chore? Not at all.
Daily ritual? That’s it exactly.

I began shaving in the early 70s. My razors were generally what my father had given up on in the beginning. There may have been a Superspeed Black Beauty, definitely a Schick injector and later a Stick Schick and even a Paul Revere Schick before moving to a Trac 2. In college I was introduced to the pivoting head Atra. After college, a Hoffritz DE (Merkur 34C or very similar to it) and then electrics mainly Norelco for about 30 years. This was no hobby or ritual, but a chore.

For some unknown reason around 2014 or 2015 I decided to go back to wet shaving with a new Merkur 34C and a Parker Silvertip brush. This time with the aid of the internet and forums like this, I actually learned how to shave. The daily chore became less of a chore but not a hobby or ritual.

By the end of 2015, my wife became ill. As her illness progressed, I found that shaving offered a few minutes of respite each day from her suffering. I was grateful for this daily ritual.

After my wife died in early 2017, shaving became a hobby. I purchased razors, brushes, soaps and splashes. First vintage Gillettes, then stainless steel and titanium modern razors and a few Gems.

Now I have somewhat settled in what I like best and cherish the ritual and have at least mostly abandoned the collecting.

FWIW, my razor of choice is a Blackbird (Titanium and SS), rotate through mostly badger brushes (Rudy Vey with Shavemac 2 bands are my favorites), MdC soap (seem to have settled on Rose) and have come to enjoy SV aftershaves.

My shaving perspectives have evolved over the last half century.

 

[Garry357]

I don’t class this as a hobby, I have wet shaved for over 40 years. I own 1 synthetic brush, I have misplaced a couple through moving home. Another couple just wore out.
I love vintage Gillette TTO.
I have 3 Vintage razors and 2 straight razors. I have about 6-7 shaving creams and rotate daily. Blades I have 3-4 different type.
for me it’s the pleasure of shaving, and a little time just for myself.

 

[Lockback]

Hobby? Maybe. Chore? Not at all.
Daily ritual? That’s it exactly.

I began shaving in the early 70s. My razors were generally what my father had given up on in the beginning. There may have been a Superspeed Black Beauty, definitely a Schick injector and later a Stick Schick and even a Paul Revere Schick before moving to a Trac 2. In college I was introduced to the pivoting head Atra. After college, a Hoffritz DE (Merkur 34C or very similar to it) and then electrics mainly Norelco for about 30 years. This was no hobby or ritual, but a chore.

For some unknown reason around 2014 or 2015 I decided to go back to wet shaving with a new Merkur 34C and a Parker Silvertip brush. This time with the aid of the internet and forums like this, I actually learned how to shave. The daily chore became less of a chore but not a hobby or ritual.

By the end of 2015, my wife became ill. As her illness progressed, I found that shaving offered a few minutes of respite each day from her suffering. I was grateful for this daily ritual.

After my wife died in early 2017, shaving became a hobby. I purchased razors, brushes, soaps and splashes. First vintage Gillettes, then stainless steel and titanium modern razors and a few Gems.

Now I have somewhat settled in what I like best and cherish the ritual and have at least mostly abandoned the collecting.

FWIW, my razor of choice is a Blackbird (Titanium and SS), rotate through mostly badger brushes (Rudy Vey with Shavemac 2 bands are my favorites), MdC soap (seem to have settled on Rose) and have come to enjoy SV aftershaves.

My shaving perspectives have evolved over the last half century.

Beautifully stated.
Yes, the daily ritual, the Zen moments for me, are extremely important. I've been dealing with a family illness the last several months and those 10-20 minutes in the morning after my shower are so important to me.
So sorry for what you went through. I can't imagine it. But thank you for sharing with us.

 

[euro]

I hated shaving and the expensive prices of the modern Gillette carts. I had tried almost every shaving method and found out about DE razors, I decided to give them a chance so I ordered the Merkur 34C HD, some soaps and blade sampler pack. I got a BBS on my first shave and I was sold. You can save money if you want, I'm not going to lie here. There are plenty of cheap soaps that perform well like the Vitos 1 kilo shaving blocks, Proraso soaps, Palmolive creams. Astra SP blades cost 8 euros for 100 blades. You could stick to a setup like this but there are so many different soaps, aftershaves, blades, razors.

I found this forum via Google when I was searching for a couple reviews and decided to join because this forum is very active. Almost everytime when I use Google to search for some review about some shaving product B&B hits the first result. I joined 12 years ago and then I didn't visit this board for a long time till a couple months ago... I purchased so many shaving supplies after I came back on this board. I really don't see this as a negative thing, we just want to have a great time shaving and we're always wanting to try out a new product hoping that it's a better product than the previous one we're using.

You can be a cheapskate and never spend one penny, but then what? Money piles up on your bank account and then you die. You didn't enjoy your life and only worried about spending money. Sure it's a hobby but most hobbies cost money, you can take all your money and waste it at a casino or you can enjoy your shaves. At least with this hobby you're getting something back and it's worth it. I never enjoyed shaving like I do now with my DE razors. I used to hate it. I always get a BBS with 3 passes, if I'm using an aggressive razor with a feather then it's usually two passes. When I shaved with cartridges I could dream of this.

For outsiders we might sound stupid "how much joy can you get out of shaving?" "Seriously!?! shaving a hobby?"... Oh yeah lets see you talk once you get that full BBS using a DE razor... you will become slowly one of us. To be honest, when I joined this board I couldn't believe some people here. What do you need 20+ soaps for? 20+ aftershaves? Couple 1000's of blades? 20+ razors? Now, I AM one of those guys I have 23 soaps/creams and there are so many other soaps I want to buy.

 

[FarmerTan]

I hated shaving and the expensive prices of the modern Gillette carts. I had tried almost every shaving method and found out about DE razors, I decided to give them a chance so I ordered the Merkur 34C HD, some soaps and blade sampler pack. I got a BBS on my first shave and I was sold. You can save money if you want, I'm not going to lie here. There are plenty of cheap soaps that perform well like the Vitos 1 kilo shaving blocks, Proraso soaps, Palmolive creams. Astra SP blades cost 8 euros for 100 blades. You could stick to a setup like this but there are so many different soaps, aftershaves, blades, razors.

I found this forum via Google when I was searching for a couple reviews and decided to join because this forum is very active. Almost everytime when I use Google to search for some review about some shaving product B&B hits the first result. I joined 12 years ago and then I didn't visit this board for a long time till a couple months ago... I purchased so many shaving supplies after I came back on this board. I really don't see this as a negative thing, we just want to have a great time shaving and we're always wanting to try out a new product hoping that it's a better product than the previous one we're using.

You can be a cheapskate and never spend one penny, but then what? Money piles up on your bank account and then you die. You didn't enjoy your life and only worried about spending money. Sure it's a hobby but most hobbies cost money, you can take all your money and waste it at a casino or you can enjoy your shaves. At least with this hobby you're getting something back and it's worth it. I never enjoyed shaving like I do now with my DE razors. I used to hate it. I always get a BBS with 3 passes, if I'm using an aggressive razor with a feather then it's usually two passes. When I shaved with cartridges I could dream of this.

For outsiders we might sound stupid "how much joy can you get out of shaving?" "Seriously!?! shaving a hobby?"... Oh yeah lets see you talk once you get that full BBS using a DE razor... you will become slowly one of us. To be honest, when I joined this board I couldn't believe some people here. What do you need 20+ soaps for? 20+ aftershaves? Couple 1000's of blades? 20+ razors? Now, I AM one of those guys I have 23 soaps/creams and there are so many other soaps I want to buy.

We are soulmates my friend. My wife just doesn't waste money, ever. And she just can't understand why I "need" another Aftershave when I cannot possibly use up all that I have (AS is my biggest weakness in "kollecting" shaving gear). So I WILL be doing a PIF fairly soon; I DO love the woman!!!

But the friends that I have on hear are another thing I NEVER imagined obtaining once my few weeks of lurking ended.

My wife and I actually traveled 1,000 ish miles to have dinner and go to church with @dmshaver and his lovely bride. Just a wonderful weekend, a highlight of our trip south, and one we hold close to our hearts and hope to repeat someday!