I read the entire thread of your Osprey review and found it very helpful! Since I just ordered and have yet to receive a Vector with SB and OC baseplates, I fought off a bad case of Razor Acquisition Disorder for an Osprey! I imagine that someday I will own an Osprey, and I need to learn to stop saying, "I won't be making any more purchases since I have everything I need." I have gone from one razor, brush, and soap to a hobby with several options. You could say I got the itch to have variety, and I enjoy it very much!The transition went well infact, but getting things into production is taking a bit longer, according to Shane at @Blackland Razors
As I understand it, ATT will be very much alive once again, under the umbrella of Blackland. So there will not be much loss to be had, since I believe Shane wants to bring back all the popular ATT razors that people love.
That was indeed a major slap to the wet shaving community, it did not go down very well among most of us, and Tabac switched to veggy before MWF did. IDK, it just seems like companies all over the world are getting rid of tallow for one reason or another. I just wish that those companies realized, we supported them, because they made what we wanted. Take it away, and your going to lose customers, its really that simple.
I know the feeling, and I share it. I am not someone who easily deals with change, especially if the change is a set back IMO. The minute a company starts removing a bunch of features that people like, is the minute they become Google, cause that is something that they like to do. Well that, and losing billions like it isn't a thing. ( Stadia Failure )
Thats exactly what I did, I bought an Osprey, and she's a magnificent bird! Make way, Osprey heavy coming through, airspeeds very much alive, positive rate, move aside seagulls, a real bird is coming. HEHE
I currently have ten soaps, and I would probably buy more if I had more room on my shelf. Since I jumped on the tallow version of MWF after reading about Tabac going vegan, I probably have enough tallow MWF to last the rest of my life since I rotate through soaps and use a different one for each shave. There are probably regulatory reasons why companies are getting away from tallow-based soaps, but that is not comforting, and I wouldn't say I like it in the least. I don't expect these companies to care, but I am not interested in the new formulations. I have several vegan Saponificio Varesino soaps, and they all work fantastically. But, I did not buy MWF to attry a "new and improved" formula. I wanted the old-school formulation.
I have ATT Atlas and Calypso handles, and I plan to purchase some of the other options if Blackland brings those to market. I love what I have from ATT, but I would eventually like to have handles for each top cap I own, so I need two more. Not knowing about ATT closing before it happened makes me happy I purchased what I did while they were still in business. Although, I transferred my ATT affinity to Blackland pretty quickly!
Lately, I seem to be reading more posts with people taking the side of "expensive" versus "cheap," with some arguing that the less expensive option is "just as good." My original 2013 purchase of an Above the Tie razor worked (and still works) beautifully, and even though it wasn't cheap if I had stuck it out with that as my only razor, it would have been a very frugal choice that worked incredibly well. However, as I get older and reconcile that my time is limited, I enjoy trying new things, and a high-quality razor, brush, soap, and aftershave provide a bit of joy and excitement to a routine that can become tedious and performed on autopilot. I have no interest in convincing someone to try something out of their budget, and I understand everyone has different needs and perceptions. But, I didn't keep returning to B&B to find the lowest-cost product for a one-and-done purchase. It is the members' deep experience here, their willingness to share, and the fun of being a part of something outside most people's knowledge and experience. My collection of shaving equipment is modest by B&B standards but outlandish compared to the general public. It's sort of like the synthetic brush discussions. If a synthetic works for someone, I am happy. But I love the natural badger brushes and am underwhelmed by the one synthetic brush I have. Sure, it works fine, but the experience leaves me wanting more.
Someday, I hope to own a home again, and when I do, I will create a proper shave den or bathroom storage that meets the quality of my shaving tools and allows for expansion as my arsenal grows. I am as excited about that as any recent purchases, as I see it as a natural extension of the entire wet shaving experience!
