Acquisition Disorder End Game
- Thread starter JoWolf
- Start date
as far as software goes, i made a rule for myself, that if i buy more stuff, i have to give some away. hardware on the other hand, i became very selective. i only have 6 brushes on deck and 3 in the mail, which is alot but compared to some people here its a brush collection of a droopy eyed armless child. 4 DE razors and 5 straights. got a few DE razors and straight i want to acquire, but after that im done. unless something exquisite comes along.
I dont mind. I know I'm bad with money. It will be a good thing.
Still wet behind the ears, having just started in January, but I caught the bug bad. RAD, SBAD, etc. That said, for hardware I am trying to stay to a rule of sevens: seven straights, seven DE's, seven brushes. That is my end game.
I have only a dozen soaps/creams, so that seems under control (though I was seduced by Valobra and bought up as much Patchouly as I could get my hands on). My weakness is for vintage and discontinued items...
I have only a dozen soaps/creams, so that seems under control (though I was seduced by Valobra and bought up as much Patchouly as I could get my hands on). My weakness is for vintage and discontinued items...
AD "End Game"? What? We're supposed to have an end game? Huh! Maybe "Buy/Try all the things..."?
And as a philosophical side trip, acquisition is by definition getting something. It doesn't imply you have to keep it. If I buy a new razor every Monday and get rid of it it every Sunday, my acquisitions never end but I only ever own one razor.
And as a philosophical side trip, acquisition is by definition getting something. It doesn't imply you have to keep it. If I buy a new razor every Monday and get rid of it it every Sunday, my acquisitions never end but I only ever own one razor.
Excellent thread! Thanks to the OP for posting. I've purchased a great deal of new product recently...but I'm there. I've built up a rotation of product I like, both hardware and software if you will, and now I'm just going to rotate and enjoy for a while.
What I realized: There is no end game because the end game is largely determined by those selling shaving products, not the consumers.
There will always be a new soap base coming.
Think you got the perfect razor/blade combo? Well, a new "top cap" or "base plate" just came out. Now, you "have to" test it with all the different DE blades again.
Your current brush may look gorgeous. But, have you tried that new magical brush that basically makes lather by itself?
The destination is boring. The journey is fun. Enjoy it with as many self-imposed limits as you want to keep you sane.
There will always be a new soap base coming.
Think you got the perfect razor/blade combo? Well, a new "top cap" or "base plate" just came out. Now, you "have to" test it with all the different DE blades again.
Your current brush may look gorgeous. But, have you tried that new magical brush that basically makes lather by itself?
The destination is boring. The journey is fun. Enjoy it with as many self-imposed limits as you want to keep you sane.
Hardware isn't bad for me. If a razor doesn't work as well for me as others, it's gone. I have 4 to 5 razors that are all nearly perfect for me and I'm on the waitlist for another Wolfman, so I really have no wants for razors right now. I prefer synthetic brushes, so those are easy and much cheaper. Software is my problem, particularly soaps. I'm constantly chasing the next newest base and trying all the scents.
I have acquired enough straight razors, DE razors, razor blades, shaving brushes, soaps, hones and strops to last me for the remainder of my life, even if I live to be 95. I have stopped purchasing hardware, but still enjoy evaluating new soaps. However, when a new soap comes out, I restrain myself to one scent whereas in the past, I might pick up several.
I only purchase new soaps if reviews show them to be exceptional products. I do not need any more Tier II or Tier III products, but can still find room for Tier I soaps. For example, I am hoping to add Barrister and Mann SoftHeart, Ariana and Evans Kaizen, and Hub City Raider to my collection.
I only purchase new soaps if reviews show them to be exceptional products. I do not need any more Tier II or Tier III products, but can still find room for Tier I soaps. For example, I am hoping to add Barrister and Mann SoftHeart, Ariana and Evans Kaizen, and Hub City Raider to my collection.
I got bored with the silliness of it long ago. I do collect straight razors but will eventually sell most of them. Even that is getting boring. What I do enjoy though is simply getting a good shave. Every shave is a treat for me every morning.
- Thread starter
- #71
My DE endgame
My DE end game is complete. I have two favourite razors, I haven’t tried the Piccolo yet but it will be a third favourite. There aren’t any other DE’s that interest me. Anything that wasn’t a Fatip went to BST.
Fatip Lo Storto Originale set a very high bar and closed that chapter for me. Only The House of Fatip can reopen that DE chapter.
I’ve tried maybe twenty or so soaps. Agreed not that many. Vitos Extra Super Coco stopped my soap curiosity. Excellent in all attributes for My Perfect Shave. I have about five soap samples and maybe four or five new soaps on the shelf untried. I may try them I don’t plan or know when. Vitos does it for me with exceptional shaves.
The brushes are the passion in my shaves. I love lathering and always find a reason to increase lathering times. The seven brushes I rotate are very different and unique. One horse, three boar, three badger. I shave with a brush for two shaves and than rotate. It takes two and a half months to get through the rotation at 120hrs per shave. Enough time and variety to make the brushes feel very vibrant for every shave and I love all of them for their individual uniquenesses.
The blades. Arguably the Feather is the sharpest. Any of the blades I have in inventory will deliver a DFS shave in any of the three razors I have. Yes I’m a BBS freak and always will be. The Feather loaded for a single use in Lo Storto delivers My Perfect Shave with repeatability. In over a half a century of shaving nothing approaches the shave excellence and comfort of this combination for me. My sensitive neck areas have never had the comfort I’m enjoying from my last two Lo Storto Feather blade shaves. I really do feel and believe I can close my DE chapter on this part of my shave journey.
I think I've hit my endgame. I took stock of what I have in the ol' shave den/bathroom and I once again have too much stuff. I only use one DE razor (Gillette Super Blue), one cartridge razor (Trac II), and one brush (RazoRock BC silvertip Plissoft) regularly because they are the products that work the best for me. Everything else just sits in the drawer rarely used (Hawk, KCG) or unused (in the case of my travel brush, literally unused other than a test palm lather the day I got it), so it seems pointless that I still have them. I'm still trying to decide what to do about them, but at least they don't take up much space.
After 3 months of DE shaving: Merkur Sledgehammer and 25C, New King G, R41, RR Jaws and CC 84 plate, Piccolo and FOCS on the way. Each step was a better shave, less passes. Proraso white and green sets, Stirling Naked soap, menthol splash, Snake Bite set on the way, lots of blades, so far like Nacet the best, Feather next. Time to slow down for a while. End game BBS in 2 passes with a little clean-up, almost there.
- Thread starter
- #74
You are a quick mover. It took me over a year to get to FOCS. I was on the Grande for a few months before getting to my ATG Single Pass shave, every 120hrs. I shave face and head. Using Lo Storto with the Feather is the best shave I’ve had.
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I had a bit of a wake up a few months ago when I started counting up my shave soaps, after shaves, and EDT's and estimated I have a good 15 years worth. I'm 69 now, so any further purchases may just be for the afterlife. But in spite of that, I've got 4 or 5 more items I've convinced myself I need.
You sound very much like me. I just turned 70 this month. I use the equivalent of about 5 tubs of soaps a year, yet my collection is sufficient to last me until I am 100. However, like you, there are still a few soaps I want to "try before I die", a bucket list of sorts. Thus, I continue to purchase new soaps and dispose of soaps whose scents and performance are not up to my current standards. Most soaps I thought were pretty good 4-5 years ago no longer deserve a spot in my rotation.
The ancient Egyptians used to anoint mummies with fragrant oils and spices. Perhaps I can leave instructions for my body to be anointed with my remaining soaps. LOL Unfortunately, I have no son or grandson and my son-in-law shaves with an electric shaver. Unless I can convert him to wet shaving or unless my only granddaughter marries someone I can interest in wet shaving, I have no one to inherit my collection of razors, hones, strops, brushes, and soaps.
Down to one razor, one brush and a pile of soaps that are being worked down 3017 style.
For me it was deciding that while shaving is still a hobby, there is no more collecting and no more searching for a better or more perfect setup. Good enough is good enough.
There is nothing wrong with big collections and using a lot of different things. Do what brings you joy. If there is shame, and we list the many ways it shows itself in this thread and on B&B widely, then notice it and decide if it’s time to do something different.
For me it was deciding that while shaving is still a hobby, there is no more collecting and no more searching for a better or more perfect setup. Good enough is good enough.
There is nothing wrong with big collections and using a lot of different things. Do what brings you joy. If there is shame, and we list the many ways it shows itself in this thread and on B&B widely, then notice it and decide if it’s time to do something different.
When I first read about RAD, I thought it was a joke, some kind of a shaving "jargon". It turns out many folks here truly suffer from this. It's one of those situations when you don't know whether to ROFL or cry what's the world coming to. Seriously? Razors, soaps...? OMFG.
Anyways, I've never experienced such an urge. I guess I'm at the opposite end of the spectrum - only buy the very finest stuff, as I'm a firm believer in you get what you pay for. So, a little goes a long way.
I practically only use a single DE razor (Feather AS-D2, occasionally my Muhle R41), one shavette (Feather AC SS non-folding) and 1 SR on those very special days - my beloved Koraat 6/8 and that's that.
I've got 1 Silver Tip badger Muhle brush and use no other. What the heck for??
Soaps wise - I go 3017 on them and never have more than 5 hard pucks in my rotation and max. 2-3 creams.
I know YMMV and each to his own and all that b/s...
Anyways, I've never experienced such an urge. I guess I'm at the opposite end of the spectrum - only buy the very finest stuff, as I'm a firm believer in you get what you pay for. So, a little goes a long way.
I practically only use a single DE razor (Feather AS-D2, occasionally my Muhle R41), one shavette (Feather AC SS non-folding) and 1 SR on those very special days - my beloved Koraat 6/8 and that's that.
I've got 1 Silver Tip badger Muhle brush and use no other. What the heck for??
Soaps wise - I go 3017 on them and never have more than 5 hard pucks in my rotation and max. 2-3 creams.
I know YMMV and each to his own and all that b/s...
Hi, my name is ajduplessis. I’ve been clean for 30days...
HI A.J.!
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