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B&B at Big Shave S'West

RumpleBearskin

RumpleBearskin

On my way back from Big Shave S'West 5 in Chandler, AZ happy, satisfied, and with a ton of goods and samples.

I got to hang with @BigShaveBill and ran into @bluesman 7 (who was displaying his wares).
IMG_20190427_133835-01.jpeg

His razors are even more beautiful when they are sitting in your hand.
IMG_20190427_133830-01.jpeg
 
AshleyC

AshleyC

Intriguing. Intriguing. But when will The Shaving Powers That Be realize that Ohio is the place to stage large shaving emposiums?

Arizona? Can you pick a more sparsely populated state? What's next? A shaving convention on one of the Aleutian Islands? Kiska? Attu? What do they have there? Radioactive waste? Didn't they film "The Hills Have Eyes" in Arizona? And in Arizona that's a documentary, not a work of fiction.

No, guys, Columbus, Ohio is where the action is.

Preferably at the state fairgrounds, about a 10 minute drive for me...
 
Azheat

Azheat

WSP, Lather Brothers, Col Conk Lavender, PAA event soap and AS, Soap Commander, Edwin Jagger and a few others. Silicone collapsible bowl in the back left, t-shirt. Bought a few items as well. Van Yulay had at least 50 scents with them. New release Karve in aluminum and steel there as well as first showing of Edwin Jagger steel razor.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
ackvil

ackvil

AshleyC said:
Intriguing. Intriguing. But when will The Shaving Powers That Be realize that Ohio is the place to stage large shaving emposiums?

Arizona? Can you pick a more sparsely populated state? What's next? A shaving convention on one of the Aleutian Islands? Kiska? Attu? What do they have there? Radioactive waste? Didn't they film "The Hills Have Eyes" in Arizona? And in Arizona that's a documentary, not a work of fiction.

No, guys, Columbus, Ohio is where the action is.

Preferably at the state fairgrounds, about a 10 minute drive for me...
Click to expand...

The population of the greater Columbus Ohio area is only 2,078,725. The population of the Phoenix area where Chandler is located is 4,307,033.

Chandler AZ houses some of the largest tech companies around such as Intel (they employ more than 12,000 folks), Microchip (specialty computer chips), Orbital Science Corp. (aerospace launch systems), eBay and PayPal, Verizon (customer support systems), Wells Fargo (corporate offices), Bank of America (customer processing center), and numerous health care facilities. The average salary in Chandler is $78,815. For Columbus OH the average is $52,031.

It's easy to see why the event was held in Chandler AZ. That's where the people - and money - are! :001_rolle:2guns:
 
AshleyC

AshleyC

ackvil said:
The population of the greater Columbus Ohio area is only 2,078,725. The population of the Phoenix area where Chandler is located is 4,307,033.

Chandler AZ houses some of the largest tech companies around such as Intel (they employ more than 12,000 folks), Microchip (specialty computer chips), Orbital Science Corp. (aerospace launch systems), eBay and PayPal, Verizon (customer support systems), Wells Fargo (corporate offices), Bank of America (customer processing center), and numerous health care facilities. The average salary in Chandler is $78,815. For Columbus OH the average is $52,031.

It's easy to see why the event was held in Chandler AZ. That's where the people - and money - are! :001_rolle:2guns:
Click to expand...

Pshaw, says I! Pshaw!

Do you realize that Columbus, Ohio is the corporate home of White Castle? The fast food of choice for people soon to be suffering hangovers [and gas]? Oh, we also have Ohio State University, Batelle (something to do with explosives and hydrogen bombs, I think), and Nationwde Insurance. And Wendys. The other hamburger place. Remember Dave?

So there! Ha! I scoff at your median income and air so dry it dehydrates the nostrils uncomfortably. And your landscape straight from an episode of "X Files".

[In truth, I should be grateful that in a niche, bizzare hobby like this I live within just slightly unreasonable driving distance of Maggards up in some "Children of the Corn"-looking town in Michigan. Someday, i really must plan a road trip and go.]
 
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Davidkimberly

Davidkimberly

I would recommend New Orleans for an event like this but, alas, as much as Chandler is in the actual desert, New Orleans is in a metaphorical shaving desert.
 
BassPlayerBoz

BassPlayerBoz

I just found out about this event yesterday. Sorry I missed it, but I couldn't have attended anyway as I was at my God-daughter's wedding in Lincoln, NE that day. But I VERY much want to plan to attend the one next year - @ roughly the same time (April 2020) at the same resort (as I understand from the FB & Home pages.)

Could those of you who attended offer a thorough review(s) of the experience? Such things as...
- Availability of soap/ blade/ cream samples? Free or cost?
- Good deals on "stuff" (razors, SRs, swag, etc.)?
-- I think I read one review that stated the "deals" were not any better than you can generally get online, but that it was nice to be able to actually hold, smell, feel the texture/ weight, etc. items before you bought them.
-- Also wondering about T-shirts, stickers, & other wet shaving promotional/ advertisement stuff that's not actually shaving gear.
- Discussion forums - good/ bad/ indifferent?
- Free SR shaves - could you actually get one or was it too crowded? Was it a good experience?
- Was there enough time in the day to see everything/ visit all the vendors you wanted?
- How much did you budget for "gear"?... vs.... How much did you actually spend? (Assuming you don't mind advertising such numbers. And yes, I realize that - to some - this might seem like asking an alcoholic to publicly advertise how much he drank today. So please forgive me if that's you. But I'm curious if I should just get some cash/ criedit card... or take out a bank loan behind the spousal unit's back.)
- etc.

Thanks.
 
DEPenguin

DEPenguin

Hello BassPlayerBoz,

You likely read my review, but I don't believe I covered many of your questions . . .
- Availability of soap/ blade/ cream samples? Free or cost?
Soap samples were around, most free, but some vendors charged about $3 for a 1oz sample. The majority of free samples came in the 'swag bag' which you'd need to purchase in advance. I'm still trying out the samples I got last month from the event, many from artisans/vendors I'd never heard of before: Cooper & French, Henri et Victoria, Gentlemans Nod, Lather Bros, Lakeside. Picked up a couple nice samples from PAA and Edwin Jagger as well (both free).
- Good deals on "stuff" (razors, SRs, swag, etc.)?
Razor Emporium had a clearance area set aside for the event only. I got a couple tubs of Elvado that I really like for $6 each. They had Arko and a number of other items as well. Honestly, I didn't look into razor prices, but I know EJ was there selling their new 3ONE6 razor--I think it was just over $100. Not sure I saw any deals, per se, save for the clearance stuff. However, to be entirely fair I wasn't really shopping either.
-- I think I read one review that stated the "deals" were not any better than you can generally get online, but that it was nice to be able to actually hold, smell, feel the texture/ weight, etc. items before you bought them.
This was a big perk for me. So many names and scent descriptions online, but to be able to put a genuine whiff to a name you've seen or been thinking about was really nice. Being able to hold the EJ razors was a plus . . . but the best thing, I think, was being able to interact with the vendors. Sure, they were there to sell some product, but they were only too happy to talk shop and craft.
-- Also wondering about T-shirts, stickers, & other wet shaving promotional/ advertisement stuff that's not actually shaving gear.
Off hand I don't recall much in the way of t-shirts and such. There were some business cards set out for sure. I did get some samples from Pacific Shaving and a travel (collapsible) shave bowl from them as well--for free, thank you very much! WSP had a bunch of their small soap and shampoo bar samples for free as well.
- Discussion forums - good/ bad/ indifferent?
I enjoyed the panel discussions, although the acoustics weren't great because it was all held in one big room, so all the background chatter could make it hard to hear the participants well.
- Free SR shaves - could you actually get one or was it too crowded? Was it a good experience?
The shave itself was free, but tipping was certainly encouraged, and I think that's fair. I didn't get one, but you didn't have to wait in a long line to get one done.
- Was there enough time in the day to see everything/ visit all the vendors you wanted?
Plenty of time, without a doubt. Just a large room you could keep circling if you wanted. Despite the crowd all the vendors I spoke with were very friendly and happy to chat with anyone.
- How much did you budget for "gear"?... vs.... How much did you actually spend?
I went in with the ostentatious (for me) budget of $200.I had no idea what things would cost nor what I would find.I didn't buy a bunch of stuff, but I got a CK scuttle, 2 Atomic Rocket brushes, a couple of samples, and the tubs of Elvado for about $80. Soaps are something of an Achilles heel for me, but I was an exceptionally good boy and didn't buy any full size tubs . . . although I did a week later when my son came back home on leave.

I truly enjoyed the experience. Lots of good people, everyone enthusiastic about being there. Lots of soaps and related stuff to sniff and ogle. I'm in Tempe, so it wasn't far for me. A little further for you, to be sure, but there was a guy there from France and another from the UK, both came over for the event. If you can make it next year I'd tell you to get the swag bag and come enjoy it!
 
johnwick

johnwick

ackvil said:
The population of the greater Columbus Ohio area is only 2,078,725. The population of the Phoenix area where Chandler is located is 4,307,033.

Chandler AZ houses some of the largest tech companies around such as Intel (they employ more than 12,000 folks), Microchip (specialty computer chips), Orbital Science Corp. (aerospace launch systems), eBay and PayPal, Verizon (customer support systems), Wells Fargo (corporate offices), Bank of America (customer processing center), and numerous health care facilities. The average salary in Chandler is $78,815. For Columbus OH the average is $52,031.

It's easy to see why the event was held in Chandler AZ. That's where the people - and money - are! :001_rolle:2guns:
Click to expand...

Let’s meet somewhere in the middle, say, my town. Kansas City it is! Around 3 million in the metro, middle of the US, great barbecue, and most importantly, a nice short drive for me!
 
Russrat

Russrat

Davidkimberly said:
I would recommend New Orleans for an event like this but, alas, as much as Chandler is in the actual desert, New Orleans is in a metaphorical shaving desert.[/QUOTE

^^^
This is truth. A lot of scrubby faces and hipsters in NOLA these days. Not much in the way of wet shaving shops. Aiden Gill is meh at best.
Click to expand...
 
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