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Contemplating getting out of the "RAD race"....a couple of questions

14 years and ~80 razors later, I'm in category 2 and 3. Let me explain:

Category 2:
My holy grail razor was discovered just this year. It's the Blackbird SS.

I adore this razor for its high efficiency whilst being super gentle on my sensitive skin.

Category 3:
I used the Merkur Progress exclusively from 2012 to 2015.
I then used a bunch more razors and came to the realization that the Progress is better than all of them! (Apart from the blackbird)

Hence why the Blackbird and Progress are all that remain in my den!
 
Hello, my name is CTR and I am a recovering RAD addict.

These days I use a single brush, an EJ Super Badger on the small side. One DE razor, the Feather AS-D2. Two travel razors, a Wilkinson DE and a Gillette Sensor Excel. I do rotate thru creams, soaps, and AS. Have an electric as well.

Have owned and used many razors over my nearly half century of shaving.

Did the crazy try everything stage but settled on the above setup though the Tatara razors are tempting. My counter is cleaner, the choices are limited, myself and my wallet are happier. Not to mention the Commander and Chief is happy. Important to keep the peace.

PS). Would snap up a butterscotch Super badger in a heartbeat if I found one of a medium/small size.
 
Technically #3 is a No for me, because I have only been at this game for a year. I started DE shaving out of curiosity having left the cartridge field for well over two decades ago into electric shavers.

I subsequently stumbled upon B&B looking for techniques to improve my shave.

Well, if you happen to stumble upon a forum like B&B, you suddenly feel the need to try some other razors.
And absolutely +1 on Iridian’s point which means a Yes for #1 - I felt I really needed to buy other razors to learn if they would be the ONE. And I learned that most if not all of them deliver excellent shaves. They require different techniques, but I can get excellent BBS’s with all of my razors. I could have very well stopped at my Fatip SE if I am truly honest. Or in hindsight (always easy talking) I should have gotten my R41 as second razor and all would be good too. I now have 14 razors and I experience the flip side of RAD which I dubbed RRA (Razor Rotation Anxiety) - I know I have an insignificant collection compared to most here, but I have enough to feel remorse when I don’t use some as much as others. This has tempered my RAD considerably. I still feel the FOMO or damn the torpedoes and I am coming to buy everything and anything, but I am more rational about it.

And then came along the Yes to #2. I obviously had seen the high end razors and had some in my wish list with one taking top position because I think it’s one of the most beautiful designs for a safety razor (with the Lambda Athena in second place): Timeless Ti95 with Crown Handle.

Earlier this year I was very very fortunate to see this razor delivered at my doorstep by sheer luck and fortune when a fellow B&B brother reached out and gifted me this razor. It could have been a dudd and shave just like any other razor, but it didn’t. It was amazing! And my RAD completely silenced as a result of it. I now only look at razors out of sheer interest of trying them once or twice - which currently is enough for me not to buy them. This Timeless is a R41 with the smoothness of a Tech - it is simply bliss. I sometimes open my cabinet just to look at it.

I have turned my attention more towards the software so soaps and blades. Mostly soaps, because blade RAD made sure I have enough for the next 4 decades! Oh, and brushes, yeah every day of the week another brush is the minimum, right?! And don’t get me started about handles!

Excellent thread Kingfisher! And I like reading fellow brother stories on how we evolve. I truly enjoy other’s stories about new razors and new experiences without having the urge to acquire it myself.

Guido
 
Today's world biggest problem is an excess of options for everything. We always keep thinking if there are something better we are missing, and probably there are, but we are not sure exactly what. Life isn't perfect and also things are not and will never be.

Internet with everybody's reviews and opinions about these everything just turn this issue exponencial.

My father and my dad did not have this. Just shave with what was available at hand.

#1 tip to "cure" anything acquisition disorder you may have, just get out of internet about it. At once. Cold turkey.
TOUCHE’. Just STOP. Shave with what you have. STOP!!!
 

JCarr

More Deep Thoughts than Jack Handy
Ditto...although I do have a number of excellent razors that I still rotate through. The Wolfman WR1 is just dynamite for me though.

With the recent acquisition of a Blackland Blackbird SS OC and another Wolfman, WR1 SS OC .80, I thought I was done. That is...until Italian Barber came out with an OC Lupo .72...I bought the base plate. So...now I really think I'm done. 🤣😜
 

musicman1951

three-tu-tu, three-tu-tu
In my case, I could answer, ‘Yes,’ to all three questions. :a29:

After awhile I realized that I found my ‘grail’ razor (WR1)! It is now my ‘daily driver’ that I enjoy most every day. Since I could not bear to lose it, I also have a ‘travel’ razor. That’s it for me!!
This is exactly my experience, right down to the WR1! I've used it virtually every day at home for the past 6 years (I did do a handful of shaves at home with a new travel razor).

Yes, I can shave with any decent razor. But every face is different, there is a great variety in beards and technique probably has even more variations. The best razor for you is a marriage of all of those elements. Have I found the absolute best razor for me? Honestly, I can't purchase every single razor on the market to find out. Each razor I purchased worked a little better than it's predecessor, until I ended up with the Wolfman. My search is over.
 
I'm waiting for 2 razors to arrive and I'm going to take a break for the forseable future, since almost nothing that is currently on the market is even remotely interesting. I'm really disappointed that most razors on the market require shallow or the so called "neutral" angle instead of a very steep abgle, which is my favourite. After trying quite a few high-end razors I'm starting to believe that the price has little to do with how good a razor is. A rezor either fits your shaving style and suits your needs or it doesn't and buying razors randomly without doing at least a little research is not a wise choice.
 
I sometimes open my cabinet just to look at it.


Proud Of You Yes GIF


I do that like twice a day
 

Phoenixkh

I shaved a fortune
Fast forward to today.... months have passed since I posted to this thread. I have two more razors roaming around the States until USPS gets them to our place.... that will make my total up to 19... all DE razors and just one new AC razor. I have a top 4 at the moment.... and hope that when I try some of the others I have now, others will join them. I'm not looking for one Holy Grail razor but several that are a joy to use.

After my testing is complete, I don't know if I'll keep them all or sell or PIF any of them. I might sell off some of the plates I don't find enjoyable for a few razors.... Decisions, decisions....
 
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