gifting wetshaving goodies to friends & family

[gaseousclay]

while we're on the topic of converting the masses to DE shaving, how has your response been to gifting wetshaving goods to friends and/or family? part of me wants to gift my wife's brother a nice safety razor, brush, cream, etc., but i'm not sure how receptive he'll be to it. he's a yuppy (no offense to yuppies ) and from what I know of his personality he seems like he'd be the type to enjoy wetshaving. but then again, I wouldn't want it to be a completely wasted gift should he not like it. what's your experience with this?

 

[DSB]

I would judge his interest level first. I gave a very nice wet shaving set to my brother-in-law, and I'm pretty sure he has yet to use it. He had shown interest in DE shaving previously, and loved a straight barbershop shave he got a few months ago. He barely acknowledged the gift, however.

On the other hand, I loaned a newbie set to a co-worker, and he can't stop talking about how great it is!

It is very rewarding to get someone else interested in your hobby, so if your brother-in-law will use the gear, I say go for it!

 

[Blue-EyedSon]

I tried to gauge my dad's interest before getting him a brush with soap. After it seemed to me that he might be interested, I went ahead and got him a brush and some soap. He has loved it. He hasn't yet tried a DE razor yet.

 

[Sweeney Todd]

I've had mixed results, my dad and brothers tried out DE shaving when I loaned them some Superspeeds/HD, blades, brush and cream.
One brother liked the TOBS cream and is still using but didn't stick with the
DE. My Dad and other brothers tried it but gave up after their first attempt.

I've one colleague who has gone down the full conversion route. Another
colleague is on week 2 of a PIF HD and he's bought his own Proraso and
Semogue boar. Another two colleagues have switched to Proraso and boar
brushes but sticking with cartridge razors however one is getting close to trying out a DE.

I think the easiest route is to get them a brush and decent cream, they'll appreciate the benefits over canned goo and less of a pitch than making
a full change at once.

 

[saltypete]

I tried to get my Dad into proper wetshaving without any luck. He uses a disposable and when I switched to DE I gave him my Fusion. He used it once and said he preferred the disposable. After that I never even bothered giving him a DE. Likewise with a 'proper' cream. Used it once and reckons he prefers canned goop.
I find it disappointing that I can't share my hobby/obsession with him, but to each their own and he's happy doing his thing.

Pete

 

[Nils]

After nearly fourty years of electric shaving, my father returned to traditional wetshaving, following my prompt. He is a very generous man, but he can be a bit of a cheapskate, so he went for the plastic Wilkinson DE with Wilkinson blades (nothing wrong with that, of course). So for his upcoming birthday I got him a 38c and an Irisch Moos Stick, rounded up with some Packs of Red IPs.

 

[Newfie]

I gifted my future son-in-law with a lower end pure badger brush, a Gillette ball end tech with Derby blades and a couple of soaps & creams.

My daughter is close to hating me for that. She can't get in the bathroom now.

 

[spanx]

I wont give shaving gifts because whenever I get to talking about razors they jusk look at me and smile thinking "take it easy slash I don't need any help shaving".

 

[gone down south]

+1 on starting them out with a brush and soap/cream. Most people can figure those out pretty quickly, and will see an improvement in their shaves almost immediately.
The razor and blade combo takes a bit more commitment, I would introduce that gradually if at all.

 

[jwhite]

+1 on starting them out with a brush and soap/cream. Most people can figure those out pretty quickly, and will see an improvement in their shaves almost immediately.
The razor and blade combo takes a bit more commitment, I would introduce that gradually if at all.

I agree I've seen several friends over the years turn to a brush and quality cream. But none have wanted to get a DE.

I recently asked my dad why he stopped using his DE. He asked me if I wanted it, it's a '55 red tip and was hard to turn down, but I asked why he didn't use it anymore. He said he use to use Wilkinson swords and old spice soap but, that he couldn't find either any more. He carried on with barbasol and noname blades for a while but he kept getting poor shaves. Finally he just went with disposable razors and the goo. He also told me that he goes back to it every once in a while and had used it a few weeks ago. Well I went and checked and he had left the blade in and the red tip needed some love. A good scrubbing with an old tooth brush and some Colgate had it put right and I did the same with the case. I gave these to my dad and told him I would get him some decent blades. When I came back home I ordered him his long lost Wilkinsons, though I warned him they were not the ones he remembered, and some bluebirds which work very well on my coarse beard. I also got him some Ingrams and Erasmic creams. I called him to let him know the order was on the way and to clean the old brush, he seemed genuinely pleased.

 

[robb01]

I wont give shaving gifts because whenever I get to talking about razors they jusk look at me and smile thinking "take it easy slash I don't need any help shaving".

and then it just gets awkward

 

[CJayhawk]

My sister recently saw my shave kit and asked me to make a list of what was involved, thinking that it might make a good birthday present for her husband.

So of course, I send her a doctoral thesis of an email on wet-shaving, the steps involved, all of the different pieces, and the pros and cons of using the kit. (The biggest con being that a wet-shave does, in a majority of cases, take longer than using a cartridge.)

Her response was two sentences:

"That was a really long email. He just usually shaves in 3 minutes in the shower, and doesn't want it to take any longer than that."

It's definitely not for everybody.

 

[Deltaboy]

Dad swears by his 2 bladed Yellow Bic thowaway razors. If I could find another Razor cheap I might get him a VdH starter kit.

 

[SavantStrike]

My sister recently saw my shave kit and asked me to make a list of what was involved, thinking that it might make a good birthday present for her husband.

So of course, I send her a doctoral thesis of an email on wet-shaving, the steps involved, all of the different pieces, and the pros and cons of using the kit. (The biggest con being that a wet-shave does, in a majority of cases, take longer than using a cartridge.)

Her response was two sentences:

"That was a really long email. He just usually shaves in 3 minutes in the shower, and doesn't want it to take any longer than that."

It's definitely not for everybody.

You should have told her with practice the shave can be done in as little as 5 minutes .

 

[htownmmm]

i have 2 friends who end up with soaps or blades that are good, but not great or do not wow me. Since they already have gifted razors and brushes, they always accept. In fact whenever they hear anyone speaking of shaving they point them in my direction.


marty

 

[krissy]

I don't think it would be out of line to talk to him about it first. Even if you don't tell him you plan to gift him with some stuff. Then if you know him well, maybe ask him to act surprised when he receives it. And to help him use it be sure to give him the links to Mantic video's, the link to this forum, and any other links you feel would be helpful. And your own personal advice would be great as well.

Maybe he might not be interested if you just gave him the stuff. But he might if you talk to him about it first.

I also hate to give gifts if they won't be used. I like to put a lot of thought into gifts that I give. My hubby says I put way to much, but then I don't like to get gifts that are just given without the thought either. I have a SIL who is great for giving gifts just to give one.

 

[luvmysuper]

I wont give shaving gifts because whenever I get to talking about razors they jusk look at me and smile thinking "take it easy slash I don't need any help shaving".

Talking to people about shaving NEVER works.
PIF'ing a starter set works more frequently, as eventually even the most recalcitrant will give it a try just because it's there.

 

[rth97601]

I'm giving shaving kits to my two brothers-in-law this X-mas, and to hell with the consequences. I expect they'll get into it, and if they don't, they don't. They're both hard to buy for anyway, so the risk is minimal ...

 

[nemo]

I gave a great little starter set to a friend and he didn't use it for a good while. Finally, one day he shows up and complains, shows me serious razor burns, some nasty cuts, and blood on his collar. Said his meeting that morning was a disaster.

Gave away a nice 60s SuperSpeed and I'm now in the doghouse! Beware.

 

[mliguori]

I'm pretty sure I'm going to give my younger brother a start-up set for his birthday in a month. Something cheap and simple like a VDH starter set and a Weishi. What do you guys normally give as a gift set?