How Many Possibilities?

[Chef455]

In my den I have-

14 razors
8 brushes
20 soaps/creams
10 various razor blades
8 aftershaves

I need my math gurus to let me know if this has been calculated correctly, but without any further research I'm led to believe that I have 179,200 possible combinations available to me. Does that seem correct? If so what's your number? If it's wrong what is the right number of combinations?

 

[Leverspro]

Do you keep track of your pairings?

 

[Chef455]

Do you keep track of your pairings?

Nah. I'm a tad whimsical but definitely fall into some habits. I enjoy what I have and am content with the variety that it allows me. I was, however, mildly intrigued by the number of possible combinations and was wondering if the math is correct. I reckon there are some folks that are better arithmeticers than I am that could tell me if I'm doing it right.

 

[brucered]

Great mind think alike.

Granted this was from 2011, but I believe your math is correct. My number wouldn't be too high these days. I use the same razor, blade, soap & AS daily.

Thread 'How many shaving combinations do you have?' How many shaving combinations do you have? - https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/threads/how-many-shaving-combinations-do-you-have.247922/

 

[Leverspro]

I use 10 razors, 10 brands of blades, 20 soaps, 25 brushes. I was thinking of running a thread this year for a different combo every day of the year, but I'm not great at keeping records either.

 

[Chef455]

I use 10 razors, 10 brands of blades, 20 soaps, 25 brushes. I was thinking of running a thread this year for a different combo every day of the year, but I'm not great at keeping records either.

By my calculations that puts you at 50k different combinations possible. You did not mention post shave products. Kind of puts acquisition disorders into perspective, no?

 

[Leverspro]

I'm not a regular AS user, but I have about a dozen of them. Yes, the variables are crazy.

 

[Tanuki]

Does that seem correct?

Yep. Better get shaving. You are behind!

 

[Chef455]

Yep. Better get shaving. You are behind!

IKR! That's almost 500 years!

 

[brucered]

IKR! That's almost 500 years!

But unless you add more soaps/creams, your current stash would run out in about 5 years based on 100 shaves per product.

20x100=2000 / 365 = 5.5y

The same would go for your AS. Those two consumables dwindling down to 1 each, would cut your combinations down to a realistic number of 3y worth of combos.

 

[Roedeer]

I'm not a regular AS user, but I have about a dozen of them. Yes, the variables are crazy.

Exactly

Meanwhile I'm enjoying the 366 year with its lavish amount of factors.

I wonder if we can beat the Shannon Number (of games of chess that are theoretically possible, Shannon number - Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shannon_number), once we introduce all the blades, aftershaves, soaps and all our paraphernalia, and multiply them up.

 

[Wgg2017]

But unless you add more soaps/creams, your current stash would run out in about 5 years based on 100 shaves per product.

20x100=2000 / 365 = 5.5y

The same would go for your AS. Those two consumables dwindling down to 1 each, would cut your combinations down to a realistic number of 3y worth of combos.

View attachment 1798546

This tells me he needs to buy more soap

 

[WThomas0814]

Interestingly, there is an app that allows you to enter all of your razors, brushes, soaps, etc. and it will generate a random combination for your daily shave.

I like things more regular. I have a brush dedicated to each soap (5 of each). I have one DE razor, one AC, one GEM, and one shavette. I have a preferred blade for each SE razor and two blades for my DE. I install a new blade and use it until it’s time for a blade change. So, four razors, five blades, five soaps, and five brushes yields only 25 combinations for me.

My razor rotation is pretty much firm: DE, blade 1 - AC - GEM - DE, blade 2 - Shavette. I rotate brush/soap daily. A little OCD, perhaps, but this rotation gives me plenty of variety to prevent boredom with no mental gymnastics to determine what I’m going to use when it comes time to put steel to face.

OK, it’s very OCD. Works for me, though.

 

[KW Driver]

Sounds like you’re ready for another/continuing sabbatical

 

[Chef455]

Sounds like you’re ready for another/continuing sabbatical

Sheesh. I just left the Island, man.

 

[KW Driver]

And how much treewhailing? Bought them blades yet?

 

[Chef455]

I have not. Someone keeps sending some to me. And I don't reach for the GEM too often.

My only Treewhaling-

Wizzies, Lea and this little guy from Lisbon. The blades had to stay behind. Shame, that, I enjoyed them.

 

[BigJ]

I enjoy the products I have and select (somewhat) ’randomly’ every AM! I don’t worry about the math!

IMO, the main thing is to HAVE FUN!!

 

[KW Driver]

I enjoy the products I have and select (somewhat) ’randomly’ every AM! I don’t worry about the math!

IMO, the main thing is to HAVE FUN!!

whoooooowwww now. that's crazy talk. have fun? this is very serious business. there wouldn't be so many spread sheets otherwise!

 

[StlEd]

Yes, 179,200. Unless, of course, you start combining a couple of soaps/creams to build a "super lather" or a different scent combination.
I've at times combined Lavender Cremo with Sandalwood, or Bourbon with the original citrus, as well as other combinations, just to try them together.
So, the factorial of 20 is 2,432,902,008,176,440,000; could take a while to try them all.