How to tame an unruly shave den (hopefully)

[Mike M]

Having been a DE shaver for nearly 10 years now my den has evolved with me and has become a reflection of where I am in my shaving journey. Although it reflects where I am it doesn't currently reflect where I want to be.

I think it might be instructive to show the challenges to achieving the den I've always wanted, and see if it is still what I want if I ever get there. Things change slowly in my shaving world, I don't buy new stuff all the time and I tend to think about the stuff I do buy (probably way to long) so don't expect me to get there any time soon.

Inspired by @SgtCrppls thread about achieving his perfect den I am going to try to document the journey to my own personal shaving Nirvana

 

[Mike M]

Soaps

Tabac stick
Palmolive Cream
La Toya
SV 70th anniversary
SV Opuntia
Zingari Man Explorer
Fine Lavender Pour Homme
Sterling Sharp Dressed Man
Proraso green
Proraso white
Proraso white
TOBS Sandalwood cream
Haslinger Shafmilch now finished
RR Don Marco
RR XXX
RR Emporer
TFS RasoZero Barbaccio
TFS RasoZero Agrumella
Cella
Edwin Jagger Sandalwood
Edwin Jagger Pomegranate and Lime
Edwin Jagger Aloe Vera
MWF

 

[Star_Wahl_Clipper_Treker]

The question I have in regards to your DE shaving experience, for how often you shave is, are you happy? Do you enjoy your shaving routine? If the answer is yes, then I think you've already made it.

I don't really think the goal should be to own a million razors, or to spend a thousand dollars or more. I think the goal should be to achieve happiness with your gear. So I ask again, are you happy? If you answer yes, case closed.

 

[BigJ]

…. I think the goal should be to achieve happiness with your gear. So I ask again, are you happy? If you answer yes, case closed.

+1! Wisdom!!

 

[FarmerTan]

I can't see where you store your Arko, sadly....

 

[Mike M]

If you read my posts in the Arko scent thread you may find enlightenment

 

[FarmerTan]

If you read my posts in the Arko scent thread you may find enlightenment

Oh. I've read them.

You have no idea how much I have wanted to send you a truckload!

 

[Mike M]

I don't really think the goal should be to own a million razors, or to spend a thousand dollars or more.

Neither do I, I reached a point where I said to myself I would be happier with less stuff. There was too much choice when it came to everything and I decided I would like to downsize and concentrate on products I really enjoy

 

[ackvil]

I have been thinking about this topic recently. I am 80 years old and have a fair number of razors that are in my rotation. My sons have no interest in these razors so I wonder why I keep so many of them. I am thinking of keeping only five razors and selling the others so that others could enjoy them. The real problem is to pick the five I will keep.
My current razor rotation:

• Wolfman WR 2 SB 1.05
• Karve with C and D plates.
• Gillette Aristocrat (UK) version
• A pre-war and post-war Tech
• Red Tips (2)
• Merkur 37C
• RR Sealth Slant
• ATT S-1
• Timeless SB .68
• Feather AS-D2
• Megress XL
• Mergress
• Henson AL13

I have sold a Fat Boy, Slim, Rockwell, RR Wunderbar, among others.

 

[Mike M]

I have PIF'd a New Wilkinson sword classic to my 14 yr old son recently, he recently started shaving and I started him off with the plastic version, that didn't impress him so I gave him the metal version

 

[Mike M]

I do have a blade problem

These are my individual tucks, I keep all my extras in a Ziploc bag and there are definitely too many blades. I can get from 15-29 shaves from a good blade so I need to downsize.
I am PIFing a dozen assorted to another member.

 

[Star_Wahl_Clipper_Treker]

I do have a blade problem
View attachment 1426732
These are my individual tucks, I keep all my extras in a Ziploc bag and there are definitely too many blades. I can get from 15-29 shaves from a good blade so I need to downsize.
I am PIFing a dozen assorted to another member.

Because your assortment is huge, I didn't see Feather blades at first, and then I was going to say, hey, your missing a brand. But then I realized it was like Where's Waldo, cause you get lost in the maze of blades. HEHE

I'm a first timer DE shaver, so I got only one razor, and 50 razor blades, which came in 5 of these 10-packs.

 

[JAHE]

I have been thinking about this topic recently. I am 80 years old and have a fair number of razors that are in my rotation. My sons have no interest in these razors so I wonder why I keep so many of them. I am thinking of keeping only five razors and selling the others so that others could enjoy them. The real problem is to pick the five I will keep.
My current razor rotation:

• Wolfman WR 2 SB 1.05
• Karve with C and D plates.
• Gillette Aristocrat (UK) version
• A pre-war and post-war Tech
• Red Tips (2)
• Merkur 37C
• RR Sealth Slant
• ATT S-1
• Timeless SB .68
• Feather AS-D2
• Megress XL
• Mergress
• Henson AL13

I have sold a Fat Boy, Slim, Rockwell, RR Wunderbar, among others.

I'd part with one Tech, one Redtip and one Mergress first. There's no need to have two of them in your situation.

I'd buy a second Wolfman razor to make these two razors a heierloom razor for your two sons (assuming you have two sons ).

 

[Wetshavingswede]

These are my individual tucks, I keep all my extras in a Ziploc bag and there are definitely too many blades. I can get from 15-29 shaves from a good blade so I need to downsize.
I am PIFing a dozen assorted to another member.

Like you i have been DE-shaving for the better part of 10 years aswell. After having tried quite a lot of blades and a bit of razors, brushes i have PIF:ed most of it to friends and family. Have cut my rotation down to:

Fatboy, a slim or now and then a superspeed
Shark or rapira blades, i think i have +500 shark blades since they were sold for like $3 per 100
The omega boar brush that is proraso branded
Proraso red or Arco, some times la toja or tabac - tallow seems to be my fav..

Thats about as long as my short list goes.

 

[FarmerTan]

I have been thinking about this topic recently. I am 80 years old and have a fair number of razors that are in my rotation. My sons have no interest in these razors so I wonder why I keep so many of them. I am thinking of keeping only five razors and selling the others so that others could enjoy them. The real problem is to pick the five I will keep.
My current razor rotation:

• Wolfman WR 2 SB 1.05
• Karve with C and D plates.
• Gillette Aristocrat (UK) version
• A pre-war and post-war Tech
• Red Tips (2)
• Merkur 37C
• RR Sealth Slant
• ATT S-1
• Timeless SB .68
• Feather AS-D2
• Megress XL
• Mergress
• Henson AL13

I have sold a Fat Boy, Slim, Rockwell, RR Wunderbar, among others.

My son has no interest in much of any of my kollections, stamps, coins, razors, etc.... I'm a voracious reader too...

So if I can't find a great niece or nephew or kid at church to gift this "junk" to I'll have a garage sale or something.

I really don't need 90% of the shinola that lives in my house. I NEED the room for other things.

And my lovely War Department has had a rough 3 or 4 years with sick and now deceased parents, and MY less than stellar health, so we are trying to plan long term and also long weekend trips.... But I did not do a good job of listening to my Dad's possibly best advice: "if ya ain't careful, your possessions end up owning you!"

It was AMAZING how much junk we had to get rid of in settling an estate. So I think I might have my own estate sale this year. Lol, I'll just pretend I'm dead, and that I'm selling off my junk for an eccentric client.

 

[Frinstance]

Maybe a trial period using one soap and razor pairing for each day of the week? If the choices are comfortable, you've narrowed the field and have a better feel for the criteria for a further cull (or keepsies!).

I've been in the same boat while acquiring stuff that I've always wanted, learning from each purchase. My shopping list keeps getting smaller because of decision making more than anything. At 51 I don't expect to learn new things about myself, part of the fun when it happens.

I hope you keep at it and keep us updated.

 

[Mike M]

Because your assortment is huge, I didn't see Feather blades at first, and then I was going to say, hey, your missing a brand. But then I realized it was like Where's Waldo, cause you get lost in the maze of blades. HEHE

I'm a first timer DE shaver, so I got only one razor, and 50 razor blades, which came in 5 of these 10-packs.

Not my favourite blades, I did a shave off between Feathers and Kai, Feather lasted 10 shaves (only 8 good) the Kai managed 29

 

[Mike M]

I have managed to 3017 4 soaps so far this year
Proraso green
Proraso Wood and Spice cream
Palmolive Classica cream
Haslinger Shafmilch
I am currently working on a tub of Cella doing the FFFMM Challenge, but I haven't seen the bottom of the tub yet despite loading hard after early lathering problems.
I have a couple more candidates for when it is finished.
I did purchase a tub of Zingari Man Explorer and I still want to buy an SV and an MdC this year but I also want to end up with less than 20 soaps by the end of the year.

 

[Tomo]

Like most of us, I tried a lot of different products in the beginning. Naturally I liked some more than others. Eventually I decided that life was too short to force myself to use up things that I didn’t like very much. I ended up PIFing or chucking quite a few tubs of soap. My den is a lot more manageable now and I get to use my favorites everyday.

 

[thombrogan]

So close to perfect, @Mike M