Warning: you've read this all before, many, many times. Many others have posted almost identical stories and revelations. I just had to throw my hat in the tired ring, hahaha.
So, I get into a mode sometimes where I find something I like that works pretty good and just staying there. When I got my EJ de86bl, I ordered a small sampler, found that Derby's worked best with it, and stayed with that for years. Then I got into straight shaving, and fell in love with that. After 5 or 6 blades I found my match, a Japanese made 6/8 near wedge with French point. Not as close a shave as the DE, but less rash and irritation and, surprisingly, cuts. I forced my brothers to try out straights, one bit hard, the other didn't, so I traded him back the straight for the EJ since it went largely unused anyway. Then I found myself in a situation where I needed to shave more often and in a quicker manner. I got back into DE's and wound up with the two loves of my wet shaving life, my Gillette Slim and my Maggard Razors v2 open comb. Both are superb. Decided to try out some new blades and boom, Mr.Polsilver came into my life. Absolutely perfect with both of those razors. I used Chiseled Face soaps and AS for a long time, and through great timing was able to trade with a member for some Captain's Choice soaps and AS. Boom, Cat o' 9 Tails. The best eva(so far). On a whim I decided to try out the Chiseled Face scents that I had neglected, and as an afterthought tossed in a puck of Haslinger Sheep's Milk. Oh, damn. That stuff is amazing. Like, really amazing. So, my current trifecta is Maggard Open Comb or Gillette Slim(set on 8) with a Polsilver blade, Haslinger soap and CC Co9T splash. Super close, smooth, and almost completely cut and rash/irritation free.
The point of this wall of text is that getting comfortable can be great, but also may stunt your growth or leave you bereft of a potentially much better shave. My progression has been over the course of several years, and nothing I bought was really expensive. Maggard has a program where you pay $20 and you get free shipping on any and all orders for six months. This is incredible when you only have a few bucks but want to try out a soap, blade or aftershave that can cost a whole lot more when bought whole instead of a sample. You can frugally experiment, and you can often recoup at least a portion of what you spent by selling what you find you don't like. There's also PIF's galore here, so sometimes you can try something out totally free of charge. All that was a roundabout way to say that I wish I didn't get stuck in my ways so often, and that it can be a very good thing to try new ones.
So, I get into a mode sometimes where I find something I like that works pretty good and just staying there. When I got my EJ de86bl, I ordered a small sampler, found that Derby's worked best with it, and stayed with that for years. Then I got into straight shaving, and fell in love with that. After 5 or 6 blades I found my match, a Japanese made 6/8 near wedge with French point. Not as close a shave as the DE, but less rash and irritation and, surprisingly, cuts. I forced my brothers to try out straights, one bit hard, the other didn't, so I traded him back the straight for the EJ since it went largely unused anyway. Then I found myself in a situation where I needed to shave more often and in a quicker manner. I got back into DE's and wound up with the two loves of my wet shaving life, my Gillette Slim and my Maggard Razors v2 open comb. Both are superb. Decided to try out some new blades and boom, Mr.Polsilver came into my life. Absolutely perfect with both of those razors. I used Chiseled Face soaps and AS for a long time, and through great timing was able to trade with a member for some Captain's Choice soaps and AS. Boom, Cat o' 9 Tails. The best eva(so far). On a whim I decided to try out the Chiseled Face scents that I had neglected, and as an afterthought tossed in a puck of Haslinger Sheep's Milk. Oh, damn. That stuff is amazing. Like, really amazing. So, my current trifecta is Maggard Open Comb or Gillette Slim(set on 8) with a Polsilver blade, Haslinger soap and CC Co9T splash. Super close, smooth, and almost completely cut and rash/irritation free.
The point of this wall of text is that getting comfortable can be great, but also may stunt your growth or leave you bereft of a potentially much better shave. My progression has been over the course of several years, and nothing I bought was really expensive. Maggard has a program where you pay $20 and you get free shipping on any and all orders for six months. This is incredible when you only have a few bucks but want to try out a soap, blade or aftershave that can cost a whole lot more when bought whole instead of a sample. You can frugally experiment, and you can often recoup at least a portion of what you spent by selling what you find you don't like. There's also PIF's galore here, so sometimes you can try something out totally free of charge. All that was a roundabout way to say that I wish I didn't get stuck in my ways so often, and that it can be a very good thing to try new ones.
