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Overheard shaving conversation

jackgoldman123

Boring and predictable
"if people would just slow down a little and enjoy daily activities a little more they might be happier. Shaving, cooking, eating, drinking coffee/ tea etc. are all things most of us do every day. Why not make them more enjoyable?"

so true...I'm always asking my butler to slow down but he is always in such a hurry, why?
 
My 81 year old father used DE from the 1950s until sometime in the 80s. I just found out today he bought one of the MTO razors after seeing it advertised by Rick Harrison.

So turns out he used it once, decided it didn't "shave as good" as the disposables he's gotten used to, and shelved it, and went right back to disposables.

Modern carts simply work best for those (or at least some of those) that want the fastest results with the least effort.
 
In defense of cart. it is a little easier and quicker to use vs DE razors. One swipe for a close shave vs 3+for DE blades.

Most old timers don't care really. Most people don't care tbh, this is more like a niche hobby than it is anything else.
I honestly sum it up to things "rich white people" get into. A mundane task as shaving, and we have a forum dedicated to it and collecting it and all the other stuff that comes with it. I don't mean any offense by "rich white people", but if you look at the sub forums, it is very "rich white people" esque. We have outdoors, fire arms, pipe/cigar, pen etc etc. sub forums, most of these things from what I've seen are mid 30's-60's white male with disposable income centric.

Then you have a few college age guys sprinkled here and there...Hence why people look at you like you're an alien. It's just shaving to 90% of the population, then you have the 10% people who have it as a niche market where we look at it as "more than shaving".

Most people don't have the time, nor care to spend 10 minuets prepping their beard, buying all these soaps and bowls and brushes and razors and 400 blades....Hence why I call it a "white middle/upperclass suburban male" thing. No one else has time to waste doing that, they have to get to work, or school, or somewhere that's important.

Sorry. Just my two cents.

/rant.


Sounds like someone with a chip on their shoulder. This forum is better without this kind of "baiting."
 
I quit using cartridges because the hair and goo gunk occupied the space between the multiple blades, making for unpleasant shaving. I'm not opposed to disposables. I own about 70 Gillette Guards simply because they each have a single blade. I don't use them except when traveling with a carry-on, but they work better for me than the multi-blades.
 
I am sorry, but my butler has just alerted me to this derogatory thread about us WASP"S here on the B&B and I had to dash over and dictate to him my response.

POPPYCOCK!!

Please excuse the slang language use ole chaps, Now I'm off for the afternoon fox hunt so Good Day to you Sirs!
 
+1
so true, time spent just indulging yourself is never wasted, the simple pleasures are what make us gentlemen.

+2 every dollar is money well spent. Every minute is enjoyed. Although I've tried to quicken the process for when time is of the essense, when it's not it's easy street.
even tried listening to some music, but it threw me off. Maybe because I've always heard the cutting of the hairs... I guess I need the audible feedback.
funny story, one time I put in ear plugs while learning to increase the sound and it worked. Since then I've done this at least once with each razor to find the perfect angle.
 
I agree that the majority of the population doesn't even care, and that carts are fast, easy, and convenient. I've said that many times. I've also said that, no matter how many mentions on blogs we get or the odd news article here or there, this is and will always remain a niche interest. Wetshaving won't make a "comeback." It is, however, not going away and the market is stronger now than when I joined the forum in 2008.

But yes, it is a shame that most people can't slow down and enjoy more things in life, as we'd have less stress following us around if we did. Wetshaving is just too complicated and time consuming for most people.
 
Aldo, that would cut into TV time... most people wouldn't bother.

I live without a TV so I find plenty of time to do a lot of hobbies.
 
I personally don't mind whether wet-shaving makes a serious comeback or not. Maybe I'm selfish, but I'd hate to see what would happen if Procter & Gamble started to target this niche.
 
I got into DE wet shaving because at the end of the day, for me at least, I get a better shave for less money than with a cart. The same is holding true for my move away from a disposable pens to a decent though not expensive fountain pen and the shift from cigarettes to a pipe.

In all three cases, the common thread is that by increasing my skill and knowledge I have been able to decrease my expenditure of money. And these are little things in the grand scheme of things make my daily life that much more enjoyable.

It interesting that these things that might have the image of being a "rich white man's" thing can be cheaper and far more enjoyable than the modern disposable alternatives. The perception of convenience can be very expensive.
 
+1
so true, time spent just indulging yourself is never wasted, the simple pleasures are what make us gentlemen.

There are many ways in which a man can indulge himself beside shaving, a really great cup of espresso perhaps, a really great slice of pie perhaps, for those who drink a really great glass of wine or beer perhaps. For me removing a day or more of whiskers from my face is not a heavenly indulgence, it's a necessary routine no different than bathing or getting a haircut or shining my shoes.
 
Well, I don't know where I would fit in then... I am broke, my wife and I both are full time grad students raising a 9 year old son who will turn 10 next week, and we are having a blast DE shaving as a hobby. It's only as expensive as you make it. That being said...
if any rich people with disposable income want to dispose of some income, I really want an EJ DE89! Hahahahahahaha :lol:
 
I don't think DE shaving is a class thing, I do believe it is a niche of people that like "classic" things in their lives. For example, I'm not rich, but will spend extra money on certain items that mean more to me. I will buy a nice pair of classic shoes, hat, steak, music, etc. but not spend that much on other items that are not important to me. I think people that really get into this DE/SE thing most probably also like many other classic items of the past as well, versus the new quick things.
 
I had no idea when I started this thread most of the replies would be about hobbies that "rich white men" indulge in. I do see where the guy is coming from when you look at this forum from a certain perspective, but it's still a generalization. There are thousands of members here. I don't see the need to put us into demographics.

When I look back, I got interested in traditional shaving because it was...different. It appealed to me. It represented a skill that I could master, and I liked the idea of doing something that not everyone else did. I didn't think that it was going to make me "gentlemanly" or whatever. It was just a way to be different and touch the past.
 
I personally don't mind whether wet-shaving makes a serious comeback or not. Maybe I'm selfish, but I'd hate to see what would happen if Procter & Gamble started to target this niche.
They already have...they bought Art of Shaving. And that's as far as they'll go to make inroads into our little world. They know that it's Gillette that makes the big money.
 
Agreed with you TX and Kevan.

I'm not sure about the demographics, but I'd be curious to see the data rather than assumptions.

But at the end of the day, it isn't important. The hobby, classic factor, skill set & shaves are what it's all about!
 
This hobby is less about income and more about personality. My brother for example could care less, he makes double what I make in a year but wet shaving takes more effort so, he'd rather use barbasol and a mach 3. A brush, soap, safety razor....he'd never go for that.
This is sort of a hobby for me but I mostly got into it because I thought, if I am going to shave every day, I might as well enjoy it. I have no collection, just really nice shave gear. I enjoy it and that's what matters to me. Some enjoy collecting razors, brushes and soaps and that's what they enjoy. It's a different journey for each.
 
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I shave with a DE not as a simple hobby but to simply shave. Sure I like the extras and have gotten a few different razors. Not sure how that makes me a member of the "rich white men" club. First time I've been called that. I've spent less on my collection than a years worth of carts.
 
I'm in total agreement. Folks today are in so much of a rush that a lot of the daily activities are not enjoyed. Rushing out the door to get a Starbucks to drink while driving to work or standing in line at a fast food to get for lunch so you can eat it at your desk is not enjoyment. For me, shaving is the one time of the day when I can be totally at one place in the moment where nothing else exists besides the razor and my face and to make sure I'm in the moment, I am reminded that the straight razor blade passes very close to a major artery on my neck.

"if people would just slow down a little and enjoy daily activities a little more they might be happier. Shaving, cooking, eating, drinking coffee/ tea etc. are all things most of us do every day. Why not make them more enjoyable?"

so true...I'm always asking my butler to slow down but he is always in such a hurry, why?
 
I think a lot of old timers who started with DE didn't like them, because they weren't taught anything about proper prep or technique. They just grabbed their razor and did what they needed to, to get the job done. They had mediocre shaves that were often painful or bloody.

Then along come the 2 bladed Trac II followed by the Atra. The Atra with it's pivoting head took all the skill out of the shave. It made things simple. So if you weren't paying attention to blade angle, the Atra was a heavenly piece of shaving gear. If that was your experience, why would you look back?

Those who started DE, and did learn the proper technique often had no reason to try the two bladed razor and stuck with DE. Many of those guys are members here.

Then there's the rest of us, who got fed up with 3, 4, 5 + bladed razor and found our little slice of heaven in the DE (after going through the learning curve).

So, really, everyone just has a different experience.
 
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