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Rotation or dedication?

Rotation or dedication?

  • Orderly rotation

    Votes: 14 14.6%
  • Random rotation

    Votes: 63 65.6%
  • Dedication to one product until its gone

    Votes: 18 18.8%
  • Tracked

    Votes: 8 8.3%
  • Not tracked

    Votes: 17 17.7%

  • Total voters
    96
I'm just over a year wet shaving - started October 2018. Compared to some of you, I have a fairly small stash of soaps, creams, aftershaves, and so forth, most in fragrances I really like. Up until now, I have tended to stick with one type of soap or cream until its used up, while with aftershaves, it depends on my mood of the day. Recently, though, I realized I don't want to wait until an entire container is used up before enjoying the fragrance of another, and it occurred to me that I could try rotating them on a daily or weekly basis.

Now, this is a new concept for me. Years ago, while at lunch with a good friend, he observed that I always start with one part of my food (say, the vegetable side), finish it, and then move on to the next. I realized that he was right, though I had never noticed that oddity in myself. So, I'm thinking about rotation, but also in an orderly way. I might, for example, select seven creams, and rotate them daily until they're gone. Or maybe set up a rotation of one product for a week at a time.

So, that led me to the question, what do you Brethren of the Blade and Brush do? What is your preference? Rotate or dedication? And if rotation, is it random or orderly? Do you track your usage of soft product? And if so, how and why?
 

Chandu

I Waxed The Badger.
I voted random rotation, because that's what I've been. Once I start my sabbaticals, I'm going to into dedicated until gone mode. I always eat one thing at a time, unless I concentrate to do otherwise. I've been trying to do weekly rotations to prepare myself in some small way for the lack of rotation I have coming up.
 

Chandu

I Waxed The Badger.
Dedication or else you risk being infected with buyer's mania.
That is a good way to combat it. Keep lists and then when you run out of something look at your list and pick. I own most of my list so will be going about that in reverse.
 
I just trust that I’m gonna make the right choice in the moment. And since there are no wrong choices, I’m always right! 😀. Have fun with it.
 

brandaves

With a great avatar comes great misidentification
I rotate on a daily basis everything but the blades. I'll obviously use a blade until it's done.

I enjoy shaving with a different razor, brush and soap each day. It (perhaps surprisingly) has helped build upon my technique and usually provides a surprise each shave. I love tracking my shaves using an app on my phone as well as my B&B shave journal. It helps keep things interesting and fun.
 
I rotate on a daily basis everything but the blades. I'll obviously use a blade until it's done.

I enjoy shaving with a different razor, brush and soap each day. It (perhaps surprisingly) has helped build upon my technique and usually provides a surprise each shave. I love tracking my shaves using an app on my phone as well as my B&B shave journal. It helps keep things interesting and fun.
B&B shave journal? Is that something online? What app do you use?
 
B&B shave journal? Is that something online? What app do you use?


I don't use as such, but I remembered seeing these.
 
I enjoy my shaving stuff but do not normally change things. I just use what I use until finished.

I think the notion of rotation is a particularly bad idea for people learning new technique (e.g., switching from carts to DE) or trying to “dial in” a new soap, cream, or razor. I do change brushes if not using synthetic as I like to let natural brushes dry for 48 hrs.
 
I rotate through three brands of soap. Sundays I always shave with Stirling's Sharp Dressed Man because the scent makes me think of my grandfather. The other days is whatever I am feeling.
 
Currently I am using only one soap (Haslinger sheep) with one brush (Shavemac synthetic) with one balm (Nivea sensitive). As I am owning only one razor (Rockwell 6S) I can’t rotate the razor. I currently only use Feather blades on R3.

I am doing this to improve my technique being able to concentrate on this task.Rotation on a small scale might start again in some months.
 
I tend to be random on my shave soaps, using one variety on a whin for a few shaves before switching to another. On the other hand, I'm dedicated to using my Derby blades until they're gone, not out of necessity, but because they are superior IMO to the Dorco and Kroger brand blades I have.
 
Currently I'd say dedication. But never know what the future holds. Started out this year, so I've tried a few different blades and such of course.

Got three tubs of proraso soap. And a couple of razors, but that is mostly because I havent found "the one" for me. Pluss some cheap test razors for shavette shaves. Hopefully my new adjustable razor saves my wallet, hehe.

At the end of the day go after what makes you happy and gives you a great shave. That's what I believe.
 
For several years I had one razor (EJ DE89), one brush (Baxter of California silvertip). I started with one soap, then added another, and another on an untracked, random rotation.

After 7 years of traditional shaving I now use over 25 razors (straights, shavettes, GEM SE, Rolls, and DEs), 6 brushes, and over 20 soaps, all in an untracked, random rotation. I shave with whatever strikes my fancy each morning. And I'm rarely disappointed with the day's selection.
 
I voted orderly rotation. I have a 7 day rotation for the warm weather months and another for the cold weather months. I only use one razor daily and use a blade until it's done. I have 4 brushes that I rotate daily as well, a badger, a boar and 2 synths. The badger will be reknotted soon into a boar but I will still maintain the rotation. My soap rotation will change when I 3017 everything I currently have as I will only keep three to 4 different soaps on hand then.

Variety is the spice of life.
 
I have a seven day rotation of razors, but I typically use a single soap for a month or three. I track the razors and loosely track the soaps. I didn't vote as the choices were poor fits.
 
I only own one soap (Williams), so I use it every day. I entered a WMS Cal Ripkin challenge. I'm 201 shaves into 2,682 consecutive uses.
My only brush is a Cremo horsehair, so I use it every day.
I have Astra SP and Gillette Wilkinson blades. They are equals, and I alternate them. I'm advancing in Excalibur success, so the blades will last at least 50 shaves apiece or 10 years.
My only aftershave is Mennan Skin Bracer. I have three bottles that should last 10 years at the current rate of use.
I have two razors and switch once in a while.
 
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