Shaving as a hobby is not expensive

[AimlessWanderer]

It's as cheap or expensive as you want it to be.

Personally, I don't consider shaving a hobby. For me, the forum is the pastime. A shave takes less than five minutes, four or five times a week. I'm struggling to call something a hobby that takes up less than 30 mins a week.

There are shaving related hobbies, such as the collecting aspects, or exploring different honing techniques, or even the photography side of things, for the regular posters in the "today" threads. However, I like to keep the shaving side of things relatively simple, compared to most forum dwellers. Yes, I'm well stocked with consumables, and have a couple of luxury items, but I've still spent less than what cartridges would cost me.

The forum though, that's a different matter. Yes, I can discuss shaving with people all over the world, but also fountain pens, pipe smoking, tea drinking, cooking, wardrobe matters, and so much more. Some of those topics are cheaper than others, but nearly all take up more of my week than shaving does.

Just my £0.02

 

[Mempho]

Yes, but feeling guilty is half the fun.

 

[RayClem]

IMHO, sometime before you make it to 200 soaps you've moved out of shaving as a hobby territory and more into collecting as a hobby, hehe. Same as razor or brush collecting.

Yes, I do have a collection of soaps, razors and brushes, etc. However, I am not collecting them for the sake of collecting as someone who collects stamps, coins, or sports memorabilia might do. I have no intention of selling them. I have no heir interested in inheriting them. Anything worth salvaging when I die is likely to be donated to a thrift store. Every purchase I made was for the specific purpose of improving the quality of my shaves. Some of those purchases succeeded in improving my shaves at the time I purchased them. Some of those purchases failed to do so.

The reason I have so many soaps is that many talented artisans are working hard to improve the quality of their soaps. As their soaps improve, so do the quality of my shaves. That is why I keep trying new ones even though I am long past the point of needing more soaps in my den.

 

[Tomo]

It was all pretty innocent until I got into straight razors. Suddenly there was a lot more to buy. There were also rare items that didn’t come up very often. When they did, you needed to snap them up or you would miss out.

My only saving grace is that I’m a minimalist at heart. I don’t feel comfortable with lots of clutter around me. I appreciate nice things but I don’t need lots of them. By B&B standards my collection is fairly small.

Just for fun I addd up the total costs one day. Including all the things that I’d bought and sold along the way… I was a little surprised by the total. The difference with shaving is there aren’t any big purchases. It’s just little stuff that adds up along the way.

There is a big FOMO factor with shaving. Everything is YMMV so you need to try things for yourself to make an educated decision. It is worth trying a few things. Eventually you try enough and settle on what works for you. Unless you wind up with hundreds of razors, soaps, brushes, stones and strops there’s only so much damage you can do.

Shaving isn’t expensive. Collecting on the other hand can be very expensive.

 

[Tomo]

,
The reason I have so many soaps is that many talented artisans are working hard to improve the quality of their soaps. As their soaps improve, so do the quality of my shaves. That is why I keep trying new ones even though I am long past the point of needing more soaps in my den.

I was on the same hamster wheel until I started getting absolutely perfect shaves. At that stage there’s no point adding more gear. The best case is that it will be as good as what you already have. Most likely it will be worse.

There’s a ceiling to shaving. BBS and zero irritation. You can’t improve on that. You can’t get more perfect than perfect.

 

[Ivo4u2]

Shaving in itselve not being a member of b&b could end up being expensively

 

[EclipseRedRing]

There’s a ceiling to shaving. BBS and zero irritation. You can’t improve on that. You can’t get more perfect than perfect.

A real example of YMMV. BBS and irritation, even the closeness of the finished shave, are of little or no interest or consequence to me. My shaving goal is relaxation and a feeling of contentment and comfort, there is no ceiling to that. My perfect shave would be different to yours I think.

 

[Tomo]

A real example of YMMV. BBS and irritation, even the closeness of the finished shave, are of little or no interest or consequence to me. My shaving goal is relaxation and a feeling of contentment and comfort, there is no ceiling to that. My perfect shave would be different to yours I think.

Well said. I would certainly agree that with shaving the journey is often even more enjoyable than the destination. It also explains why we regularly spend big on things that are above and beyond what is strictly required to do the job.

 

[Multum in parvo]

Since joining I fell in one hole or the other as many here do. My biggest suprise were badger brushes, being a formerly boar only shaver. I think I have some nice samples by now and thoroughly enjoy them. Nevertheless I'm very much looking forward to break in a brand new 3.90 Omega boar next spring by using it for a whole month.

So the journey is sometimes more enjoyable than the destination.

 

[SydneyShaver]

I think if I had to start all over again, but with the knowledge/experience I had/have now, that it would be less expensive, but starting out you just have no idea what you like etc. and it's natural to try and explore.

This 100%. You get pulled into it because its fun, luxurious and easy to get into to. Then you get to wondering what could make the experience better and then you have to branch out and try new things. Not everything is going to be to your liking or even necessary and cost starts to go up.

 

[rbscebu]

I left wet shaving with carts a couple of years ago and moved directly into SR shaving. I have bought a few SR's but my total shaving expenses since I started with SR shaving is under USD 5k - just. That is well within my discretionary budget so I don't consider it expensive.

I have owned 9 motorcycles and two sailing yachts. They were expensive!

 

[Peyk]

My last serious hobby was drinking alcohol - it cost me my dignity, self respect, car, driving license, job, partner, child, friends, and up to £1000 per month; it almost cost me my liberty, my home, and my life. I quit drinking almost six years ago and replaced it with a range of healthy activities and hobbies, including traditional shaving once my hands stopped shaking. Now I have back everything I lost, or rather everything I chose to give away, and a whole lot more besides. Compared with drinking, shaving is not only inexpensive it is practically free; in fact Simpson are almost paying me to use their brushes - almost

Good for you, friend

 

[musicman1951]

I have a couple of other hobbies.

Woodworking: About $12,000 in tools and the last walnut board I purchased was over $100.

Golf: About $2,200 for equipment, $65 a year min. for golf balls, $150 at the range and $900 for greens fees. I won't count the gambling and food/beer expenses.

 

[drb1956]

I have a couple of other hobbies.

Woodworking: About $12,000 in tools and the last walnut board I purchased was over $100.

Golf: About $2,200 for equipment, $65 a year min. for golf balls, $150 at the range and $900 for greens fees. I won't count the gambling and food/beer expenses.

I agree about the golf. Been playing 20 years, equipment has gotten expensive. Have $1600 in my bag, then ball expense, with range fees, then green fees at different courses, which have really shot up. In shaving, I am not a collector, just want a great shave. I do enjoy all things DE shaving. I make an educated purchase, and then stick with it. I started with VDH razor and blades for quite a while, tried better blades for a few years. Felt I was not getting a close enough shave. Have a store here in Chicago that has all things shaving, and people very experienced at shaving, and product knowledge. Asked them what was my next step in this process. Showed me many different razors, some expensive, some not so much. Recommended the Parker 91R. Did not purchase, but received as a gift from my wife last November. Its just a great shave, with the right blade. Tried a few different blades, found the one I will make a 100 blade purchase of, then its just enjoy shaves for quite some time. I have an Omega boar brush, and use a great cream. I will need to replenish the cream from time to time, as with everything else as far as toiletries go. I don't have a lot invested in this, but I really enjoy what I have...

 

[ADudeAndHisDogs]

I’ve spent more than I expected, but much of that was to find out what works best for me. I’ve figured that out, and I’m far more interested in aftershaves than soaps. It’s not nearly as much as I spend on golf, hunting, and range ammunition.

 

[steveclarkus]

I don’t consider shaving a hobby. I put it in the same category as taking a shower. A razor, Arko soap, brush and a drugstore aftershave sums it up for me.

 

[RayClem]

I was on the same hamster wheel until I started getting absolutely perfect shaves. At that stage there’s no point adding more gear. The best case is that it will be as good as what you already have. Most likely it will be worse.

There’s a ceiling to shaving. BBS and zero irritation. You can’t improve on that. You can’t get more perfect than perfect.

I do get near BBS shaves and zero irritation, even with my coarse beard and sensitive skin. I have been doing that for about two years now. Thus, I do not plan on purchasing new razors, blades, brushes, etc.

However, I have added one more criteria to my shaving experience. I want the shave to leave my skin feeling moisturized and conditioned for many hours after the shave. I have about 75 shaving soaps that will leave my skin feeling great for 8 hours or more, which is wonderful. Of those, about 25 soaps will leave my skin feeling great for 16 hours or more, which is superb. In the past year, however, I have acquired a few soaps that will leave my skin feeling great for a full 24 hours. Those soaps were not even available until 2021. I hope to add a few more soaps of that exceptional quality to my collection.

 

[Wishoot]

Compared to my other hobbies...Boating, firearms, reloading ammo, cycling...DE shaving is inexpensive.

That being said, I can always find a way to spend too much on shaving gear.

 

[NewYorkBuck]

My last hobby was mens suits / clothes during my Wall St days.

This one is WAY WAY WAY cheaper ...

Ive been doing this since 2008, and Ive went quite a bit hog wild in acquisition. That said, if you add up everything Ive bought from the beginning and then tripled it, its still less than a single custom suit.

Funny thing is what turned me on to this was a similar sub forum over on one of the clothes sites. I specifically recall a guy warning me - "Don't go over to that shave site. In a year you'll have five new razors ..."

How right he was ...

 

[rbscebu]

....
Funny thing is what turned me on to this was a similar sub forum over on one of the clothes sites. I specifically recall a guy warning me - "Don't go over to that shave site. In a year you'll have five new razors ..."

How right he was ...

Only five! What was he doing?

In my first year of SR shaving, I purchased over 30 SR's.