To RAD or not to RAD?

[JunkerJorge]

So I picked up this Merkur, of which I don’t even know the model, at a little men’s shop that was at my seminary probably 10+ years ago. I made the switch there to wet shaving and never looked back. Never questioning the quality of my gear. Until I started bouncing around here.

Recently, for some reason, I became convinced that I needed to upgrade my razor. I picked up this Rockwell and have been using it for the past month or so. Does it feel a little sturdier? Sure. Does it shave a little closer at the most aggressive settings? Probably. But today I just decided that I enjoyed shaving more with the old trusty Merkur and went back to it.

So now I lie at a crossroads. Do I walk the road of contentment and finish out my days happy with my humble razor. Or do I journey deeper into the pit of acquisitions? I mean I hear the blackbird is nice…..

 

[JWCowboy]

 

[StewB]

Depends on your goal. If the goal is getting high quality smooth and irritation-free shaves, and you get that now with what you have, then why get new razors? OTOH if you want to pursue DE shaving as a hobby, then set a budget for yourself and get stuff to try. If the results aren't satisfactory, you can sell or give away what you don't like. If you try different razors, I would recommend changing only one variable at a time (razor, soap, blade, etc.) before deciding a razor doesn't work for you.

 

[ElwoodP]

What does the D stand for in rad?
I'm asuming Razor Acquisition are the first two.

 

[StewB]

disorder

 

[Cafebarian]

Knowing what I know now. I would say no to RAD... The issue now is that I wouldn't know what I know now without RAD...

RAD helps you find what you like and relate to reviews comparing said razor to different razors...
An example is at first I thought solid bars would be my preference but open combs are...

 

[edw]

No

If I could go back on time would settled with first safety razor.

 

[HoosierTrooper]

So now I lie at a crossroads. Do I walk the road of contentment and finish out my days happy with my humble razor. Or do I journey deeper into the pit of acquisitions? I mean I hear the blackbird is nice…..

You’re the only one who can answer that.

 

[FarmerTan]

If you are meeting your debts to God and to your fellow man, then this is a "reasonably" cheap hobby.

If you feel in ANY way that you are withholding money from a place better spent, then you probably are.

As my friend @HoosierTrooper said, only you can prevent forest fires.

Oops, that's not true, and not at ALL what he said.

LoL, I find it EASY to tithe my money, but my TIME? I fail miserably!

 

[huck1680]

Personally, I at one point had over 250 razors. Some new, the majority were vintage razors from Gillette, Barbasol, Leresche, etc. English, German, French, American etc. I sold them off and now have 13 razors I really enjoy with several of those I love and one I adore. I like some variety but these 13 are the best I have ever had. They range from a 1930s Gillette New Long Comb OC to the Lambda Athena. Except for the Gillette the rest are new/modern razors and are the cream of the crop...to me. I may buy others but my RAD has been effectively put in place. It's a personal choice and I truly admire some of the incredible collections others have. But I am content with my "Bakers Dozen"

 

[Phoenixkh]

I've been so happy with my AC razor, I haven't explored the world of DE razors. That said, I sure have been exploring the shaving brush world and have had a blast doing it..... I ordered my last brush today, but it was just a replacement for an order I made a month ago...I should be good for a while now.

A good comfortable and close shave has been my goal since I started traditional wet shaving and that has been the case from early on.

 

[macintoshBR]

This is a summary of my wet shaving story:
- Settled on an ATT M2 back in 2014 and shaved with it for years, after trying lots of modern and vintage razors
- Curiosity got the best of me and I suddenly found myself with several new razors
- Razor Rotation became such a problem that I could never learn how to properly use each razor. My skin reacted badly and I could not shave comfortably at the frequency that I wanted (daily or every other day)
- in the mean time I sold my M2
- fast forward to 2022 I have finally settled down again and have used primarily the same razor style every day (Gillette 1940s and 1950s TTO). For the first time in my life I can shave daily without any skin problem.

So, my short answer is to experiment if you can, but 1) keep your current razor with you, 2) try one new razor at a time, don’t buy many and rotate them, it’s counter productive and 3) try to stick to the same blade you are familiar with. Blade importance is often neglected, but finding the proper blade for you is as important as finding the right razor.

 

[TheBurgh]

..."Or do I journey deeper into the pit of acquisition...? ”

Just know that there's plenty of good company down here.

 

[Ckmaui]

Glad I have tried a bunch as I know what I like
so so happy I did this with soaps to as I am narrowing things down
and yeah same for blades which was huge and related directly to the razors they were in where some did better with some blades etc...

have not done the AS splash search yet but will

but my thing is not to collect razors my goal is to find the one I like for my face and even if the first razor was my fav I would be glad I tried the others so I know there is no question in my head what if

reckon ya just have to do what works if you are happy with what ya have and could care less and you never wonder about others than you are done

one thing I find interesting is when I hear folks say I love the burn of after shave the more burn the better ? I relate that to a bad shave I can pick my current top fav hardware and get a shave even with alcohol splash I get no burn
and I do then wonder if they ever have had a great smooth shave but oh well

 

[Phoenixkh]

I always get a slight “burn” from the alum, even if I have no nicks. I don’t seek out a BBS but I will say, I’m getting much closer shaves with my Claymore Evolution than I ever did with my Gillette Fusion Power and enjoy shaving at another level.

 

[BigJ]

First, you are already far ahead of most guys in the shaving department! Congratulations!!

Second, more razors, or more expensive razors may not result in better shaves!

So it comes down to whether you want to explore other razors or stick with what you have.

 

[Butch Waxx]

“Some guys read Playboy…
I read financial statements”
W. Buffett

Not sure of the relevance of that random quote, but I am throwing it out there anyway doggone….I guess because some guys buy golf memberships, F-150’s, bass boats, vineyards, time-shares, and expensive wines, but I buy razors, aftershaves, and brushes.

 

[Possum092]

Life is too short, so enjoy it. If buying a new razor will bring you happiness and improve your quality of life do it without any regrets. Or you can stack cash for your heirs to spend down the road on who knows what.

 

[Skin_Flint]

This is a summary of my wet shaving story:
- Settled on an ATT M2 back in 2014 and shaved with it for years, after trying lots of modern and vintage razors
- Curiosity got the best of me and I suddenly found myself with several new razors
- Razor Rotation became such a problem that I could never learn how to properly use each razor. My skin reacted badly and I could not shave comfortably at the frequency that I wanted (daily or every other day)
- in the mean time I sold my M2
- fast forward to 2022 I have finally settled down again and have used primarily the same razor style every day (Gillette 1940s and 1950s TTO). For the first time in my life I can shave daily without any skin problem.

So, my short answer is to experiment if you can, but 1) keep your current razor with you, 2) try one new razor at a time, don’t buy many and rotate them, it’s counter productive and 3) try to stick to the same blade you are familiar with. Blade importance is often neglected, but finding the proper blade for you is as important as finding the right razor.

Now that's down right educational! Thanks macintoshBR: