Tonight...I can write the saddest Lines and my foray into Wet Shaving

[psychoman1128]

Now now. It really can be. There are plenty of people out there with one brush, razor, soap/cream and bowl out there. Dozens I bet. I unfortunately am not one of them. I don't think I'm as bad as some of the members here, but don't ask me to calculate how much I've spent on hardware and software over the last three years because I'm quite sure I don't want to know. Lol.

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[OtterLunacy]

Well, it's certainly possible to save a bunch of money. Quite a few good razors can be had for $30 or less, and it's entirely possible to pick a great razor for your face on your first or second try. With proper care, that razor can last a lifetime. As you already know, sticking with one brand of blades can easily cost $10 or less per year. Some darn good synthetic brushes can be had for under $20 and should last for years or decades. A 12-pack of Arko sticks can easily be found for $15, less if you look around, and should last around 2 years. As far as aftershave goes, some people don't even bother, while others use cheap witch hazel or supermarket stuff.

So, all told you could get away with spending ~$225 + aftershave in the first decade. That's averaging less than $25 per year (still not including aftershave). And if you can use the blades 6-7 times as opposed to 3-4, plus getting better deals on the Arko/making it last longer, the price could be more like $15 per year. The catch is that many of us get suckered into chasing the ever-elusive "perfect shave." At that point you start making up all sorts of justifications revolving around it being an investment. . . . On the bright side, shaving is easily one of the most practical hobbies/obsessions out there, and not one of the more expensive ones either.

 

[Adam18]

Bravo Danton1975, Bravo ! A terrific essay, which I truly enjoyed.
Welcome to the "rabbit hole !" Enjoy our wonderful hobby.

 

[Steveymetal]

This was an amazing read! Hahaha! I'm in the same boat, slowly falling down the rabbit hole, and at the same time telling my wife "It's fine, it's cheaper. Don't worry about it!" I think she's starting to catch on though....

 

[luv2shave]

It's like in a prison everyone is innocent and ain't done nothing.

A decade and a hundred razors, 30 brushes ,2000 blades , 30 varieties of cream and soaps and after shaves in rotation.

I go to online vendors and take a look at the cost of a hundred blades and pat myself on the back, I am Shaving the cheapest way possible, as I go over to the "new arrivals" section.

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[Rotflmao]

I enjoyed that. Nice work.

 

[Macfrommichigan]

You only need a $17 razor, a $12 brush, a $10 puck, a hundred blades for $11, and a $2 aftershave.

All that other stuff? Nah, you don't need it. PIF it quick.

Mac

 

[martinocando]

AND I'm bidding on a 1930 new long comb!!!

And... I won the bid.

$14.99 for a 1930 long comb is not bad at all and it looks to be in very nice condition.

 

[BigJ]

Good read!

I am 'saving money' this year (on the 2018 purchase sabbatical)! That is so long as you don't count 'stocking up' beforehand and that I may 'reward' myself if I ever make it!

 

[KeenDogg]

Good read!

I am 'saving money' this year (on the 2018 purchase sabbatical)! That is so long as you don't count 'stocking up' beforehand and that I may 'reward' myself if I ever make it!

Oh, so now the truth comes out!!! Love it, Big J!!!

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[BigJ]

Oh, so now the truth comes out!!! Love it, Big J!!!

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And the truth hurts!

 

[KeenDogg]

And the truth hurts!

Hahaha!

 

[EL Alamein]

Very nice read and very typical of many (or most) of us.

From my teenage years through high school and college and a decade beyond I shaved traditionally with one straight razor, one brush, one hone (borrowed when needed), and my old beloved Noxzema cream (the skin cream, not the shaving cream). I saved a ton of money in that time.

I had no one but my barber to teach me the ropes on straight shaving because my parents were divorced right before I started shaving and Dad had moved away. Dad never used a straight razor, by the way. I chose the straight razor because mom said that the other methods I experimented with never produced the close shave I needed.

I tried Dad's old Gillette Atra, his old Gillette Double Edge and an electric shaver my mom bought me by that point. So there I was and mom said I wasn't getting close enough. Without Dad to show me the ropes I now think that technique was the issue, because I was never taught. The straight razor finally satisfied Mom because I perceived that I needed a technique to make it work right. I developed one and it was the closest shave I got.

Fast forward to the dawn of the internet and I'm married. I learned from other old hands that there was so much out there to try. I had finally found folks that shaved the same way I did and they had advice to offer. Down the rabbit hole I went.

Here's the rub as I see it - we're men and we're hard wired to experiment and identify the best way to achieve a goal. This wet shaving is a lost art as it was originally conceived and we're re-learning for the next generation what our father's lost with the introduction of the modern way to shave. Turns out that the modern way is not improvement on what used to be for many (not all, mind you). But now we have a whole plethora of choices to experiment with. We do what we're hard wired to do and get to the bottom of what works best for us. In our Fathers day a lot of that was homogenized and passed on.

For myself, I can say I've gotten there. I've tried everything and identified what is best for me. There's a lot of agreement among us when it comes down to it. The rest is just slight variation and that's good as we're all different.

The next generation will have us to teach them, like fathers used to and it will be less experimentation and more success for them.

Chris

 

[Danton1975]

Thank you everyone for reading and your comments.

 

[Kidkoffee]

Ha! This is all so very true! It was definitely the “quest for the perfect shave” that got me once I started. Although I researched the hell out of this before diving in, and knew that it was supposed to take a while to master the technique, I expected to pick it up right away. Soooo...just like my golf game, it had to be the equipment failing me! 3 razors, 2 brushes, 6 soaps, 6 aftershaves, 2 preshave oils, 300 blades, and countless more samples of everything later...maybe I’m getting close? Lol All of this in 4 months...I think the wife may be suspecting mid-life crisis, but I sure do look forward to my morning shaves!

 

[Viseguy]

You only need a $17 razor, a $12 brush, a $10 puck, a hundred blades for $11, and a $2 aftershave.

All that other stuff? Nah, you don't need it. PIF it quick.

Mac

To Mac.

 

[Dnlboon]

Cheap is possible, though. My kit includes 1967 Slim-$9, Ball Handle Old Type-$8 and Fat Handle Tech-$7(all took a little elbow grease to clean but are perfect shavers) Voshkod blades-$8 for 100, a $10 Omega 10049 and $5 a tube for Bigelow cream. Great shaves!

 

[Fairwind]

Every vintage Gillette, brush and all the other hardware is an investment for my 10 yr old. At least that's my line to the wife and I'm sticking to it. She's even saying it before I do when she sees me on Ebay.

 

[htownmmm]

Bravo Danton1975, Bravo ! A terrific essay, which I truly enjoyed.
Welcome to the "rabbit hole !" Enjoy our wonderful hobby.

Very nice read and very typical of many (or most) of us.

Here's the rub as I see it - we're men and we're hard wired to experiment and identify the best way to achieve a goal. This wet shaving is a lost art as it was originally conceived and we're re-learning for the next generation what our father's lost with the introduction of the modern way to shave. Turns out that the modern way is not improvement on what used to be for many (not all, mind you). But now we have a whole plethora of choices to experiment with. We do what we're hard wired to do and get to the bottom of what works best for us. In our Fathers day a lot of that was homogenized and passed on.

For myself, I can say I've gotten there. I've tried everything and identified what is best for me. There's a lot of agreement among us when it comes down to it. The rest is just slight variation and that's good as we're all different.

The next generation will have us to teach them, like fathers used to and it will be less experimentation and more success for them.

Chris

Well said brethren! And to the OP, Bellisimo!

marty

 

[Storch4]

Great read! Thoroughly enjoyed it. May I say it was cheap when I had one razor, an old brush and one brand of blade. I'm done with buying more razors for now. Blades are still cheap compared to those car payments for Mach 10 blades. If one stays within reason and not buying 3 digit brushes and razors along with the most expensive soaps and aftershaves it can be economical. I get mileage from a puck of Willy or a tub of Proraso so I do save money. My wife was very happy when I stopped buying Mach 3 years back. Even at Cosco they are not cheap. 100 blades for the price of 4. Win all around.