why more than one razor?

[merkurmaverick]

hi folks,

i'm new here, so please be patient with me as i ask this question.

i understand trying different razors until you find something that you like.

i understand wanting to try a different raor to see if there is something out there that is better than what you already have even if you like what you already have.

what i don't understand is why you would want to have several razors.

it's a tool. any safety razor i buy will be with one purpose - to shave my face. why would i want to have more than one?

i can understand having different tools for different purposes. for example, i may have a cordless drill, a drywall drill, a right angle drill - they are all drills, but they each serve a different purpose.

but any razor i pick up will serve a single purpose.

even if i had more than one razor, i would want to pick up and use the one that i feel suits me best. then what is the purpose of having all the other razors?

sure - there are some rare razors and you can say they are collectible. and there are some beatifully made razors out there, no doubt.

sorry i'm not getting. help me understand what you see that i don't.

thanks!

 

[Straight Arrow]

You are a pragmatist and have no need or see no reason for variety in shaving tools. That is perfectly OK. You will find your best razor and then you can sell or give away any others that you have acquired in the process.

 

[Copierguy]

Welcome to B&B.

What are you shaving with now?

I never would have thought I would enjoy finding, identifying, learning about, cleaning, shining, trading, giving, collecting or using many different razors either.

It does not matter really if you enjoy one or a hundred and one...just enjoy...

 

[merkurmaverick]

Welcome to B&B.

What are you shaving with now?

I never would have thought I would enjoy finding, identifying, learning about, cleaning, shining, trading, giving, collecting or using many different razors either.

It does not matter really if you enjoy one or a hundred and one...just enjoy...

hi tom!

i've been shaving with a merkur # 180 that i've been very happy with. unfortunately, it took a fall recently and the top part of the razor separated from the screw. i was surprised that the screw and top were not one piece, actually.

i sent an email to the folks at dovo to find out if their warranty covers what happens, but haven't heard back yet.

while i was very happy with how the 180 shaved, i don't want to buy another one if it will break as a result of a fall.

 

[Stubblefield]

I went through a number of razors in order to find the one(s) that worked for me. I then sold off the ones that did not yield the best results.

That's the great thing about old Gilettes (and Schicks)--they have decent resale value.

 

[Copierguy]

hi tom!

i've been shaving with a merkur # 180 that i've been very happy with. unfortunately, it took a fall recently and the top part of the razor separated from the screw. i was surprised that the screw and top were not one piece, actually.

i sent an email to the folks at dovo to find out if their warranty covers what happens, but haven't heard back yet.

while i was very happy with how the 180 shaved, i don't want to buy another one if it will break as a result of a fall.

Sorry to hear of your loss. Can't say I've broken one yet.....guess none of them bounce...LOL

 

[Maul555]

why more than one razor?

Why not?

 

[natchez]

The 11th commandment says: Thou shalt hold unto thee numerous razors that thou shalt covet, polish and admire, and occasionally, mind you only occasionally, use to shave thy face and create smoothness from the wilderness of chaotic growth so as to hearken unto you the most nubile of women so thou can be fruitful and practice multiplying.

 

[michiganlover]

Not all razors shave the same, sure the end result (a close, comfortable, nick free shave) can be the same, but the feel of each razor is different. Some people like the variety that this provides.

For example, shaving with my Schick Injector is a totally different experience than using any of my DE razors. Shaving with a Single Edge Gem razor is a totally different experience than using a Double Edge razor, or a Schick Injector.

I have scaled my collection back to just the specimens that interest me the most. The collection is currently a modest 12 razors.

 

[Laz]

If I had to pick a single razor to use the rest of my life, I could (and I would be happy with that razor). But I like the experience of trying different razors simply to see how they shave.

I have about 3 razors that I really love. Each one shaves differently and I like them because of their differences. Sometimes I want a mild shave and sometimes I want an aggressive shave. At other times I want both and grab an adjustable. Swapping blades makes each razor shave differently as well.

Also, I find that switching razors makes me think about my technique. What works well with one razor may not work with another. Changing razors makes me appreciate the differences of each one.

I used to shave because it was necessary, Now I find real pleasure in trying different razors, brushes, soaps, creams and blades.

 

[johnmrson]

Because my GEM 1912 shaves different to my Hoffritz which is different to my Schick Krona which is different to my Merkur Slant which is different to my 1908 Old which shaves different to Schick injector etc etc etc.
I also like the feeling of history in razors. I often let my mind wander when I pick up an old razor and wonder who has shaved with this previously and what was going on in their lives at the time.

 

[HoosierTrooper]

Up until last November I had been using a Gillette Fusion and grumbling every time I had to buy replacement cartridges. I stumbled across this, and a couple other shaving sites while researching cheaper alternatives. After several days of research I decided to give de shaving a try. After I signed up Leatherneck PIF'd me a spotless Schick injector and I found a 56 super speed and a 51 black tip at an antique store for the grand total of $6. I could have stopped there but the more I read the more I wanted to try some of the other types such as the GEM's, tech's, open combs etc. My MIL found a Fat Boy that my FIL used. It is a 1960 model, which is my wife's birth year so this is a very sentimental razor to me.

I now have a very small collection that represents the main de/se types available. If I had to sell everything and pick one single razor to use it would be one of the GEM's, probably the fat handle model, but until that day comes I am really enjoying using different razors and blades. And it is relatively inexpensive. The most I have paid for a razor is $9 for my NEW which is currently enroute to buddydog for a replating job.

Bottom line, it's just plain fun to have a little selection of tools to do the job at hand.

 

[Slivovitz]

. . . what i don't understand is why you would want to have several razors.

it's a tool. any safety razor i buy will be with one purpose - to shave my face. why would i want to have more than one? [SNIP] even if i had more than one razor, i would want to pick up and use the one that i feel suits me best. then what is the purpose of having all the other razors?. . .

sorry i'm not getting. help me understand what you see that i don't.

thanks!

If you're not interested, there's no reason to give into the half-joking peer pressure here and develop RAD.

Why do people like having anything around in greater quantities than they absolutely need?

Part of it was redundancy. Things can break, so I like having at least one backup, and then it's nice to have one just for travel in case you lose it. So that's at least two right there.

Then, I've found that I can get excellent shaves with a variety of razors, and to me it's fun to switch between them. Why is it fun? It simply is, but maybe not for everybody.

Then there's the history of the razors themselves. I own one razor that was made in 1910, literally 100 years ago. I have razors that were made in every subsequent decade of the 20th century, and the first decade of this one. The designs change, but the man who originally shaved with that 1910 single ring could pick up my Merkur and feel right at home. There are double-edge razors by Gillette, single edge and injector razors by the companies that they tried to drive out of business. The makers of the single edge razors did eventually give up on the razors themselves, but you can still get the blades. Schick, the maker of injectors, moved on to cartridges, like Gillette itself, and survived.

I've become a collector without every setting out to be one. I either have shaved or will shave with all the razors I've acquired, but I have no problem with the fact that my regular rotation consists of only a few of them. I probably will sell off a few near duplicates eventually, maybe even PIF a few, but most I'll keep. They'll be in racks in my Shave Den, not display cabinets, but they're still a collection.

Not interesting to you? No problem. We're all different.

 

[merkurmaverick]

The 11th commandment says: Thou shalt hold unto thee numerous razors that thou shalt covet, polish and admire, and occasionally, mind you only occasionally, use to shave thy face and create smoothness from the wilderness of chaotic growth so as to hearken unto you the most nubile of women so thou can be fruitful and practice multiplying.

lol! i love it!

 

[merkurmaverick]

Not all razors shave the same, sure the end result (a close, comfortable, nick free shave) can be the same, but the feel of each razor is different. Some people like the variety that this provides.

For example, shaving with my Schick Injector is a totally different experience than using any of my DE razors. Shaving with a Single Edge Gem razor is a totally different experience than using a Double Edge razor, or a Schick Injector.

I have scaled my collection back to just the specimens that interest me the most. The collection is currently a modest 12 razors.

hi michiganlover!

i understand that different razors will provide a different shaving experience. i guess i would want the one that gives me the experience i enjoy the most. but i can accept that others may enjoy a different experience at different times.

12, eh? wow!

 

[earl of St Andrews]

The 11th commandment says: Thou shalt hold unto thee numerous razors that thou shalt covet, polish and admire, and occasionally, mind you only occasionally, use to shave thy face and create smoothness from the wilderness of chaotic growth so as to hearken unto you the most nubile of women so thou can be fruitful and practice multiplying.

That is one reason to have as many as you can....The other is the mere pleasure to look at them,much more shaving with them.I only have a HD and a Wilko sticky but have ordered a deluxe mastiff handle from Bob,no need of it but just to keep RAD levels low,hehehehe

 

[njpaddy]

The same ol' makes a task even more tedious. I enjoy the DE shaving ritual and using different razors and blades just makes it more interesting. Now, what kind of shave do I want today?

 

[talibeard]

what i don't understand is why you would want to have several razors.

Neither did I when I first got here. I had 2 DE's; one worn out and one just a couple of years old.

It struck me as weird to say the least to see all these people talking about ten razors in rotation.
I thought I never would be a part of that.

Now there are 20 and that is considered being a small collection overhere. Maybe not even a collection; just a start....

sorry i'm not getting. help me understand what you see that i don't.

You might never get it and that is just fine but chances are, especially since you started to wonder, that you will know why in just a little time.

 

[Go West Young Man]

Do you eat the same bowl of cereal for breakfast every day?

 

[goby]

You only need one razor. People with more than one are dumb.

You only need one brush. People with more than one are dumb.

However, you do NEED at least 50 creams and soaps. People who have more than that are my heroes.