How do you decide?

[Twelvefret]

Well my whole purpose was to save money because I'm a tight ass.
If only I had kept well away from shaving forums, my plan might have worked.

I used Barbasol and cheap disposable twin blades in the shower and no aftershave so cost wasn’t a factor, but forum’s absolutely are expensive….

 

[purerockfury]

for the most part partly cause of limited storage space... the only things we tend to have a bunch of is sample shave soaps/creams with a couppla full sized soaps... so flavors & brands get 4-12 lathers before needing to be replaced... & DE blades were typically tuck box "samples" to try different ones... with our 2 DE razors... we load in a blade from the same tuck into both razors... & use 1 till the blade is done & swap the razors... 2 uses of a tuck with the last blade waiting to be used...

 

[DesertIguana]

for the most part partly cause of limited storage space... the only things we tend to have a bunch of is sample shave soaps/creams with a couppla full sized soaps... so flavors & brands get 4-12 lathers before needing to be replaced... & DE blades were typically tuck box "samples" to try different ones... with our 2 DE razors... we load in a blade from the same tuck into both razors... & use 1 till the blade is done & swap the razors... 2 uses of a tuck with the last blade waiting to be used...

In the real world how many Soaps do you really need? People with F.O.M.O., & Collectors seem to be what I call Shave Nurds. Collectors aka in some cases HOARDERS.

There is a U-Tube I watch who drives a Truck for living, and is big time SHA_NERD. Aka Shaving Nerd, he must have no less then 100+ Razors, 125+ Brushes, Soaps over 250+ and if it's made as a MUST HAVE WET SHAVE Accessory, he has every color.

Sickness, or Hobby, only a Mental Health Professional, lr someone like @ SpeedyPC, and make a secure diagnosis. I call it a passion, and he has dumped big buck in his passion.

 

[Twelvefret]

In the real world how many Soaps do you really need? People with F.O.M.O., & Collectors seem to be what I call Shave Nurds. Collectors aka in some cases HOARDERS.

There is a U-Tube I watch who drives a Truck for living, and is big time SHA_NERD. Aka Shaving Nerd, he must have no less then 100+ Razors, 125+ Brushes, Soaps over 250+ and if it's made as a MUST HAVE WET SHAVE Accessory, he has every color.

Sickness, or Hobby, only a Mental Health Professional, lr someone like @ SpeedyPC, and make a secure diagnosis. I call it a passion, and he has dumped big buck in his passion.

Forums and the ease of ordering probably contributed to the stockpiles of shaving stuff. The enjoyment of the experience as well as the experimentation is a real factor. Acquiring the skills necessary to hone and use a SR is a significant motivator. I notice some members post their SOTD and leave out the razor. Their focus is soaps and brushes.

Over on the pipe smoker's forum folks amass decades of tobacco and store it in Mason Jars. Over on the fountain pen forum folks have hundreds of bottles of ink and hundreds of Parker 51 FP's. Over on the watch forum, people have dozens of wall clocks or pocket watches. Finally, people who collect antique railroad lanterns have them on display through out their homes.

I am not concerned because at the end of the day we are enjoying the process while learning. We are using our brains.

 

[purerockfury]

In the real world how many Soaps do you really need? People with F.O.M.O., & Collectors seem to be what I call Shave Nurds. Collectors aka in some cases HOARDERS.

There is a U-Tube I watch who drives a Truck for living, and is big time SHA_NERD. Aka Shaving Nerd, he must have no less then 100+ Razors, 125+ Brushes, Soaps over 250+ and if it's made as a MUST HAVE WET SHAVE Accessory, he has every color.

Sickness, or Hobby, only a Mental Health Professional, lr someone like @ SpeedyPC, and make a secure diagnosis. I call it a passion, and he has dumped big buck in his passion.

to each their own is my thinking... & not for nothing... i like hobby forums... because they're fun... & i might learn something... like what to look for to find a razor made a quarter after i got my first eviction... i want 1 made my quarter butt close enough is fine... & side effects of the shaving hobby... small companies typically just the artist can make or they stock things so we can enjoy shaving as a hobby...

 

[AndThatsARockFact]

I’ve never met anyone who wasn’t acquisitive to some degree.

When I worked manufacturing, I watched guys who made the same money as me (not much) constantly buy new pickups, new fishing boats, racing sleds, quads, camper trailers, firearms, classic cars, etc.

It’s all about the community you have around you.

Shaving gear is pretty cheap thrills compared with a lot of the things I’ve seen people collect. This is probably the cheapest hobby I’ve ever had.

How do I decide what to use? Depends on the kick I happen to be on currently. Depends on what I’m reading about. I like to give my soaps and brushes a few days to dry out between shaves, so that’s another reason to have a small rotation. I’m barely approaching a half-dozen of any particular item, so it’s still a relatively small one.

 

[Twelvefret]

The Flyedge twin SE using magnetic hold was just too cool to pass on. The Jokmae SE accommodating AC blade with magnets is another recent acquisition that I’ve experienced and very much enjoyed. They both provide a good quality shave.

That the total cost for both was $32 is icing on the cake.

 

[JD55]

I choose items sometimes based on rotation and other times based on what appeals to me on that specific day. There are times where I consider what goes together in a picture..or have a specific picture idea..other times I do not care because they are the items I wish to use..pictures and rotation be damned.

 

[JD55]

Maybe an interesting topic for a future thread is to ask what the purpose/intent of one's is shave hobby. It might be brushes, soaps, vintage holders, straights, honing, etc. It might be a combination, soaps and brushes. I might be the skill to use whatever equipment exists.

I set out to experience every possible shaving instrument format. Straight razors were put off for quite a while because that was just another Rabbit hole to fall in. I finally succumbed to them and in the process, discovered that I really like rubbing steel on a damn rock. It's relaxing.
Although I have more soaps than a reasonable person should have, I could be happy with some Arko, Haslinger, Palmolive and Proraso offerings and nothing else. If you boiled it all down, I wouldn't want to give up any of those.
Can I keep some Stirling soaps too?

Brushes I'm not truly into brushes and I think for a lot of folks, the handle is every bit as important as the knot in it. Boars are my favorite and if the handle is serviceable, I don't care about having the latest and greatest handle. Part of my enjoyment of Boar is breaking them in. Omega brushes offer a lot of acquisition for little money.

Lastly, I can afford anything I want...but I would only spend so much money on a safety razor before starting to look at straight razors and straight razors hit a certain dollar amount before I would find myself shopping firearms instead. Yes, I have that acquisition disorder too..lol
My real enjoyment as of late is buying straight razors off of ebay and getting them back to doing what they were made for. Some are beaters, some are kinda nice but it's more about the journey to them shaving again.
We all have our own paths to making shaving rewarding in one way or another vs being a chore. That's what this is all about.
My god, I'm a windy bass tard...sorry

 

[chazt]

Excellent post ^ @JD55

 

[JD55]

Excellent post ^ @JD55

Thank you Sir!

 

[chazt]

@FatBoyFan this is an excellent question and thread.

Favored soaps such as Mitchell’s Wool Fat, Fine’s Snake Bite, and the working unscented, currently AoS, get the nod most of the time, something on the order of four out of five shaves. These are lightest scented soaps in my den, which is totally fine. The stronger scented soaps in my soap drawer are used more during the cool and cold weather. However DRH Arlington and B&M Bay Rum and Diamond do make appearances year round.

I enjoy scented aftershaves, and have a few favorites there too. One particular aftershave spalsh gets used nearly every shave, Fine’s Snake Bite. C’est de rigueur. Muy necesario. It’s the 7up of aftershave splashes, crisp and clean with no caffeine (just menthol. i like menthol). Others splashes I enjoy a lot are Antica Barberia Mondial Original Talc, Proraso Sandalwood, DRH Arlington, various Bay Rums and Pitralons.

Hardware is a blast, too. I have a great selection of all the major food groups. Everything pretty much gets used in a loose ish rotation. My current preoccupation is with single edge razors and Feather shavettes. Especially now during SEptember, I suspect my DE razors will remain on the shelf. Not to worry, DEcember is less than three months away The Daily Double thread has legitimized using multiple razors which I’d previously felt was unnecessary. I’ve since reconsidered that position and enjoy using two razors for the shave. It adds an extra element of fun and variety. Brushes are my biggest obsession. I regularly (sort of) rotate through about thirty of my forty or so brushes. Badger is tops, but I also have a few select boar brushes that are highly satisfying.

For the most part, regardless of what I choose to use, it’s invariably a good time and a solid shave.

 

[Twelvefret]

The Daily Double thread has legitimized using multiple razors which I’d previously felt was unnecessary. I’ve since reconsidered that position and enjoy using two razors for the shave. It adds an extra element of fun and variety.

It occurred to me once a few years back that when I do something I do not limit myself to one tool. Some tools are better at accomplishing a task better than others.

A straight might be better at the "knock down" pass, that first one that gets the hair down to a manageable length. There are some blade holders that fit better around the nose. Everyone is different. Some have cervices and folds where others have smooth skin.

Some men have facial hair, and they are not trying to shave the rounded parts of the face where more skill is required.

Some of us are better at honing than others and as you said Sunday, most honed straight razors are not as sharp as a manufactured blade. A dull straight can be dangerous. I am beginning to think the GEM, injector, and Artist Clubs type blades are superior to any DE blade for cutting and longevity.

Speaking of tools and such, one of my favorite channels, 1970 Thunderbird