Why do you buy a new razor?

[UKRob]

I'm firmly in the, I love spending my hard earned on what I want to camp. I love buying good razors. I want to own the nice ones out there but I'm still mindful of value. I want to know that what I buy is expensive because it is made from the best materials and to the finest tolerances. That someone has taken care to produce something worth owning. I'm not daft. I know that a £10 Tech will shave me just as well but if I can afford something nicer or if I need to do a little overtime at work to buy something nicer then I'll buy something nicer and enjoy every second of it. I'm gonna be dead a long time so I may as well enjoy my short time on Earth

I think you answered your own question - 'a £10 Tech will shave me just as well but if I can afford something nicer' - It comes down to how you define something nicer. Is 'nicer' better or just different? I suspect we equate quality with price - sometimes it's relevant but sometimes not. Over the last six years or so, I've watched straight razor prices go through the roof and then fall very sharply. When James Bond was seen to be shaved with one, every dog and his dick wanted a straight. Not long afterwards, the same people were growing beards that your great grandad would have been proud of and consigning last year's razors to a back drawer. It had no impact on whether straights were good, bad or indifferent - but I'll bet in a few years time, there will be a whole host of people saying they are crap.

 

[Rowlers]

I think you answered your own question - 'a £10 Tech will shave me just as well but if I can afford something nicer' - It comes down to how you define something nicer. Is 'nicer' better or just different? I suspect we equate quality with price - sometimes it's relevant but sometimes not. Over the last six years or so, I've watched straight razor prices go through the roof and then fall very sharply. When James Bond was seen to be shaved with one, every dog and his dick wanted a straight. Not long afterwards, the same people were growing beards that your great grandad would have been proud of and consigning last year's razors to a back drawer. It had no impact on whether straights were good, bad or indifferent - but I'll bet in a few years time, there will be a whole host of people saying they are crap.

I've noticed that straight prices have gone up a lot recently, even scabby straights on ebay are going for a minimum of £25.

 

[PLANofMAN]

For the variety. I have settled down with 5 razors and no plans to buy more at the moment.

What wonders me in wet shaving is the amount of brushes someones have. I just don't get the thing with 10+ brushes. Well I am more of razor & blade man .

In my case, I was trying to figure out what brush I preferred best. Once I figured that out, it was simply a matter of getting the best knot in the best handle. A Shavemac D01 knot in a Wolf Whiskers handle is that perfect brush for me. I kind of want a backup for it, but everyone else seems to be on the WW rampage too, so I'll just sit back and enjoy the one I have. Life's too short to spend my time F5ing my keyboard to get onto a twenty person list.

 

[flip-68]

at first i just wanted a DE razor - EJ89. Then I saw a couple of well priced razors - Fatip Piccolo and Merkur 43C. Then i started trawling ebay for vintage Gillettes, something i didn't think i wanted to get into but soon decided it would be nice to have something from each decade of the 1900's and one of each type, old, new, tto, adjustable. Then I NEEDED a slant - 37C. And a Feather AC kamisori. Then vintage SEs began popping up on Sotd which pushed me to investigate - 1912, 1924, Micromatic OC. Obviously, once stainless steel razors started to appear on the market i thought i should get a razor for myself - you know, these vintage razors were someone else's big purchase way back when. So then i bought my ASD2. It was a lot of money for me to spend on a razor and it killed my acquisition desire. i have enough razors now and am not interested in trying every new stainless razor or SE design - it's become too designer/expensive for me, plus - i have over 30 razors and use them all in a varied rotation. it's a nice collection and i enjoy every one of them.

 

[Merkurologist]

Why? Razors, blades, brushes, soaps for the SOTD picture of course

I did buy new razors when I was pursuing the best shave, until I figured out that I was actually buying because I was reading amazing results being reported right, left and center, everybody seemed to want a particular razor. I was captured by the sorrounding marketing so I'm glad that I stopped at 8 razors.
I'm having the best shaves ever. I feel very satisfied with the results.... a large % of BBS and ZERO irritation.
So what has changed? Shaving technique and finding the razor / blade combination that works for me. I could have stopped at razor number 2 and I'd be having the same shaves today. Having said that, I still love all my razors.
If I ever buy another razor it will be bacause I like the look of it or something special about it.
Tine to move on to the Straight Razor platform. ... and a steep learning curve

 

[Mrchick]

Why not?

 

[Wayne]

Why? Razors, blades, brushes, soaps for the SOTD picture of course

I did buy new razors when I was pursuing the best shave, until I figured out that I was actually buying because I was reading amazing results being reported right, left and center, everybody seemed to want a particular razor. I was captured by the sorrounding marketing so I'm glad that I stopped at 8 razors.
I'm having the best shaves ever. I feel very satisfied with the results.... a large % of BBS and ZERO irritation.
So what has changed? Shaving technique and finding the razor / blade combination that works for me. I could have stopped at razor number 2 and I'd be having the same shaves today. Having said that, I still love all my razors.
If I ever buy another razor it will be bacause I like the look of it or something special about it.
Tine to move on to the Straight Razor platform. ... and a steep learning curve

The curve isn't that steep shaving wise. I find the steep part is keeping the razor in a shave worthy condition. Stropping technique must be spot on or you roll the edge. If you use too much pressure on the finishing stone you roll the edge, If you catch the edge on anything it's knackered. You get the drift.

 

[Burgundy]

Because I really ought to buy a few NOS Schick injectors in blister packs (in case I outlast my current one) but that option doesn't quite thrill me. After all, I have 40 years until I can claim a pension so I have decades of wet shaving left in me. Plus the occasional magpie tendencies come out (see Blue Tip Rocket purchase late last year).