Am I Out of My Mind? Seriously, Am I?

[Goblin]

Thanks. I ordered a brush and a bowl last night--let's see, you will want to know--see the pic.

The Bruce was the perfect choice - if you asked me to narrow it down to one brush, that's probably what I would have said. I don't use a bowl personally, just always seemed like more stuff to clean up. I make lather on the face and that helps to keep my whiskers soft and ready to shave, but there's pros and cons to both approaches. Try it both ways and see what you prefer.

Buffing already explained by @desertcat. You can probably leave that stuff for a while - the "advanced techniques" are only really necessary if you have difficult areas / growth and can't get a close enough shave without them. I rely heavily on the Gillette Slide, but many people get perfectly good shaves without that stuff.

 

[Tinmantoo]

Welcome and enjoy the ride! Take the previous advise and get to know the razors you just acquired, they are all fine selections. I have been DE shaving most of my life and still only have just recently come into possession of a modern razor. A gift from my wife and daughters A Rockwell 6S, I must say I was pleasantly surprised. I know it's hard and now your beard won't grow fast enough but take it slow............

 

[blethenstrom]

Thanks. I ordered a brush and a bowl last night--let's see, you will want to know--see the pic. Plus some soap called Arko that I saw a few reviews of. My tube of Pacific Shaving Co. Natural that arrived yesterday was defective—the tube was slit at the bottom—but today I got a call from the owner of the company, Stan Ades, and had a pleasant conversation with him. He suspected a box cutter might have sliced the bottom of the tube as a box was being opened somewhere along the line, and that seems likely. He's sending a replacement.

By the way, what is "buffing"? I've encountered that term but don't know what it means.

MtB

Fantastic Mike! Yes great brush and the Arko soap will not disappoint. Affordable soap that is very good. Once you get the brush and bowl, make a few test lathers to get the technique down. There are several lathering tutorials here on B&B that does a great job in explaining it. Just head over to the Wiki pages and you will find them there. Just let us know if you cannot find them. It will probably take a few lathers before you will get the hang of it, but you will have great lathers before you know it.

 

[Ranyart Finn]

You are crazy - and so am I.

I started on this gig back in March, and now have 15 razors. Like you, I began with a Rockwell 2C, and then bought the 2/4 baseplate separately, so I have a Rockwell 4C. I love it, and use it every week. Then I started seeing some highly attractive-looking razors within a reasonable budget and thought, "hey, good to have change every now and then..." and ended up with a Viking's Blade Meiji and a Pearl Flexi. The I went antiquing and bought my first vintage Gillette Slim (1964)... and then a Fatboy a couple of weeks later... and then...

I now have a Rex Ambassador, a whole bunch of vintage Gillettes, a Rockwell T2, and I'm sure I'll see something in an antique store and just have to add it to the collection. It's fun. It's harmless. Compared with some hobbies, it's relatively cheap. Plus there's the practical side of shaving and enjoying it.

So yes, you're barking mad - but good for you!

 

[DeBladeRunner]

Welcome to B&B..my advice would be to at least try out each razor once before buying any new ones.. I used a micro touch one clone and dorco blades the first year entirely, it wasn't until I found this forum where I added like 25 razors in 6 months..lol

 

[NorthernSoul]

It's temporary insanity, usually.

What's the rush? Slow down and enjoy building your skills. In the end, your skills are more important than your equipment, as long as your equipment is at least decent.

 

[Spy Car]

Hey Mike, if it turns out that the smell of the Arko soap isn't to your liking--it is one of the more polarizing fragrances in shavedom--I will reiterate by suggestion to try Cella. It is delightful Italian soft-soap ("croap") which has a subtle aroma of almond and cherry. An absolute classic. And very economical. With tradition.

Bill

 

[NickCutlip]

Welcome to the forum !!

 

[BelfastBlade]

Same happened me. When I started out I bought an R89, assorted blade pack, $20 brush and a tub of the store's own brand Bay Rum shaving cream and thought "that will do me for at least the next year or more"

Fast forward a few months later I had various premium razors, vintage straights, restored Gillette adjustables, a bunch of fancy shaving brushes and was approaching nearly fifty artisan soap and splash sets.

I was definitely spending above my means sometimes. I don't even want to think about how much I've spent since I began getting into the hobby. But hey, if it gives you a little happiness and something to look forward to in life.. after all you could be spending your money on much worse things. (Yeah I know, I'm justifying and trivialising, typical addict behaviour)

Seriously though, if it brings you joy and you aren't going to the extremes.. well, don't beat yourself up. You will have periods of buying that are worse (or is it better?) than others.. it will vary in intensity. At the beginning when you're finding your footing in the whole hobby you can get a bit carried away with things and going crazy.

But just keep and eye on it. Try and remember, the items you're buying aren't going anywhere.. they will still be there to buy in future and even if they aren't there will always be other cool stuff to buy. So you don't have to buy it all right now.

On another note, have you started on the artisan soap and splash collection yet? Maybe I shouldn't be putting ideas into your head.

But it is a great community to be involved with. Everyone I have got to know have been very kind and friendly. I am very happy to be a part of it.

By the way, I see you say you are thinking of keeping all the five razors you ordered. Well, just be aware if you use one you likely won't be able to return it. The only way it could be returned after use is if it was faulty or something. Most stores are pretty particular about that and you know, you can see their point.. it's one thing to buy a used razor on the BST or something when you're buying it at a discount, but if you're paying full retail you expect a brand new item and not one that someone has tried out.

Anyways, best wishes and luck with your new interest/hobby!

P.S. I couldn't help think your username might have a bit of an expiration date! Ten years down the line when you're an expert with a wealth of knowledge on wetshaving the name might look a tiny bit odd!

 

[SamplingNature]

You're on a website populated by folks who have turned shaving into an expensive hobby.

Many of us come here because we wanted to "save money" by "shaving like grandpa "...then wound up spending hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars on razors, blades, brushes, soaps...pre-shaves and aftershaves...trying to find that "one perfect" whatever... often to fall back on the first one we tried.

And that's just the DE guys.

Explore the site more to find even more ways to save money...like single-edge and injector razors. And those straight razors guys are downright tightwads!

But don't stop at shaving. Dig deeper! In the Brown Leaf, you'll find guys like me who have taken up smoking a pipe to get away from cigarettes, and wound up with a desk full of tobacco. Or have fingers stained from fountain pens and the associated ink thanks to The Nib.

Friend, if you haven't lost your mind yet, you will. And you'll be in good company.

Welcome to the asylum!

 

[Ron R]

Enjoy the journey of traditional wet shaving.
Some of the fellows will warn you of these Rabbit holes and I have tripped over a few in the last 6 years and have enjoyed most of it along the way. I shaved with cartridge razors for over 35 years and have enjoyed traditional wet shaving a lot more and it's a learning curve.

Have some great shaves!

 

[Old Hippie]

I thought I'd switch to old-fashioned DE razor blades to see if I can save a little money

Yeah, I see your problem. Been there; done that.

That whole thing about "saving money" requires what a language expert would call "extended nuance." You might be the first person on B&B to find your ace kit first go. It's not lookin' good for you, though. So let me, a language expert, roll you up some extended nuance: At some point you will quit buying more stuff. Or mostly quit buying more stuff, which is good enough for present purposes. When that happens, you are ipso facto "saving money" because you're just not spending as much of it.

I managed to get to that point in five years, so there's plenty of time. But don't ever tell the secret! That'll jinx your luck and you'll have to buy a couple of Wolfman razors to get it back.

Tell me I'm not crazy....

That seems easy. OK, you're not crazy. Or, at least, not any crazier than the rest of us.

O.H.

 

[Phoenixkh]

Welcome to the B&B community.

As you have time, you might consider reading some of the journals and diaries found under the heading "General Shaving Discussion". I found them quite helpful early on and still read almost all the new posts added to them every day by some, and every so often by others.

 

[DougK]

Even though I'm mostly a cart shaver these days (Gillette Guard and Bic Flex 5 Hybrid), I went through cycles of trying different razors, blades, etc. If I knew then what I know now, I would have just stuck with a ball-end Tech and GSBs and saved a ton of money. I did stay with basically one or two brushes since I started and one or two creams and soaps, so I didn't fall down those rabbit holes. However, a CJB kamisori AC straight did find its way to my house the other day...

TL;DR don't go nuts on buying stuff until you need it, and you'll be fine.

 

[cryhavoc]

Welcome to B&B!

 

[ivan_101]

FIVE.

What the...?!? Who need FIVE razors?!?

What's the fuss?
I think you don't realise on which board you are.
~400 here.

 

[Doc Dan]

You have come to a place full of crazy people, so you should fit right in. Next will come brushes, then soaps. You might even get to the straight razor acquisition syndrome level of crazy.

 

[Mike the Beginner]

I started on this gig back in March, and now have 15 razors. Like you, I began with a Rockwell 2C, and then bought the 2/4 baseplate separately, so I have a Rockwell 4C.

I love that. So true!

MtB

 

[Deano]

Yes your a nutball. Dont forget to check BST 3 times a day for future purchases. Welcome to the madhouse.

 

[Mike the Beginner]

~400 here

Whoa, whut? You have ***400*** razors!?!

Well, come to think of it, my field is photography and I know people who have 400 cameras. We would call them collectors, is all.

And really, whatever way you want to enjoy your hobby is fine with me. As Wayne said, "party on, Garth."

MtB