I Quit

[Shavely Manden]

I never quite grasp the psychology of the "I Quit" threads.

Clearly, it will make us realize the error of our ways and start a mass exodus from B&B. Check back tomorrow--won't be anybody left!

@OP -- Stick with it at least long enough to sell your stuff off on the B/S/T forum. The extra time is worth it, and it's scarcely "aristocratic" (unless you want it to be). A good, home-cooked meal takes an hour or more, but you're not going to get fast food every meal to save time. Exercising takes thirty minutes to half an hour a day, but you do it because that's how long it takes. If a good shave takes twenty to thirty minutes, just stake out that amount of time--it's a great part of the morning routine, and, like showering, you can get some great thinking done while you lather & shave.

 

[Duggo]

I don't believe that DE shaving is for everyone.

I have been at it off and on for about 18 months and I'm just now getting pretty good at it. (I may be the slowest learner in the world.)

Even now I sometimes shave with a Trac II or a Bic sensitive. Most frequently I do a hybrid shave, using a Trac II for the first pass and then finishing the shave with my DE.

Whatever works.

I've been at this since 2006, 4 years now; and things are just now coming together. I just found a battle zone on my chin. I haven't shaved in days, to give my skin a rest.

Please show some tolerance for those of us who are still slugging it out with the DE and the Bell Curve.)

 

[LouieGrandie]

Hello to all of the members of the forum,

When it's all said and done, I get a quicker and overall better shave with a Gillette Sensor Excel and Edge ultra-sensitive shaving gel. Of course it's all a matter of perspective and opinion, but my opinion is that it's not worth it.

You can't skirt the minimum requirements to sell in the BST by posting an E-bay link here.

Opposite for me. Wet shaving IS worth it because instead of spending $4.00 per blade per week I spend only 30 cents. I use Edge shaving gel so for me it is the choice of spending $200+ a year on blades vs $15 a year on blades.

 

[coyotewhisper]

Sorry it did not work out for you. Yes it does take a little more time, in this day and age slowing down is worth it.

 

[Duggo]

The two shaving systems - Cartridge and DE are like apples and oranges. If you decide to stick with it, for the effort you put in, there will be richly rewarded.
When you develop your technique to the point where you can successfully shave against the grain, (it won't happen overnight,) you will - I think - be impressed with the results.
And this is coming from someone who hasn't entirely mastered his technique, but has it down enough.
DE is a strange fish. It requires patience, determination, manual dexterity and last but not least - practice.

All the best,

 

[Go West Young Man]

All I can add is that you don't have to use a DE to learn from the experience of the boards.
You can use any product you want, but a proper prep routine and good shave techniques will always be helpful in giving you a good shave.

 

[Catseye]

Granted, from the tone and the response it created with some, "The Carpenter"s exit was less than gracious. Use of the terms Aristocratic and luddite were mis-applied and I can see how they could definitely be considered offensive. Just as if in response; we were to label him a dilettante. But, we wouldn't do that.

Personally, I'm probably one of the more pedestrian members of this group. It's not a hobby. I DE shave for two reasons.
1. I prefer the results both in overall savings and in attempts to achieve a BBS.
2. DE/wet shaving is one of the few deliberate acts I allow myself that isn't driven by the clock. It's a luxury. Because I allow myself the time, I DO get better results than from the goo and M3.

Nuff said.

 

[The Carpenter]

Sorry to to see you go THECARPENTER. You gave it go and it wasn't for you, but I take my hat off to you for trying it.

I don't see the point in haranguing the guy for giving in. Some of us made the switch and loved it so much it became a hobby. Hell, Victor Kyam bought the company. Not all of us are motivated in such ways. For many, shaving is just another daily ritual and no matter how much you dress it up it will always be just shaving. Nothing more. Perhaps that was it? Shaving is essentially just a daily ritual and not a hobby.

We here at B&B take on a different view of shaving to most. Many of us are perfectionists or strive to be. Many of us have Obsessive-Compulsive traits and take many things to the Nth degree, I know I do.

It seems that all that didn't sit too well with the guy. It's not a worry to me. To each his own I say.

You articulated my view very well. Many members look at traditional wet shaving as a hobby, but I don't. For me, it's just another hygienic and aesthetic ritual like a hair cut or a shower. This isn't an unorthodox view of shaving. In fact, the original intent of shaving is for hygienic and aesthetic purposes.

I'm really surprised that some members are offended. I clearly stated that I would need to become a shaving luddite in order to continue traditional wet shaving. Maybe I should made the I bold instead of just italicizing it because some people seem to have an almost religious view of traditional wet shaving.

 

[HoosierTrooper]

I never quite grasp the psychology of the "I Quit" threads.

Equally hard for me to grasp are the ones that try to make the poster change his mind.

 

[ouch]

Are we done here?

I thought quitting meant leaving.

 

[htownmmm]

Sorry to see u giving up, but only you can be the decider when it comes to how much time to invest in any venture. Put your items aside and later in life if you find you have the time, give it another go.

At the very least, you should invest the time here on the forum so that you can eventually sell your gear.



marty

 

[The Carpenter]

Once again, I DID NOT CALL ANY OF YOU LUDDITES! I DID NOT CALL ANY OF YOU ARISTOCRATIC, EVEN THOUGH I SEE NO PROBLEM WITH BEING ARISTOCRATIC OR ELITIST. I SAID THAT THE EXPERIENCE, NOT THE PRICE, WAS ALMOST ARISTOCRATIC IN THE SENSE THAT A SELECT MINORITY STILL SHAVE THIS WAY, AND THE TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES TAKE MORE SKILL AND CARE. None of these statements were intended as insults and you would have understood that if your attention was paid to context instead of emotion. I hope that this clarifies my intentions of using such statements. Thank you to everyone who assisted me on this forum.

 

[Judge Kemp]

I QUIT!

(this thread)

 

[DunEdinRanger]

Seriously. He's the guy willingly shelling out 4 bucks a cart and I'm paying 18 cents per blade yet I'M the one with the "aristocratic experience"!

The world's turned upside-down.

If push comes to shove, The Carpenter, and I treated DE wet-shaving as a merely utilitarian activity, which you seem to regard it as, rather than an experience to be enjoyed or a hobby, I could make due on $30/year, all in, for blades and soap. Why do you think that millions upon millions of men all around the world still DE shave? It's because they CAN'T AFFORD $4 cartridges every week and the cost of mass-marketed canned goo.

A properly executed DE shave will, objectively, provide a better shave than any modern "system" ever could. That, however, does not happen without practice.

Yes, it can be expensive; yes, you can spend tons of money. But to not have given it a chance and given yourself the chance to build the skills and finesse necessary all the while throwing around terms like "aristocratic experience" and "Luddite" is an offense to the members of this board and a gross selling-short of yourself. Hell, you quit before you even began.

+1

Not all advancements in technology are for the good. Most - but not all.

Five blades scraping down your neck versus one? A long lasting shave where I don't have 5 O'Clock Shadow until the late evening, or the next morning versus the irritation and constant shadows produced by the cartridges? The feel of warm lather as opposed to the ice cold of gel/lather? The expense of cartridges versus the low cost of DE Blades?

I have made my choice, I have taken the path least traveled, and like many others here am greatly enjoying the journey.

 

[ouch]

Stan the Man.

If you'll excuse me, I have to visit an audio forum and check on my thread, "Need help not buying a stereo".


If you don't want to do this, you don't have to say anything. There is nothing to explain.

 

[The Carpenter]

+1

Not all advancements in technology are for the good. Most - but not all.

Five blades scraping down your neck versus one? A long lasting shave where I don't have 5 O'Clock Shadow until the late evening, or the next morning versus the irritation and constant shadows produced by the cartridges? The feel of warm lather as opposed to the ice cold of gel/lather? The expense of cartridges versus the low cost of DE Blades?

I have made my choice, I have taken the path least traveled, and like many others here am greatly enjoying the journey.

Now this post captures an aristocratic/elitist tone. You clearly seem to view your method of shaving as being higher on the shaving pedestal. You have taken the path least traveled and this makes you feel as though you are apart of an elite minority. Believe it or not, I am actually not offended by this opinion. However, I disagree with the notion that it gives you a closer shave and my canned gel isn't cold at all. Maybe that has to do with the fact that I shave after I shower and I wet my face with a lot of warm water before applying lather.

 

[The Carpenter]

Stan the Man.

If you'll excuse me, I have to visit an audio forum and check on my thread, "Need help not buying a stereo".


If you don't want to do this, you don't have to say anything. There is nothing to explain.

Hey Ouch, if this thread is annoying you so much why don't you find another thread that reinforces your opinion of traditional wet shaving? Smoke a joint or take a muscle relaxant. I'm just having a civil conversation. Trust me, I wont post any new threads or post in any other threads. I'll leave the club soon enough.

 

[Telecaster52]

...and the chrome plated razor can make for an almost aristocratic experience.

I thought they came in Silver, Gold, or Rhodium
http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/index.php/Gillette_Aristocrat

hold on...

ok... continue

 

[mr. s]

Sorry to hear you're leaving.
I'll stick with it just for you.

 

[DunEdinRanger]

Now this post captures an aristocratic/elitist tone. You clearly seem to view your method of shaving as being higher on the shaving pedestal. You have taken the path least traveled and this makes you feel as though you are apart of an elite minority. Believe it or not, I am actually not offended by this opinion. However, I disagree with the notion that it gives you a closer shave and my canned gel isn't cold at all. Maybe that has to do with the fact that I shave after I shower and I wet my face with a lot of warm water before applying lather.

Actually, I'm a Gemocrat.

I am part of an elite minority. A minority of men who reject mass marketing claims, and found that shaving with a brush and soap/cream, along with a single blade delivers a closer, more comfortable, longer lasting shave. You're absolutely correct that I consider this form of shaving as being higher on the "shaving pedestal". I'd be a complete idiot to shave in a manner that I didn't think was the pinnacle of shaving goodness.

Regardless of how warm your face is, that doesn't affect the temperature of the gel in the can. That's basic physics. Did you drop that after two weeks, too?