Well, I had to join the yearly restriction after my first year of wet shaving. I had bought 6 razors, 3 brushes, 500 hundred blades and 10 aftershaves. However, my real problem were soaps, I just couldn’t stop buying. I think I bought close to 50, and I could barely make a decent lather due to constant changes. So I promised to not buy any gear until I’ve tried everything I have thoroughly (especially razors and soaps) and get consistent good shaves. That has kept me busy, I’m shaving exclusively with the same razor for two months and the same soap until I’ve checked all its properties (close to two weeks each).
Shavers Anonymous (the simple life)
- Thread starter Mike M
- Start date
This thread is right up my alley! I started this wet shaving journey about 1.5 year ago and of course I have gone through acquiring a bunch of stuff. 10+ razors, 5+ brushes, 1000+ blades and 15+ soaps. I did realize early on that switching things around too much for me did not work and I started to slow down a bit. I started the Tuck-at-a-Time (TaaT) because I did not like the mess and confusion that a bunch of open tucks everywhere caused me. I have now successfully eliminated all the open tucks that I had and have just recently moved onto misc tucks that do not a part of a pack of blades. Eventually I will get there. It is a slow moving journey, but it is not a race.
I am even getting to the point now that I need to reduce the number of razors and I have already identified about three that will be leaving my den. From a soap standpoint it makes it difficult since I in addition to buying soap I also make soap. I am trying to stick with one soap and I will see it to the end and then start with the next one in the spirit of 3017. This will be a really long lasting project to reduce the number of soaps I have. Yes soaps lasts a long time. I need to give some away and just use those I have.
Luckily I have not been smitten by the brush bug so I only have a handful of brushes and no real desire to acquire more. At least I have that going for me.
I am even getting to the point now that I need to reduce the number of razors and I have already identified about three that will be leaving my den. From a soap standpoint it makes it difficult since I in addition to buying soap I also make soap. I am trying to stick with one soap and I will see it to the end and then start with the next one in the spirit of 3017. This will be a really long lasting project to reduce the number of soaps I have. Yes soaps lasts a long time. I need to give some away and just use those I have.
Luckily I have not been smitten by the brush bug so I only have a handful of brushes and no real desire to acquire more. At least I have that going for me.
I have been amassing a sizable collection of razors, brushes, soaps, aftershaves, and blades for well over a decade and I'm just now reaching the point of being overwhelmed by it all. The thought of all the work involved in offloading a large part is even more overwhelming!
- Thread starter
- #64
Mike M
...but this one IS cracked.
Well you've come to the right place, first things first how much gear are you talking about and have you had any ideas about how you want to tackle it or do you need ideas?
That is a fantastic question and one I have been putting some thought into. There is no chance of using up the consumables myself, I don’t think employing one tuck at a time or 3017ing soaps is going to get the job done. Perhaps first shaving soaps will become bath soaps, then I’ll start to PIF some blades and give generous amounts away to purchasers of razors and brushes I’ll eventually get posted. That leads me to razors, I have no idea what to do. Is it worth posting a $15-$20 Superspeed that after the time to make the post, PP fees, and shipping will net me maybe $10, or is this a PIF situation? Of course, the more valuable razors are worth posting. I would be open to any suggestions and recommendations.
Nice thread. I like a lot of the thoughts and suggestions so far.
The "favorites" idea was the closest to where I think I want to go. Use your favorites and enjoy them since tomorrow is not guaranteed. I try not to buy new things anymore with rare exceptions. It's not formalized, though.
The main issue is: how do things become your favorites unless you try a wide variety of things? You end up with way more than you need. When I started, I really didn't appreciate how long soaps, aftershaves, etc. would last when there's a large selection to choose from.
Lately, I've been picking a few items out and just using those items for weeks at a time. Everything else stays on the shelf. It seems a little more sane.
The "favorites" idea was the closest to where I think I want to go. Use your favorites and enjoy them since tomorrow is not guaranteed. I try not to buy new things anymore with rare exceptions. It's not formalized, though.
The main issue is: how do things become your favorites unless you try a wide variety of things? You end up with way more than you need. When I started, I really didn't appreciate how long soaps, aftershaves, etc. would last when there's a large selection to choose from.
Lately, I've been picking a few items out and just using those items for weeks at a time. Everything else stays on the shelf. It seems a little more sane.
Last edited:
I'm in this exact spot right now. I used a single setup for over a decade — razor, blade, brush and soap. I've been on a tear this year trying a huge number of options in each category, and have improved my basic shave immensely for it. But now I've found some new far-and-away favorites, and need to start cutting the chaff, which will be quite an undertaking.
- Thread starter
- #68
Mike M
...but this one IS cracked.
Besides posting more expensive brushes and razors on the BST other things you could do are:
1) If you have a large range of blades offer members a blade selection, they are cheap to post and it is a great way to make friends.
2) Donate blades to the Great Blade Exchange the details are in this post
Shavers Anonymous (the simple life)
I have zero interest in full-on minimalism or austerity. That said, I have enough. So, at this point. I just plan on replacing things I run out of or break (I broke my alum block last week) and bottom feeding. I use Thayer’s toner. I find it at Marshall’s or TJMaxx for $7.99. I have 17...
www.badgerandblade.com
4) You can use soaps as shower soaps but definitely do not try to use them as shampoo bars, I can tell you from experience this doesn't work.
5) You might want to bin soaps if they are cheap and particularly bad. Though I came close with a Wilkinson Sword Blue Bowl I did finally manage to finish it but it is not a feat I would wish to repeat.
6) Sell soaps or cheap items in lots on the BST
I hope you may find some of these suggestions helpful.
Similar threads
