Quick question sir, why did you stop using the Wilkinson bonded ?21st century shavers have a multitude of shaving choices that make RAD a difficult disease to avoid. The Web has made available so many choices that it can almost compel one to buy and shop and buy and shop without restraint. This helps explain why so many post-Web shavers view my habits as a minimalist cult.
In reality, it’s nothing of the sort. The pre-Web culture dictated my behavior as much as the Web dictates the modern culture.
Let me take you back to the ancient days, the early Seventies. There was no web, no internet, nor the vast community they facilitate. There was you. You and people you knew, actually knew, breathing flesh that you could see and talk to. Family, friends, acquaintances and a universe of strangers, seen and unseen, that was everyone else.
You became aware of a consumer product by advertising on tv, radio, newspaper, magazines or word of mouth. Or you stumbled upon it at a store. That’s it. Your selection was limited to what you found in the stores near you. Even if it was advertised, you couldn’t buy it unless it was in the store you were in. Mail order was possible, but only if you knew the product existed and knew where to order it from. Each consumer was on an island limited to the products on his island with no communication with the other islands and no way to get to them.
In this isolation I learned to shave. I found a brand new 1973 SuperSpeed at my local drug store for $1.99 with 5 Thin blades included. I found a boar shave brush for a couple bucks and a puck of Williams. I didn’t know how to make decent lather and there was no one to teach me. My first shave was a bloody mess because there was no one to teach me. I struggled on with the kit and figured it out. When the Williams ran out I couldn’t find any more so I used regular bath soap scraps from around the house. It worked. It worked well, and I didn’t look for the Williams anymore. And I shaved with that kit for most of the next 30 years or so. I did try the Wilkinson Bonded for a bit; I grew a beard for a while. I used canned shave cream sometimes.
Not until the 21st century did the Web bring me to The Shave Den and B&B and the giant universe that so many take for granted. Only then did I discover the variety of products that are available. I caught some RAD and tried a few things. I learned that what I had been doing couldn’t be much improved on. The discovery of the vintage Schick injectors was eye opening. So there WAS a better shave! I embraced the Schick; the other stuff didn’t impress me.
So that’s how I got here. It’s not a cult; it’s not particularly deliberate. It was how I was brought up, in the pre-Web world. We had fewer choices but were we worse off?
The Tyranny of Choice
- Thread starter Quaznoid
- Start date
Quick question sir, why did you stop using the Wilkinson bonded ?
I don't know if I would have ever discovered DE razors without the internet. I was born in 1985, started shaving in the late 90's, and don't think I've ever seen a DE razor for sale in a store. When I started, it was the Gillette Sensor, disposables, and electrics.
I tried an electric and it was terrible. Chewed up my face real good. Settled on a two blade sensor and then "upgraded" to a Mach 3 in college. It was around this time (2006 or so) that I realized I could only shave every 3 days. Any sooner than that and I would get terrible irritation on either side of my Adam's Apple.
I went to Google, did a search, and discovered DE razors and wet shaving. Not sure how I would have found out about those things in 2006 without the internet.
I was born at a time where I definitely remember pre-internet life. I also remember what it was like when the internet took off. Neither era is better than the other; they both have their pros and cons.
I tried an electric and it was terrible. Chewed up my face real good. Settled on a two blade sensor and then "upgraded" to a Mach 3 in college. It was around this time (2006 or so) that I realized I could only shave every 3 days. Any sooner than that and I would get terrible irritation on either side of my Adam's Apple.
I went to Google, did a search, and discovered DE razors and wet shaving. Not sure how I would have found out about those things in 2006 without the internet.
I was born at a time where I definitely remember pre-internet life. I also remember what it was like when the internet took off. Neither era is better than the other; they both have their pros and cons.
Ron R
I survived a lathey foreman
I'm conservative in my thinking also but the new generation of younger folks who like newer gear, we should thank them for wanting latest greatest shave gear. The reason for this > they use the web and buy SE & DE blades. Some of my vintage razors would just collect dust from lack of use IMO because local stores do not stock blades where I live(lots of cartridge gear) and pay ridiculous prices for a tuck of 5-10 blades now adays if you can find them!
So evolution of buying products has changed for a very long time into the future is the way I see things, even Canada Post has changed the community mail boxes for parcels to be placed in from online buying folks. The herd mentality has changed and we have to change or adapt is what has happened even if the older days offered much more freedom and better life style choices if a person chooses IMO. I noticed with the web or internet the system changes my habits and pocket book(stay conservative disciplined) is the way I was brought up, it works!
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- Thread starter
- #24
Couldn’t find the cartridges anymore
Thank you
I guess this kind of process is what each may have to go through for himself. I certainly admire the frugal approach, and regret that I am not sufficiently disciplined or rationally inclined to have stuck with it from the outset.
And yet, after having accumulated a lot of different shaving soaps and brushes etc, etc, I have ended up -- after ca 8 years as a self-conscious hobby wet-shaver -- using only a handful of each or less in my regular rotation. Period.
But now I know from my own experience that it does not get any better than those few items I have kept -- and most of those happen to be lower end of the price range, not because of the price, but because I find that these products perform the best.
So I guess I can claim I moved towards (relative) "frugality", but it has been a long and expensive journey getting here. I like the idea of giving others advice based in this experience -- like, "the best brush you can get, is in fact a 5 $ boar" -- but people mostly don't want to listen. And I suppose that is a healthy thing. We want to find out for ourselves.
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+1 ...!
You just summed it up for me. Thank you..!
Hannah's Dad
I Can See Better Than Bigfoot.
Same with me!
I was born in 1986, and remember life before the internet, too. My dad had his father’s and grandfather’s old DE Gillette razors on a shelf being displayed in the house. I always had people tell me that those old razors cut you really bad and that the new ones were better, etc…. I started with electric then went to the Mach 3 in the early 2000s, but never did get a close enough shave. I started finding wet shaving videos on YouTube about 13 years ago, and got my grandfathers L1 Slim down from the shelf and haven’t went back to cartridges since. Couldn’t believe how much better those antique razors shaved that were supposed to be inferior…. And I never remember seeing a DE in any store for sale, only an occasional pack of drug store blades and a local grocery store or two.I don't know if I would have ever discovered DE razors without the internet. I was born in 1985, started shaving in the late 90's, and don't think I've ever seen a DE razor for sale in a store. When I started, it was the Gillette Sensor, disposables, and electrics.
I tried an electric and it was terrible. Chewed up my face real good. Settled on a two blade sensor and then "upgraded" to a Mach 3 in college. It was around this time (2006 or so) that I realized I could only shave every 3 days. Any sooner than that and I would get terrible irritation on either side of my Adam's Apple.
I went to Google, did a search, and discovered DE razors and wet shaving. Not sure how I would have found out about those things in 2006 without the internet.
I was born at a time where I definitely remember pre-internet life. I also remember what it was like when the internet took off. Neither era is better than the other; they both have their pros and cons.
Steve56
Ask me about shaving naked!
I was born in 56, retired at 55, and bought my first straight razor 50 years ago.
No one shaving with a replaceable blade razor or disposables is frugal, lol, King Gillette designed it to not be frugal. Not to mention canned foam.
No one shaving with a replaceable blade razor or disposables is frugal, lol, King Gillette designed it to not be frugal. Not to mention canned foam.
@Steve56 , is that why you’re not on the convex hone bandwagon? Because they cut corners?
Steve56
Ask me about shaving naked!
Huh, I’ve missed something
I’m great at misinterpreting written words and non-verbal cues and had thought you are possibly not moments away from swearing blood-oaths with Jarrod the convex hone and convex hone accessories guy. And stones are crowned or convexed by wearing away; or cutting; their corners.
I was proud of that pun, but it’s coming off the refrigerator because it was too labored. My apologies.
I was proud of that pun, but it’s coming off the refrigerator because it was too labored. My apologies.
Steve56
Ask me about shaving naked!
I still don’t get it.
The wastefulness of disposable blades and the wastefulness of grinding down sharpening stones beyond flattening. Guess I saw a parallel that isn’t there.
I'm also a bit of a minimalist - one razor, WH, moisturizer, a couple of blades most days - and 5 brushes in my rotation (hey, stuff happens). But I'm very appreciative of all the choices that allowed me to reach my particular pile of favorites. My favorite soap is MdC or SV, another shaver's favorite is Arko and another's favorite is Haslinger, etc. I think it's great that we can each get the soap that makes sense for our particular needs.
I saved all of my working life, took very few vacations, paid cash for cars and drove them 10 years (still do) and retired with twice the comfort I had while working. After 40 years of saving it's hard to flip the switch to spending mode, and I often don't do it well. But if I had it to do over I would take more vacations while all my parts worked and enjoyed the fruits of my labors a bit more. But I made my choice. But I also happily chose a Wolfman razor, and a couple of brushes over $200. They still bring me the same joy every morning - and that's the investment I'm looking for now.
Now my choice is to spend some of that money when I imagine what I'm buying might bring me a little joy. I have come to realize I'm not going to live forever, and my kids don't need all my money. Choice allows you to decide if shaving is a daily chore that requires a minimum of expenditure or a fun hobby with a room full of products (and everything in between). That allows everyone to be happy - and how can that be a bad thing? So I guess I believe that there is no tyranny in choice unless you let it in.
I saved all of my working life, took very few vacations, paid cash for cars and drove them 10 years (still do) and retired with twice the comfort I had while working. After 40 years of saving it's hard to flip the switch to spending mode, and I often don't do it well. But if I had it to do over I would take more vacations while all my parts worked and enjoyed the fruits of my labors a bit more. But I made my choice. But I also happily chose a Wolfman razor, and a couple of brushes over $200. They still bring me the same joy every morning - and that's the investment I'm looking for now.
Now my choice is to spend some of that money when I imagine what I'm buying might bring me a little joy. I have come to realize I'm not going to live forever, and my kids don't need all my money. Choice allows you to decide if shaving is a daily chore that requires a minimum of expenditure or a fun hobby with a room full of products (and everything in between). That allows everyone to be happy - and how can that be a bad thing? So I guess I believe that there is no tyranny in choice unless you let it in.
The tyranny of choice is not limited to shaving. It's all around.
We built the house we currently live in 18 years ago. I think back on what a daunting task it was selecting things. Heck, going down the aisle at Lowes for bathroom fixtures is overwhelming in itself.
I was born on 1959 and grew up in the 60s and 70s. We had maybe a handful of choices in toothpaste, bar soap, shampoo, etc. Now, it's an aisle all by itself. My wife and I raised seven kids, and my youngest is graduating high school. I will be retiring at the end of this year. We are slowly starting to downsize. It's likely we will also sell the house, which is now way too big, and move into a smaller one. I, like many of you, tend to acquire way too much. I'm a long way from being a minimalist but am working on it.
Stay tuned. I have been giving away some of the shaving product I have purchased over the years.
We built the house we currently live in 18 years ago. I think back on what a daunting task it was selecting things. Heck, going down the aisle at Lowes for bathroom fixtures is overwhelming in itself.
I was born on 1959 and grew up in the 60s and 70s. We had maybe a handful of choices in toothpaste, bar soap, shampoo, etc. Now, it's an aisle all by itself. My wife and I raised seven kids, and my youngest is graduating high school. I will be retiring at the end of this year. We are slowly starting to downsize. It's likely we will also sell the house, which is now way too big, and move into a smaller one. I, like many of you, tend to acquire way too much. I'm a long way from being a minimalist but am working on it.
Stay tuned. I have been giving away some of the shaving product I have purchased over the years.
Amen on paying cash for cars, I can’t see having a deductible on something I don’t own
Nice overview and fairly typical for digital immigrants (grew up in the pre-web world) like us versus digital native Gen Z and younger Millennials who grew up with the web. Like you when I needed to shave I went to the store to buy a razor (Gillette Super Adjustable in my case). Curious how you initially decided on soap and a brush, based on common practice and the way stores were merchandised I started with canned foam (generic drug store brand at that time). Shave with my DE until around 5 years later my spouse to be gave me an Norelco triple header that was my go-to until returning to DE 4+ years ago.
Interestingly until around 10 years ago digital natives and immigrants had very different shopping patterns. The former tended to do everything via the net using the physical stores as a final fulfillment point when convenient. The latter tended to shop physical locations per normal using the net to enhance their physical shopping process via activities such as product research price comparisons.
My sense is that digital native and immigrant shopping patterns have merged together over the past decade with the growth of so many on-line retailers and expanded on-line presence from historical brick & mortar competitors. This shift was rapidly accelerated by the pandemic and we see the result of many physical retailers going bankrupt. With rapidly increased prevalence of web ordering even goods that are still mostly purchased from physical stores, like groceries, are often purchased via a web transaction.
Now it often doesn't make sense to shop anywhere but on-line because of what are limited in-store assortments across many product categories that have resulted from these trends. Our DE/SE shaving experiences are a great example of this where, with the exception of a few specialty stores (e.g. Maggards, Pasteurs, etc.) there is little or nothing available in physical brick & mortar stores that can't afford to merchandise slow moving products, like our shaving supplies, in limited retail shelf space.
One other comment, the web "endless aisle" assortment effect you described for wet shaving is much greater for shaving than many other categories because, until this century, just a handful of manufacturers (e.g. Gillette, Shick & Bic with Braun and Norelco for electrics) dominated store shelves that were the only pre-web sales channel. With the growth on e-commerce the full plethora of products from around the world or from small scale specialists are available anywhere.
Companies used to advertise in magazines, TV, etc.....
Now they have people doing their advertising on the internet (videos, posts, etc.....).....; it's different, but at the end : the same....they just want to sell and will use any method available to get your $$$.
I probably would have never discovered all the world of shaving stuff without the internet.... and would be buying throw away razors from Walmart and avoiding shaving....., probably using a trimmer and call it quits.....
Same with watches...(my first spending issue), or pens, or so many other thing$......
I find it a REAL social issue, when people spend more money than what they have (getting into debt).....then hobbies become addictions .....
Now they have people doing their advertising on the internet (videos, posts, etc.....).....; it's different, but at the end : the same....they just want to sell and will use any method available to get your $$$.
I probably would have never discovered all the world of shaving stuff without the internet.... and would be buying throw away razors from Walmart and avoiding shaving....., probably using a trimmer and call it quits.....
Same with watches...(my first spending issue), or pens, or so many other thing$......
I find it a REAL social issue, when people spend more money than what they have (getting into debt).....then hobbies become addictions .....
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