Funny looks and sideways glances...

[Psychdude]

So, I've noticed this a lot around here recently: people are trying to convert their friends and family and are being met with benign shows of bizarrity. I, personally, have recieved the following: raised eyebrows, comments along the "that's ridiculous" vein, not to mention the "are you serious?"es, and the "Yes, I've felt how smooth your face is, and I don't care anymore" from my wife. The only non ridicule-inducing response has been from my mother. "Wow, that IS soft!"

And so, I present you with a poll. What have the responses been to your "hobby"?

[Spatterdash]

I've gotten all of the above, as I really like my friends (that is why they are my friends) and friends don't let friends use goop.

What is missing is the positive response. I have gotten quite a few, but almost everyone of them was when I took the first step for today's apathetic male, i.e., I gave them a brush and soap.
Then they're on board and want to know more.

[rabidpotatochip]

Put me down for a combination of 1 and 3.

[Chacki]

Wife - Thinks its great (but then she gets a fresher faced , younger looking me - with skin that isnt like 50 Grit sandpaper.) She doesn't even mind my RAD - she is enjoying getting out more on the weekends to Antiques fairs / shops..

Dad - thinks ive gone mad , especially given my interest in science and technology . My use of shaving gear dating back to the early 1900's is confirmation to him that ive finally spent one hour to many on the internet.
'Why have all that faff when you can go Electric - it is 2009 you know...'

Father in law - Retired priest , uses a disposable bic and water - took great pleasure in my horrified expression and explained with a wry grin it makes him feel closer to god... (guess what hes getting for his birthday this year)

Friends - One already uses a DE (albeit a crappy Boots £4 job - although i found this out only recently ) Im now planning to upgrade him.
The rest of the guys 'sort of' understand where im coming from , but are either happy with their current shave or far to 'with it' to go back a step.

Of my female friends i tend to get a mixture of rolled eyes and that shrug that denotes - 'yet another one of Jons unusual hobbies'.
However one believes i am borderline homicidal to have anything so dangerous as Razor blades and straight razors anywhere near my neck , and has spoken to my wife about getting me help. :lol:

So various responses i guess..

[JimBow]

The few people I've told about my DE shaving always say the same thing, "OH! My dad did that!"

[gaseousclay]

the responses i've gotten have always been of indifference. I know my fiance is sick of hearing about it and i've mentioned it a few times to co-workers who don't really care. I don't think anyone i've talked to has expressed a remote interest in wetshaving. their loss

[JimBow]

the responses i've gotten have always been of indifference. I know my fiance is sick of hearing about it and i've mentioned it a few times to co-workers who don't really care. I don't think anyone i've talked to has expressed a remote interest in wetshaving. their loss

I feel your pain....

[Dubbya]

Most of my friends give me the old, "You actually enjoy shaving?" routine.

My wife loves my amazingly smooth face, especially when we go dancing or to some other activity where her face doesn't have to feel the wire wheel called my chin with a disposable.

My mom, once I got my blade choice sorted out, felt my face and asked my father, "Why don't you get this smooth with the blades that you use?"(He uses a Tech, currently, with his old standard Gillette Super Stainless.)

The men in my family, with the exception of my soon to be brother-in-law, all DE shave, but give me, "We should have him evaluated." looks when they see my shave cabinet and its overflown contents.

[Ru4scuba?]

I've only really mentioned my hobby to close friends family. Even from them I get all of the responses above. Most can't understand why I would pick a hobby involving a daily ritual that most men hate and try to make something fun out of it. They'd rather just be done with it quickly, which is exactly the point.

If you shave 5 X a week for your life thats thousands of shaves...why not enjoy it?

[JimBow]

If you shave 5 X a week for your life thats thousands of shaves...why not enjoy it?

Amen.

[Psychdude]

If you shave 5 X a week for your life thats thousands of shaves...why not enjoy it?

I can't seem to get this point across to my friends. They all just think I'm nuts.

However, I did have a buddy with pretty bad ingrown hairs ask me why mine are gone today. I'll PIF him a couple things and see if I can get him hooked, too :w00t:

[OldSaw]

I don't talk about it outside of B&B.

[VR6ofpain]

Art is King.

[Live2Ride]

I don't talk about it much outside here. I was showing a friend a "don't judge a book by it's price tag" find - a razor I almost passed by due to it's very low price (had to be chipped, rusted, etc. - it wasn't). Told him I would clean, hone, and use it. That led to the conversation about being fed up with cartridges. Another friend and I put together a wet shave sampler: badger brush, Proraso, two Body Shop shave creams, a 1965 slim adjustable, a Rocket, a 48-50 superspeed, assortment of DE blades, a Boker straight, and a Tony Miller travel/practice strop. Four days in, he says he's never going back to cartridges and, get this, he's actually enjoying shaving! What madness!

Toss out the bait, if someone's interested, they'll bite. People dismiss as insane that which they cannot conceive. Like riding a century: most people will stammer, "You're insane!" To which I reply, "Yeah, ain't it cool?" and smile maniacally.

[soapbuddy]

i don't talk about it outside of b&b.

+1.

[nrek619]

don't know anyone that wet shaves........ besides you all!!! I tried to convert but some don't like the idea of De blades........ more for me....:biggrin:

[thunderball]

Nobody knows...:eek:

[SRock]

I voted all of the above, but ART is still KING!

[yboivin]

When I started this straight razor shaving, people around me gave me bizzarre looks 'cause of the nicks on my face... I had to explain and get yet more bizzare looks...

Oh well...

[Ricko78]

Well my girlfriend doesn't really understand why I have changed over and earlier this month told me she was worried I was becoming addicted to Ebay when I kept getting new packages in the mail. In the end I promised not to buy anything else this month but the other day I couldn't resist another new cream so I bought her some make up she wanted to even it out and she was happy!!

Aside from her I've not really told anyone else except mentioning it once whilst in the pub to my mates as somehow we had got on to the topic of shaving and the cost of cartridge razors. I triumphantly stated I was now using a DE but was met with puzzled looks and one comment "Yeah but you can't get a close shave with one of those". I offered my cheek up for stroking but it was politely declined. Probably for the best and we quickly moved on....

[masonjarjar]

I generally don't bring it up. I'd be more likely to strike up a conversation with a stranger (mostly clerks) when I'm buying products than I would with someone I know.

[kzoo1]

I don't really discuss it anymore. I guess I'm happy with my routine, and that's all that matters.

[Trius]

So far I have only discussed with close friends. One in particular I gave a bowl, brush and tube of Bigelow for Christmas last year, and he was not only surprised for the gift, but after using the Bigelow/Proraso, stated he would NEVER go back to goo in a can. Then I gave him a Krona with some Astras and a couple of Feathers a few weeks ago, and he love it. He had shaved with a Krona in the distant past, so adapted pretty quickly.

I will work on others as it seems appropriate, but I'm not going to be an evangelist about it. I have one particular close friend who "knows everything", so apart from mentioning it and getting a lukewarm response, I don't discuss it.

[bluepunk18]

I've mentioned it to my best friend and a few others. He doesn't shave very often, like maybe once every two weeks or less, as his heritage prevents him from growing serious facial hair.

However, I've been fortune enough to recruit my fiance (Starberry) after she starting noticing my smoothness and having shaved her with similar results. :w00t: I'm so glad to have a lovely lady who understands and approves of my hobby.

[Hawkeye5]

I really don't talk about it much. My friends know how I shave because they have seen me at our hunting lease. Besides, I'm not asking permission of anyone, I do it because I enjoy shaving this way and it is my relaxation time.
My wife told one of her friends, and her response was that she remembered watching her grandfather shave that way, so it was a plesant memory.
During a training class one time the instructor asked for something unique about each of us. I mentioned I shaved with a straight razor. The woman across the isle jumped out of her chair and came over to rub my cheek! That I could have lived without.

[SavantStrike]

I get a lot of responses about how shaving is a chore...

I think there may be a few people I could convince to try a DE, but I'll give that some time.

[kwk285]

I think my family is going to use my ramblings about using a DE or straight at my committment hearing.:biggrin:

[guru]

I've only mentioned it to one friend. He thought when I said single blade shaving I meant a straight razor and when I told him, no, I use a Gillette Fatboy DE, an old vintage Schick injector, and a really old Gem Micromatic SE, he just said, Oh. My brother seems interested and may convert from his Mach3. He's looking at a Merkur HD and has a badger brush his wife gave him in the 70's. My wife is mildly amused and tolerant, in spite of RAD, considering how many years I had a full beard because I hated shaving. She likes the smooth face, but wonders why I spend so much time on this site. As for myself, I look forward to shaving, do it most every day now and don't much care what anybody thinks.

[vroddrew]

What a gentleman does in his bathroom is - by its very nature - a highly personal and private affair.

Boring ones friends and acquaintances with long lectures and the desirability of one's own choice in shaving gear seems like a good way to lose friends.

[rabidpotatochip]

What a gentleman does in his bathroom is - by its very nature - a highly personal and private affair.

Boring ones friends and acquaintances with long lectures and the desirability of one's own choice in shaving gear seems like a good way to lose friends.

I've met many men who made much worse public. If talking about grooming (in moderation) loses friends they weren't worth having.

[Spatterdash]

I've met many men who made much worse public. If talking about grooming (in moderation) loses friends they weren't worth having.


+1

And like I said earlier, friends don't let friends use goop.

[mretzloff]

Who is Art and why is everyone putting him in their polls?

[FiXXXer]

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=214

[grumpy old codger]

I lured my nephew to my home with the offer of letting him examine some rarities and coin errors, IF he would try a STR8 and a DE. He came, he saw and he salivated over the coins, but he really enjoyed, with the full pre/post shave prep, both the initial STR8 {just the side burn area) and a Merkur Futur for the rest of his face. When he returned home he went back to his water and disposable razor. Within 24 hours, he was ordering all sorts of stuff from one of the online vendors. He's hooked. Now, I have to prepare cunning traps for my sons, also. Ha, ha!

[baggiez]

My wife thinks I'm nuts and has asked me half seriously to refrain from discussing Wet shaving with friends and family. I'm not a zealot (or am I) but at least my two sons are using soap and brush now instead of canned rubbish - I bought them both a Lux razor and some Derbys but they still use bic disposables because my way takes too long:confused:

[Live2Ride]

My wife thinks I'm nuts and has asked me half seriously to refrain from discussing Wet shaving with friends and family. I'm not a zealot (or am I) but at least my two sons are using soap and brush now instead of canned rubbish - I bought them both a Lux razor and some Derbys but they still use bic disposables because my way takes too long:confused:

Yes, we don't want to sound like zealots, quoting the Gospels of Joel, AsylumGuido, etal; however, you might mention to your sons that it's a small planet, the only one we have, and they're going to inherit it - overflowing landfills and all. Here endth the sermon.

[harleyfrog]

"Yes, I've felt how smooth your face is, and I don't care anymore" from my wife.

+1 :lol:

[jpkunst]

Shaving is not my "hobby", I just use a DE because I want to shave daily and cartridges irritate my face and are too expensive. I don't have any AD's, nor any "rotation" of products or razors. Also, I'm not trying to "convert" anyone.

[StGeorge]

My wife just laughs and listens patiently in varying degree's and everybody else is completely indifferent. I have never converted a single person and have lost any interest in even trying.
My daughters just chuckle and take the p*** at the forum names, which is fine, because as a father I know a myriad of ways to embarrass them should I feel the need too :biggrin:
Kids need to feel that their parents are old fashioned or "not with it" so I'm happy to re-inforce that stereotype.

[andy hopper]

I have two friends I got to try DE wet shaving. They both said the same thing. "Two months ago when you first mention this I thought you were NUTS. Now I feel and look ten years younger. Look foward to my shave and have a better completion than my wife!"

For those who just thought I was NUTS and didn't care I think our fellow B&Ber Gaseousclay put it best "Their Loss".

[thunderball]

I am actually surprised at how disinterested both friends and family are when I mention the whole thing (which isn't often). I even gave some of my friends some proraso to try out each and none of them even bothered to open it. *sigh* I'll leave them to their Fusions and Barbasol-induced trances. :wink:

[kingfisher]

My wife raised her eyebrows when a badger brush came in the mail. She groaned quietly when I asked her if I could use a large mug for lathering. She asked me if "all that stuff" had to stay by the side of my sink in the bathroom, and rolled her eyes when I said yes.

About a week later, when I was hugging her, she kept her cheek up next to mine for an extra few seconds. Then when she was done she pulled back and gave my face a lingering look. Then she said, "Is it my imagination, or is your face a lot softer than it used to be?"

Yesterday she went on line while I was at work and bought a brush stand for my brush.:wink:

[rabidpotatochip]

My wife raised her eyebrows when a badger brush came in the mail. She groaned quietly when I asked her if I could use a large mug for lathering. She asked me if "all that stuff" had to stay by the side of my sink in the bathroom, and rolled her eyes when I said yes.

About a week later, when I was hugging her, she kept her cheek up next to mine for an extra few seconds. Then when she was done she pulled back and gave my face a lingering look. Then she said, "Is it my imagination, or is your face a lot softer than it used to be?"

Yesterday she went on line while I was at work and bought a brush stand for my brush.:wink:

I think you mean her brush. She probably has a Superspeed in the mail too. :biggrin:

[FortyTwoBlades]

Most folks act concerned for my safety when they learn I shave with a straight. I then politely explain that you'd have to be a bit touched in the head to do yourself serious harm with one. They usually then reply that they'd probably cut the s*** out of themselves. My point exactly. :biggrin:

[talibeard]

I've learned to let the topic rest (except with a very small group of people). A lot of people think you are kinda suicidal just shaving with a DE.
Only when other people bring the subject on I try, as carefully as possible, to say something about the benefits of traditional wetshaving.
Flabbergasted is the word to describe the general reaction.....

[Anton von Tripp]

My friends regard my DE shaving as yet another example of eccentricity on my part, whilst others regard it as anything from pretension through snobbery to outright elitism.
(I suppose ordinary shaving is'nt good enough for him?)

[soapbuddy]

My wife raised her eyebrows when a badger brush came in the mail. She groaned quietly when I asked her if I could use a large mug for lathering. She asked me if "all that stuff" had to stay by the side of my sink in the bathroom, and rolled her eyes when I said yes.

About a week later, when I was hugging her, she kept her cheek up next to mine for an extra few seconds. Then when she was done she pulled back and gave my face a lingering look. Then she said, "Is it my imagination, or is your face a lot softer than it used to be?"

Yesterday she went on line while I was at work and bought a brush stand for my brush.:wink:

That's cool! Maybe we could convert her next?:001_smile

[jcm03c]

I think my coworker thought I was trying to sell him shave gear. I had a fatboy in my office that I had just received so I showed it to him so he had an idea what the tools looked like and he was just like: "Ok, uh huh, put me on the newsletter."

I had not intentions of selling him anything, specially my fatboy. Ok, maybe I would've cut him a deal on a Weishi I have..... hahaha!