Did your razor buying taper off?

[m-g willy]

I been into collecting Gillette razors and a few Autostrop and Gem razors for about a year now.
Really only interested in razors made befpre 1940's
So far I have my pride and joy (1905 DOUBLE RING) plus a few old types.
I only have one NEW and IMPROVED
A few NEWs
And a TECH
I have a display with dates marking decades from 1900-1940 with a razor for each decade.
I also have a Sheraton and a few 1940's SS's
Plus a RED TIP only because it was made the year I was born.
Any other razor I buy is mainly for giving away.
My wife has a (NEW), (Adjustable,)and a (Lady Gillette long handle)
Daughters and some of their girlfriends use (SS's)
Both sons use (old type open combs and SS's)

So my razor buying has slowed waaaaaaay down!
Even if I see a good deal on a run of the mill razor ,I let it pass without bidding most of the time now.
So how many buy any razor just because it's a good deal ?
And how many are just buying certain razors they really want?

[mdunn]

Razor buying doesnt taper off - you just become more selective in what you buy (read: buy the more expensive ones)

[Luc]

Razor buying doesnt taper off - you just become more selective in what you buy (read: buy the more expensive ones)

+1

It starts with one really really nice razor, than there's another one, then another one... Then you discover straights...

[bladebuff]

Fortunately for me I was able to curb my RAD. I have three razors currently but could make a move to two very easily and really only two that I would ever consider purchasing sometime in the future.

I had a good collection of Gillette Techs (four) and Superspeeds (eight) and enjoyed using them but I realized that I am in it for the shaves rather than the collecting.

Now soaps, creams and after shaves...that's another story!

[professorchaos]

Razor buying doesnt taper off - you just become more selective in what you buy (read: buy the more expensive ones)

Bingo! That phenomena is particularly evident in the straight razor world once you hit 20-30 straights.

[Brodirt]

Blades, blades and more blades. Thats all I want.

[gollum83]

Blades, blades and more blades. Thats all I want.

Well it isn't money, that much is apparent. :biggrin:

[Legion]

When I first started buying razors it was really just to try as many as I could so I could work out which one I liked the best. Problem was, once I found some good ones, then I wanted backups, just in case they broke or got lost. Then I bought backups for the backups and... You know how it goes.

Fortunately I have managed to curb my RAD and have given away or sold most of my collection. I really only need one good razor. They don't wear out.

[instpasr]

I hope not.:lol:

[Windwalker]

In the early days, if it was a good deal I would grab it. Cases, no cases, shaver condition, it really did not matter to me. I just wanted more! Buying in lots allowed me to build a collection fairly quickly. Then I started to discover which ones worked well for me and others that I just liked. Now, I am much more selective (read more expensive) as I generally look for ones with cases. But I am not above rescuing a lonely razor or two.:wink:

[Schwert]

I'll let you know next month:rolleyes:


I did not buy one today. That is a start.

[Dubbya]

Eight years in and it still hasn't tapered off. I buy less new razors, if that helps at all.:biggrin:

[rainman]

On average, I only keep about 4 razors at a time. I constantly buy and sell. I do have enough blades for a long while.

[ctakim]

Hmmm, waiting for the tapering off to start. My activity has all been in the opposite direction of late! But I do have to start cutting back (or sell a few more so I can buy more!)

[kzoo1]

Haven't bought a razor since my Slant arrived. I'm not a collector, just looking for the best shave. I think I've found it. :biggrin:

[MAK]

My buying has slowed down, but that is typical for me. I'm sure I'll be back in the swing soon.

[rodd]

Razor buying doesnt taper off - you just become more selective in what you buy (read: buy the more expensive ones)

exactly. The numbers of razors arriving at my house has greatly decreased, but the money I am spending on them has not.

[pablo_h]

Yes, no more junk razors just to try them, no more shaver grade razors, no more loose razors or buying in lots.
I have more than enough already, gillettes, GEMs, ever-ready and rolls.
I'd only buy cased top quality razors now. I doesn't matter to me if that means I only buy 1 or 2 razors a year. I've got enough to play with for a lifetime anyway already.
By that I'm not saying I'll buy expensive ones either, I'm too much of a cheapskate :D. I'm not trying to buy anything to fill out a collection. I don't need one of everything. It just means I'll be on the lookout for a special razor at a price too low to resist.

[Austin]

Gents, I stopped buying razors 2 years ago. I settled on my Trumper HD and sold the rest.

[Oldguy]

My buying has stayed about the same but now I go for quality. Got to cut back. But there is a good thing to this. I call it the razor diet. My razor budget has increased with a corresponding decrease in my food budget. So far it's working.

Len

[Synack]

I had quite a formidable den but recently thinned it out quite a bit. Currently down to a nice matching Merkur Slant and HD set (Just can't decide which I like better!) Also have a fluted handle WWII tech, an older fat Handle Tech and one Torrey straight.

I do have a Lux in the mail because of sheer curiosity, so I guess RAD never truly goes away :biggrin1:.

[blantyre]

It seems to be a pretty gentle taper! I am mainly in the process of refinement rather than outright acquisition - I usually sell something when I replace it to keep it down to about 12 razors in the rotation.

[angelito84601]

Now soaps, creams and after shaves...that's another story!

+1 this is where most of my money goes. I currently only have one DE razor but I am beginning to gather some straights as well.

[Rockytop]

I wish it would taper off. I have bougt 3 this week. I have a goal of about 6-8 vintage Gillettes I really want to keep. I am buying and selling to try to make that 6-8 core group the best.

[dpm802]

I have a collection of about 10 razors (mostly Gillettes) and an active rotation of 4 Merkurs.

I'm not actively seeking new collectibles ... mostly because I cleaned out my local antique store of everything they had that was worth owning. I do watch the BST forum, but usually can't act fast enough to jump on the really good stuff.

There aren't too many razors I want that I don't already have. I'd like to have a few cased English Gillettes. One I'm still looking for is a Toggle. And I still don't have a FatBoy in my collection. And then there's the Gem 1912 ... I want to find out what all the fuss is about.

[eclipse75]

I'm just trying to go for the ultimate shave. I started with the Parker 91r and then moved to the Merkur Slant. I am just now moving to straight razors, but I figure after I have a few good straights, I will be content and quit spending money. :D I need to at least..

[Stubblefield]

Blades, blades and more blades. Thats all I want.


Well it isn't money, that much is apparent. :biggrin:

I could name a few NOS blades that are 'almost' worth their weight in gold. :biggrin:

[eclipse75]

And nice Tux penguin

[gratewhitehuntr]

Razor buying doesnt taper off - you just become more selective in what you buy (read: buy the more expensive ones)
+1


+1

It starts with one really really nice razor, than there's another one, then another one... Then you discover straights...
+2


Bingo! That phenomena is particularly evident in the straight razor world once you hit 20-30 straights.

+ infinity

I've hit that point now.

I started out buying everything and selling all that didn't suit my taste.
Now I B/S/T and make money at it to finance nicer stuff.

I still nab the odd one from the constant incoming piles though.

in short, I buy less, but I spend more

[alex2363]

Unless your a seller or dealer it does taper off. Im new at d/e shaving so i'm trying new razors from merkur futurs,progress,vision, hd's and all the main gillettes adjustables supers,fatboys ect. The adjustables aint cutting it for me so now my new love is open combs and slants as of last week. Everyday im treasure hunting for all opens and learning as much as I can by asking dumb questions here at b/b forums about opens and slants. I just bought 7 opens and slants in a week from Ebay and here at B/B mall. So i think unless your a serious collector or dealer it does tapper off once you get your fill of razors. YA agree?

[Corey]

Mine's finally started tapering off. I hit the BST and ebay hard when I started a few months ago. There are quite a few gentlemen on this board who have sold me some nice gear, some more than once. I'm not interested in collecting for any perception of value. If I see something I like, I'll buy it. Now that I've found a handful of really nice razors that I truly enjoy using, I'm starting to pull out the stuff that I don't use as much so I can thin out my collection to the stuff I use the most. With the exception of my Custom Progress and Mergress, there's nothing that's rare. Thankfully for my bank account, my venture into straights ended up being something I didn't care for. The same could be said for the SE razors I've tried. So now that I've reached that saturation point, I'm pretty much set on what I want. Maybe I can actually start saving money now.

[rainman]

The problem is no matter how good your current shaves are, you always wonder if that razor you didn't try yet will be better or provide that previous excitement that you might have had. Also, trying a variety of razors can also help you to better realize what razors you truly like. So yes, it does taper off. Practice your selling skills as you may want to do a lot of it as well with all of the experimenting.

[spinyeel]

I've settled on my favourite shavers now.So unless I find a minty,boxed,hard to find razor at a flea market or junk store,I won't be buying any more.:smile:Ebay has become a joke if it's collector grade stuff you're after.The same old bidders with bottomless pockets have seen to that.:rolleyes:It's back to antique fishing reels for me.:wink:Heaps of bargains out there.:biggrin:

[kevtex]

I haven't purchased another razor since I started using a EJ DE89. It's the only razor I own now except for the Gillette SS that belonged to my dad. But sad to say the money that was once spent on razors is now going into shaving brushes.

[Audiolab]

I do still make the odd acquisition but am more selective about razors what I buy. I am currently on a soap acquisition quest but again more selective on what I would buy at first. I more often try to obtain a sample if I can before investing in a whole tub.

[michiganlover]

I think I will suffer more from SCAD, and SSAD than the others.

I have two very nice brushes now, and recently scored very well at a local antiques store, so I am not in want of very much else in terms of razors. :w00t::w00t:

Currently, I have 4 Gems, and about 8 DE razors, I should be all set for quite awhile. I bet that is what everyone says though.....:lol::lol:

[alex2363]

I haven't purchased another razor since I started using a EJ DE89. It's the only razor I own now except for the Gillette SS that belonged to my dad. But sad to say the money that was once spent on razors is now going into shaving brushes.

geez, shaving brushes, wow, can we start a thread on that or what.....

[r0ckrat]

geez, shaving brushes, wow, can we start a thread on that or what.....

It's got it's own forum section... Wrong section for that topic.

[Jason T.]

The only other razors I like to try are a Shavette and a Slant Bar.

Im happy with my Futur and Merkur Rake Edge razors. Im not burning with desire to try any other razor apart from the ones I have mentioned above.

[Mojo88]

At first I bought everything in sight at antique or thrift stores. I had a thing for finding the exact same razor in gold and silver, then sold all the gold razors except my toggle. I look now but won't buy unless it's something British or rare. I bought a few straights, kept two and sold the rest. Like others my collecting has gone to the more expensive side. I also settled on a couple creams after buying several and giving most of them away.

[Bulldawg]

It's more of a personal preference...Personally, I've found the one DE that does it for me (HD Rocket) so that's the only one I own. Just my personal preference.

[TinFish]

My Merkur 33c does it all for me, every day. I haven't been interested in aquiring more.
My small collection of superspeeds and one gem 1912 are ones that I've inherited or actually bought to use during my school daze. I only use these for commemorative shaves such as the grandpa shave, birthday shave, graduation anniversary shave etc.
Smell-well, and old mugs, among other things are where my A.D.'s are.