I needed this hobby like I needed a hole in my head....

Since taking up this hobby I have noticed my wallet getting lighter.
In the past 2 weeks I have purchased:
55 Gillette Red Tip
Blade sample pack with Derby Feathers Bluebirds and 7 o'clocks
Omega Pro 49
Omega soap
3 pucks of Chelsea's soap. Green Tweed, Arabian Spice, Bay Rum. (should be here Fri.)
Gem OCMM. (just did this on a whim about 5 min ago) Will be grabbing blades in the next week.


None of this really breaks the bank but dang.

Edit: I should add that after having a beard for most of my "adult" life (I am 23) and hating shaving, I am actually now enjoying the hell of it and look forward to getting to shave everyday.

yellowjeep said:

Since taking up this hobby I have noticed my wallet getting lighter.
In the past 2 weeks I have purchased:
55 Gillette Red Tip
Blade sample pack with Derby Feathers Bluebirds and 7 o'clocks
Omega Pro 49
Omega soap
3 pucks of Chelsea's soap. Green Tweed, Arabian Spice, Bay Rum. (should be here Fri.)
Gem OCMM. (just did this on a whim about 5 min ago) Will be grabbing blades in the next week.


None of this really breaks the bank but dang.

Edit: I should add that after having a beard for most of my "adult" life (I am 23) and hating shaving, I am actually now enjoying the hell of it and look forward to getting to shave everyday.

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You have now probably set yourself up for a year of shaving with very little other expense. Those poor sods who are using plastic cartridges bleed at the wallet each month. Welcome to B+B!

Welcome to the madhouse! I feel your pain, since finding this website I have purchased;
Merkur 34c HD
Assorted blades
2 brushes
Assorted aftershaves and balms
various shaving creams, soaps and most notoriously enough Proraso to last me a year.
Witch Hazel

Planning to get a nice chunk of blades to last me through the shavepocalypse that I hear is approaching, also looking at a thinner lighter razor, some vintage collectables, and also getting into the fun of straight blade shaving.

Still, I have spent less than buying a new fangled formula 1 inspired cartridge razor, 12 razor cartridges, 2 cans of goo, and face soap to stop the inevitable breakouts and rashes that came with using them.

yellowjeep said:

Edit: I should add that after having a beard for most of my "adult" life (I am 23) and hating shaving, I am actually now enjoying the hell of it and look forward to getting to shave everyday.

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+1 on the AD, but there should be a price for the quote above, shouldn't there?

I picked up a 1305 to see what all the boar fuss was (still haven't used it as I'm sampling blades right now), and even the act of making a lather with it for break-in when I get home from work is stress-relieving. Lots to love about wetshaving.

Yup, this hobby of ours is addictive.

And who woulda thought shaving to be a hobby.. I am waiting for my first safety razor(Muhle R89) to be delivered, and already am hooked..

You would have spent that money on something anyway.

jsdurrant said:

And who woulda thought shaving to be a hobby.. I am waiting for my first safety razor(Muhle R89) to be delivered, and already am hooked..

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Who would have thunk it? Wet shaving is an excellent hobby which is enhanced by hanging out in the august halls of B&B. I am starting my third-year of wet shaving and find that it's a wonderful hobby that does not involve work, information overload, but simply revolves around building lather and scraping beard hairs from my face.

To newbies, you can spend as little or much as you like on this hobby. I'm going on my third-year wet shaving and have accumulated a number of brushes, vintage Gillette razors, soaps, cremes and Aftershaves. However, in my first year, I primarily used a Gillette Slim, Tweezerman brush, VDH Deluxe, Bigelow Creme and Bigelow Barber A.S. Balm,

I got into wet shaving as a way of saving cash, which was not flowing in as readily in the economic decline. I had to put my inclination to jump in with both feet on hold and more deliberately plan what I wanted to buy. Over time I learned on B&B what products I wanted to try, who good vendors were and would simply pick things up on an occasional basis. A benefit of my frugality, is that I learned to focus on prep, technique and slowing down.

There's a natural inclination when you are new to buy lots of stuff, and believe me that's a fun part of this hobby. It's tempting to read a post on B&B and start ordering the new _____, which will give you a better shave. However, if you are a recent convert to wet shaving, you are better served (once you have found the blade(s) that works for you) of consistently using one razor, one or two brushes, a soap and a creme, focusing on prep, pressure, technque, angle etc. etc. One you have some competence and comfort, then you can add new variables such as different soaps, cremes, or new razors.

To the newb's who posted their starting kits, they are both excellent and will serve you well for years.

Greyfox said:

You would have spent that money on something anyway.

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I am a fan of this explanation or...It is only money.

Let's see I have been wet shaving for about a month now...I just bought;

Muker Futur
2 antique razors (randomly searching antique stores and picked them up for really no reason)
TOBS Sandalwood
All of the Kiss My Face scents
Aqua Velva
Nivea aftershave balm for sensitive skin
Razorock XXX
I have built my own sampler and bought 5-10 packs of about 8 different blades so far (still have more on the list to try)
two brushes I have now and I have I think 5 more coming in the mail (attempting to find the hair and size I like most)
Then I have some aftershaves that I'd like to try once I learn some more about them on my list as well as a few other scents. I also have the Geo F Trumper sample in the mail.

Finally I have some straights I have been looking at as I have been looking at trying one and just not sure what to start with yet. Pretty much for me this is just the beginning. The best part, like someone mentioned, I am still under what I would have spent had I been buying cart blades this year (I am under what I would have spent and we are only half way through the year).

Just as an aside and because I like to calculate out how much I would have spent. I shaved every other day and if I didn't change my blade every shave I would get serious razor burn and irritation. That meant I was going through 178 multi-bladed carts every year. Take that at $32.97 per 8 pack via Wallmarttius, and 23 packs per year, turns into $758.31 per year in blades. I can probably afford to buy about 400 dollars in stuff after I get everything on my Amazon wishlist ordered up. So I am sure that leaves me plenty to pick up those straights and a few more creams and aftershaves right? And that doesn't account for the extra value we get from no skin irritation, ingrown hairs, the effort and blah feeling it took to shave with a cart, etc.

Long story short, enjoy the new hobby .

Cheap really for the pleasure you get from it., could be way worse and way more harmful like narcotic addiction.

It's all down hill from here. Most of us spend time rotating between various ADs. Just when I had straights licked, I moved on to brushes, swore off buying brushes, moved to aftershaves, then soaps, back to brushes, now I'm back to straights. I wouldn't trade any of it though. I think it's part of the fun to be honest.

Kwaka_Chris said:

Welcome to the madhouse!

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+1

djh said:

You have now probably set yourself up for a year of shaving with very little other expense. Those poor sods who are using plastic cartridges bleed at the wallet each month. Welcome to B+B!

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+1

If you stopped buying right now, there probably isn't a thing you'll need for the next year. Vlad is waiting for you at the "2011 Shave Purchase Sabbatical - Gentlemanly Restraint":

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showth...al-Gentlemanly-Restraint?highlight=sabbatical

Or you can go here and look at the pretty pretty pictures:

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/forumdisplay.php/10-Shave-Scent-of-the-Day!



-jim

HAHA! I am in the same boat. I have to keep telling myself "Take it easy"..... but its not doing any good

yellowjeep said:

Since taking up this hobby I have noticed my wallet getting lighter.
In the past 2 weeks I have purchased:
55 Gillette Red Tip
Blade sample pack with Derby Feathers Bluebirds and 7 o'clocks
Omega Pro 49
Omega soap
3 pucks of Chelsea's soap. Green Tweed, Arabian Spice, Bay Rum. (should be here Fri.)
Gem OCMM. (just did this on a whim about 5 min ago) Will be grabbing blades in the next week.


None of this really breaks the bank but dang.

Edit: I should add that after having a beard for most of my "adult" life (I am 23) and hating shaving, I am actually now enjoying the hell of it and look forward to getting to shave everyday.

Click to expand...

Maybe it's time for you to look into straights?

yellowjeep said:

Since taking up this hobby I have noticed my wallet getting lighter.
.

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dont i know it! i love the little classifications too, because i can relate to so many. like, "wetshaving is going to save me money right?"
lol!!! sure.. if i live to be 200.

gearchow said:

... Vlad is waiting for you at the "2011 Shave Purchase Sabbatical - Gentlemanly Restraint":

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showth...al-Gentlemanly-Restraint?highlight=sabbatical

Or you can go here and look at the pretty pretty pictures:

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/forumdisplay.php/10-Shave-Scent-of-the-Day!



-jim

Click to expand...

this is the cycle of madness. I like my stuff though, I prefer it over carts and my hair's been too short for a beard since I joined B&B so... justify justify justify... I require more software, mostly AS, which I never used in my life until B&B...

As long as you are enjoying this hobby called wetshaving, that's all that matters.

pelicano said:

Maybe it's time for you to look into straights?

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That will save money on buying blades.

-jim

6 weeks in for me and I just realised I now have 5 razors! I think I have lost a grip on reality!. I'm also very interested in a str8