How Many Combinations? Can you use them all?

jzuzphreek · Feb 12, 2014

So you say you have a lot of stuff? I didn't really think I had that much at all. 3 DEs 4 Straights, a couple soaps/creams and aftershaves. Well. I lied to myself. With the help of a little bit of Standard Query Language (SQL for those in the know), I've learned that I have exactly 25,088 possible unique combinations for my daily shave. This is only counting variable hardware and software. Alum, styptic, strops, and mugs are not counted. If you're keeping count at home this accounts for roughly 63.7 YEARS that I could go and NEVER use the same exact combination twice.

Of course, we know that number won't stay the same. My DE blade inventory will eventually be exclusively 2 different blades instead of the handful I have now. My DE collection probably won't grow because I'm happy with what I have (not that I won't buy any more... but those will be for PIFs and gifts). I will probably get some newer, nicer straights, and maybe even dive into Gold Dollar modification for my own edification. And I would be telling a bold-faced lie if I were to say I wouldn't get more soaps and aftershaves.

My plan here is to keep track of my progression through all the combinations. I'm sure B&B will only grow and prosper over the next 63 years, so hopefully I'll still be updating this thread when I'm 93! :scared:

I'll spare you the horror of posting all the combinations here. But I WILL link to an excel spread sheet. For those of you with access to SQL, I'll post the code for you as well. Feel free to play along!

Excel Sheet with all possible combos

SQL Query - Feel free to use it for your own purposes, just replace the item names in parentheses with your own gear.

/* Compiles 2 tables to show every possible combination for all variable shaving software and hardware
*/

/* Create Tables for DE Razors (with blades)
Only -- Excludes Straight Razors
*/

if object_ID('TempDB.dbo.#Razor') is not null drop table #Razor
if object_ID('TempDB.dbo.#Blade') is not null drop table #Blade
if object_ID('TempDB.dbo.#Brush') is not null drop table #Brush
if object_ID('TempDB.dbo.#Soap') is not null drop table #Soap
if object_ID('TempDB.dbo.#AS') is not null drop table #AS
if object_ID('TempDB.dbo.#ASB') is not null drop table #ASB

create table #Razor (Razors varchar(320))
insert into #Razor
values ('DE-Aristocrat'),('DE-Tuckaway'),('DE-Krona')

create table #Blade (Blade varchar(320))
insert into #Blade
values ('Gillette 7 OClock Black'),('LORD Stainless'),('Gillette Silver-Blue'),('Polsilver Super Iridium')

create table #Brush (Brush varchar(320))
insert into #Brush
values ('Boar-Semogue 620'),('Mix-Omega 11047'),('Badger-Duke 2 (Best)'),('Synthetic-Frank Shaving Pur-Tec')

create table #Soap (Software varchar(320))
insert into #Soap
values ('Hard Soap-TOBS Sandalwood'),('Hard Soap-QED Special 218'),('Hard Soap-Godrej'),('Cream-AOS Sandalwood'),('Cream-TOBS Mr.Taylor'),('Soft Soap-RR XXX-t'),('Soft Soap-RR San Valentino')

create table #AS (Aftershave varchar(320))
insert into #AS
values ('Avon-Wild Country'),('Avon-Öland'),('Aqua Velva'),('Old Spice'),('Old Spice-Vintage'),('Pinaud-Lilac Vegetal'),('Pinaud-Clubman'),('Pinaud-Virgin Island Bay Rum'),('Pinaud-Lime Sec'),('Stetson-Cooling Moisture'),('Witch Hazel'),('Aqua Velva Musk'),('La Toja'),('RazoRock Fine-XXX')

create table #ASB (Balm varchar(320))
insert into #ASB
values ('LOccitine Beau'),('Gillette Sensitive Aftershave Gel'),('Espjerg Aftershave Gel'),('RazoRock King Louis AS Wax')

select
R.*
,B.*
,H.*
,S.*
,A.*
,ASB.*

into #NoStraights

from #Razor R
, #Blade B
, #Brush H
, #Soap S
, #AS A
, #ASB ASB

Order by Razors

/* Create Tables for Straight Razors Only
Excludes DE Razors and Blades

*/

if object_ID('TempDB.dbo.#Razor') is not null drop table #Razor
if object_ID('TempDB.dbo.#Brush') is not null drop table #Brush
if object_ID('TempDB.dbo.#Soap') is not null drop table #Soap
if object_ID('TempDB.dbo.#AS') is not null drop table #AS
if object_ID('TempDB.dbo.#ASB') is not null drop table #ASB

create table #Razor (Razors varchar(320))
insert into #Razor
values ('Straight-Lemaire'),('Straight-Edward H. Erk.'),('Straight-Rickboone'),('Straight-Herfarth Bros.')

create table #Brush (Brush varchar(320))
insert into #Brush
values ('Boar-Semogue 620'),('Mix-Omega 11047'),('Badger-Duke 2 (Best)'),('Synthetic-Frank Shaving Pur-Tec')

create table #Soap (Software varchar(320))
insert into #Soap
values ('Hard Soap-TOBS Sandalwood'),('Hard Soap-QED Special 218'),('Hard Soap-Godrej'),('Cream-AOS Sandalwood'),('Cream-TOBS Mr.Taylor'),('Soft Soap-RR XXX-t'),('Soft Soap-RR San Valentino')

create table #AS (Aftershave varchar(320))
insert into #AS
values ('Avon-Wild Country'),('Avon-Öland'),('Aqua Velva'),('Old Spice'),('Old Spice-Vintage'),('Pinaud-Lilac Vegetal'),('Pinaud-Clubman'),('Pinaud-Virgin Island Bay Rum'),('Pinaud-Lime Sec'),('Stetson-Cooling Moisture'),('Witch Hazel'),('Aqua Velva Musk'),('La Toja'),('RazoRock Fine-XXX')

create table #ASB (Balm varchar(320))
insert into #ASB
values ('LOccitine Beau'),('Gillette Sensitive Aftershave Gel'),('Espjerg Aftershave Gel'),('RazoRock King Louis AS Wax')

select
R.*
,H.*
,S.*
,A.*
,ASB.*

into #Straights

from #Razor R
, #Brush H
, #Soap S
, #AS A
, #ASB ASB

Order by Razors

Select * from #Straights
Select * from #NoStraights

Drop table #NoStraights
Drop Table #Straights

jzuzphreek · Feb 12, 2014

After doing a bit of checking, with my current inventory, even if I switch items everyday, I could still 3017 soaps/creams!

beeranon · Feb 12, 2014

jzuzphreek said:
After doing a bit of checking, with my current inventory, even if I switch items everyday, I could still 3017 soaps/creams!

So you've got enough combinations on razor/brush/blade/AS/ASB to use up 100-150g of a soap or cream? Sweet!

Mick · Feb 12, 2014

I've gone over a year without using the exact same combo of blade and razor. I suppose if I tossed in soaps, creams, brushes, and aftershaves I could stretch that out to a couple of decades or so

jzuzphreek · Feb 12, 2014

btw... if anyone is interested in making their own list, I don't mind running the sql for you. Just put together a list of all the categories you want to run, and pm me for my email address.

jzuzphreek · Feb 12, 2014

beeranon said:
So you've got enough combinations on razor/brush/blade/AS/ASB to use up 100-150g of a soap or cream? Sweet!

I've got enough combinations to use a single soap or cream 3,584 times without repeating any hardware, spalsh, or balm.

So assuming I use exactly 2 grams of soap for any given shave, over a 7.1 Kg puck of soap to last 1 entire permutation.

lowjax · Feb 12, 2014

Someone likes Excel a little too much. :blink:

I love it too, but don't get that deep into it.

That said, I have a lot of stuff as well. If you want to figure it out, be my guest.

1 straight, 5 SEs and 4 different SE blades, 16 DEs with 24 different DE blades, 16 brushes, 79 Soaps/Creams, 3 different post shave witch hazels, and 30 different aftershaves.

jzuzphreek · Feb 12, 2014

Alright, shave number 1 down. 25,087 to go.

The inaugural unique combination shave this evening consisted of:
Schick Krona
Gillette 7 O'Clock Black
Duke 2
RazoRock XXXt
Vintage Old Spice
Esbjerg aftershave oil

mistercitizen · Feb 12, 2014

This is nerdy as hell. I love it. :thumbup:

Ben

graysonhenryrussell · Feb 12, 2014

You must be very bored.

jzuzphreek · Feb 13, 2014

graysonhenryrussell said:
You must be very bored.

Only took about 20 minutes. I was struggling to understand how "cross apply" works in SQL. So it wasn't an entirely wasted exercise.

baka1969 · Feb 13, 2014

On a Harley forum we'd simply call this a winter thread. :laugh:

jzuzphreek · Feb 13, 2014

baka1969 said:
On a Harley forum we'd simply call this a winter thread.

Over here we call it mathing.

Mike H · Feb 13, 2014

Oh my!

I will take a simpler approach.

30 razors (25 straight, 3 DE, 2 SE)
10 Soaps ( Kabinette, Tabac, Arlington, Cella, MWF, Arko, Wilkinson Sword, Speick, Palmolive, Williams)
6 Aftershave splashes (OS Smooth Blast, Chantille Abbey, 4711, Skin Bracer, Clubman, Aqua Velva)

30*10*6=1800 combinations

jzuzphreek · Feb 13, 2014

Mike H said:
Oh my!

I will take a simpler approach.

30 razors (25 straight, 3 DE, 2 SE)
10 Soaps ( Kabinette, Tabac, Arlington, Cella, MWF, Arko, Wilkinson Sword, Speick, Palmolive, Williams)
6 Aftershave splashes (OS Smooth Blast, Chantille Abbey, 4711, Skin Bracer, Clubman, Aqua Velva)

30*10*6=1800 combinations

How many different blades do you have mike? And do you use any balms?

Mike H · Feb 13, 2014

I was Just going to edit for blades. I only use two DE brands, Feather or Astra Platimum, or GEM SE blades.
So that would increase the razor count to 33. I do sometimes use a balm (Nivea Revitalize) so that would effectively double the combination and take me up to ...

3960

jzuzphreek · Feb 13, 2014

Mike H said:
I was Just going to edit for blades. I only use two DE brands, Feather or Astra Platimum, or GEM SE blades.
So that would increase the razor count to 33. I do sometimes use a balm (Nivea Revitalize) so that would effectively double the combination and take me up to ...

3960

I don't understand how the blades increase the razor count to 33. For 3 DE choices, you have 2 Blades, so 6 possible combinations. Only 2 possible combinations for SE.
And personally, I wouldn't count a "sometimes use" product.

Mike H · Feb 13, 2014

jzuzphreek said:
I don't understand how the blades increase the razor count to 33. For 3 DE choices, you have 2 Blades, so 6 possible combinations. Only 2 possible combinations for SE.
And personally, I wouldn't count a "sometimes use" product.

What ever the number is, I doubt I will get to it. As far as razor count...

Before - 3 DE Razors
Fatip
New Improved
Red Tip

After - 6 DE razors
Fatip with Feather
Fatip with Astra
Improved with Feather
Improved with Astra
Red Tip with Feather
Red Tip with Astra

6 + 2 + 25 = 33
I am no math wiz, so take my calculations with a grain of salt... a squeeze of lime and shot of Tequila would not hurt either. :lol:

jzuzphreek · Feb 13, 2014

You're right Mike. My mistake. I was adding 6 instead of just 3. :letterk1:

jzuzphreek · Feb 17, 2014

Alright another 2 shaves for the books.

Valentines shave, (Thursday evening):

Schick Krona
Gillette 7 O'Clock Black
Omega 11047 Mixed
RazoRock XXXt
RazoRock Fine XXX
RazoRock King Louis AS Wax

Saturday Evening:
Schick Krona
Gillette 7 O'Clock Black
Omega 11047
RazoRock XXXt
LaToja
RazoRock King Louis AS Wax

25,085 Combinations to go.

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