I'm sure there are a lot of folks here just like me. I turned 55 less than a week ago, so I am in OFT (Old Fart Territory).
I came to this forum because a friend on a music forum I hang out on started a topic in the general chit chat section about straight razors. That was less than a month ago. At the time, shaving was something to get out of the way in the morning before I started my day. I was using the Gillette Fusion system at the time and also used an expensive Braun electric shaver for travel or when I just was too lazy to shave with the Fusion razor.
In the course of that discussion about straight razors, double-edged razors also came up, which brought back some memories because I when I first started shaving in the 1970s I was using a Gillette double edge razor and blade and also used the Schick Injector system. The razor companies sold me on the convenience and "lower cost" of disposables, and I bought it hook, line, and sinker. They have been bleeding my wallet dry ever since.
Shortly after that shaving topic started it was time for me to buy more Fusion blades, so I went to Walmart and picked up an 8 pack of blades for $32. And it pissed me off. I managed to get about 7 shaves out of a Fusion blade, which was pushing it, but I could get by on an 8 pack of blades for about 2 months. Then it hit me how much money I was spending on blades that gave me a pretty decent shave but also gave me a truckload of razor burn. So I started looking into double-edge razors and blades. Wow, a box of 100 Wilkinson Sword blades could be had for about $22. So I decided to jump in and bought a Parker Pure Badger shaving brush, a shaving mug with a shaving soap puck, and a Merkur 38C long handle DE razor. Oh my was I taken with that first DE shave. I started to look forward to my morning shower and shave. Since variety is the spice of live I ordered a couple of different Taylor of Old Bond Street shaving creams. The Sandalwood is my favorite so far.
And so it begins...it wasn't too long before I found this forum and a few others. In short order I started buying more razors, brushes, and soaps. Yep, I'm afflicted with Shaving Stuff Acquisition Syndrome (SSAS). Not as snappy an acronym as RAD and what have you, but it better describes where I am at. I have six DE razors so far, and my favorite is the Muhle R41 Grande open comb razor. Paired with Feather blade, this razor gives me the best shave I have ever experienced short of a straight razor shave at a barber shop. As I explored this forum and others, and a plethora of Youtube videos, I developed a keen interest in brushes. So I ordered a Thater 4125/3. That brush came yesterday and I used it for the first time this morning with some Synergy shaving soap from How to Grow A Mustache. Good lord what a sublime shaving experience that was!
So now I have a straight razor on the way, along with a strop and some sharpening stones. In the meantime I am shaving with a Dovo shavette to work on my technique.
I think a monster has been created.
But I wanted to tell my story and thank the members here for being such a helpful resource. For me shaving has gone from something I just wanted to get out of the way to something I really look forward to and enjoy.
--Jerome
I came to this forum because a friend on a music forum I hang out on started a topic in the general chit chat section about straight razors. That was less than a month ago. At the time, shaving was something to get out of the way in the morning before I started my day. I was using the Gillette Fusion system at the time and also used an expensive Braun electric shaver for travel or when I just was too lazy to shave with the Fusion razor.
In the course of that discussion about straight razors, double-edged razors also came up, which brought back some memories because I when I first started shaving in the 1970s I was using a Gillette double edge razor and blade and also used the Schick Injector system. The razor companies sold me on the convenience and "lower cost" of disposables, and I bought it hook, line, and sinker. They have been bleeding my wallet dry ever since.
Shortly after that shaving topic started it was time for me to buy more Fusion blades, so I went to Walmart and picked up an 8 pack of blades for $32. And it pissed me off. I managed to get about 7 shaves out of a Fusion blade, which was pushing it, but I could get by on an 8 pack of blades for about 2 months. Then it hit me how much money I was spending on blades that gave me a pretty decent shave but also gave me a truckload of razor burn. So I started looking into double-edge razors and blades. Wow, a box of 100 Wilkinson Sword blades could be had for about $22. So I decided to jump in and bought a Parker Pure Badger shaving brush, a shaving mug with a shaving soap puck, and a Merkur 38C long handle DE razor. Oh my was I taken with that first DE shave. I started to look forward to my morning shower and shave. Since variety is the spice of live I ordered a couple of different Taylor of Old Bond Street shaving creams. The Sandalwood is my favorite so far.
And so it begins...it wasn't too long before I found this forum and a few others. In short order I started buying more razors, brushes, and soaps. Yep, I'm afflicted with Shaving Stuff Acquisition Syndrome (SSAS). Not as snappy an acronym as RAD and what have you, but it better describes where I am at. I have six DE razors so far, and my favorite is the Muhle R41 Grande open comb razor. Paired with Feather blade, this razor gives me the best shave I have ever experienced short of a straight razor shave at a barber shop. As I explored this forum and others, and a plethora of Youtube videos, I developed a keen interest in brushes. So I ordered a Thater 4125/3. That brush came yesterday and I used it for the first time this morning with some Synergy shaving soap from How to Grow A Mustache. Good lord what a sublime shaving experience that was!
So now I have a straight razor on the way, along with a strop and some sharpening stones. In the meantime I am shaving with a Dovo shavette to work on my technique.
I think a monster has been created.
But I wanted to tell my story and thank the members here for being such a helpful resource. For me shaving has gone from something I just wanted to get out of the way to something I really look forward to and enjoy.--Jerome
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By my calculus what I have invested in shaving gear so far has been money well spent. So no regrets...at least not yet.
