A little over 9 months in and I'm an addict

First off I would like to say that I truly enjoy this forum but it doesn't help my wet shaving addiction. I started off because my wife said I needed to try something different to improve my skin. So we went to AOS and got a starter pack. This lead me to research razors and watch YouTube ....7 razors, 100+blades, 7 brushes, 20+ soaps later I think I can officially say I have a problem.

Does it get easier to show some kind of restraint? I just got a Merkur Futur and I'm already looking at a Vision! This has got to stop! To make it that much tougher on me my wife loves this new hobby of mine so sometimes she encourages me to buy more when I'm trying to be good. And to top all that off I live by 2 excellent shops WCS and Razor blades and more! I need help!

Hold onto that woman. Mine looks at me like I am crazy every time another box shows up at the door.

Resistance is futile embrace the AD

Enjoy and embrace it!

Thank you for sharing your excellent adventure! Keep going!!

Enjoying something that the majority of people consider a chore is a good thing. Having your wife enjoy it is even better. Stay with your hobby and your lady. If you feel like you need a break from buying, stock up on soaps and blades before April, and join the April Monthly Restraint. Chat with your fellow brethren here on B&B, and embrace what you enjoy. Welcome to B&B! Glad to have you here with us!

Get into vintage DE's, SE's, & injectors and start having fun & spending real money. I have along with straights & have no regrets.

Wait, you don't think we're going to hold you back, do you? "Oh no, you mustn't, don't try Maggard's handles, especially paired with an EJ89 head!..."

shavebrotha39 said:

Does it get easier to show some kind of restraint?

Click to expand...

It does get easier, but I don't think your addiction has even begun to peak yet.

As a new wet-shaver I was easily spending $100 a week for several months in a row, and some weeks it was double or triple that. I was buying anything and everything I could find on the BST, and placing orders with the eVendors several times a week.

But after a while, I started to get a grip on what I really liked in wet-shaving, and my purchases became much more selective, and fewer and farther between.

I found that I don't like TTO razors, or Adjustables. I discovered I didn't care for the scent of C&E products, even though the performance was all there. I learned that I'm into shaving with DE razors, and prefer a 3-piece to a 2-piece. I bought about a dozen SE and Injector razors before I realized I never really used them. And even after 7 years as a wet-shaver, I know I'm still not ready to get into straights.

My worst, and most expensive AD so far has been brushes. I've got 20 or so, and keep lusting for more. I haven't bought a brush in about 2 years, but a day doesn't go by that I'm not dreaming about a new one.

So it does get better, but you have to go through a self-learning curve.

As for you living so close to WCS ... I'm not sure whether to feel pity for you, or be green with jealousy.

Also, definitely don't go just a few miles down the 210 to Old Town Shaving in Pasadena, the only (according to them) place in the US you can get MdC. Definitely, do not do that.

Like dpm82 said, you will find that you dont like all the razors, not all soaps etc. You will not continue buying everything you see soon. So just be patient and have your time in choosing what your really like. Then you will stop using anything you dont really like. And do not forget, you can sell all the stuff any time you want, so that is not a big problem for the purse too.
Enjoy new hobby and your perfect spouse

Eventually it comes down, once you find sort of near perfect combination of razor, blades, brushes, soaps and aftershave. After that you might like to stick to few of them. Now a days I hardly use any razors which I started with, e.g. Merkur 34c, Edwin Jagger DE89 etc. I am more towards stainless steel slant razors. My expenditures after one year has gone down a bit. I think I have enough supply to last for next 10 years!

Time to time I buy things, like I bought the Razorock Baby Smooth razor; but my expenditure has definitely gone down.

Also another way to look at this is, any hobby can be expensive! And wet shaving as a hobby is relatively less expensive IMHO. Guns, pens, knife, phones, gadgets, shoes, hats etc can be even more expensive as a hobby.

shavebrotha39 said:

First off I would like to say that I truly enjoy this forum but it doesn't help my wet shaving addiction. I started off because my wife said I needed to try something different to improve my skin. So we went to AOS and got a starter pack. This lead me to research razors and watch YouTube ....7 razors, 100+blades, 7 brushes, 20+ soaps later I think I can officially say I have a problem.

Does it get easier to show some kind of restraint? I just got a Merkur Futur and I'm already looking at a Vision! This has got to stop! To make it that much tougher on me my wife loves this new hobby of mine so sometimes she encourages me to buy more when I'm trying to be good. And to top all that off I live by 2 excellent shops WCS and Razor blades and more! I need help!

Click to expand...

SHE ENCOURAGES!!!!! am in disbelief lmao REMARRY her so that she will never have a doubt

burg1198 said:

Hold onto that woman. Mine looks at me like I am crazy every time another box shows up at the door.

Resistance is futile embrace the AD

Click to expand...

HAaaa same here, I kind look for the "look" now lol she is the type to tell me what disease am going to get with each razor I unbox... Yup Hip C, oooooo thats AIDs right there, is that bump herpes? ...

ThePatrician said:

Wait, you don't think we're going to hold you back, do you? "Oh no, you mustn't, don't try Maggard's handles, especially paired with an EJ89 head!..."
View attachment 554579

Click to expand...

ha ha ha Awesome pic

Congrats on the wife!!!

As for your addiction, I think you have it in check, for being nine months into it, you could have a much bigger stock. If it helps, you can join the Gentleman's Restrain for a month, they seem to be very supportive.

Now have you consider Straight Razors? Ask your wife if she would like you to try them, some say that you can get a smoother shave with a properly honed blade, maybe is better for your skin.

Keep on shaving!

Hello and welcome. In my personal experience, the AD's peak after 9 months or so and then subside after you're out of money.

The first step to sobriety is admitting you have a problem.

The second step is to order more shaving products.

Repeat.

burg1198 said:

Hold onto that woman. Mine looks at me like I am crazy every time another box shows up at the door.

Resistance is futile embrace the AD

Click to expand...

THIS!


OP, you seem perfectly normal around here...

I have been at it for about 9 months now and have over 50+ razors and 20 or so soaps and only 4 brushes. I can just now only feel my RAD subsiding. I am not on eBay at 3am pouring over auctions looking for that undiscovered gem or GEM. Maybe I can just use the stuff I have now for a while. LOL

I'm not sure I understand the problem. You've gone and turned shaving into a hobby.

shavebrotha39 said:

7 razors, 100+blades, 7 brushes, 20+ soaps later I think I can officially say I have a problem.

Click to expand...

The problem, as I see it, is that you're JUST GETTING STARTED!!!!!! Welcome to the club. Amex, Visa, MC an PayPal will become your new best friends. Oh, and you'll take on a whole new appreciation for the mailman, the ups and fedex folks too!

What's the issue here? I don't understand. Let's see, great wife and lots of razors.....were you drunk when you posted this?