Week of Great Shaves

Over the past year I have been trying to use up some of my stock of stuff. In doing so, I believe my shaves have suffered. Even my puck of Pre De Provence that I have been using since last November has left me feeling a little let down at the end of the shave and with occasional weepers to show for it.

But not any more!! This week was like new life has been breathed into my shaving routine. It all started Tuesday morning, the day after I received my order from West Coast Shaving.

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There wasn't a bad product in the bunch. I rotated through the TOBS lavender, TABAC, MWF and TOBS avocado oil, then I used my prized Santa Maria Novella shave cream yesterday. Today I started over again with the TOBS lavender. All I can say is, life is too short to use sub par lathering products. No more for me. I think I will throw out all the crap I don't like, rather than keeping it only to be tempted to use it again.

Mmmm, that order looks nice...

Good stuff and I agree with you. Why put up with something that does not work. Get rid of it and move on. A shave is something I look forward to each morning and I want to use products that will give me the results I want.

Looks like a great order. Hope you continue your run of outstanding shaves.

Thanks for the praises. You will also notice that I only got 100 blades. I know this sounds reckless, but I figured the lathering products will last at least a year and I would like to get more stuff before then. This way I have a built in excuse to place another order in about six to nine months.

[George Costanza pretending to be annoyed] Honey, would you look at this. I'm nearly out of blades. Looks like I'll have to place another order with West Coast Shaving. They have free shipping on orders over $75...[/George Costanza]

OldSaw said:

I think I will throw out all the crap I don't like, rather than keeping it only to be tempted to use it again.

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I know you've said this for dramatic effect, but I'd encourage you to PIF or sell it on the B/S/T. It's not too much hassle, honestly, and I know there are always newbies looking to score good deals, or old guys looking for something new to try out. I've tried a bunch of stuff that doesn't work well for me that I later just PIF'd or bunched together and sold cheap to get rid of it.

Throwing it out seems wasteful and a little disrespectful to our favorite phrase: YMMV.

Ah yes...John at WCS has a way of lifting your spirit when you see that box on your doorstep on the way home from work.

Unless your wife has it in her hands...with a grimace on her face

Ru4scuba? said:

Ah yes...John at WCS has a way of lifting your spirit when you see that box on your doorstep on the way home from work.

Unless your wife has it in her hands...with a grimace on her face

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My wife is a pretty good sport. Especially since I don't get carried away with the spending.

Good looking stuff.

Although I am a noob at this, I can already feel the pull of Hobby Desire overwhelming the actual successes. I applaud the notion of trusting your face and sticking with a small rotation of what works versus the appeal of having a large amount of bragging rights. At the end of the day, all that matters is the quality of the shave (of course, the fact that TOBS Avocado fits into your perception of a good shave makes me happy!)

wundergussy said:

Although I am a noob at this, I can already feel the pull of Hobby Desire overwhelming the actual successes. I applaud the notion of trusting your face and sticking with a small rotation of what works versus the appeal of having a large amount of bragging rights. At the end of the day, all that matters is the quality of the shave (of course, the fact that TOBS Avocado fits into your perception of a good shave makes me happy!)

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I'm not sure if you think this is a large display or not. I believe what I have is pretty modest, compared to many others around here. However, my aim is to have a small rotation of high quality products. I am finished with trying to squeak a good shave out of stuff that just doesn't work for me, but I still want some variety. I'm sure I won't get bored with this stuff. Besides, it's fun to brag a little, even if your supply of stuff is not huge.

wundergussy said:

Although I am a noob at this, I can already feel the pull of Hobby Desire overwhelming the actual successes. I applaud the notion of trusting your face and sticking with a small rotation of what works versus the appeal of having a large amount of bragging rights. At the end of the day, all that matters is the quality of the shave (of course, the fact that TOBS Avocado fits into your perception of a good shave makes me happy!)

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it's just a little difficult trying to find those perfect few items to have in a rotation

Believe me, I am at the stage of wanting to get my hands on everything I can...especially since I can find a lot of stuff at B&Ms. I have bought something new about every other day this week! I am in no way implying that owning a lot of stuff is a bad thing, even stuff you don't use every day (for instance, refer to my collection of vinyl, or say, guitars). I am, like most people here, awe-struck by some of the HUGE collections of stuff some people have on here, and very jealous. If I could afford to have a rotation of a different product for every day of the year, I would strive to make it so! Just saying that I support the goal of seeking out those products that you truly want and will use, versus buying whatever comes within your reach just to own it (which I have done, and will probably continue, to do).

i like that the people that a ton of ****. its just excellent. there's nothing like seeing row after row upon row of aftershave. i'm not being sarcastic! i wish i had the space and money for all the neat stuff that's out there.