It hasn't even been a month, the starter razor and brush are already in the corner and I have acquired 4 vintage razors and 2 new-er brushes. My first addition was the Schick Krona from eBay, next was the Schick Adjustable M2 from a local antique mall, followed by the Schick G1 from an Etsy shop and finally the Gillette Slim (J1) from a local flea market. The razors were in varied conditions from almost hopeless (Slim) to very good (Krona). The Vie-Long brush was bought from a fellow ShaveDen member and I picked up the Beau Brummel brush from Amazon on a deal via SnagShout.
I know how you feel. I have 9 razors and 3 brushes along with over a hundred blades and a growing pile of soaps and creams. I've only been wetshaving a month and a half. The ADs can get ferocious.
yup...this is the honeymoon stage....not that it just ends, but for me you start to settle in and try thing periodically.....maybe thats just me though?
Once the immediate needs are covered... SE razor Injector razor DE razor Adjustable DE razor Synthetic brush Pure badger brush Silvertip badger brush Boar brush Horsehair brush Shave soap Shave cream Then you can settle in and focus on what you really like.
Oh darn, I don't have a SE yet. Maybe I can count my regular Injector as a SE because I have the Adjustable Injector... Hmm, that probably wouldn't be fair to the true SE razors, I guess I better go back to the stores!! On to brushes. Horse is covered, boar is kinda covered by a Van Der Hagen that seems to have a hair loss problem and the Beau Brummel I bought super cheap for my honest review, claims to be "100% Pure Black Badger Hair"... I think I'm going to need some improvement on brushes... Cream and soap... I have Chelsea's Soap Garden - Arabian Spice that @Drygulch gave me with the Vie-Long brush I bought and the Van Der Hagen that came with the cheap boar brush, I actually like both. I also picked up a small tube of the C.O Bigelow cream from Bath and Body Works that is reportedly really Poraso Green, love the feel and smell but hate the film it leaves on my razor and brush! I doubt the cream and soap purchases will ever really end.
This is just the beginning lol. It seems like a lot of people don't end up saving money with wet shaving, instead it becomes a hobby and a moment of peace. I thought I would save money at first, but I felt the need to try almost everything on the market, It's all about finding what works well for you and what doesn't.
Then there's aftershaves and colognes to consider. After trying 50+ soaps and creams, I can safely say I'm content with that AD but aftershave/cologne AD is a whole different story.......
It happens to most of us. Almost 11 months in for me and went through buying stages and then purging through selling and PIFing away the rest. Experimenting after my 30 day rule was complete was fun and frustrating. But I did find what works and what I enjoy. Only top performers (for me) are in my den now. Life is too short to for bad shaves, sub par soaps, blades and razors. I was worried when I started about AD, but as was mentioned, I settled in and realized for me having a zillion soaps and razors just isn't me....thankfully or I would be broke and probably single again....
Right now I've still spent less on my razors and such then I would have shaving with goo and cartriges. I can still say I'm saving money and I'm converting my girlfriend over as well so we both can "save money" together. I'm not much on aftershave or cologne so I don't worry about that. I really enjoy what I have for aftershave and I hardly ever wear cologne. I have most of the razors I want right now and more then enough blades for now. I have 2 good brushes and a mistake so I am good with that part. Right now I'm fixated on finding a soap or a cream better then the meager few I have tried. My ADs seem to have settled. I'm buying things very slowly since I know that I can only shave once a day. Also I have discovered the wonder of samples, cheap small easily used so I can move on to the next thing to try without feeling bad about it.
I was just reading some posts in that forum, so many choices!! I'm thinking that may be the way I end up going, I am already either going to sell or PIF my barely used "starter razor" since I discovered I really like the vintage ones better.
Look at the expense as part of a hobby and you won't feel so bad parting with the money. It's a fascinating hobby.
I don't feel bad about any of the money I have spent but I do have some things I was not fond of that may get added into the next box tour.