Owning Multiple Razors?

Having long since found that one razor which does everything I need done, and does it very well (the Rolls), I honestly can't justify to myself having the other five currently in my bathroom except that I like them. They get rotated around and I haven't used the Rolls in years. Point is, logic and practicality go only so far here.

 

Insofar as razors, in my very short time, I have 3 with the 4th due here after the 1st of January.

I know what you mean about reenacting. I have, in the past, done some American Revolution/18th Century reenacting as a dismounted militia in one unit and a Continental Line Artillery unit in another. The same bunch of folks, we just portrayed 2 different units.

 

If you're a hobbyist, you'll pick up a lot of gear. I am avoiding this category.

If you are a pilgrim on the quest for the Holy Grail of razors, you'll wind up picking up slightly less gear than the hobbyist. I took just a couple steps down that path before I turned around. I can't afford to go questing.

A tinkerer has a den that's fairly pared down, but still tweaks the setup with new blades and such, or experiments with technique more than with gear. After 7 or so years, this is where I find myself.

Finally, there is the enlightened: the rarest of people who has found joy in one razor, one blade, one brush, very few soaps and aftershaves, and stunning technique.

Take the path that brings you happiness. Personally, while I'd like to say I'm striving for enlightenment, I enjoy tinkering a little too much to ever get there--and I'm okay with that

 

Nice classifications, Tim.

Several times I thought...I knew...that's where I was, only to revert to the bare minimalist tinkerer I am now...five (or so) razors, even fewer soaps, one brush, a modest but cultivated variety of a/s, and technique that works for me.

 

I've gotten that reaction, too. What's weird is when you get asked "How many razors do you NEED?" by someone who collects something else.

 

They are just trying to psych you out.. in hopes that you well sell them off cheap.

 

When I started, the goal was to experience the razors of the past. One cannot experience the past with one razor type. I continue to enjoy my collection for the same reason, it is a part of shaving history. That said, I do not need to spend hundreds of dollars for a '34 Gillette Aristocrat when a '38 Sheraton will suffice. So, it really depends on the reason for owning and not that some member here has 100 razors.

Over on the fountain pen forums, similar discussions arise from time to time. Don't you really just need one pen?

 

The Cheiftain was my first DE razor as well. It's a nice razor, but a bit too mild for my taste. Then I tried a few vintage razors and gave that Cheiftain to a friend. I actually moved on to using a Gillette RedTip, Fatboy, or a Parker Variant most of the time.

There are two hobbies, wet shaving and collecting. Wet shavers usually have a few razors but it's generally limited to function and getting an awesome shave. That's where I started. Then I decided I wanted a RedTip with a case and a spare fatboy, and then a birth year razor, and then I wanted to see if I could restore them myself. Well, now I have 85 and counting.

As @PLANofMAN said, it's a hobby with a low cost entry point.

There are worse things you could do with your money.

 

Hobbies are funny. My hobbies have included backpacking, rock climbing, paintball, golf, competitive shooting, machining, shaving, and now electro plating/finishing. Every hobby included a drive to collect and aquire new tools and gear.

What's funny is, each hobby had minimalists and collectors and the minimalists always feel the need to preach to the collectors. "Only keep what you need...", "If I don't use it, I sell it", "I found what works for me", "I just don't need anything else"

It makes me laugh. I suppose collectors brag about the size of their collection and minimalists don't want to feel inferior so they set the record straight. That's fine.

I'm a collector, so "need" for me means having extra gear. Ultimately, my extra gear allows me to introduce a lot of people to every hobby I've had and I've loaned a lot of my gear to minimalists who ended up not having a spare when they needed it.

On the other hand, minimalists tend to have less clutter and still enjoy the same hobbies. Different strokes for different folks I guess.

 

What an inspiration you are.

 

Minimalists are just reformed and informed by experience enthusiasts. It probably comes across as "preaching", but I don't think that's the intended reason. They've just gone through the process and discovered what is important and what isn't. Like, having a bamboo fly rod will not catch more trout than a Walmart rod. Those Ping eye 2's are just a capable of breaking 80 as the new Callaways. You learn things over time the hard way and just want to pass your experiences along so others might benefit. The benefit is not always for the folks posting.

 

The nice thing about collecting is you go through many things that don't work for you. Then you can find the right thingy that suites you and your style. I've found, to my surprise, that I like and prefer a very efficient (read aggressive) razor and a very sharp blade.
tp

 

This is probably the wrong forum to try to figure out what's "normal" as far as razor ownership goes. Many of the topics on here are explicitly about collecting. One time one of my friends was over helping me work on my house and he came across my razor collection, which was probably 10 razors at the time (straights and DE's). He thought it was insane... but also kind of cool. But just when I think I have a hoarding problem, someone in the straight razor forum will talk about the 100's of razors in their collection.

 

Collecting razors is cheaper than collecting ex-wives.
Amongst other things..

tp

 

If im questioned on how many razors I own, I just refer back to the old golf reply....you dont take one club to have a round of golf ?... my wee 4/8ths does a great job under my nose, and the 6/8ths carry more cut hair and lather with less passes, I sometimes use a DE to get hair on the back of my neck....so there are three razors used in one shave ( I may be pushing it a bit ) but it can happen.