Ok, this was totally not my idea. Just stating that up front. I was inspired by a post about this from @
HolyRollah and another by @
feeltheburn, and decided this needed a thread of its own.
So here's the concept in "TL;DR"* format:
For "NO-Variation NOVEMBER," choose one setup (hardware and software) and stick with it for the entire month of November.
The idea is that by sticking with only one setup for an entire month, you reap a few benefits (some of this is the same as the 30-day Newbie guideline):
1. You can focus almost solely on technique,
2. You learn more about the particular quirks of the razor you chose,
3. You will appreciate the other hardware and software you have even more on December 1st. Or perhaps you'll discover that you don't need all that other kit. Or you may find that you have no desire to ever use that godforsaken razor again. But you'll undoubtedly learn *something*.
4. It's just something fun and different. No penalties if you drop out or cheat, except whatever guilt or chagrin you place on yourself. Likewise, no rewards for completion, except whatever you personally get out of this exercise.
5. I was going to add "you may save money by sticking with one kit for 30 days," but who am I kidding?
Most of us have used the "in theory, wet shaving will be cheaper than cartridges" argument to justify our hobby. You know the flaw in that logic.
Here are some guidelines for those who want to participate (will update these up through November 1 if people have good suggestions... Especially seeing as how this wasn't my original idea):
* You should choose one and only one razor, one type of blade, one soap/cream/lather, one brush, and one aftershave to use for the entire month of "NO-Vember."
* If you want to do this for a smaller subset of the basic kit, fine. But know that you're not fully committed to this thing.
* If you run out of a consumable (blades, soap, a/s, etc.) and don't have more, substitute something else and continue on. Hopefully you have enough of something to last you a month. No need to buy anything else for this, unless you want to.
* You don't have to use the same individual blade for 30 days. Just the same make and brand. (For example, I'm planning right now to use Voskhod blades. I'll probably run through 10-15 of them in NO-Vember.)
* Have fun with it. Post your setup and comment on your SOTD. It should be interesting to see what profound insights (chuckle) come out of this experience.
* Same "rules" if you're a straight razor user. Use one razor for the whole month, and don't vary the hardware or software. You can still strop/hone/adjust/repair, etc.
* If something breaks (hopefully it won't) like a razor, scales/blade, brush, the bottle of aftershave, etc.) substitute something in its place and continue on. Again, no need to buy anything new to participate.
By the way, for my part, I have been narrowing down my list of contenders for my one-month-long NO-Vember kit so I have one setup that I feel I can live with for an entire month. You might want to give some thought to yours. Or pick one randomly and commit to it! This is all just something fun, so approach it however you like
((Mods -- feel free to pin this, move it to a more appropriate sub-forum, etc.))
Anyway, let's make this fun. If you're "in," comment below!
-Eric
*Note--
TL;DR is Reddit comment shorthand for "Too Long; Didn't Read."
a useful way of saying "here's the post in a nutshell." Because I know some people are your basic "get to the point" kind of people. Just in case this needed clearing up.
Click to expand...
