Acquisition Disorders suck!

Part of me cannot wait till July ! I keep finding soaps I want to try out. Palmolive stick, Speick stick, Instistut Karite. and then there are the Aftershaves.

 

My SAD is dead thankfully. MWF killed it. RAD- I kind of want a Valet. BAD- I kind of want a Muhle STFv2.

 

Scratch that Karite, I think I might be allergic to Shea Butter, as well as Sandalwood.

 

I'm pretty much burned out on buying, if I had started with MWF I wouldn't have as many soaps as I do. I do want just 2 more item. It's never gonna stop, will it?

 

I know dude. I am good for a while, then I want to buy all this stuff.

 

It's a sickness. My wife said earlier, "sell some stuff you don't use" are you kidding me! I'll use it eventually.

 

I'm currently under the doghouse because of RAD

 

I hear what your saying, I've got enough shaving items to last over a year for sure. But my Birthday is in Aug. and you know how that goes.

 

You gotta find a way to get out of the dog house. Did you ever go and check that travel gillette out at the Collierville antique mall?

 

Look at the bright side…the items you crave are relatively inexpensive.
Having participated for years in forums for custom-made guitars and high-end audiophile equipment, I find the cost of soaps, aftershaves, razors and the like seem downright cheap.

 

No. I bought two razors before I got out there

 

Fair Point Kevin.

 

Ah!! July... The cruelest of months.
(Or was it another of them, could have been something about Oysters...)

 

It seems that many fellows buy a lot of surplus gear to try out different things. Buying so much stuff at great expense is not really necessary, though. Keeping in mind that it is the razor + blade combination that counts rather than only the razor, a couple of razors can be purchased and many different blades tried. It should then be possible to find at least a few combinations that work remarkably well. If not, then sell the less good razor and buy a new one. That allows both a minimal inventory and minimal cost of acquisition. Purchasing lots of different razor blades is relatively inexpensive, especially if done over time, and so makes more sense than buying a few blades and many relatively expensive razors. Any surplus blades can be PIFed here on TSD, or traded for other blades, again deflecting any expense or clutter complaints. OK, that takes care of the razors and blades. So what about the soaps/creams and aftershaves?

Many soapmakers sell sample sizes. They are less expensive than the full size product and don't last terribly long. You can go through a lot of them fairly quickly. Garry's Sample Shop also has a very large selection of soap, cream and aftershave samples. If you don't see what you want there, you can always open your own sample shop. Seriously, especially for those who want to get rid of excess inventory. Aftershave samples are available from Garry's or from the manufacturers and various retail outlets. You can try a boatload of new things, and also eat your cake and have it, too.

IMHO, there is nothing wrong with having a ton of shaving stuff, provided it does not cause ticked off wife/girlfriend issues or financial problems. My take is that the aim of traditional wetshaving is to get a smooth face and well-groomed appearance in a thoroughly enjoyable manner. If accumulating many things helps one attain that happy goal somehow, then it makes sense. If it runs counter to that goal, what is the point?

BTW HolyRollah, guitar begins with 'g'. Guitars are therefore exempt from purchase limitations.

 

Yep, the AD's are a rough patch in most wet shaver's plunge into shaving like a man... I'm nearly over my AD's, but SAD and ASAD are the hardest to let to of.

 

Hallelujah!

 

I had AD for my first couple of months into wet shaving. I'm frugal though, so never got into the more expensive razors and soaps. I've long since settled on my twin-blade and badger brush set, Wilkinson Super II Plus cartridges, VdH Deluxe, and Nivea Sensitive After-Shave Balm. Speaking of which, I should change my avatar.

Unfortunately, the Wilkinson cartridges don't seem to be available anymore at a decent price. They used to be available at Walmart for about $3.50 for a ten-pack. I have seven cartridges left. The store brand cartridges at my local grocery store weren't nearly as good last time I tried them, but I'll give them another shot. I should try CVS' cartridges again too. If those options dry up or don't work out, I'll go back to my Superspeed and Crystals.

I did get into better cologne like AdP and Floris for a while, but eventually grew away from most of them - and of smelling of fragrance in general. I was also hit by buyer's remorse when I tried Aqua Velva Musk and immediately felt more comfortable with it than any of the premiums I had bought. As with pretty much anything else I'm into, it became a matter of bang for the buck.

 

Fortunately my ADs are pretty much dead. I got into Wet Shaving to save money, not spend more. I have a very small budget for this after all. All I really need to do now is replenish my Soaps and Blades. This No Buy July is really going to help me out. If I see a deal I will most likely jump on it, but I am not going to go overboard anymore. By my estimates I have enough Blades to last me roughly, just under 6 years and enough soap for at least 2 years. Doing the math really helps you realize that you do not need to keep purchasing products, at least it does for me.

 

One of the characteristics of wet-shaving that is attractive to many of us is its "old school" nature. "Shave like your grandpa/great-grandpa." I can't imagine that either of my grandfathers had 20 razors, 300 blades, 6 creams, 3 shave soaps, 3 "facial washes," 3 pre-shave oils or balms, and more than a dozen and a half balms, aftershaves, etc., to slap on when finished (the current state of my shave den). No, I'm sure Grandpa Deem (gone for 28 years) and Grandpa McIntyre (died long before I was born) had one razor, one soap (which they probably washed with, too), one brush, one strop, maybe a styptic pencil, and maybe a bottle of aftershave.

 

Yep. I know my grandfather had one razor, and a can of Barbasol.

One of the main reasons I switched to DE wasn't to shave like my grandfather, but to take a maintenance item, shaving, that I did without putting much thought into or taking much time with, and making into something I was fully engaged with, that I was mindful of doing and that I treated as something important.