Hello everyone, Whenever I go into a store that sells shaving items, I always leave with multiple items. I now own 6 DE razors, enough shave cream to last until I am 70 (I am 48 as of this writing), pre-shave oils, blades to last 5 years, post shave products, shaving books, etc. I use to use only an electric shaver, until I discovered this fantastic "lifestyle change"? I know I have plenty to last a long time, yet I still feel like I need to stock pile these things in case they become discontinued? My vast collection makes me feel all "warm and fuzzy". Anyone else on this path, or do I need a shrink, lol? Thanks and happy holidays!
Are you buying so much that you cannot really afford it? Are the items purchased forcing you to alter your lifestyle because your residence is filled floor to ceiling with junk? If not, then you are almost certainly not a hoarder or abnormal. The litmus test, however, is this: Do you control your buying or does your buying control you? It seems a lot of guys purchase a ton of gear when starting out, and then get rid of most of it later.
Do you use the razors or consider them collectibles? Either of these is pretty reasonable, to me. But if they're just sitting in a cabinet, it's time to re-think it.
You're not a hoarder. You are a wet shaving consultant and product reviewer. Wet shaving has many variables that differ widely among users so it's necessary that the practice has men and women dedicated to providing accurate reliable reporting and critique of both product and technique. Your personal sacrifice is both noteworthy and laudable. Thank you and keep up the good work!
I must admit, when I read that my first thought was "rookie," definitely not hoarder. Sara-s offered great advice. If you use or view them as collectibles, consider this; you could be spending your money much more foolishly. From a sheer financial/investment standpoint, the increasing popularity of traditional shaving will drive up the demand and therefore prices of vintage/antique DE razors so you can probably recover your investment should you decide to do so. I know for a fact that the cost/value ratio of my razor collection looks a lot better on paper than some of my retirement investments. For the record, I don't suffer from RAD; I enjoy every minute of it.
Just 6 DE razors?.... Looks to me like you might be playing this a little close to the vest.... Hmmm and please don't forget Single Edges and Injectors....They both give really great shaves....and of course a stockpile of the appropriate blades for both.... Now for me, I'm going to get a complete physical so my doctor can give me a good estimate of how many more years I have left, so I can be sure to stock-pile enough....I don't think thats excessive....and then I should probably double it, because it would be a drag to live longer than expected and not be able to find blades......you dig?....
It's an investment in your mental well-being. Seriously, I think many of us did that. Once you find the things that work for you, you'll probably sell off or give away the things that don't work for you as well and you'll at least only be tempted to buy the things that do work for you. Of course, then you'll want to stock up on the things you really like to hedge against their inevitable discontinuation.
As long as you don't cross that line where you're spending money you can't afford to spend, then it's a hobby. If you're changing other areas of your life to free up funds for soap and a sharp metal thing then you might have an issue. Just my 2 cents.
I hope you realize that "The Shave Den" is just what the public thinks this site is called. We, who have come to know it, call it "Enablers Central".
You're asking the guy that has something like 1200 razor blades in stock. I may not be the best judge here.
Hey, you never know when your brand is going to go under or specs are going to change for the worse. One must be prepared.
I'd say you have a good start. Don't worry - slow and steady wins the race! If you stick to it, you should have a reasonable level of inventory after a few more months. I like to set reasonable goals, and then be systematic in my approach - "over the next 3 months I will acquire ALL the Razorock soaps, then I will start on TOBS creams," for example. In this way, I can steadily acquire the bare essentials to maintaining this "money-saving " hobby. Of course, at some time you will need to draw up plans to build a new wing on the house for storage. Then, some day, should you become truly accomplished like GDCarrington, you will need to hire a part-time curator for your collection, but I shouldn't stress about that now! Everything in due time...
For extra credit you can then write a computer program to select the day's rotation. I'm not that bad, at least not yet.
You're far from being a Hoarder. If owning 6 razors and buying some extra soap makes you a Hoarder then most of us should be in straight jackets, including myself.....lol
The only sign that there is something wrong with you is there is no mention of brushes. Quit worrying and go buy some, you're living the good life.
Six razors does not make you a hoarder. But 22 years supply of shave creme does. And no mention of brushes may indicate a screw is loose. Professional help may be a viable option for you. Keep in touch and let us know is we can be of any help. Best regards.
Lionel, You bring up a good point and one I have struggled with over the years. When does shave gear acquisition leave the “hobby” realm and enter in to the “this is ridiculous” hoarding realm? This is most subjective but a couple of responses hit home for me. They are: “Do you use the razors or consider them collectibles? Either of these is pretty reasonable, to me. But if they're just sitting in a cabinet, it's time to re-think it. – Sara s.” and; “As long as you don't cross that line where you're spending money you can't afford to spend, then it's a hobby. If you're changing other areas of your life to free up funds for soap and a sharp metal thing then you might have an issue. Just my 2 cents. – Star” When I got back in to DE/wet shaving around five years ago, I did the razor, blade, soap, cream, brush acquisition disorder (AD) thingy. However, over the years I discovered that I was buying stuff just to buy it (blades, soaps, razors, brushes) to last far too many years and most were sitting on the shelf and unused. In the past year or so I looked at my inventory and realized most of my gear was AD related. Since then I have shed razors, blades, soaps, shave bowls/scuttles, and brushes (either PIFing, selling or tossing). Even today, I tossed a number of soaps that have not been used in a long time. So, what does the den look like? Razors – Vintage Gillettes (Fatboy, Super Speed adjustable (slim and Black super), a birth year 1947 Super Speed, a 1958 Cavalcade of Sports Super Speed, and one lone Schick Krona. Brushes – Since retiring last year, I have acquired a number of Semogues which is my favorite brush - a set of the Barbear Classico LEs (boar/mixed/badger), SOC finest badger, SOC boar, Antiga Barbearia de Bairro - Principe Real badger and boar. Soaps – MWF, Tabac, Valobra, 3P, C&E Nomad, Irisch Moos stick, Toja stick (still too many; am considering PIFing the C&E) Creams – TOBS Sandalwood and Avocado, Cyril Salter Rose Scuttles/Mugs – This is my Achilles heel. I love the various textures and colors in the pottery. I have a couple of Steve Woodhead scuttles (UK), a Yoresh (Israel), and from Georgetown Pottery G1, G2, G3, and G4 scuttles (took me a number of years to find these old GPs, especially the G1); disposed of a G5 and a G20), one Dirty Bird bowl, a couple of one-off artisan bowls. Blades – I have not bought blades for some time. Still have Feathers, Personna Red/Blue, Gillette Yellow/Blue, Derby, Astra. Well less than a few dozen and will not purchase more until these are gone. So, one could argue that with this den, I am a hoarder. However, I use the razors, blades, soaps/creams, and brushes on a regular basis. I have the pottery on display. Also, I am retired and am greatly enjoying my den. Life is full of shouldas, wouldas, couldas. The lesson I have learned is that I would have been more cognizant of the stuff I was buying. Hope this helps.
Coin and stamp collectors don't use the objects of their fancy, yet they are not considered hoarders. Perhaps it depends on whether or not the items being accumulated are traditionally and widely recognized as being collectibles. People collect just about everything these days. +1 Even if a wetshaver does not spend a lot of money, accumulating a mountain of things that are never used and not part of a collection could indicate a problem. I have known three genuine hoarders, and they didn't limit their hoarding to any one item. It was just a matter of never discarding anything. One of them had useless bits and pieces of things that are over 35 years old. Similar things have been written by many wetshavers. What you went through does not sound so much like hoarding as getting ten million pieces of shaving gear to try out different things. A hoarder would never discard anything ever, at least not voluntarily. It sounds like what is needed for the wetshaving community is a "lending library" of sorts. That way folks could try out a bunch of different things to see what works best for them. They would not have to buy lots of things just to use them a little. Just a thought, although perhaps not too practical. All IMHO, especially given that I am the polar opposite of a collector, and have only owned six razors of any sort in my entire life. Whatever your preferences, I hope you enjoy what you have!
