No empties yet...but my current shave stick will be consumed. I have an Arko that will be finished soon. I started last summer. A Proraso tub lasts forever....
I have finished many. I'm pretty stubborn about finishing a soap unless I really dislike it. In three years of daily shaving, I've probably finished 7 or 8 pucks, plus a container of TOBS cream. To get variety, I just keep a bunch in rotation. Right now I've got three soaps and three creams in my rotation.
As I have only been at this for two months, I still have a bit of the Nivea, most of a Proroso Green, and lots of the Body Shop Maca Root. I am sitting on my hands re purchases other than after shave.
Hey guys, I really like that so many liked this type of thread. We have a thread about this already and I would love to revive it. Product R.I.P. thread
Both De Vergulde Hand soaps are good soaps, but I like the regular more. Easy lather with good cushioning and the soap lasts long enough. Of course here in The Netherlands it's dead cheap (about € 2,50 ) . Lucky me! And TSD soaps are great as well! Besides, the TSD soaps help keeping the site on-line! (thanks, JoAnna!)
Like the OP, I've only used up complete pucks of VDH Deluxe, 7 of them, actually. When I went back to Walmart to buy more, I found that they had almost doubled in price since I bought 6 of them on a clearance table years ago. When I saw that, I figured it was time to try something else, so I bought the Tabac and am loving it. This one's so big that it will probably last me years.
I always use up a soap or a cream before I buy a new one. I usually keep one soap and one cream on hand.
I'm trying to stick to a 5 maximum rule, and I try to work through them (more or less) one at a time. But there are still days like the past couple for me, where even though I have been using Stirling Sharp Dressed Man, and I really enjoy the performance and scent, I still needed to mix it up with something different for a few days. So I'm spending a few days with some Williams and Israeli Eucalyptus Cream Superlather before going back to the SDM.
Not necessarily stronger, but a man with very little storage space in my bathroom, a somewhat minimalist/non-hobbyist approach towards shaving, and a very strong dislike of clutter. My "shave den" is really one corner of the sink, and just enough space on one medicine cabinet shelf to hold two razors and some blades. My goal is to get comfortable, close shaves at a very reasonable price. Part of that is trying different blades (task completed) and soaps (task all but completed). That way if my favorite vendor or product is no longer available, then there is always a great plan B in reserve. Any shave soaps that don't pass muster are immediately re-purposed as bath soaps and consumed. I first read about "rotations" on a fountain pen forum, and thought it the most puzzling and strange thing of which I had ever heard. I mean, why would someone rotate through a bunch of products to accomplish a task that could be done with one at any given time? Of course, I understand that some people do find great appeal in the rotation thing, including a number of different products other than shaving gear, and that is fine. To each his own. The important part is that you are happy with what you are doing.
I did use a tube of C.O. Bigelow completely...before I knew how to create proper lather. I am determined to use all of my proraso tub but 8 months in and I think I am like half done. Between sampling a few others and the tub being seemingly bottomless I am betting it takes another 8.
I've finished tubes of Proraso Green and Red. I have enough nonsense in my den to last a good long while, so I'm not buying anything new until this stuff gets used up.
I've completed a couple of tubes of cream, 2 full pucks of Stirling, 1 large puck of IanS soap, 1 full puck of Tiki, 1 full Williams and 1 full VDH glycerin. I'm currently using up a tub of grated Klar's Kabinett I received from @PanChango back in the fall. I am trying to focus on using up a single soap before I open another. Like Dale, I will shift to a previously opened soap or cream occasionally just for a change. I discovered that I don't like menthol or eucalyptus soaps at all when I use them more than 1 day at a time.
I kind of see every aftershave that's not a sample a lifetime supply. I don't think I'll ever run out of anything.
Best I can recall... 1- Tube of Ingram 1- Tub of Cella 4 (?) = VDH deluxe 2- Tubes of Palmolive Classic 1- Puck of Ogallala Bay Rum & Orange 1- Omega Crema de Barba Croap (in the black tub) 1- Proraso Green Tub 0.98 - Tube Proraso Blue (about 2-3 shaves left) 2-Sticks of Arko Hmmm... Maybe I've been wet shaving for longer than I remember? Seems like a little more than 1 year.
Not yet, although I'm planning on doing so. Between only having started in the Summer, having gone on a buying spree, and having relatively slow beard growth, it takes me a while to go through my products. Just got a tub of Catie's Bubbles that is still making it's way towards me. Even though it's a soft soap, 8 oz of soap is going to take a while to get through