Thread: Cheep, Cheep,and more Cheep

Originally Posted by JoeSomebody

The thing I don't understand is why is it a denigrating statement to say you are Cheap? Cheap does not necessarily mean low quality. I am proud to do things economically, and I still have nice stuff because I spend my money wisely...

Oh, I am with you. I buy quality things at the best price. Simply put, I shop.

I do not buy "cheap" items because they generally fail to meet my expectations.

But, what I buy fits in my budget.

In the OP if we substitute "at the best price" for "cheap" then the newbies would appear to be smart shoppers.

Dave

Originally Posted by Hirlau

It's at the Gettin Place too,,,

John

Is that a chain? I don't think we have them in Wisconsin.

Dave

Originally Posted by rolodave

Oh, I am with you. I buy quality things at the best price. Simply put, I shop.

I do not buy "cheap" items because they generally fail to meet my expectations.

But, what I buy fits in my budget.

In the OP if we substitute "at the best price" for "cheap" then the newbies would appear to be smart shoppers.

Dave

On the other hand,you hear the word cheap 10 times a day On SRP,where can I get a razor restored? CHEAP, where Can I get a Blade Honed CHEAP.
Am sure the pros on this site cringe every time they see that,or it is just ignored.You want cheap? you get cheap.JMO

I'm cheap (frugal or whatever you want to call it.) I can't help it, it's the way i was raised. i don't have alot of extra income to spend on hobbies so if i can get a good deal on something i'll do it. if i don't want to spend a hundred dollars on a brush i order a badger knot from TGN for 30 and put it in a vintage handle from the antique store. If i don't want to spend $150 on a new razor i get a vintage one for 20 and have some one sharpen it for me. I know what i want to spend and if i can't get it i wait until i find one that meets my allowance. Never will my spending on a hobby effect supplying for my needs.

Originally Posted by rolodave

John

Is that a chain? I don't think we have them in Wisconsin.

Dave

Oh,,you hav'em alright,,,they are all over the place. You just have to keep your eyes open. You never know when you might find yourself in a Gettin Place.

It's best to shop a Gettin Place with a friend outside, keeping the motor running,,

FYI
There is usually a monthly giveaway. (Or two)
MANY members here mentor new comers.
just sayin
Mike

Originally Posted by WetShaveObsession

Ill just say this. I see a lot of senior member putting down the idea of starting with GD's or wanting cheap equipment to get started in the hobby, and they are surely entitled to that opinion and perhaps they are right. I firmly believe that it is really to the benefit of the hobby as a whole that the veteran members do all they can to encourage and foster the entry of new straight razor shavers. I also see veterans saying well you can pick u a vintage straight for $20 and you have a quality piece to start with. All of that and I have yet to see one PIF.
Have I not been here long enough? Am I missing something? Do not get me wrong the knowledge shared here is..well it is simply astounding honesty and there is a ton of value to that. It is very easy to cry "cheap foul" but what is being done to help foster the entry of those interested who are on a tight budget to enter into this hobby. All the mainly DE forums I belong to have PIFS left and right for the beginners. I have not been here long, I may be totally off base. I may be missing things and not seeing them but so far I havent seen anything like a PIF here yet. Not to say there aren't, but I haven't seen one.
I understand the distinction between cheap and a great value very well do not get me wrong. I have things that are great values that range from very inexpensive to very expensive. It is all relative. I just think its important in a thread like this to make the distinction of what is being said or implied very clear, otherwise all it does is scare off the new people that otherwise may stick around and get into this fantastic hobby.
Its easy to point out what new people aren't doing that would make this a better experience for them overall, but you have no control over that. The better question in my mind is what are you doing to help them. Threads that cry cheap with references that can be mis taken or misinterpreted do not foster or help new people much at all IMO. I am not insulting anyone in this thread by any means This is just my perception of such a thread as a relatively new member here. Take it for what you will. I already like this forum very very much. I am gaining an astounding amount of knowledge. Id hate to see someone put off that could be benefiting as much as I am by a thread that they could be misinterpreting so I think its very important to be very clear when you post in a thread like this to outright say exactly what you mean. Otherwise what might be taken away is if you dont have money don do this hobby...and I dont think that is the intent of this thread or the original post in it all all. In fact it is likely the opposite, but is that what new people reading it are perceiving?
I dunno..just some food for thought.

Well , I just choked on your food for though, since a lot of it was garbage.
If you have spent any time at all reading through this forum, you would see dozens of examples of PIF (Pass It Forward). I alone have spent over $400.00 in PIF's, it's not because I'm rich, it's because I don't have but a couple of hobbies, shooting, wetshaving & lighters. Also because I don't have a wife looking over my shoulder.
Everytime a senior member steps forward to mentor a newbie & especially when that senior member brings that newbie into his home,,,that my friend is a PIF.
You know what amazes me about our members here,,,the more they get "burned" by hit & run newbies,,,they still step forward & help the next newbie.

You want a good "cheap/affordable" vintage razor, then keep an eye on our classified section, they come & go daily, even hourly.

Senior members here are a little tired of the many(NOT ALL) newbies who think that a Gold Dollar & old belt will get & keep them in the game, especially after they want to hone their own 2 weeks into shaving. Problem is,,,they come back in 4 weeks feeling like someone cheated them, the wetshaving experience sucked(I wonder why) & why won't someone solve this problem for them. The real kick in the ass for the rest of us is,,the newbie never read the Library section for beginners. Hell that might take a couple of hours.


Yeah ,,,your off base alright,,,sounds like maybe you miss those other forums,,,

Originally Posted by WetShaveObsession

Ill just say this. I see a lot of senior member putting down the idea of starting with GD's or wanting cheap equipment to get started in the hobby, and they are surely entitled to that opinion and perhaps they are right. I firmly believe that it is really to the benefit of the hobby as a whole that the veteran members do all they can to encourage and foster the entry of new straight razor shavers. I also see veterans saying well you can pick u a vintage straight for $20 and you have a quality piece to start with. All of that and I have yet to see one PIF.
Have I not been here long enough? Am I missing something? Do not get me wrong the knowledge shared here is..well it is simply astounding honesty and there is a ton of value to that. It is very easy to cry "cheap foul" but what is being done to help foster the entry of those interested who are on a tight budget to enter into this hobby. All the mainly DE forums I belong to have PIFS left and right for the beginners. I have not been here long, I may be totally off base. I may be missing things and not seeing them but so far I havent seen anything like a PIF here yet. Not to say there aren't, but I haven't seen one.

Stick around - you'll see them. Personally, I have given away three razors and a couple of brushes to help guys get started out. And I have seen many, many instances of someone (usually someone local, but not always) offering to help someone get started out. So it does definitely happen here. More often than not though you'll only hear about it when the recipient posts a thank-you. Most of us tend to be pretty private with our PIFs.

I don't have a problem with people looking for "cheap" things. Sometimes the word is being used as a synonym for inexpensive, etc., and some people's understanding of "cheap" will be different from some others. That's the way of language. And having been raised by an extremely frugal Dad (and yes, he makes a sharp distinction between frugal and cheap!) I can definitely appreciate the pursuit of value. But what I know annoys plenty of people is the belief that cheap always = good. Taking our hobby as an example, anyone who heads straight to ebay and buys the cheapest razor shaped object they find will more than likely be disappointed. It probably won't have good steel. It probably won't have good balance. It probably won't have a good grind. It probably has a terrible edge. This person's introduction to straight razor shaving then becomes a "cheap" disappointment. Some stick around, get usable gear, and end up enjoying the ride. But when they do that, they generally have to add the cost of that cheap gear to the better stuff they buy to get a usable razor. Many will just think "this is stupid" and never ever pick up a straight again.

So, let's separate cheap from inexpensive. One of the best razors I own is a mid-19th century Sheffield blade that I bought for about $20 or $25 on ebay. That's inexpensive, not cheap. But it's inexpensive because I had the skills and knowledge to restore the blade and scales and put a great edge on the blade. The bottom line is that I got a nice deal on what became a truly great razor. Someone coming in cold who had no experience in restoration and who didn't know how to hone might have thought it was a useless old "cheap" piece of junk.

What really bothers me though is people who expect "cheap" service from honers, restorers, custom makers, etc. These are true craftspeople whose skill deserves to be respected, and whose work deserves to be valued. I say this as someone who restores and hones just for the enjoyment of it. I do it for myself because I like it, and have never hung out a shingle to offer these services. But while I do not have a financial interest in services such as this, I do have a very healthy respect for the skills, knowledge, and expertise of those who do.

For anyone looking for inexpensive gear to start, Whipped Dog Straight Razor Shaving Equipment has already been mentioned. Larry's a great guy and will help you out. And do keep an eye on the classifieds. Sometimes real good bargains do appear there. And from time to time Glen (gssixgun) has what he calls "Damn Fine Shavers" on sale: For Sale - Gem Star Customs Doesn't look like there are any there at the moment, but it's worth keeping an eye on.

***UPDATE**** *****UPDATE*****

Cheap/Affordable piece of vintage history just hit the classified section !!!

A Wade & Butcher at that !! By A senior member who could easily get another $100.00 on top of the asking price, if he Ebayed it,,,

But ,,,

He lists it here, as he often does, to benefit our members,,,,sounds like PIF to me,,,,

Originally Posted by Siguy

I'm understanding what you're saying pixelfied. And,,, I get equally annoyed.

I believe a wide void exists between the words "cheap" and "inexpensive".

Now where's that $60 Escher. Still looking

You just missed it in west central WI. Three weeks ago. It only took four years and death of the owner to get my hands on it! Or about 30 miles away a mentor here went to an antique shop two days after I'd been there and walked out with a pristine YG Escher never used for less than that. $40 for a ten by three BlueGreen last year. They are still out there if you are in the right place at the right tim.
"Ain't it awful Mabel??"
Cheers all! And, I do like "frugal"
~Richard