Thread: Cheep, Cheep,and more Cheep

Originally Posted by Splashone

I find this discussion interesting and parallel but at much less expense to what I see frequently in flying. People with the desire but not the pocket book. There are plenty of people that show up at the local field for flying lessons, find an old neglected plane tied down since the Wrights gave up flying for $10K and announce their plans to get into flying cheap.

It is a false economy. IF they can get the plane flying, it always depletes their bank account and they have nothing left for the next maintenance issue or then they don't want to pay the price for the proper part and try to get some questionable salvage part to "keep going." The BEST end result is sunk costs and a grounded airplane, at worst a dead pilot and passenger! As a friend of mine is fond of saying to his mechanic, "Don't be saving me any money that costs me my life!"

The aviation and wet shaving community are very generous with abounding knowledge freely shared. Pay heed to what is passed on and accept gifts gratefully but any hobby has a certain start up cost and budget to keep it going. If one does not have the ability to surmount that, they are invariably better off not participating.

Shaving is a necessary thing that many turn into a hobby but at it's core is still a necessary thing. Flying is purely a rich man's hobby and is one of the most worthless money drains there is unless you are going to use it to make money. When I say worthless I mean from a practical standpoint not a personal satisfaction thing. Even the skill level required has no comparison. Unfortunately so many "pilots" are just schmo's behind the controls destined to one day kill themselves and their passengers.

With shaving as long as you stick to the non hobby side the small initial investment amortized over the years is chicken feed. Even on the hobby side if you are handy it can be done for minimal outlay.

Regardless of shaving being a necessity you still have to be realistic about the start up cost, "point of entry", into the straight razor shaving world. Realist also about the maintenance costs down the pike. If you haven't got the budget to allow you to purchase basic bang for the buck gear, wait until you do. Part of being realist is not to have champagne tastes on a beer budget.

Bob

Originally Posted by BobH

Part of being realist is not to have champagne tastes on a bear budget.

I don't know Bob, A bear can eat an awful lot!

Originally Posted by Splashone

I don't know Bob, A bear can eat an awful lot!

OOOOPs, lets make that "beer budget".

Bob

Originally Posted by BobH

OOOOPs, lets make that "beer budget".
Bob

I'll-imbibe to that!
~Richard

Originally Posted by WetShaveObsession

All of that and I have yet to see one PIF.
Have I not been here long enough? Am I missing something?

Yes, you definitely are missing something probably as you noted because you haven't been here long enough.

The main reason you do not see 'PIF' being done in public is because the culture here is different from that on most other sites. The members here do them primarily behind the scenes without seeking credit.

Take a look at the monthly raffle - while Bill (str8razor), the guy who runs it month after month, doesn't want the old threads to clutter the section, it has been going on at least since 2008 (looking at the records I have). A lot of the time you will see in the raffle that the donors have decided to remain anonymous.
When was the last time you saw $500+ razors given away anonymously (it's happened more than once here) - usually when that's done on other forums it's a maker drumming up business.
The same thing with all the 'free honing' you'll find on other forums - it's more often than not people who are trying to get into the honing business and do free honing in exchange for positive feedback.

This type of what I consider marketing sleaze just doesn't happen here to the same levels that happens elsewhere (it still does). Frankly, I am more than happy to not be a major attraction for the 'I just want a freebie' crowd, and I am especially proud of all those who do their good deeds behind the scenes without seeking public credit - it demonstrates the values and principles of this place.

Just stick around and you'll notice things that are not obvious, but are at the core of what makes this site special.

Very well said, gugi.

Dave

I once brought up the suggestion for a PIF thread here. The premise was that you offered something up, the next guy took it and offered up another item for someone else. In this way, you could begin to try new things, such as soaps, brushes, aftershave, etc. without a huge investment.

The idea was shot down immediately, and unequivocally.

The reasoning behind that decision, however, was sound.

As gugi has already mentioned, a thread like that would really only detract from the site and encourage the "bottom feeders" from across the web to show up and claim items. These folks most likely are just looking to get something for nothing. That would most certainly take away from the new guys who really did need the help in the first place. It's also for this reason that the monthly giveaway has a post activity requirement to be eligible to win.

I cannot tell you how often I have seen members, individually, answer the call of another member in need. I dare to say that, using a good conservative figure, we only see about 20% of this type of activity in the threads. The other 80% (or more) happens behind the scenes.

This simply goes to show that the argument of helping being the reward, rather than the recognition, is true, and a practice that is very, very much alive and well at SRP. It's part of what makes me proud to be part of such a gentlemanly, friendly, helpful and caring community.

Now, for the topic at hand, I believe BobH is spot on in his statement about the $100-150 mark being the proper entry point. That should allow any newbie to get a decent shaver, brush, soap, mug, strop, post shave regimen and possibly even a barber's hone. If they REALLY luck out, they might even be able to get a second razor, but they'd have to be patient.

I myself started this way.

Van der Hagen Luxury set (mug, soap, Badger brush and stand)- $30

Geneva Cutlery 5/8 round point- $30

Vintage Horse Shell & Linen strop- $35

Alum block- $5

Geneva Cutlery 5/8 Round Point 9 Pyramid- $30

Genco Barber's Hone- $20

That totals at exactly $150, and I used my existing supply of aftershave. I could have kept going on this exact setup for a year before having to buy more soap or aftershave. I did have to hone both blades myself (which took a long time on a Harbor Freight diamond plate, wet/dry sandpaper and my barber's hone), but with the knowledge contained here, I did it.

As I had more cash to spend, I bought more gear and refined my skills. I'm no pro by any stretch, but I get comfortable shaves on (mostly) inexpensive gear. My SRD Black Latigo strop, my Norton stones and my Genco Easy Aces are the most expensive pieces of gear I've bought, and even then, I haven't topped the $75 mark on any one item, with the exception of the Nortons.

The bottom line is that this sport is like anything else in life- you get out of it what you put in. I may not have invested much money, at least initially, but I certainly invested a lot of my time and effort. The rewards have been far greater than the investment. I've gotten good shaves, learned new skills and achieved a sense of personal satisfaction.

Most importantly, to me, I've become a part of a community where I can get the help I need, give help to others and feel a sense of friendship and brotherhood.

And nothing, my friends, is cheap about that.