Thread: Ever Too Many?

Before your obsessed pathology gets the better of you and I get a knee-jerk "You can never have too many...," I'd like an honest opinion if there is a limit of how many items one should have in shaving gear.

For instance, I now have four shaving brushes and only use two of them often, one infrequently, and the other nearly never.

I have perhaps nine straights, plus another two or three that still need enough work that I don't consider "owning" them yet.

I possess about ten soaps and another four creams.

I have been able to justify most of my acquisitions by saying that I am still experimenting, wetshaving for under a year and straightshaving for about half that. Different types of badger hair or knot size; different width or grind or origination of blade; different scents, milled v. soft, vegetal v. tallow of soap, etc.

But I also notice that where I tend to be a minimalist in other facets of life (one wife, no girlfriend) I start to either feel guilty about buying yet another material item or suspect I am not able to fully appreciate the items I do have, using a soap once weekly at the most, for instance. I can fully afford what I bought and more without blinking an eye, it is just the excess that gets me. (Of course, didn't stop my purchase this weekend from both Billy and BonSavon.)

Since this is cheaper than psychotherapy, I will leave further comments to the peanut gallery. Of course, I count on others supporting my RAD/SCAD, as those with any restraint stopped tuning into SRP/B&B/SMF a long time ago.

Thanks,
Paul

Hmmm...interesting dilema considering your user ID. I will give you a simple answer, no. Although all you really need is one of each, razor, strop, hone, aftershave, mug and soap... get as much as your heart desires. Life is short, the art is long, and there is so damn much stuff to try...


Scott (sitting in the peanut gallery waiting for Clarabelle)

Paul,
I hear, I sympathize, I don't think I know of anyone that has fully completed a 12-step program for any of the shaving related addictions.

That said, I am a recovering acquirer. When I started, in short order I ended up with half a dozen brushes...fortunately, I found my perfect brush (a Chubby 2 in best) sold the rest--with the exception of my T&H turnback travel brush--and am quite happy with a single brush.

I bought dozens of creams...kept telling myself there was so much to try and kept promising myself that I was not going to get another until I'd used up at least one. Unfortunately, great deals kept popping up...someone on B&B was having a garage sale, KMF was closing out a couple of scents for $1/tube, Charles Trywhitte closed out their cream for $4/tub, C&E changed their Almond formulation and closed out the remaining stock for $8/tub. It seemed that the madness would never end, but after calculating that I now own enough cream to last (easily) for the next 5 years...I haven't purchased any in about 8-months.

The real toughie...razors. They're great fun, they're all different, many brands are superlative shavers, and they're an art form. This ignors the fact that there are some great deals available on e-bay if you know what to look for and the countless hours of enjoyment bringing back a great vintage razor from the edge of extinction--oh the humanity!!! My solution was to purchase a set of 15 razors that came in a barbers box...this brought my collection up to a couple of hundred. However, all of my shave ready razors became part of my regular rotation and I decided that any shave ready razors that would not fit into my barbers box went up for sale. I have maintained this limit of 15 ever since and each time I find the time to restore a razor, it is either sold, or bumps another razor out of my current rotation and that razor is sold.

Sorry I can't offer a better solution, but so far it works for me.

Cheers,
Ed

Personally, I think you can have too much paraphenalia (soap, brushes, mugs, scuttles, creams, lotions, aftershave, cleansers, toners, moisturisers, etc, etc.). But that's just me. I buy what I need and use them - no experimentation, I'm just not interested in that sort of stuff. I'm the same with hones - bought a Norton 4/8k early on, it sharpens my razors, and I'm happy.

However, when it comes to razors and strops .... well, different story. So many razors, so much experimentation to do! Heavy or light? Wedge or hollow? Solingen or Sheffield? Stainless or Carbon? Old or new? Then there's sizes, and degree of hollowness. Not to mention scales: material, colour, inlays...

The limiting factor, in my humble experience, for any of this stuff is your "better half". Maybe you should ask your question of them?

James.

You most certainly have too much stuff. I advise you to send it to me. What are you waiting for? Start packing it up man! Chip Chop!

Paul,

I've asked myself this same question, mainly because I'm limiting myself to just one of the main hardware items, so far: One Dovo Straight, Shavemac 220 brush, Moss scuttle, Tony Miller Strop & Tony Miller Pasted Bench Hone. I do have a few creams & soaps, still trying different ones to see which I prefer...and, those will always get depleted.

I've limited my hardware while I learn to straight shave, figuring that if I get too carried away with the stuff, I'll retard my ability to learn proper technique, etc. Now, I look at straights all the time..it's my nature to go overboard with hobbies, and I've been close to ordering some very fancy razors when I'm online at 11:00 pm!

There's a similar trend with many guys hobbies, as has been discussed on this site. I race road bicycles, have for the last twenty years, and went through a phase of buying bikes....which, with good bikes running $2,500-6,000+, makes shaving an activity where having a few extra doesn't seem so ridiculous. BTW, I still have six bikes, but all of them get used every year....that's my marker; if I go a year without riding a bike, it gets sold or donated to my team (http://www.pcwcycling.org/) for use with our junior development program.

I intend to use the same scheme for this hobby..as I collect more stuff, if it goes "X" long without being used (and doesn't have some sentimental or collector value), off it goes. The big question: how long is my X value?

Good Luck....

Bob

I think you always have to watch out for the tendency to substitute lots of gear and the desire to have the best of things for a true understanding and appreciation of the hobby or art that you are learning. Strip it down, look at things from a minimalist angle and truly appreciate the task you're undertaking. Start off with less,get the full value of it and move on. Gives you something to live for and imparts significant learning in the process.


Justin

P.S. Being relatively poor doesn't hurt either

Yeah I think it is really a personal thing, but agree with both Bob and Justin. As I am still very new to this very extensive hobby, I feel like I should learn to appreciate what I have. Admittedly, I have done a poor job of this in the soap department, and I did upgrade to a badger pretty early (within my first week).

But as of yet I have only the one razor and then the one project one that my uncle gave me. I do keep my eyes open for things in antique shops, but I don't go actively looking. I have browsed ebay a couple times just to see what was available, but haven't bought anything yet, though I almost did.

I do see my self having a collection of stuff in the future, but for now I am really trying to appreciate and learn with what I have. The next few buys will be what I need to maintain my razor (hone and pasted strop) and then I will probably slow down for a bit until I really get the hang of it all.

Being poor absolutely helps, as does limited bathroom realty. My room mate has already started complaining that my stuff is taking over. Little does he know...

Justin makes a good point. But I personally enjoy experimenting with different razors stropped on different strops, or combinations of strops. Different brushes, soaps, creams, ect.. I have over 100 sr8ts, half a dozen brushes, and a dozen strops acquired over a period of years. Not to mention assorted soaps, creams, aftershaves, ect.. I always have at least 10 razors in rotation and change them regularly. I use different brushes depending on the state of my beard (I sometimes skip shaving for 2 or 3 days). And my mood has alot to do with what soap, cream, aftershave I might use. Do I think I have to much? No, because I use everything I've got.
Straight shaving is as much about the individual as anything. Do what makes you happy.

The answer to the question is easy. If you look upon straight shaving as well...just another method to shave then you are fine. You will have one or two of everything and that's all you will ever have and if this was 1890 this is where we would all be. The truth is to probably 90% of us this has less to do with actual shaving and more to do with it being a hobby and all the trappings that go with it so even though everyone will tell you of their system to control their acquisitions its like a crack smoker telling you he has a system to control the habit. He has no choice but to do it just like a cow has to moo.

For me I have about 65 razors and they are all in my rotation. I can only fit a couple more in my storage container so I tell myself that will be it for me. I have 5 brushes and am awaiting the B&B brush and about 5 creams-soaps and about a dozen aftershaves of various sorts. I think most seem to go overboard with one item, with me its razors with some its brushes, some creams. Go over to the B&B forum and you'll see guys with huge numbers of DE's.

Hey in the end its all good clean fun as long as you don't become like the crack smoker and start beating up people on the street to get money for your habit.