Thread: Too many?

Is there such a thing as too many SR's? I started out earlier this year purchasing a dovo best quality razor because I wanted to learn how to shave with one. Then I discovered vintage and antique SR's (I like the antique 4azors thr best). Since then I have aquired about 12 or 13 shave ready for my rotation. I know meager numbers. And about 15 to restore. This has all taken place in about 5 months. I am really enjoying learning out to restore them when I am not trying to pull my hair out because I usually learn a new trick after I mess up a few times first.but long story short I am trying to convince my wife that this is not an addiction or obsession. She has said she will no longer enable me with this!!!

Originally Posted by Cattleman02

Is there such a thing as too many SR's? I started out earlier this year purchasing a dovo best quality razor because I wanted to learn how to shave with one. Then I discovered vintage and antique SR's (I like the antique 4azors thr best). Since then I have aquired about 12 or 13 shave ready for my rotation. I know meager numbers. And about 15 to restore. This has all taken place in about 5 months. I am really enjoying learning out to restore them when I am not trying to pull my hair out because I usually learn a new trick after I mess up a few times first.but long story short I am trying to convince my wife that this is not an addiction or obsession. She has said she will no longer enable me with this!!!

The answer is No! However, you have to live with Mrs. Cattleman. Notice I said live with her, not listen to her. Eventually, it will all work out. It's like when my wife said to me, "It's the guns or me" I responded by saying, "I'm going to miss you!" We've been married forty two years now. She actually went with me to buy some guns to add to our collection recently. What's hers is hers, what yours is hers. Got it?

It depends on what you want to do with them. Are you going to shave with them or just display them? I have used a straight over 30 years but only have 8 razors in my rotation.
For the past 20 years I have bought low, refurbished, honed and sold shave ready razors. It was the best of both worlds because I got to shave with over 500 different razors. It was not for the money but for my own pleasure.

I would tell her that if straights are my adiction at least that is better than drinking or doing drugs and having nothing to show for it in the end.

Originally Posted by Cattleman02

...but long story short I am trying to convince my wife that this is not an addiction or obsession. She has said she will no longer enable me with this!!!

Yeah, good luck with that.

This topic comes up now and then. The answer is Yes: when you are either out of space or out of money or both.

RAD seems to be worse at the onset for most if us I think. After a while you're not quite as distracted by shiny things so it levels off. At least that's my story...you know the rest.

You have to keep peace in your home.
Luckily, my wife doesn't mind my small hoard of around 1500 razors . She does want me to catalog, photograph and value each of them so it will be easier for her to get top dollar upon my demise. basically create an eBay listing for each
I started that process when I retired and gave up after 400 or so. Now I just tell her, when the subject comes up, to list each individually, take her own pics and start bidding at $19.99

Well, look at it this way Joe. After the firat 400 she'll probably know enough to write a book on it anyway.

I've got plenty to do, and a pile I shave with, a bunch set aside for gifting.

And a few special ones, the wife wants labeled. Not sure if it's before or after my demise, that she has in mind.

There are several ways to collect things that would differ from unchecked addiction.

When my friends start a collection, my advice is, after you've made your early mistakes from sheer puppy enthusiasm:
- keep a budget
- keep in mind that it's budget for a hobby, it's not self-sustainable, and not cashable
- quality over quantity, as quality pieces will always retain a modicum of value
- choose a theme, a common factor, to what you are buying and you will be even more satisfied. Well, a theme or two or three. But some guiding light.


For example, my themes are :
- An exhaustive "state of the art" : be it grinds, scales, origins, etc, I want one of each. Which means on the other hand that one rattler is enough for example. It's challenging enough
- The exceptional : be it exceptionally good or bad, I want eye-rising pièces. Things that challenge the above mentioned "state of the art". I'd rather spend the budget some spend on a Filarmonica on real gold for example. Or at the other end of the spectrum I love my "shitty early frenchies" that are so much crap it's funny. Hence my love for butterflies.
- Gustave Keller branded products


Some other examples : a friend who's also a Clément like me collects any and every razor with our common first name, and will go to extremes for that (which is why I'm so touched he actually gifted me one recently).
I know a Kabrand collector, the admin of the French CCC is very specific with "Le trophée Espagnolette", another good friend is an exotic kamisori collector, etc.

Find your thing, and it is not hoarding anymore, it's telling a story, and you might learn a lot.
And that does not mean you won't still have too much mind. You will definitely err along the way and will have too much on your hand soon enough.
( I mean I must have 50 razors or so I've been gathering along the way that were outclassed before I could do anything about them...)

But that's Michelin dining on the road, not fast-food binging

I kind of have started a theme looking at My purchases. A the moment I like sheffields particularly the Joseph's and Freddie's. Or anything that is an import that could be made by the major sheffield companies like DC Halsted or JM Higgns. And anything shoulderless.