Thread: What phase are you in ??

I started out with the everything must be top quality and new.... Dovo, strop, best badger brush .... right away.

then I bough a $7 rusty chunk of a razor from an antique shop and cleaned it up. it is on younger than 127 years old and no older than 157 and it shaves like a champ. It took me about 6+ hours but I like it more than my dovo 5/8 singer. It just feels more solid.

Also got the SRP razor. IT just seemed neat. I just don't have it sharp enough. I think it is a PITA to sharpen, it is much harder than the other two I have.

I also have enough cream and aftershave to last about 2 years now. (they were x-mas gifts)

Ebay has been great. Got 4 W&B's to clean up.

I guess I jumped right in and took off. I really enjoys it. Now i am just trying to focus on the shave. Don't even need baby butt smooth anymore, just glad I am not getting razor burn on my neck like i did with the M3.

Oh... Can't forget the "it takes me 60 minutes to shave cause I don't know what the hell I am doing phase". That one lasted for a couple of shaves.

Or the.. " I have been on SRP every waking moment for a week while I am waiting for my razor etc. to arrive in the mail."

Those two were quite fun.!!!

Myself, I'm in the "how to shave a dimpled chin" phase! As I've posted elsewhere, my cheeks and neck are great - the shave on my cheeks lasts the entire day before any signs of stubble. My neck is similar, as long as I'm real careful and stretch good. My chin, however... About every other day I still need to go over it with a (ugh...) cartridge. At least it's a Burma Shave cartridge, but it's still a cartridge.

I won't be into the "aquisition" phase for a while - I'm all set with supplies. I'd rather get the shave perfect with what I have before adding all kinds of variables into the mix!

Razor - Dovo Renaissance (sans nick)
Strop - "Young Razor Co." Black/Tan (a 4-sided from Tony is on my wishlist...)
Brush - Burma Shave cheapo, but highly effective
Soap - D.R. Harris Lavender in wooden bowl
After - Nivea something-or-other. Works & smells good.


Tim

I went through a stage I call "Holy Crap" about 20 years ago when I tried my first straight. Without knowledge and without a hone. Then I bought one from Ray and spent time talking with Lynn. I went through a year of "just ordinary crap" and then trued the hone, learned how to strop better and bought new and Ebay razors. After I owned about 8, I got a microscope and learned alot about those edges that didn't shave very comfortably. I had been putting pastes on balsa wood for a while and I had been sharpening up razors with torn up edges for a while so the microscope helped. I took one bad razor and perfected its edge. I had gotten a question PMd from a newbie about backhoning. I tried a few backhoning moves with that blade and then really no kidding stropped it, and stropped it. And then really stropped it some more. Then with that blade I got 10 days of shaves with the smoothest razor I had ever shaved with. It was shaving nirvana. Pure ecstasy. And thats when it hit me that I should just sit with a few GOOD razors and buy no more. Good quality steel for sure, but these babies need a lot of attention. Each razor needs as much attention as a new girlfriend.
I shave everyday, if not twice a day perfecting the edges and my understanding of how to get a perfect smooth shave with it.

I'm right on the verge (within the next year) of buying a TI, because I hear good things about them, and then I hear bad things. I vasilate back and forth.

I've considered leaving the forum for a while to just practice without "distraction" because I'm in that sort of twilight area where conventional wisdom is getting a sharp blade but sharp is no longer the actual challenge. I think thats a stage btw....LOL

Uh, heavy stuff...

I first started this... thing (read adiction) about 9 months ago, with my first purchase from Ray, classicshaving dotcom. it was ~350$ in 1 razor, and hone, strop, brush e.t.c. I thought that would be the end of it. Boy I was wrong. It was just a start. Ofcourse, I got stainless steel razor at first. Now it was all about getting my first carbon steel. After that it was "wow, look at that hamered tang. a spike point, too!"... 6/8 was the expert's choice, so I had to try that. needles to say, I GOTTA have all sizes, so one of Tony's 7/8 Henckels is on the way, also one of those W&B 8/8 meatchoppers from eboy (thanx Jeff:-) Also, I can't thank Lynn enough for sending me two beautiful USA razors, Simmons and Kelly-how-thompson.

I guess this would be my "I want it all" phase. In search for the ultimate edge, I ordered two finishing barber hones, and I want one of those Belgian coticules... I am very satisfied from my Vulfix pure badger 22mm knot, and don't have the need to upgrade there. As for the soaps and cremes, I will get them all when I have the chance.

The days are fine, when I'm off the net. I get my mind filled with other stuff. But the nights... the nights are the worst. Laying in my bed, the sheat sometimes seams to small to cover my body. Sleep never comes. Crawled like fetus, I feel that warm snake slowly twisting up my spine, and settling at the neck. Slowly, the shapes of a razor are appearing in front of my eyes wide shut. Yes, it's the TI Egyptian... with the Palmwood scales.

man, I just wanted a descent shave


Nenad

RT,

It's a Vulfix #406 Burlington. It adds greatly to the shaving experience. So it's a tip o' the hat to Mr Badger for giving up his life for such a good cause.

LG Roy

I've been through most of the phases mentioned so far. Now 70+ razors, 10 strops, 5 Badger brushs and who knows how much shaving creams and soaps (like Ryan, enough to last for years), I still don't see an end in site. There's still a thrill every time I get a "new" razor, or strop or shave cream/soap to try. I still bid on a bunch of Ebay specials every month, But now winning them all is not so important, though losing by $.50 still pisses me off a little. It's been a year and a half almost and the "addiction" is still strong. If I don't shave every day I feel like I've forgotten something really important.

Well... I started cheap and have stayed cheap!
The only splurge I made was for 3 of the LE SRP TI razors. One for shaving and the other two for investment. I have only bought a few razors for over $10 each and most for $5 or less.
I did manage to get some real deals simply because I have been so agressive about seeking them out. A TI Spartacus 6/8, mint for $30, a Red Imp 133, 6/8, mint for $30. Several Hess 44's, mint for less than $30. A Shumate MOP in a nickel silver shell for $10 or so, a W&B 8/8 meat chopper for $30 and about 300 others. Almost all need some TLC and some more than others.

I have went from a fascination with honing to engraved/etched
blades to restoration to making my own exotic wood handles to casting my own handles to grinding my own razors.

I still buy a few razors off Ebay and elsewhere but that has slowed down considerably.
The one constant has been my search for the perfect edge. Smooth as glass with no sensation or sound.
No sound... that has led me to the wedge grinds and 1/4 and 1/2 hollow ground blades. Perhaps its just a phase that I have to go through but for now.....

Grindind my own blades.... I took a step in that direction last week but that's a subject for another post.

Whats next? Well, refurbishing and selling most of what I have now ( not the mint razors) to finance my next fascination.

Originally Posted by ryan_a

Oh... Can't forget the "it takes me 60 minutes to shave cause I don't know what the hell I am doing phase". That one lasted for a couple of shaves.

HaHa!
Can't forget that phase for sure, and if it only lasted a couple of shaves for you, then I'd say your doing stellar! I still take a good 30min after a year of shaving with nothing but a straight (with a few exceptional moments like during my learning to hone pahse)

Randy, your a man after my own heart! You and Library Guy seem to have the same thought process as I, in that it dosent take a $300 razor to get a stellar shave... but we cant deny they sure are pretty

I think I'm headed to wedge's and 1/2-1/4's since my razors are the basic (dare I say boring) 5/8, fully ground, round point's. I'm not that big of a fan of the sound my self, kind like shaving with a credit card, and they all shave pretty much exacly the same. So it's time to get over the brand name issues and try some new blade designs. Which leads me to my next question: Randy, when are you going to start that other thread revealing your own grinds? I'd love to know more about how that's going for you.

I guess I'm still in an aquisition faze, albeit a mild one: a new blade here, another stone there. Actually it's more of a learning faze. It's about experimenting and trying something else or something new. My after shave is about half done so I'll probably start trying out some of the recipes that have been shared here.

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