Thread: What phase are you in ??

Several years ago about 45 (1961) to be approx. I used to shave with a DE Adjustable. While in the Navy I bought some lime scented shaving cream which made my face break out with a very bad rash. I had to go to an electric razor. I used this until around 1972 when I decided to grow a beard. I would shave around the edges every two or three days with a Mach II. I had the beard until 2002 when I started to use an electric razor again. The reason I shaved off the beard was because it was getting so white it looked hideous with my gray hair. I actually did not like shaving and especially did not like shaving with the electric. Last September 2005 I bought a DE Adjustable just like I used way back when. I also bought a mug and a regular badger brush and some Williams shaving soap. Using this was really cool. I started surfing the web for razor stuff and joined both SRP sites. I had also thought that straight razor shaving was cool because I used to watch the barbers do this when I was very young. So reseached this straight razor thing. I went to my barber and talked to him about it and loaned me a razor to use. It felt sharp but it turns out that it wouldn't cut any whiskers. I returned it and he said to go to Tulsa Barbers Supply in Tulsa, Oklahoma and buy some stuff. So went there and bought a Mehaz razor an Illinois 361 strop and a Super Funjab hone. When I go home I tried the razor and it also would not shave to well. I honed it and stropped it which helped quite a bit but it still would not shave to well. I thought if I am going to do this I am going to do it right so I bought a Thiers-Issard Sheffield Silver Steel with Red Stamina Scales. This was a very nice razor and it shaved right from the box. Well I was hooked. So after researching some more by reading a lot of stuff from the SRP.com site I ordered both Norton stones the 220/1000 and the 4000/8000. This made honing a lot nicer plus I had determined that this honing thing had a large learning curve. After buying all of this I then started surfing eBay for razors and started buying razors off eBay. I started buying some pretty nice and decided to start to collect them. I now have 75 razors of which some of them are pretty nice.
I also have several different shaving soaps of which I rotate every day. I have three shaving brushes one is the regular badger another is a small silver tip badger and the last one is a Vulfix Silver Tipped Badger which is really soft.
I guess that I am really hooked because I really love this hobby or whatever you call it.

Bill Watkins

Im in the state of denial that this will become an obsession....

Ok, seriously:
I used to HATE shaving, it irritated my skin which is overly sensitive as it is, and it gave me horrible razor burn. I tried every disposable razor blade out there, even the extra sensitive womens blades nothing worked, so I just went about my life shaving every week or so just enough to keep myself from looking like a wolf man.

Then about a month ago I went to a barber shop in the area that gave straight shaves. My best friend had gotten one once, and I remembered him saying how great it was and how close a shave it was. So, I got the shave and WOW, it was amazing! My fiance loved it, I never knew how important a close shave was to her, because she never bothered me about it since she knew how much shaving hurt my face.

After I got the shave, I was so impressed, that I immidately bought an AOS shave kit for $38.00 consisting of shave oil, shave soap, a badger brush, and an aftershave. I also bought a merkur DE travel razor, and some Dorco blades. I have been hooked on a close shave since then, but almost immediately I started reading more and more about shaving and straight razor shaving kept comming up. The more and more I searched the more interesting in this manly art I became. So finally here I am, still shaving with my DE, but with a TI razor being honed by Lynn, and a bunch of stropping stuff from Tony on the way.

I have learned that there are few things in life I enjoy as much as a long shave, and its my favorite way to start the day.

I'm still in the "buy everything now" phase. As soon as I decided I was going to toss my Mach 3 and start using a straight razor, I went to classicshaving.com and ordered a Dovo 30mm Silvertip, brush stand, pewter scuttle, scuttle soap, and a couple TIs. Then the day after I went to knifecenter.com and ordered 2 more TIs. Then I found a cheap Norton 4000/8000 ($64) on the web and ordered that. That same day I ordered pre-pasted 4-sided and 2-side paddle strops from Tony Miller. Then -- before anything had come -- I ordered a couple more TIs from Dick Tools.

I was so gung ho to shave last week when my razors first came, I shaved without stropping (didn't have my strops yet) and got an okay shave (like using a bad disposable, but not bad for my first time). Then my strops arrived Friday, and I stropped all 4 razors that night, and shaved yesterday with the TI damascus and got a better shave than before, though still a little rocky, but it only took me 20 minutes. Then this a.m. I shaved with my Pierre Thiers Limited, and on the third pass shaved against the grain, and am happy to report the smoothest baby skin in the world on my cheeks. My neck is still a little rocky (sore from yesterday) and my upper lip is not quite as clean as it could be, but after three shaves I'm feeling pretty good about the whole thing. Only minor nicks and scratches.

I know I'm still in the first buy-it phase because I want at least one more razor so I can have a set of 7.

Apologies for the overweening exuberance of my post -- newbie excitement, like a kid on Xmas morning.

Caravaggio,
I am in the TI addiction phase now myself. I should have just started there in the beginning but went through all the other phases first before discovering the TI razors.

Still a few more I am after then things may calm down here a bit.

Tony

I'm still in acquisition mode. My collection went from 1 to 11 in the last month, with a nice Robeson on the way. I've managed to get 6 really good ones, one pretty good one, and four dogs (in my defense, one of the dogs, a Pakistani crapjob, came free with a strop, and I bid $4.99 on the other in ignorance). 4 of my 6 really nice ones are actual users, with my Timor having the best edge, followed by my Dovo and a real old Boker Red Injun. I love the 5/8, but I'm probably going to order a TI 6/8 at the end of next month (maybe the SRP club edition), or the Dovo Bismarck (I love the way that razor looks). I like Bay Rum, but I wanna try some new scents, too. So, in the last month, my shaving collection has gone from 1 Filly to 11 straights (w/1 on the way), 1 Rolls Razor in near mint condition, 4 boar brushes (one really nice Surrey), 1 badger brush, 4 strops, a HA honing leather base and 3 pads OTW, 5 kinds of soap (CS Sandalwood is my favorite), 3 shaving mugs, Bay Rum aftershave, and a couple styptic pencils. Next month, I'm ordering at least one new razor, a couple strops from Tony, and who knows what else. On the bright side, I picked up SR shaving pretty quick. I get great shaves already, can hone my own (although I'll probably send one or two off to Lynn to hone for comparison), and I haven't nicked myself in the last 4 shaves. I've only been shaving with a straight for about a month. What really sucks is my beard is pretty spotty (but very coarse), and when I shave with a straight, I only have to do it every other day, instead of every day, which takes a lot of fun out of every other day. I totally enjoy shaving now, and am thoroughly hooked. I can't imagine shaving any other way now, although I still use a safety razor on my nether regions . I don't understand why this isn't the preferred method of shaving for all men.

Im a sick f...k I need help!!! for the last 15 years I have bought a new str8 razor every time I walked into truffit, trumpers. taylors ect if they had a cool razor I bought it took it homeor back to hotel oh I forgot I also bought a strop each time also tried to strop it shave with it cut the shit out of my self and went back to my gill mach razor and went thru depression...I thought I was destined to shave from drugstore supplies...Then I found this forum...you all are a great bunch of guys...especially lynn, tony, and will, from classic shaving...you all answered my stupid questions lynn came to indiana and spent time teaching me , tony put up with my many question, and know I have learned enough to be dangerous...I am in the collecting mode...I am really sick...some guy on ebay sent me a message today asking me how many razors do I need? I didnt know how to answer him? what should I have said? Its too cold to play golf? I have chased quite a few razors on ebay and scored some of them...a word of advice to other sick ones...shave a bit and decide what size razor you really like before you start bidding on every neat and collectable razor you see...I have found that the more I shave the more my tastes change...where I liked 5/8 I found I prefer 6/8 7/8 8/8 not because my beard is so tough I like the weight and balance of the razors...I decided I needs two classes of razors unreplacable to use only at home or take with me on driveable trips and replacable razors those that I love but will not kill myself if some idiot airline inspector decides to take out of my checked luggage...tony has satisfied my strop need...he made me a little shorter strop to travel with...I dont like paddles and a longer strop to use at home...I will try not to bid against any of you guys but if I do email me [email protected] I cant promise anything but if Ill back off unless I really want it and I will tell you so...so far I havent seen anything I had to have...

This is some great reading......lol. All of the above. Lynn