Okay, NOW where are you at with shaving stuff??

A while back I started a thread asking about where you started and where you were now.
I thought it would be intersting to see where the new group of newbies is at.

Myself, I went from aquiring every decent eBay razor, to buying only new Dovo razors, to owning mostly newer TI razors. Dozens of strops, stones, hones, etc.....

So, in my latest effort to refine my life <g>. Here is my ultimate "reasonably sized" setup (not there, just planning).
Seven nice razors, one for each day of the week, a complete rotation. Three to seven more as spares, fill ins, etc...when others are being honed, etc..... One nice badger brush, in my case the $35 Crabtree and Evelyn model. I have th big one and don't like it. One huge Marvey boar brush for hard soaps. My grandfathers mug. One 3" Best Latigo strop, one 4 sided paddle with pastes, one 2x10 yellow Coticule, one large Escher with rubbing stone, Lynn for anything more than touchup honing <g>.
So, a weeks worth or razors, 2 brushes, 1 mug, 2 strops, 2 stones, Lynn's address.....lots more room on my dresser.

What is your ultimate "reasonable" setup.....real or planned?

Tony

Tony,

I have nine straights that are shaveable, a 6000 waterstone, your paddle and hanging strops.
Buckets of shave cream etc plus I've made a cabinet for my stuff.
I'm now trying my hand at making scales.

Ideally I would like one of those superduper coticles that everyone raves about.

Oh and about a dozen or so more straights. :D

and...the skills of Lynn Abrams and Bill Ellis etc...

Gary

Tony,

This question is almost impossible to answer! I have WAY too much, uh, stuff to narrow it down. But I'll try:

Straight Razor: SRP or Mondesir 7/8
DE: Merkur HD Classic or Merkur Slant
Shaving Cream: Taylor's Shaving Shop
Shaving Soap: Truefitt & Hill Shaving Soap
Shaving Brush: Anything by Shavemac, but probably the SMF I

Aftershave care:

DR Harris A/S Milk or Trumpers Skin Food
Thayer's Lavender or Rose Witch Hazel

Strop: Tony, one of your's, but I can't decide which one!

RT

I have one shave ready razor, a Union Cutlery Manganese that I bought from Lynn.
Also, a Merkur Futur for touchups and for when I'm pressed for time.
A single hanging strop, one of your seconds Tony.
A Col. Conk Boar brush and mug, as well as two other mugs that I pulled out of my coffee cup collection from long ago.
5 Barber hones (Tilly's starter set, plus a Swaty and a Little Devil)

I have 2 ebay specials that I'm working on getting cleaned up, a Wostenholm and a W&B (both for $7)

Things I still need:
A paddle stop, pasted I think
Norton 4K/8K
Badger brush (I have my sights on a Shavemac I think)
More razors of course. Friodur and W&B are probably at the top of my list.

Not sure what's reasonable but I'll bite:

Bear in mind, what about one month or so ago I said I'd only have one razor, one brush, one strop.... something like that. I think you'll all see that I've done an excellent job of sticking to my original plan.

I have 4 razors with four more in transit and incoming for a total of 8. 2 of those 8 were from eBay and the rest from people here. 2 project razors are not included in that count, they're honing practice razors that Joe very generously tossed my direction and that I'll mangle and mutilate on a norton before I mess up one of my good razors. Subtract one from those that I've promised to my stepdaughter.

I have a starter #3 tony miller hanging strop and a 4 sided pasted paddle strop. I have a norton incoming from hartville tool. I have my old boar bristle brush that I use for soaps and my $35 C&E brush for everything else. I have 3 different shaving creams (proraso, T&H 1805 and Trumper's Lime) and 2 soaps (C&E sienna and my good ol' williams). Oh and I have a moss scuttle. I have two different aftershaves (proraso and C&E sienna) and some goat milk stuff coming from the arizona goat milk lady... and I'm badgering Colleen for some soaps and creams and some lotion for my fiancee.

So, I think all total I have exactly one razor, one soap, one mug, one brush and absolutely nothing else. I'm so proud of myself for sticking to my guns and not going off the deep end or anything.

My fiancee thinks I've lost my marbles. She likes the shaves though and she actually watched me shave for the first time the other day and even mentioned the possibility of asking me to shave her legs heh heh.

-- Gary F.

Yikes, I forgto about he DE for those days I am in a hurry. Mine would have to be the Merkur 1904 Classic or a Progress.

My goals was to thin down to just what I needed to get the job done, while using what I consider the best of the best, items. No 2 and 3 of something, one fine stone, one average stone, one brush for each type of soap, hard and cream, one nice mug, etc..... Razors of course are duplicated as they are the whole reason we are here.

It's our nature to collect I think but at least in y life I often find I collect too much. One is not enough, I need another as I cannot decide what is best, Before I know it I have dozens of everything but use only a very few pieces....it is just those pieces that should be kept. With fewer tools, one learns to use each to their fullest instead of wandering from one to another, mastering nothing.

Anyway, on the screen this thought train all looks good. Someone pleae bookmark this and e-mail it to me some day when I get carried away again <g>

Tony

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Tony Miller

Yikes, I forgto about he DE for those days I am in a hurry. Mine would have to be the Merkur 1904 Classic or a Progress.

My goals was to thin down to just what I needed to get the job done, while using what I consider the best of the best, items. No 2 and 3 of something, one fine stone, one average stone, one brush for each type of soap, hard and cream, one nice mug, etc..... Razors of course are duplicated as they are the whole reason we are here.

It's our nature to collect I think but at least in y life I often find I collect too much. One is not enough, I need another as I cannot decide what is best, Before I know it I have dozens of everything but use only a very few pieces....it is just those pieces that should be kept. With fewer tools, one learns to use each to their fullest instead of wandering from one to another, mastering nothing.

Anyway, on the screen this thought train all looks good. Someone pleae bookmark this and e-mail it to me some day when I get carried away again <g>

Tony

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Tony,

We can't do that. We're just waiting on your "items for sale" post!

RT

Ooooo ultimate set up?
One razor for each grain of wood worth having I think.
I've got my Ironwood W&B thanks to Bill, plus 4 scale sets coming from Vlad. No maple in the lot though and I Looove maple so I'm going to have to add a sixth at least. I think (for now :D ) that any man should be happy with 7 razors, one for each day of the week. I should be able to do some swapping and try out a few others if I had a couple more though. I guess the final tally on the razors is, Keep 'Em Coming!

I'm, happy with my Norton and use it regularly. It's the workhorse. But that hasn't stopped me from getting TWO paddle strops a 12,000 stone, a handful of barber hones and a new Belgian Coticule. I'm done with those for now. Really. I am. I WANT a bigger coticule and maybe a double sided just to try the blue stone out, but It's not like I'm going to get one. ... Really ... I'm NOT!

I only want one brush. It's a great brush I have, the Crabtree and Evelyn Edwin Jagger. Trouble is it's not the brush I want. The brush I want is one of Matt's custom 20mm Ebony Silver Tips. "Stay on Target", "Almost there", "Stay on target".

As some of you know, I never used to use shaving cream at all and I really don't want to go crazy there either. I've still got enough Lush Ambrosia to last me htrouggh the summer I think, but with Colleen's samples around and more on the way in a month or so, it's unlikely I'll use the Ambrosia till Christmas. Add to that the fact that EVERY DAY I have successfully talked myself out of running out to Crabtree & Evelyn and picking up some Sienna cream. What would happen if I walked into Truefitt & Hill?

Prognosis:
Doctor I think I'm getting very sick. What's your advice?

X

I have 2 shave-ready razors: a Taylor's Eye Witness 6/8 and a Satinedge, a W&B 6/8 (now closer to 5/8) that's slowly getting there but she ain't gonna be a beauty, a W&B waiting on scales, a Boker that's gonna get sold once I clean it up (unevenly honed so I don't think it will become a good shaver), and a Walker 6/8 that is going through a DETAILED restoration. I also have a paki but it's just used for restoration experiments and as a teaching tool.
I have a rough Norton oilstone that I only use for large nicks, a 4k 2x4 wedge-shaped jap and its 8k counterpart. Just got a coticule.
When it comes to strops I got one that came with the paki, which is only to be used as a teaching tool and one of Tony's seconds that's totally pimp.
Brushes: A Wilkinson el-cheapo that I only use for application of pre-shave soap and a C&E Best Badger with a Kent stand.
Soaps: got a Wilkinson that I only use as a pre-shave softener and a couple of Colleen's samples. I'm buying Cavendish Black, Orange Patchouli and Desert Ironwood.
Aftershaves: Dominica Bay Rum, Paco and I'm about to mix up a second batch of my alcoholic formula.

Ironically, I was gonna go small, and yes Nenad, you have my permission to laugh your a$$ off :D

I'm back up to about 53 razors, with 14 more on the way (including one from you :D), 6 strops, about 14 different kinds of soap, 5 mugs, 1 scuttle, 2 shaving bowls, and about 11 different kinds of aftershave. As far as where I'm at...the poorhouse:(:D. Most of my razors are going to be sold soon, though. I have to simplify. I'm more interested now in the honing and maintenance than anything else. I'm planning on keeping 14 (2 seven day rotations), and pouring my meager resources into a full-blown sharpening operation (woodworking tools, chainsaws, handsaws, knives, razors, etc.)

<<< and one of Tony's seconds that's totally pimp.>>>

oh yeah! I got to use that in my advertising <g>.

Tony Miller, maker of "totally pimp" strops <g>.

Tony, if you want that image for your merchandise, you're more than welcome to use it :D I picked that term up from a 21 yearold friend.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by FiReSTaRT

I have 2 shave-ready razors: a Taylor's Eye Witness 6/8 and a Satinedge, a W&B 6/8 (now closer to 5/8) that's slowly getting there but she ain't gonna be a beauty, a W&B waiting on scales, a Boker that's gonna get sold once I clean it up (unevenly honed so I don't think it will become a good shaver), and a Walker 6/8 that is going through a DETAILED restoration. I also have a paki but it's just used for restoration experiments and as a teaching tool.
I have a rough Norton oilstone that I only use for large nicks, a 4k 2x4 wedge-shaped jap and its 8k counterpart. Just got a coticule.
When it comes to strops I got one that came with the paki, which is only to be used as a teaching tool and one of Tony's seconds that's totally pimp.
Brushes: A Wilkinson el-cheapo that I only use for application of pre-shave soap and a C&E Best Badger with a Kent stand.
Soaps: got a Wilkinson that I only use as a pre-shave softener and a couple of Colleen's samples. I'm buying Cavendish Black, Orange Patchouli and Desert Ironwood.
Aftershaves: Dominica Bay Rum, Paco and I'm about to mix up a second batch of my alcoholic formula.

Ironically, I was gonna go small, and yes Nenad, you have my permission to laugh your a$$ off :D

---

3

Can you expound on the "pre-shave" soap?

RT

I lather up with Wilkinson, go downstairs and strop my razor (the bathroom is under renovation), go back to the bathroom, rinse that crap off, apply a good soap with the C&E brush, put on some mellow reggae tunes, rinse the blade and start shaving.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by FiReSTaRT

I lather up with Wilkinson, go downstairs and strop my razor (the bathroom is under renovation), go back to the bathroom, rinse that crap off, apply a good soap with the C&E brush, put on some mellow reggae tunes, rinse the blade and start shaving.

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Thanks for clarifying that. I thought maybe you had found some special "pre-shave" soap to use. I do the same thing when using a straight.

RT

Anthony Miller, Esquire: Purveyor of Fine Hanging Strops, Paddle Strops, and Bling.

I have eight straight razors, three of which I made shave-ready on my own steam with a pasted Heirloom Combination from Tony "Strop Pimp" Miller. I will make the remaining razors shave-ready too, and I'm restoring all of 'em on my own. I have a 3 x 24 Latigo hanging strop in the rare "seconds" finish on its way from The Miller. I will be ordering a Norton 4k/8k at some point and would ultimately like a traditional yellow coticule.

I have a dozen or more DE razors. Mostly Gillettes. I have some unique ones too, including a Radimi (1930s Italian razor) and a Stahly Live Blade, which is on its way. I use Feather DE blades and Israeli blades.

My brush is a Simpson Special (best badger). I've used a variety of shaving creams and soaps, but I currently have a tub of Truefitt & Hill Trafalgar cream, Proraso cream (and pre/post cream), and some C&E Sweet Almond Oil soap. I usually finish with Proraso pre/post but have also added JASON Witch Vera (a nice combo of witch hazel and aloe vera) as a nice experiment. J.R. Watkins All Natural Body Oil (lavender) is a nice treat too.

:fim:

My current decent setup is:

Couple of shave ready razors: 1 world master, 1 Kratz, 1 Way Brothers, 1 Shumate.

And a couple of fixer uppers

1 linnen/leather strop bought on ebay. Does me nice. When it falls apart I'll most likely buy one from Tony.

50/50 boar badger brush from Kent. It's good. I like it, and it was cheap.

Goatsmilk soap, Dragons Blood soap, Colleen Samples, Trumpers cream samples.

Goats milk Aftershave, Aschaab's Bay Rum homemade aftershave (great stuff) Nivea balm, Harley Davidson Hot road (liking it less and less)

A bunch of cologne samples from Penhaligon's and Trumpers.

I've gone from "Loathe" to "Love" to shave.
Looking forward to every time I do.

Current setup:
2 razors, both made shave-ready by my own efforts: a DOVO "Best Quality" 5/8 round, new from classicshaving.com; and a Wester Bros Fraternity 5/8 spike (the latter arrived shave-ready, but I just had to hone down some surface rust from the edge).
Cup with soap: Herban Cowboy (unlike Burma Shave, it doesn't irritate!).
Brush: a Tiffany silver brush with hairs of unknown bestial origin (a gift, holds water well and is comfortable).
Aftershave: JASON 6-in-1 beard and skin therapy aloe vera gel, alcohol-free (no sting!).

Norton 4k/8k
Undressed Illinois strop, linen and leather

What do I want?
A four-day rotation of sharp straights;
A Merkur HD for hurry and travel;
A finishing 12k stonee
A larger variety of irritation-free soaps and alcohol-free aftershaves.

Oh, and I got some T&H 1805 balm today that I bought secondhand off someone who didn't like it. It smells nice, a little flowery but my girl will like that.
What I want?

4 or so razors that shave AND look nice. I'll be working on it myself mostly. I want to make them as unique as Vlad's although they'll probably be less nice.

I have two razors which are shave ready, One from Bill Ellis and one which was NOS that I was able to prepare on my japanese 4000 and 8000 waterstones and my Tony Miller Pimped out pasted paddle strop. I also have a cheap pigskin hanging strop I won on ebay for $4 which actually works rather well after a few treatments with some neatsfoot oil. I have two Brushes, An Omege Proraso boar bristle brush and a Kingsley Badger brush. I've got a few assorted soaps and shaving creams and a couple DE's that I use when I am in a hurry. I would say that out of the six days a week I shave I use a straight 3 times.

I'm trying to become more "reasonable". I have one good razor and a second back up I am working with and shaving with daily. I've taken the other 6 or so and tossed them in a closet. I'm trying on occasion to like my 6/8 World Master because I payed so much money for it, but I'd really like to sell the thing, damn NOS stuff. Great razor, just not the one for me. Why do these damn things have to be so much like women!

Where I am.....

I used to shave daily or every other day with a straight from 1978 till about 1984. Then grew a full beard which I found harder to manage to shave the edges of it w/ a straight & bought a Merkur slant bar HD which worked very well. Occasionally used the straights (maybe 2 or 3 x a yr). Recently my 17 yr old son hijacked the Merkur (who says they're not for beginners?), and I cut the beard down to goatee size and started again w/ the straights. Also, I discovered this very helpful website! Amazed I stuck w/ the str8s for 6 yrs w/ doing so many things wrong!
I now have one shave ready razor, the Imperial 5/8 SP that I won from the recent contest. This is a great benchmark! Others, are a C. V. Heljestrand 4/8, Dbl Duck Dwarf 9/16, and a Henckels 5/8; all 3 are RPs. I got two barber hones recently from redtrader99, w/ which I'm trying to get my original three up to the standard of the Imperial. I have two strops, an old Engels Russian leather and linen, and a small one w/ two leather sides and a tension rod which tightens in between them. One shaving brush, a Plisson pure badger. A rubbermaid mug w/ C & E seashell soap melted in it. Safety razors include the Merkur HD (that's on loan till the kid buys himself a threatened electric!), a Merkur black and maroon bakelite for travel, 4 Gillette Super Speeds, two chrome plated from the mid 50's and two black ones from '70, and a Gem Micromatic. I had a couple of the Fat Boy Adjustables, but gave one to my wife and one to my younger son. Only aftershaves are Dickinson's Witch Hazel, and Walgreen's Bay Rum. The Bay Rum has lasted for years, as I only use it for special occasions (it stings!). Not terribly exciting, but hey there's not much cash flow, so it will have to do!

I want a few more John Crowley 8/8 razors. Then I plan to start gathering up some honing equipment and start honing. I would also like to find an extra long 3" wide strop to keep at home. I am also hoping to find a nice scuttle and some new shaving creams and soaps...

Well the last time I took inventory I have about 40 razors in my rotation about evenly divided new and vintage including 8 Double ducks and 11 TIs. I have a Norton 4K/8K, a blue belgian, a coticule and about 6 old barber hones. I've got about 8 or 9 hanging strops mostly vintage save one of tony's and a dovo extra wide. I have 4 mugs and alternate classic shaving soap, haslinger,Trumpers and TH. I have two badger brushes (a Vulfix and one of matt's) and a third on the way. For finishing I use Thayers Witchhazel and I have an assortment of aftershaves too numerous to mention.

But I can stop buying any time I feel like it.

You just don't want to :p