Thread: Am I seeing SRP wrong?

I see. You were not actually asking a question in your post. You were hoping you would rally the troops and start an Occupy SRP movement until the fat cats were removed?

I think a wise man once said, "Don't let the door hit you on the ass on the way out".

Originally Posted by MCFLY49

Can you direct me to a thread that a mod/mentors tells a beginner "Go get a hone and give it a shot, I bet you get the hang of it pretty quick"? I highly doubt it.
I don't think I even need respond to the rest.
.

Originally Posted by MCFLY49

Can you direct me to a thread that a mod/mentors tells a beginner "Go get a hone and give it a shot, I bet you get the hang of it pretty quick"? I highly doubt it.
I don't think I even need respond to the rest.


That is not the message I see in most responses. People will voice very valid thoughts and ideas, only to be shot down in a very rude fashion. HHT anyone?

I think they go further than advising against it, most will damn you to a hot place for thinking this.

If you really feel this way about how people are treated and it bothers you, maybe you should try Badger and Blade.

Originally Posted by MCFLY49

Why is it that SRP isn't very helpful to beginners?

On the contrary, the problem beginners have on SRP is the opposite - overload, not lack of help.

Originally Posted by MCFLY49

Why is it frowned upon to learn to hone?

It is not, again it's the exact opposite - people are encouraged to learn to hone and in majority of cases babysat through the process.

Originally Posted by MCFLY49

It almost seems as if it is one giant advertizement to buy stuff, rather than to learn skills.

If you are talking about our recommendation that people do not learn to hone before they learn to shave, then I think you are grossly misrepresenting the case. You can certainly disagree, but until you put in some skin in the game and start helping beginners personally your opinion isn't worth all that much.

Originally Posted by MCFLY49

I have never seen a forum that all the moderators/mentors have the same exact opinion on all subjects. Kinda makes you wonder who is doing the thinking.

Really? I've been a moderator for a number of years now and I cannot disagree with you more.

Originally Posted by MCFLY49

I know it must be bad, when I have received so many PM's from people scared to post their thoughts in public for fear of being banned. What's the deal?

I simply do not believe you. Please tell me how many PMs and how many people we are talking about here. You know what I'm thinking - if somebody is so scared to post their opinions in public, but stirs the pot behind the scenes, what are they really doing on SRP? They must have some serious messianic complex. I may be wrong but my guess would be that they're stuck with SRP after being banned on the other forums where unlike here PMs are not private. We almost never make public the reasons for bans, but usually there is a lot of crap that gets somebody banned, not just 'posting an opinion', even though that's what the banned members claim when they go on other sites.

Feel free to PM me if you want to discuss this more and are afraid to do so publicly.

When a beginner starts he has a lot of enthusiasm. He wants to do it all. After reality smacks him in the face (pun intended) and he realizes that his skill level is lacking, his frustration grows. Questions about his beard prep, stopping ability, shaving angles and pressure all erode his confidence. Decisions to stay with it come up and it's a good chance we might lose this newbie before he gets to enjoy a close shave. That would be a great loss. If at the same time he also tries to hone that will bring a whole new level of frustration into the picture. So when the mods try to advise against learning to hone while still learning to shave their interest is to keep a positive attitude. My thanks to all the mods who have guided us and kept us on the path to a great shave.

I personally would like to take the time to thank you


I just went through your posts and threads, I would like to say a heartfelt Thank You for all the Videos, Illustrated guides, Tips, and the 1000's of posts answering all those newbie questions I am also pretty sure you must have a pm box filled with questions every day from newbies seeking special attention to answer their questions too...

I especially like the questions you asked when you were learning how to hone that so many people took the time to answer for you, and that then you stuck around to help others through the same struggles...


Oh wait I'm sorry, that wasn't you, different guy

OK before this all blows up..McFly, please chill out, you've given the very strong impression that you've been spoiling for an argument since you came back and posted your video. Regular members, chill out because, yes, we can be snotty on here sometimes.

This place can seem inaccessible at times ok. I've never had that problem, lots of people here i get along with and no one i don't get along with. But we do have a habit of jumping down peoples throats over certain questions that are asked. The reason we do is because they've been asked a bunch of times before and in general the people who didn't follow the advice of experienced forum members and/or argued the point with them are the ones who wrecked a razor or got less than pleasurable shaves with them. This is not an excuse to pounce on people, but it happens.

McFly, You've been away for a few years and didn't post that much during your first term here. fair enough, but you appeared outta nowhere with the video, infered it was a hack job. now i don't know what you expected peoples responses to be but it was very complimentary to the video, and that was before we found out it was you. and it seems like you've taken offence to this. On the HHT the reason we say ignore it is because it's not a hard and fast rule for everyone. For me an HHT is a gateway test before moving to a 12k, very reliable, but only for me, with my hair, clean, in my particular case. for other people who's razors have HHT'd they don't necessarily get a good shave. That's why we try to point people down the path of sharpness tests that will be more definitive, such as the shave test. Once a new guy is no longer a new guy aand has experience he can use whatever tests work for him. I think you'd be suprised at the number of guys who use an HHT but say "don't use this". That's because they know when it's applicable, and will only be confusing for a beginner honer.

Edit: Too late.. Blowed up already

So.. can everyone just kinda reset here and we'll start over?

McFly49 didn't post from Nov '09 until Feb. '12. Nine posts since February. Of the 23 posts he has made NONE were in answer to a newcomer's questions. Perhaps he got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning ?

Hi and welcome McFly

I have to echo everything that has already been said above. I'm not sure what happened that you are referring to, but I have overall had only positive experiences since joining SRP.

I have never seen SRP as pushing any kind of sales. As with any new hobby aquiring things is almost a necessity. Based on advice from people here I have bought a TON of razor, hones, oils, colognes, etc.!

YET I AM NOT A VENDOR, NOR HAVE I EVER BOUGHT ANY ITEM OR SERVICE FROM SOMEONE AT SRP. With the information on this site I have restored and learned to hone my own razors for over a year.

And yes, I had a lot of dull shaves when starting. I could have sent a razor or two out to be honed for a more pleasurable experience, but I am stubborn and think that bleeding from my own mistakes will make me more careful next time I hone a razor or shave.

Having said that I have to emphasize that I DO plan to have a vintage Dorp & Voos I am restoring honed by somone in the SRP classified just so I can compare my work with that of somone that hones so much that it comes second nature to them.

Any recommendations I have received from somone at SRP have been intended to help me have a better experience with wet shaving. It's up to me to decide if I want to follow that advice or not.

Please don't get frustrated. This is by any measure the best resource for wet shaving on the internet. There are one or two that come close, but even on those sites they will reference topics generated and discussed here.

Originally Posted by tekbow

OK before this all blows up..McFly, please chill out, you've given the very strong impression that you've been spoiling for an argument since you came back and posted your video. Regular members, chill out because, yes, we can be snotty on here sometimes.

This place can seem inaccessible at times ok. I've never had that problem, lots of people here i get along with and no one i don't get along with. But we do have a habit of jumping down peoples throats over certain questions that are asked. The reason we do is because they've been asked a bunch of times before and in general the people who didn't follow the advice of experienced forum members and/or argued the point with them are the ones who wrecked a razor or got less than pleasurable shaves with them. This is not an excuse to pounce on people, but it happens.

McFly, You've been away for a few years and didn't post that much during your first term here. fair enough, but you appeared outta nowhere with the video, infered it was a hack job. now i don't know what you expected peoples responses to be but it was very complimentary to the video, and that was before we found out it was you. and it seems like you've taken offence to this. On the HHT the reason we say ignore it is because it's not a hard and fast rule for everyone. For me an HHT is a gateway test before moving to a 12k, very reliable, but only for me, with my hair, clean, in my particular case. for other people who's razors have HHT'd they don't necessarily get a good shave. That's why we try to point people down the path of sharpness tests that will be more definitive, such as the shave test. Once a new guy is no longer a new guy aand has experience he can use whatever tests work for him. I think you'd be suprised at the number of guys who use an HHT but say "don't use this". That's because they know when it's applicable, and will only be confusing for a beginner honer.

Edit: Too late.. Blowed up already

So.. can everyone just kinda reset here and we'll start over?

This concludes the demonstration on how differences of opinion are handled on SRP. I was told to get out twice, before an intelligent, neutral thinking post was made. Thanks tekbow, and thanks to everyone else for all of your input. Have a nice shave!!!

Originally Posted by MCFLY49

Can you direct me to a thread that a mod/mentors tells a beginner "Go get a hone and give it a shot, I bet you get the hang of it pretty quick"? I highly doubt it.
I don't think I even need respond to the rest.


That is not the message I see in most responses. People will voice very valid thoughts and ideas, only to be shot down in a very rude fashion. HHT anyone?

I think they go further than advising against it, most will damn you to a hot place for thinking this.

I feel that you are just looking for an argument. If you are new then walk first then advance. There are approx over 500 results in a quick how to hone search. Do some leg work and read. If you don't want to take advice then it sounds like you should look elsewhere, perhaps Badger and Blade will tell you what you want to hear? You have gotten under people's skin because of your own actions. You did not hear the answer you wanted so now you flame SRP??? Bad choice for this board and in life. Zero humility and ego will not get you very far.