Thread: Same Gear (Hardware) For A Year

It was about a year ago I got the weird idea to just stick with the same SR for my Face, same DE for my Head and same Brush for both... I decided to continue to rotate Soaps and DE Blades as a way to balance it all out.

The Equipment

The Straight is a Karnak about 11/16" that I did a Resto on and it was the first time I decided to use a Drill Press to take the pins out... Yep, you guessed it... One side did fine and the other side the bit warbled/walked and I gouged a bit out to the side of the hole. Using a more generous pin length and patient peening I was able to get good coverage but the space underneath left me unable to fully correct the blade alignment and I didn't want to pop it and fill with epoxy and start over in order to flip it so I just decided to keep it and it is a great razor that just kind of fell into position when I got this idea.

The DE is a birth-year Gillette Knack N-4 and with the extended handle and knurled texture itnis just superb for Head Shaving... I typically run: Personna Blues, Voskod, Super Shark, Dorco and a few others but, aside from how many shaves each makes it through (... all 3+...), they all just shave great for me.

The Brush is my first that I built with a lot of help from Gerrit/Deighaingeal... Cocobolo from an escrima stick I ordered out of Black Belt Magazine in the early 80's with a TGN 3-Band Synthetic 20mm knot. The handle shape is pure function so I ignore the fact it resembles a 'bum cork' and really enjoy how the grooves fit my hand like it was made by me for, well, me!!

The Experience

I didn't really have goals or agenda when I started... I had been heavily into Honing for some time and had never used the same razor for more than a few months and had always wondered exactly how many touch-ups a given razor I honed would require in 12 months. I was also tiring of every time I got however mamy shaves in or when I got new gear in I was changing parameters and could not answer deeper questions as they came up.

So, I just kind of fell onto this idea after asking myself, "What all has changed since I switched from Modern Cartridge Razors?", and the one thing was I had been almost constantly changing techniques or gear (... not even gonna try to tackle Software...) whereas I had previously only used the same Modern Cartridge Razor for however many years it took for Gillette to come up with somethng new... Mach 3 was the deepest I dove into that rabbit hole. But, that question kept bugging at me until I finally decided to just give it a go.

Some Things I Noticed Along The Way

- Touch-Ups- I ended up doing 3 but one was because I got a New Stone (Llyn Idwal) and had to see how it worked. So, I may have made it with just two necessary touch-ups.

- Acquistion Disorders- Diminished... Greatly!!! Without a desire to constantly see, read about and try whatever thing someone else was talking about or selling, I fell into this really clmfortable rhythm of just Wet Shaving. Since I do SR and DE it was a double pay-off!!

- Fluidity Of Skill- Impressive improvements throughout!! I received my worst cut (head) with a Mach 3 some time back and had the same type of inconsistency with technique and occasional cuts from Wet Shaving that most experience. But, after about 2-3 months I started noticing I almost never had cuts. I have a mole newr my jawline that is in a tough spot so had always been a 50/50 kinda deal as to getting a nic in that spot but even that greatly reduced with now only a very occasional nic. When I go to use my gear now everything just feels like an extension of my hand.

- Pervasive Calm- I noticed that, without the frenetic pursuit of SOMETHING ELSE, I just easily focused on and enjoyed my shaves even more which I previously did not think possible.

Not a lot of huge info or surprises but enough to make me respect and appreciate the experience of Wet Shaving in a way I didn't know was possible before this. Makes me understand a lot more the back-story behind some of those razors you see in the wild or for sale somewhere that has crazy toe/heel wear and honed down to a nub... Somebody loved that razor, fell into a groove with it and every time they thought about replacing it found a reason to love it even more. That, or it was just another tool that still functioned properly so why change what is working?! But, I like the more romanticized version.

Happy Shaving Everyone!!

Shawn
-----

thanks for the post
man I thought I was starting to appreciate each blade a bit more by going the minimum of a week using each but this takes it to the traditional only 1 razor per face standard of old.

now the question is, when the year is up, will you rotate to the next razor or are you selling the rest of the collection & really kicking the RAD in the proverbial???

Awesome write up and your observations are quite astute! Not a bad idea for someone that's having a really bad go at learning wet shaving. Only been straight shaving since spring and still struggle in a couple of areas like my chin which may be caused by constantly changing hardware.
Maybe this will be my New Year resolution!! Minimum hardware and focus on technique and learning to really enjoy the process! Help to clear some of my AD problems too!
Thanks for sharing, it was a good read.

Originally Posted by Substance

Now the question is, when the year is up, will you rotate to the next razor or are you selling the rest of the collection & really kicking the RAD in the proverbial???

That is definitely a good question... I have a bunch of SR's all around the house and a couple handfuls of DE's that I really haven't given much thought to for quite some time. One of my early strategies was to just not look at and mess around much with my other hardware. I definitely was not ready to sell then and just not really sure now... I imagine those AD's will come crashing right back about the time I out somethjng up for sale in the Classifieds but you never know for certain.

One thing that is different for me is that I've never owned a New SR. Every time I'd found one I liked in the past I had a really tough time seeing that much go to a New Razor when that same amount, coupled with dilligent searchjng/bidding, could yield me many Used SR's. But, I did decide that when I do decide to grab a NIB SR it will be a Revisor... Or, a Filly... Maybe a Bartmann... Or, <------ AD's are like True Evil in that they simply lie in wait for the next opportunity.

I did say AD's were "Diminished Greatly" but, that does not mean absent. I had already been saving for a couple years but this last year of reduced purchases really helped so, I did reward myself with New Honing Gear:

Chosera: 1, 3 and 5
Suehiro Gokumyo: 10, 15 and 20
J-Nat: Ozuku Mizu Asagi + Tomo
Asano Naguras: Botan, Tenjyou, Mejiro and Koma
Atoma: 400/1200 with a couple Refills each

I ordered earlier in November and they've all arrived now and I've also gotten a New Honing/Hobby/Office now that my oldest moved her stuff out of her room... So, there was a tangible pay-off at the end to be certain. But, it was planned prior and just happened to work out well with timing.

Thanks for posting this, I often think about slimming down to one blade like my late uncle.
However I am still in the gentle grip of RAD but one day I may yet developed the discipline.
Cheer's Paul.

Great read. I have mentioned this before, heard of a local gent who used the same strop and a Puma razor for 20 years. When I started I stuck with 1 razor for about 3 months, a 5/8 Bengall.

I can't see you selling off your collection now you have just spent a grand on hones
I think there is definite merit in limiting the gear you use. It allows you to get very comfortable with it and learn the subtleties of the equipment.

Originally Posted by edhewitt

I can't see you selling off your collection now you have just spent a grand on hones

That is absolutely true!! My Cigar Box that I keep my SR's in is kind of a Time Capsule for my previous Honing Results... I have the first razor I ever "Honed" on my Sharpmaker before I was convinced I needed to actually buy Honing Gear, the first razor I ever Popped/Restored and on through the line of experience and progress. Just getting a few razors done off the Asagi now so it is kinda fun to go back and grab previous razors/results to compare to.

The other challenge with selling stuff off is the change in prices over even just the last few years... What may have cost me $12 plus blood, sweat and tears is now gonna be well north of that... So, yeah, probably unlikely to be selling now that I think about it a bit more.

I also only have one razor and one brush. I have experimented with different creams and soaps however. My wife bought me a very nice Hart Razor, and after I got past the fear, I have enjoyed it quite a bit. My brush is not a real nice one, but I purchased it with an old Saving Bond my Mom left for me when she died. I will have a real tough time parting with that!

Great concept and great post.

It's interesting because what I wound up learning foremost in my own much shorter (so far) experiment thread was that each razor had its own characteristics and that if I used one two or three days in a row, I got better with it.

So, why in the past, when I had a good or bad shave did I just go on to the next in my rotation?!? Maybe that makes no sense until you've spent enough time with each to "give it its chance" maybe.

I think that'll be my next step...go a week each with the same razor, then switch.