Thread: Less is more?

So, even newbies like me know about RAD. PAD too, that is "Paraphernalia Acquisition Disorder". BUT. Butbutbut. Is having more stuff really that good? Beyond a few choice razors, a boar's brush applied to some inexpensive soap and some basic honing gear, how much of the stuff accrued is really beneficial? Is it better to avoid paying for a vast array of equipment than to spend right up to the limit of disposable income?

For those with a dizzying mass of kit, how much more enjoyment do you get out of having loads of stuff than you do with a bare-bones kit? How does the curve fall on this one? Is more more or is less more? The magpie effect works in the short term, the immediacy, but I wonder what it does further down the line.

You could just have 1 razor, a cheap brush, some cheap soap and a strop. Then why not get rid of my vintage guitars too, just keep my favourite? Of course, if you just want the bare essentials you could...but where's the fun in that!! :-)

Remember! The possessions you own can end up owning you! I get a kick out of surviving on minimum. It's half the allure of straight-razor shaving. I could go off into the hills with my kit and stay there indefinitely without having to renew my kit! Are we not men!

Well......part of the aquisition of many razors is to find that One razor that you really love.


That takes time, money and effort.

And razors.....lot's of razors!

I own a few razors that could be my "one and only". I did enjoy it back when I started and I only had three razors. My current stable is still only about 12-14, so it's not completely out of control (I can stop whenever I like......really!)

It's up to you. If you want to have only one razor and shave with the cheapest soap you can get, it is your choice.

I like to have my razor rotation, just like I like to have a bunch of guns, lots of books, a few hundred CDs and an ok wine cellar.

I think it really depends on what you started straight shaving for. If you are just looking for the cheapest way to a good shave then, as you say, all you will need is one razor, one brush, some soap and a strop, and you can send the razor out to be honed when it needs it.

If you have been bitten by the bug then you might want to collect antique/classic razors and restore them yourself. For this you will obviously need more kit, such as hones, polishes, a Dremel kit, scale pinning bits and bobs and so on. I've fallen on this side of the fence so I've literally just had some Shapton hones delivered from SRD and I have an old no name razor that I`m going to restore.

Others may simply take pleasure in the thrill of finding nice razors and the joy of owning such finely crafted tools, much in the same way as some people like to collect other things like watches, musical instruments or cars and motorbikes.

Or it may be a mix of all three...! I think alot of people on this forum enjoy finding the razors on eBay, restoring them back to their former glory and then using them as they were intended. Personally, I also get a thrill out of shaving in what is seen as a bit of a "lost art" as most people just use the plastic "Mach 17" (or however many blades they are up to now..!) and a can of glop from the supermarket.

Everyone gets a kick out of different things I suppose! After all, life would be less interesting if we were all alike..! :-)

I currently have about 8 razors that get used on a regular basis. A couple more that I should really sit down and hone and move on.

I agree with the basic principle, I don't have that much shaving kit, and it was all pretty cheap.

Thanks for your replies, gents! I shave with a straight for its aesthetic appeal, charming decadence and practicality. I think I want to strike a happy medium between no razor at all and a bajillion of the things.

Stubear: I get what you're at. I like the idea of buying up old razors with promise and restoring them to their former glory then passing them on to new owners. But I don't like seeing things that should work being left to rot or being abused.

My own personal preferences are quite spartan, though. Making best use of little is great to me!

Originally Posted by Unruhe

So, even newbies like me know about RAD. PAD too, that is "Paraphernalia Acquisition Disorder". BUT. Butbutbut. Is having more stuff really that good? Beyond a few choice razors, a boar's brush applied to some inexpensive soap and some basic honing gear, how much of the stuff accrued is really beneficial? Is it better to avoid paying for a vast array of equipment than to spend right up to the limit of disposable income?

For those with a dizzying mass of kit, how much more enjoyment do you get out of having loads of stuff than you do with a bare-bones kit? How does the curve fall on this one? Is more more or is less more? The magpie effect works in the short term, the immediacy, but I wonder what it does further down the line.

It all depends on what you want. Simple (and inexpensive) works for me, but if spending more makes you happy, then that is a good investment.

Some of us are cursed with the collecting bug. I haven't been to the gun range for 3 years and a couple of months but I have a half dozen handguns.

When I was a child I collected comic books and I have never stopped collecting one thing or another since. Pocket knives, books, old tattooing machines, tobacco pipes, bicycles and of course razors and hones.

Sometimes I go through my razors I find one that I forgot that I had. Variety it is said is the spice of life. If I was younger and richer I would collect beautiful women and try them out.

I am old and about broke so I collect razors and hones and try them out instead.

This brings to mind my driving on a snowy day in New Jersey 25 years ago. The roads were slick and I was stopped at a red light. In the lane to my left and one car ahead was a beautiful shiny new SUV with a bumper sticker that read."He who dies with the most toys wins."

A car came along going a bit too fast and rear ended the lovely SUV and I thought there was some irony there somewhere. I guess the moral of that story is enjoy what you have while you can. Nothing is permanent.