2 years with Same razor, brush, and soap..

Today marked my 2nd year shaving with the exact same razor, lathering with the same brush and using the same soap.. and when I say same soap yes I mean the soap cake I bought 2 years ago. I started it more of a way of showing the economy of the hobby than anything else but during that time I have lost my job, found a new one .. which happened to be 2600 miles away from where I lived.. moved to start the new job, started school back up to better myself at my current job and list can go on and on.
Now for the soap I was using CADE ( alas poor CADE is no more today was the last shave with what remained ) and for me I can go 2 or 3 days before I anyone notices I haven't shaved so that is one reason the soap lasted so long. My razor was one I purchased when I first started shaving with a straight 3 years ago but was somewhat abandoned when my "collector's itch" started and I at one time had a stable of about 50 razors, all of which have since been sold. So I also broke a habit in the process too.
I keep my own razor honed and touch it up every 6 months to a year since it sees what most would call light duty. I do have a few blades that are missing scales that I need to start working on but since all my shop equipment was sold for the move ( had to fit 2600 sq ft of items into a POD that only held 1200 sq ft of stuff. ). I feel like I am starting my journey anew in the fixing/honing area and can't wait. Now to just get my wife to say yes to go to Antique stores.. LOL.

Happy shaving to all and as with any hobby enjoy it for not only the shaving aspect but the challenges that can ensue as well.

Andy

Nice post! The hobby is very interesting and satisfying. One day I took the badger to some plain dove soap. I bowl lather and dropped a little glycerin in. Not bad at all. I could do that every day.

If you want it to, life can be simple.

Wow two years that could show some cartridge shavers how to save some cash!

Yes life can be extremely simple or very complicated depending on perspective. I took up the challenge as a 1 year endeavor to show my wife I could go without spending any more on my hobby. It then stretched into 2 partly because or me wanting to see how long I could go and partly due to life happening. I am now itching to restore some more razors and get a new set of honing stones to play with to increase my skills in that area. So much fun and so little time to do it all.

great post !!

Congratulations to you and your success in the face of adversity!! So, I'm curious, now that you need a soap, what will it be? Return to the trusted Cade? Or is it time for a change?

Hey Troggie, long time no see.

You've definitely proven you have more discipline than 99% of our population :)

Have fun.

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Originally Posted by donv

Congratulations to you and your success in the face of adversity!! So, I'm curious, now that you need a soap, what will it be? Return to the trusted Cade? Or is it time for a change?

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Well you see before I started this I had just orders some Momma Bears Lemon Ice, and Rosemary Mint soaps. I opened the Lemon ICE and did a lather to toss on my face just to see what it was like. Nice and cooling, which with the temperatures heading up will be a nice. I will probably order another puck of CADE at some point but now I can start experimenting with soaps again.

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Originally Posted by Ryan82

Hey Troggie, long time no see.

You've definitely proven you have more disciplne than 99% of our population :)

Have fun.

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Yeah.. about the time I took on this endeavor I banned myself from the forums as they tended to cause me to want more.. now I have gotten back on I will see if that still holds true or if I can be a more productive contributor without feeling the need to buy every razor I see on here. :rock:

The fortitude that you posess is amazing. I couldn't do it.
You Rock :rock:

Good Luck T! You will land on your feet and sounds like you're more experienced than a bunch. Hope all goes well and I hope to get my first shave soon. I have sharpened my second razor to the point where it shaves my arm effortlessly. My first one I broke off the scales to make new ones. I am hoping it's shave ready (the second), but I don't know what that is yes as I have yet to get one that is truly in that state. I dont know what to go by since I am starting with vintage razors.

I have pretty much been inactive for the [similar] reasons...i.e., I just want to shave well - purely and simply. The gentleman that introduced me to this some years ago has shaved with his grandfather's razor and no other one for mor ethan thirty years. Basically, while not that disciplined, I do manage to shave with the same 4 razors, day-in-and-day-out. I also no longer use the pastes. When a razor gets dull, I just shelve it. And when they're all dull, I then put them on my coticule for a few passes with light slurry and then a few with just water. I do, however, find that I do hone my razors more often than some on this forum. Probably because I really like my razors very, very sharp. In fact, I find it inconceivable that any razor can be used very often and only is on the stone[s] once or twice per year. I also disagree with anyone that doesn't think you can do [almost] all your honing on one stone, because I do. And, I do swear, I couldn't possibly get or want a razor any sharper or any smoother than results from my BBW/Coticule. About the only thing I spend any money on now is the occasional shaving pucks for my scuttle-kettle. In conclusion, it can be a relatively cheap hobby so long as you don't get all caught up in it.

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Originally Posted by Troggie

Yes life can be extremely simple or very complicated depending on perspective. I took up the challenge as a 1 year endeavor to show my wife I could go without spending any more on my hobby. It then stretched into 2 partly because or me wanting to see how long I could go and partly due to life happening. I am now itching to restore some more razors and get a new set of honing stones to play with to increase my skills in that area. So much fun and so little time to do it all.

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Hah! That's what I thought until RAD took over.

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Originally Posted by leadduck

Hah! That's what I thought until RAD took over.

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Oh I had RAD initially.. I was buying and selling razors an average of 10 a week. I would search all the antique stores in my area and within a 50 mile radius about once a week. But when life hits you tend to see what is more important and end up following that path. I still have 3 blades that I need to refurbish and get some scales made to either keep and use or turn around and sell. We shall see if when I start doing that again if RAD takes over or stays in check.