I'll start this to keep any thread-jacking from happening (on this subject anyway) like happened to Dan's thread yesterday.

I posted yesterday that I'm on a couple of shaving boards, one mostly dedicated to straight razors (www.straightrazorplace.com), and one leaning more towards D/E safety razors (www.badgerandblade.com) but with a fine contingent of straight users as well.

Ever since I was old enough to shave, I basically hated the routine. It was something I did only because I had to, especially where I work now where a "No Beard Policy" is a condition of employment. I shaved in the shower, and it was only the quicker the better.

One day I saw how much the Bride paid for the Mach III blades I used. I said "Screw this, there has to be something better". At first, it was mostly an economic decision. I bought a Merkur Classic DE razor, a pack of 10 Merkur blades, a cheap Wilkinson Sword Boar bristle brust and a tub of cheap Wilkinson Sword shaving soap. The afore mentioned kit was all in, about $40, and replacement blades being less than $5 for 10, much better price if you bought bulk off E-Bay.

First thing I noticed was how good my face now felt after shaving. There was absolutely no comparison to what I felt before, and believe it or not, the shave was closer. I now CAN NOT shave every 24 hours, I can't. I don't have a quick growing heavy beard, so YMMV.

Skip ahead to today. I now own a Dovo straight razor and a 4 sided paddle strop (I love using this), I own 2 Merkur razors (the original I bought and a Futur, a very heavy razor that feels wonderful in my hands), and 2 old Gillettes from the 60s. I got another brush, a Vulvix Pure Badger (as opposed to Super, Silvertip, etc, all higher quality from different parts of the animal) and a small assortment of soaps, shaving creams, etc.

Now, it's become more than economics. Matter of fact, it basically isn't economical any more. It's about me, and spending time with me alone. Now, when I shave, it takes me 45 minutes to shower and shave, and it's a part of the day I look forward to and relish.

Example, last night at 10 PM, the Bride is watching something on television I wasn't interested in. So I went to shower and shave. I put "Dark Side of the Moon" on the music box in my bathroom, and spend close to the next hour alone, in my own little world, enjoying what I was doing and pampering myself.

Here's what I used last night:



Like I said, this has gone past the economical place where I started and has become doing something for me, something I now enjoy doing after more than 30 years of hating it.

Allow me to make a comparison:

We all enjoy smoking with friends, sharing cigars, shooting the breeze, sharing a couple of beverages of choice, etc. But there are times when sitting in your favourite place to smoke, alone, with one of your favourite cigars, just makes you feel good, right??

Well, that's how I now view shaving.

There are guys here who have an unbelieveable number of cigars collected and aging. Basically any "hobby" is subject to collecting.Wanna see a nice collection of "shaving gear"??

Look HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE