Its Quiet Out There....Too Quiet?

https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2018/12/12...y-schwartz

That's good.

I'm starting to research English soaps and creams. I go through stages. I've got artisan fatigue presently. Next on my lisdt is look into some of the French soaps.

https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2018/12/12...y-schwartz

I'll take your lack of response to my question to mean you have zero experience with magical alloy razors.

I'll take your lack of response to my question to mean you have zero experience with magical alloy razors.

No, it's just that I am not going to roll around in the mud with an FNG.

About the new/old razor thing - unless a bunch of us have actually used EVERY vintage and new razor that has ever been produced, we can't make accurate blanket statements about them.

I can't say that vintage razors are (or are not) as good as new razors because I've not used every vintage razor or new razor. The most I can say is that I've used vintage razors that match the closeness and comfort of the best new razors I've tried (but I have certainly not tried every new razor). A lot of the vintage razors were not as efficient or as smooth as some new razors, but the converse held true for new razors as well.

So, I've experienced great vintage and new razors as well as mediocre vintage and new razors. If someone else loves a new production razor, the most they can state is that they've never used a vintage razor that matches the Timeless, for example (unless they have used every vintage razor, of course......but then I'd be tempted to call them a liar ). The same holds for anyone who says that vintage razors are better than new ones.

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To go back to the main focus of this thread, maybe the BST slowing down does affect forum usage stats. However, perhaps people are using the forums more for reference about what to buy these days.

10 years ago, there were only a few modern razor manufacturers. Vintage razors were the mainstay of the BST. If you didn't have a good bunch of antique stores around, you relied on the forums to provide you with razors. That meant you haunted the forums. Now, with highly regarded cheap (and expensive) new razors being readily available people no longer have to rely on the BST. So the forums slow down.

I hope that people are still using the forums to learn about shaving and the various options that are available for razors, soaps, creams, AS and other aspects of this hobby.

I'll take your lack of response to my question to mean you have zero experience with magical alloy razors.

No, it's just that I am not going to roll around in the mud with an FNG.  

This fng actually has experience you do not have. I actually have a formed opinion based on experience. I can compare many different modern machined razors against a tech, or many other vintage razors. I have shaved with both. The most you can do is guess. You seem to have a lot of "knowlede" for something you have literally zero experience with.

https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2018/12/12...y-schwartz

That's good.

I don't know, when the author stated they were an Android user I kind of lost all respect...

Apple snobs are the worst...

Enjoyed reading the thoughts above concerning a perceived slowdown on BST as suggestive of a potential decline in our appetite for more stuff...

I’ve tapered a bit, mostly to better consider what I like in soaps and AS’s. Particularly from a scent standpoint (been burned a little on reviews of stuff I found awful smelling), in order to minimize new mistakes.

I’m still adding a razor now and then, but not at the original pace. There too, I know what I require now, and not every thing is as beckoning as it once was.

For me, I bought to enjoy. So, I’m taking time to savor and enjoy...instead of simply chase more.

All that said, new blood is the lifeblood of any enterprise’s growth. To keep this thing flowering, there have to be new subscribers.

That’s going to mean younger shavers weaned away from cartridge systems...and THAT means price.

That cohort is VERY cost conscious, and needs value AND logical reason to switch.

When/If they do...there needs to be a much bigger selection of high quality, low cost tools to begin with.

$300 DE razors and $100+ brushes aren’t going to sell to these would-be converts.

We’re talking about Karve quality for under $20 kind of stuff.

Yes, I know...but THAT is what keeping the hobby filled with new arrivals is going to cost. It isn’t the shave “experience” you’re competing against INITIALLY.

It’s the cost of a cartridge razor that’s the target.

And...as WE know (lol)...there aren’t any real savings if we’re only looking at pricey DE gear...

However...once the magic happens, and the bug bites...

JMO.

I'm starting to research English soaps and creams. I go through stages. I've got artisan fatigue presently. Next on my lisdt is look into some of the French soaps.

I noticed many French soaps had used a variety of vegetable oils like coconut, sunflower, palm/palm kernel, and not too many with tallow. I wish some of them were a bit softer in consistency (higher amount of sodium versus potassium hydroxide). If they were more easily loaded off product, the lathering wouldn't be so hard to develop a coat of lather. Lots of the soaps I remember light to include shea as a common superfat. Let me know if you looking to try any specific ones.