Why Keep Buying More?

All good points made above by all of you. Allow a non razor analogy that might be apt.

Being a bit of a wine snob, I would often fantasize about having the wherewithal to have the very finest expensive wine on the table all the time. I soon realized, however, that people of great means, to whom price is no object, will drink the more ordinary bottlings most of the time reserving the "big bottles" for big occasions. Only by drinking the lesser wines can the nuances of the finest bottles be properly appreciated. Or, as my pappy used to say, "Son, you have to know what bad is to appreciate the good"!

beamon I'm not sure if you saw the post I'm pasting in below when I posted it a while back but it made me think when you mentioned fine wines that a great and inexpensive way to satisfy yourself is to trick yourself into thinking they are expensive.

"I watched this Ted Talk a few days back (its 14 minutes long) on the subject of the price of happiness and whether spending more on something makes us happier.  Its very interesting. He discusses an experiment where people blind tasted various wines while being hooked up to a functional MRI on their brain.  The subjects were given cheap wine but told it was some rare and expensive vintage.  Their brain's pleasure centres lit up like Christmas trees.  They weren't lying, they actually did enjoy it more if they thought it was expensive.  Explains a lot about human nature and the psychology of marketing.

http://www.ted.com/talks/benjamin_wallac..._happiness  "

I agree with your pappy, you have to know bad to appreciate good and furthermore, being human if you're having the good wine every day, you'll soon come to consider it ordinary.  

Mark

 The subjects were given cheap wine but told it was some rare and expensive vintage.  Their brain's pleasure centres lit up like Christmas trees.  They weren't lying, they actually did enjoy it more if they thought it was expensive.  Explains a lot about human nature and the psychology of marketing.
Mark

No question about it, Mark. It's as bad as YMMV applied to wine. Back in the 70s, two other couples and ourselves used to take turns hosting wine dinners. The food was designed to showcase the wine and we used to play tricks on each other. Sometimes, we were fooled completely, while blindfolded, and other times I or others would nail it! Great laughs at each others' expense and no way to predict when someone would fail badly.

I betcha some blindfolded tests with razors, blades, soaps etc. would yield some interesting and fun results.

I agree with your pappy, you have to know bad to appreciate good and furthermore, being human if you're having the good wine every day, you'll soon come to consider it ordinary.  

Mark

Fantastic point! That reminds me of an interview with my favorite perfumer. Near the end of the interview, Roja Dove says the following:

"Anything worthwhile has to hurt a little when you pay. Anything we get just like that - we lose just as easily... we hurt a little bit, we'll always remember the hurt and therefore the thing is precious to us."

I think that's an interesting observation that holds true, especially with high end and luxury products.

Excellent points! I have continued to purchase for variety, however, the more confident I become in my rotation the harder it is becoming to look elsewhere. While I'm sure I will buy razors in the future I am 100% satisfied with my current rotation (likely for the first time).

 The subjects were given cheap wine but told it was some rare and expensive vintage.  Their brain's pleasure centres lit up like Christmas trees.  They weren't lying, they actually did enjoy it more if they thought it was expensive.  Explains a lot about human nature and the psychology of marketing.
Mark

No question about it, Mark. It's as bad as YMMV applied to wine. Back in the 70s, two other couples and ourselves used to take turns hosting wine dinners. The food was designed to showcase the wine and we used to play tricks on each other. Sometimes, we were fooled completely, while blindfolded, and other times I or others would nail it! Great laughs at each others' expense and no way to predict when someone would fail badly.

I betcha some blindfolded tests with razors, blades, soaps etc. would yield some interesting and fun results.

That sounds like it was a lot of fun, assuming nobody took themselves too seriously

On the YMMV for blades, I can't believe that a single factory that is turning out various brands of blades does anything significantly different in the production process from one brand to another. A different stencil on the blade maybe a little longer in one of the coating baths but really, they're trying to turn out decent blades that and cover the bases for the variety of users that will end up using them. I like Viking's Sword blades but I was likely drawn to them because I like Viking history and quite possibly have some Viking DNA given that I have family origins in the Yorkshire area on the east coast of Britain - prime Viking raiding territory. Interestingly, the Viking's sword blades don't say viking's sword on the blades themselves just on the package and I suspect the same blade is packaged in various packaging under different names. I need to find them and see how they compare - if my perception of identical blades would be influenced by what brand I thought they were. Probably would be.
Mark

That sounds like it was a lot of fun, assuming nobody took themselves too seriously

On the YMMV for blades, I can't believe that a single factory that is turning out various brands of blades does anything significantly different in the production process from one brand to another.  A different stencil on the blade maybe a little longer in one of the coating baths but really, they're trying to turn out decent blades that and cover the bases for the variety of users that will end up using them.  I like Viking's Sword blades but I was likely drawn to them because I like Viking history and quite possibly have some Viking DNA given that I have family origins in the Yorkshire area on the east coast of Britain - prime Viking raiding territory.  Interestingly, the Viking's sword blades don't say viking's sword on the blades themselves just on the package and I suspect the same blade is packaged in various packaging under different names. I need to find them and see how they compare - if my perception of identical blades would be influenced by what brand I thought they were. Probably would be.
Mark

I've often wondered about blades. Clearly, there are some that are very different, such as an Astra SP compared to a Feather. Both are great blades, but clearly the Feather is sharper...

But...when I first started, I was repeatedly told that different blades will work differently and feel different, etc, and this may be partially true, but...in my blade collection, I have 7:00 green, Astra SP, Feather, Gillette Silver Blue, Derby Extra green, 7:00 yellow, BlueBird, Wilkinson Sword, Gillette Sword, and some no-name things in a blue package. Honestly...there is very little difference, to me, from one to the next. Yes, I can feel the sharpness difference in the Feathers, and I would also say the Gillette Silver Blue feels comparatively very sharp. Outside of those 2 blades, I really have a hard time feeling a performance difference between them. If I use good technique, I get a good, smooth, irritation free shave. The no-name blades feel equally as smooth and sharp as the 7:00 greens, for example...

So...how much of it is perception of reality vs. actual reality?

So...how much of it is perception of reality vs. actual reality?

How about if there is no actual reality? Maybe what we take for actual reality is merely the preponderant perceived reality. (Sorry, couldn't help myself!)

So...how much of it is perception of reality vs. actual reality?

How about if there is no actual reality? Maybe what we take for actual reality is merely the preponderant perceived reality. (Sorry, couldn't help myself!)

Yes, well there is that, too!

Sent from my LGL34C using Tapatalk

So...how much of it is perception of reality vs. actual reality?

How about if there is no actual reality? Maybe what we take for actual reality is merely the preponderant perceived reality. (Sorry, couldn't help myself!)

Someone has read his postmodernists . One might answer that reality is perceived through dominant discourses of power relations that are co-constitutive of subjects that narrate lived experiences. Ah Foucault lol.

Oh NeoXerxes, we really should hang out on these forums more often.