Why Keep Buying More?

I think at the beginning it is an addiction to some. I have been doing this for over twenty five years, but the new gear bug caught me and hooked me for a little while. Now, I'm fine with just the gear I enjoy and need. I still buy something here and there, but nothing compared to say, three years ago.

For me it was about trying something new, and then after three years I came to the realization that whether I was shaving with a ATT razor or a Fatboy, in the end, I got the same quality shave regardless of the tool used. Smooth is Smooth. It wasn't like one razor left me with a substantially better or worse shave. In the end, the destination was the same. When I realized that I decided no more hardware for me. 13 razors is enough. I won't buy a new razor unless something leaves the den for it to replace. I will still hit antique stores and the flea markets when I travel for business in search of the vintage razors that are priced reasonably and in good shape, because frankly, I love vintage razors. But for me, no more new razors regardless of what pops up on kickstarter or Etsy.

You could almost apply your query to just about any consumer product. Why does one household need two playstation 4's or 3 ipads or 3 computers? Why do I need several watches when you can only wear one at a time and they all perform the same function? Why do I need 15 fountain pens when I can only write with one at a time? Part of it is the collection aspect of it the other part is we are a consumerist society that affords people disposable income

I'm the same as many here, I like to try new things, and I like to find what works for me as well. I've been wet shaving now for... wow, almost three years this April! I started out with very little, just a Parker 22R some Mana Bear's Soap and a Parker Badger Brush. That lasted me, 7 months, around that, before I really got the bug! lol My B-day is in November so when my parents asked what I wanted, I said iKon Slant, since it had just come out and Geofatboy's video got me interested in it. I love that razor, but I love the Parker as well, still have both to this day, no plans to get rid of them. I tried a Feather Artist Club, couldn't get the hang of it, tried it a long time later, same result, not for me, I don't have the control of it(it's for sale FYI! lol).

Anyway, after that I was hooked on trying new things, soaps, razors, aftershaves, whatever struck my fancy. Fast forward to present day and I'm struggling to call a halt to things now! I started finding vintage razors, and now I'm looking at injectors, since I LOVE my GEMs and want to try more SE style razors! But now that I have a Stick Schick coming in from andrewjs18 this is going to my last purchase for a long, long time, I hope. I'm fickle and impulsive at times(terrible combination! lol), so it'll be a struggle, since I have been acquiring new things for a while now. But I'l manage... I hope

Why acquire more types of anything? Why collect, Why show interest in different styles? Why have different pairs of shoes or anything else for that matter. Pac rat syndrome or just basic human nature? A hoarder an one end of the scale and a minimalist at the other. It's what people do!! Being able to afford more just makes for more fun. Some people do, some people don't. What else can be said?

At the beginning, it was pure fascination with new instruments to see which worked, best. Now, after five years, I have settled on what works best for me and I only focus on new scents of my favourite soap, or even a new soap, at times, and brush handles (for my photos). I have a weakness for the latter.
Nothing else really intrigues me, any longer, except straight razors, which unfortunately, I don't use, but would love to.

Reasons for me:
For the sake of collection.
For razor exploration.
Good upselling tactics by some vendors.
Hype.

I have Merkurs and Parkers I doubt I'll use much now that I am very happy with my ATT, but I do like some variety from time to time. It's enjoyable to develop new skills and techniques with new razors if that makes any sense.

It's also nice to come back to a razor that gave you hell before, only now to sing wonderfully because you have improved your technique by a long shot. I would even go so far as to say this goes with soaps as well. I didn't appreciate some of the soaps I have at first but as I revisit, I find some hidden gems there in my stash from time to time.

I like variety but I am not interested in collecting a drawer full of razors. I have had both an oc and sb Wolfman on order since last June and when those do arrive I will likely pare down a bit. I'd like to end up with what I think is the best for me of each type of razor I like. That will total about 7-8 razors which is about as many as I want.

I'm down to 3 razors now after selling off two more. I have my daily shaver the Feather AS-D2, an Edwin Jagger DE89, and a Weishi TTO that my step-son bought me for Christmas. Surprising to me the Weishi is actually a pretty good shaver. I used it for a week straight with a Kai blade and didn't cut myself a single time. Also I have a Merkur that I won in a PIF but I've never used it and never will so I don't count it. I will be giving it away soon as a PIF so someone else can enjoy it.

I'm down to 3 razors now after selling off two more. I have my daily shaver the Feather AS-D2, an Edwin Jagger DE89, and a Weishi TTO that my step-son bought me for Christmas. Surprising to me the Weishi is actually a pretty good shaver. I used it for a week straight with a Kai blade and didn't cut myself a single time. Also I have a Merkur that I won in a PIF but I've never used it and never will so I don't count it. I will be giving it away soon as a PIF so someone else can enjoy it.

I've been thinking about how to pare down my collection to a tight, especially favored roster, too. Hobbyist how do you find the Feather as far as mildness versus effectiveness? I'm hearing that it's mild, as in not cutting or irritating, yet with a Feather blade still mows down whiskers well. Is that the case? (If so it would remind me a bit of my Wolfman OC.)

I'm down to 3 razors now after selling off two more. I have my daily shaver the Feather AS-D2, an Edwin Jagger DE89, and a Weishi TTO that my step-son bought me for Christmas. Surprising to me the Weishi is actually a pretty good shaver. I used it for a week straight with a Kai blade and didn't cut myself a single time. Also I have a Merkur that I won in a PIF but I've never used it and never will so I don't count it. I will be giving it away soon as a PIF so someone else can enjoy it.

I've been thinking about how to pare down my collection to a tight, especially favored roster, too. Hobbyist how do you find the Feather as far as mildness versus effectiveness? I'm hearing that it's mild, as in not cutting or irritating, yet with a Feather blade still mows down whiskers well. Is that the case? (If so it would remind me a bit of my Wolfman OC.)

The AS-D2 is very efficient but requires a strict technique which isn't hard to learn and actually feels natural to me now. What I mean by strict technique is you have to find the angle that it cuts at and maintain that angle strictly because it has such a tight tolerance. Its a smooth shaver and you have to be pretty careless to cut yes elf but that can happen of course. Those who knock this razor for being too mild I have to wonder if they found the right angle because it is not a very mild razor, but it's also not an R41 either. It shaves about as efficiently as my EJ89 or iKon 101 safety bar side in my experience. As for blades I have only used Kai and Feather and both work excellent. I just shaved a few minutes ago with a feather blade on its second use and got a true BBS shave in 2.5 passes. I usually don't go for BBS but I was enjoying my first shave with Night Music and the slickness was phenomenal so I did a half pass ATG to get a BBS. Also worth mentioning is I have a fairly thick and coarse beard that grows fast (I'm Italian..lol).