2nd thoughts on switching to wet shaving?

.... However, am I the only one that sometimes questions if I made the right choice, especially from a financial perspective?

No, you're certainly not the only person who has questioned that choice. I've been at this for over a decade and I always wonder about that. 

The guys who are proponents of the high-end stuff will take issue with this, but I've realized that the key to a good shave is not so much the equipment as the user and their level of experience. If you start off with good prep, a decent soap and a cheap synthetic brush, you can create a great hydrating lather. Couple that with a $20 razor that you've taken the time to learn how to use properly, and a good blade, and you'll wind up with the same shave as you will with a $1000 brush and razor. 

There's nothing wrong with approaching this as a hobby and having fun with it. That approach won't save you money, of course. And the shaves will not be better than what you can get with a cheap razor. 

I say this as a guy who spent over $1000 on a custom Tim Zowada Damascus razor. It was absolutely beautiful, and it didn't shave any better than a $15 razor I picked up from an antique store. I've used a Wolfman - beautiful razor and it didn't shave me any better than my 2013 R41. Nothing against it, but it's not worth the money for the resulting shave. 

Decide on why you're on this journey. If the reason is to have a good shave on a budget, choose a razor and blade and then spend the time learning how to get the best shave from them. The limiting factor is usually you and not the equipment.

Many people get started with wet shaving because they think that cartridge refills are too expensive. That was never my motivation. Yes, there are minimalists who have one razor, one type of blades, one brush, and one soap who can save money. I switched because I was never satisfied with the quality of my shave using electric razors or cartridge razors. I have a fast-growing ,coarse beard and sensitive skin. I never was able to achieve a close shave, free of irritation with my former methods.

Thus, I set about on a journey to find razors, blades, brushes, soaps and techniques that would provide me the very best quality shaves. I tried straight razors, DE razors and SE razors. I tried a variety of blades in the safety razors. I tried a large number of different hones and pasted strops for refining the edge of my straight razors. I have tried various styles of shaving brushes using badger hair, boar bristles, horsehair, and synthetic fibers. I have evaluated enough soaps to last me for 25 years. Like many journeys, this one was long, arduous, fraught with some wrong turns, and rather expensive. However, after a few years of research, evaluation, and experimentation I can get a close, irritation-free shave about 95% of the time. Yes, there are still occasional shaves when something is not quite right and I won't get the quality of shave I seek. That is often when I am using a soap that is not quite up to my current standards or I try using a blade a little longer than I should. It might also be when I am evaluating a new soap. Even though I have more than enough soaps to last the remainder of my life, I still try new ones looking for ones that might be even better than my current ones. I have discovered some wonderful soaps over the past year.

For me it wasn't so much the straight up cost as the feeling of being ripped off. Shaving cartridges, inkjet printers, "broadband" ISPs...ugh. I'd say most of the wet shaving products I've bought have been much better value for money.

Almost settled now. I mostly rotate among 3 creams (Salter, Stone Cottage, WSP), use an IB Plissoft brush, 2 passes with a Henson & a 3rd with a OneBlade, followed by several spritzes of Thayers with some Stirling Frost Drops mixed in.

Sure, I'd like to try an injector & maybe one of the new PAA brushes...

Wetshaving for most of us is a "hobby" not only a required, meaningless "task". Hobbies do cost money! They should hopefully be bringing you enjoyment, memories, maybe even some new friendships.

On a side note, Wetshaving is the cheapest of my many hobbies... and by a very wide margin. For me, part of the hobby is trying new things and sharing my thoughts/experiences with others on this forum.

OP: Live within your means (and it sounds like you are), have fun, don't overthink it!

I'm an outlier when it comes to this hobby, at least my reason for switching. Cartridge razors were never an issue for me. I've always been a three-pass shaver, and the shaves I got with carts were perfectly fine and smooth. Having said that, I didn't particularly enjoy shaving. I made the switch out of curiosity and to learn a new skill, and I've never looked back. Are my shaves better? Absolutely not - however my shaves are much more enjoyable. I look forward to shaving each and every day now, opposed to shaving every other day just to get the job done. 

There are times I have to question my sanity for making this a hobby. I mean, really...Slicing stubble off your face as a hobby? If you would've told me five years ago that shaving would become a hobby for me, I would've laughed hysterically. Yet, here I am. 

This hobby, like any other, it all in what you make it. Do you want to be a minimalist? You can do that. Do you want all the latest and greatest offerings, regardless of price? That's an option as well. My stash falls smack in the middle. I do have some higher-end razors, as well as a number of vintage razors that cost very little. I can get the exact same shave quality from any razor, so long as I do my job properly. 

I was fortunate to learn early on that gear means very little, and that technique trumps tools. This is the mantra on another shaving forum that I belong to. So long as the razor is in good mechanical shape, and the blade has no defects, proper technique will yield a great shave. This mirrors what yohannrjm said. 

If I have a weakness, it would be shaving soaps. Most soaps out today are very good to excellent. I'm not a "base chaser", which helps keep the number of soaps in check (kinda    ). Every now and then a scent sounds too good to pass up. That's something I can rationalize, as the cost is reasonable. It's much less expensive than tobacco products, which I used to use. I do try to keep the inventory to a manageable level though. This hobby is still way less expensive than boating, Harleys, etc. 

The bottom line is to enjoy your shaves, regardless of what type or amount of gear you have. If you enjoy shaving with Arko and a flea market find razor, there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. As the saying goes - "It's your shave. Enjoy it your way."

There are two reasons I have not gone back to cartridge shaving, even though I sometimes question the cost efficiency. The first is that I enjoy it. I'm not sure why since previously I found shaving more of a chore than anything else. Perhaps, it was the lockdowns we had due to Covid that caused me to find new activities to keep me from going stir crazy, or it could be that I really never realized what shaving had to offer. Either way, I have come to find that the whole process has become more like a ritual that I don't mind taking the time to perform. I enjoy creating a lather, sniffing the scents of the soap and aftershaves, receiving the audio and tactile feedback of the blade against my skin, and knowing I'm doing something a little more traditional (as compared to cartridge shaving). In essence, it makes me happy.

The second reason I find it hard to switch back, is that the wet shaving community, for the most part, is so much different than any other I've partaken in. The members are some of the kindest and most helpful people I've met. Whenever I've had a question, I've never been ridiculed, no matter how dumb the question has been. Although opinions differ, no one trashes anyone for having there's. One thing, I'm especially unaccustomed to, is the generosity displayed. Members are willing to lend products just so others can try them out, even very expensive ones. It takes a lot of trust to send a $100+ razor to someone you've probably never met except in forum. That generosity is extended to the PIFs that are regularly given out, with the provider even paying for postage at times. I know I could sell everything and still enjoy the forums, but it's a different feeling to me; like looking at a party from outside a house window (you can see what's going on, but you're not really part of it).

So second thoughts at all on wet shaving. I have spent a TON of money, but I've really enjoyed chasing and pursuing this hobby. I love it, its one of the great many pastimes I enjoy. No regrets.

Wetshaving for most of us is a "hobby" not only a required, meaningless "task". Hobbies do cost money! They should hopefully be bringing you enjoyment, memories, maybe even some new friendships.

On a side note, Wetshaving is the cheapest of my many hobbies... and by a very wide margin. For me, part of the hobby is trying new things and sharing my thoughts/experiences with others on this forum.

OP: Live within your means (and it sounds like you are), have fun, don't overthink it!

Through shaving meets, I have met some people that I list among my friends. I have also met folks on shaving forums that I have gotten to know through their posts, private messages, and even email. Even though I may never meet them face to face, I list them among my friends as well. My definition of a friend is someone with whom you share common interests and principles and who provides support during some of life's challenges. There are a number of shaving forum members who meet that definition.

In these days of social media, the term "friend" has lost much of its meaning for most people. There are instructions for how to gain 10,000 friends on a certain social media site. However, the only connection most of those people share is in being on a list of names. That is not what friendship is all about.

Second thoughts on wetshaving?

https://youtu.be/y-04g9r1QaA

Wetshaving for most of us is a "hobby" not only a required, meaningless "task". Hobbies do cost money! They should hopefully be bringing you enjoyment, memories, maybe even some new friendships.

On a side note, Wetshaving is the cheapest of my many hobbies... and by a very wide margin. For me, part of the hobby is trying new things and sharing my thoughts/experiences with others on this forum.

OP: Live within your means (and it sounds like you are), have fun, don't overthink it!

Through shaving meets, I have met some people that I list among my friends. I have also met folks on shaving forums that I have gotten to know through their posts, private messages, and even email. Even though I may never meet them face to face, I list them among my friends as well. My definition of a friend is someone with whom you share common interests and principles and who provides support during some of life's challenges. There are a number of shaving forum members who meet that definition.

In these days of social media, the term "friend" has lost much of its meaning for most people. There are instructions for how to gain 10,000 friends on a certain social media site. However, the only connection most of those people share is in being on a list of names. That is not what friendship is all about.

Very well said, and I agree! There are folks here I list as friends, yet if I walked into them on the street I wouldn't have a clue. Except for Stubble Daddy, I should be able to recognize his hands after seeing all those post of him holding various beautiful brush handles for us to fight over!
(j/k Paul, no offense! just having some fun!)