Its Quiet Out There....Too Quiet?

Being in Finland, I usually just wait until I visit home in California and buy there if I want to try something new.

does that make two of you who are from/live in Finland now?  MatsilainenP

Haha, yes, in a way — like you said. HMan is from the U.S. but living there, and for me, it's the exact opposite. It's good to have someone else here from the far north.

HMan, was sorry to read about the bad experience you had on a thread, and also understand what you said about collecting vs. just getting to a point where you have what you need. I hope you'll still enjoy some aspects of this forum in the future!

hahaha, yeah @Matsialanen and I are opposite twins.

Thanks for the positive words, that particular thread was an internet perfect storm. It's over now.

There are so many guys here that have literally everything in their collection, that I really don't feel I've got that much to contribute outside my small sphere of knowledge. I still enjoy the fellowship and looking at pics, reading reviews etc.

But there was a thread a while back about lanolin in soaps, which was the only thread I've participated in that left a bad taste in my mouth. I think that really put a damper on things for me. Between that and feeling I'm not in the right league of collector, I haven't been hanging around as much.

Wetshavers of all sorts are tolerated, but the focus is on being a shave prepper on pretty much all the forums now. Years ago, they used to be more about learning as much as anything else. What the bulletin board-style forums used to be seems to have shifted to reddit/wicked_edge nowadays. It is not only wetshaving, most forums centered around everyday use items, such as fountain pens, flashlights, etc. shift focus to having lots of stuff. That is fine for some folks, others are more focused on experiences than materialism. It doesn't matter, as there is a place online for everyone, and the number of online options is growing. So maybe that is why the forums seem rather quiet? Sometimes quiet is good, like a peaceful place in the woods.

I recon, there comes a point where you're basically satisfied with what you have, which is excellent IMO. The forums have been a huge help, and there will always be new guys hoping in. Shaving isn't going away, but maybe the need to participate extensively in forums etc is cyclical and needs based for many of us.

If you look at membership totals vs. the number of people online at any given forum, the ratio is typically 10-20 to 1. Most registered members on forums are long departed, the forum in question having given them whatever information they were seeking. That is actually a good thing, as it means information has been acquired and goals have been accomplished. A lifetime of satisfying shaves is a pretty good goal to accomplish, no? Equally important IMHO are the people who quickly peruse the forums, get whatever they were looking for, and then move on and use that information.

There are needs other than information that are met, too. I think that at the end of the day, what is really important is in the real world in our everyday lives, not online at any one location. Something to think about every morning when we look in the mirror and to are totally stoked about getting a greatly improved shave.

Please pardon me. It is time to go have my routine, completely excellent, very affordable, only have two razors, a soap, a cream, two brushes, and some blades shave. Yes, there really is more than one way to skin a cat. Your way is every bit as good as anyone else's, and whether or not they agree is irrelevant.

This thought just came to me but at least for me I consume content much more than I create it. I lurk and read incessantly about technique or a certain product to get as much info as possible. I don’t post 1/100th of what I read. In the beginning of this journey were like a sponge just getting as much info as possible but we get to a point where the info on a certain topic has become second nature. This leads to less question asking and less try and see purchases.

I just took up the hobby about a year ago and love the forum. Thanks for the warm welcome.
-Bill

This thought just came to me but at least for me I consume content much more than I create it. I lurk and read incessantly about technique or a certain product to get as much info as possible. I don’t post 1/100th of what I read. In the beginning of this journey were like a sponge just getting as much info as possible but we get to a point where the info on a certain topic has become second nature. This leads to less question asking and less try and see purchases.

Marcos - very true. And I'm glad you mentioned new members gathering information. Sometimes we forget that people are absolutely new to the forum and desire starter tips - razors to start with - how to lather, etc.

Hi - I'm new here, and it's been interesting to read this thread. Wet shaving can't be a large market given the ease of cans and cartridges, to say nothing of electric razors. It's not the same as high-end audio, where there are (arguably imperceptible) performance differences - or even Patek Philippe vs. Timex watches, although maybe that's closer. This seems to be a throwback to simpler times; if so, it's understandable that the market is small, and I'm not sure what would grow it. I'm in my 60s - my father used DE razors, but I grew up with cartridges - this is really my first foray into DE razors, and I'm probably not so unrepresentative. I'm liking the learning process and the "time alone shaving" but I can't imagine that's typically of the population today. Plus shaving sites like this (which I'm finding very cool) with buy/sell forums would not accelerate the growth of new items from stores.
Just my 2 cents....

Hi - I'm new here, and it's been interesting to read this thread. Wet shaving can't be a large market given the ease of cans and cartridges, to say nothing of electric razors. It's not the same as high-end audio, where there are (arguably imperceptible) performance differences - or even Patek Philippe vs. Timex watches, although maybe that's closer. This seems to be a throwback to simpler times; if so, it's understandable that the market is small, and I'm not sure what would grow it. I'm in my 60s - my father used DE razors, but I grew up with cartridges - this is really my first foray into DE razors, and I'm probably not so unrepresentative. I'm liking the learning process and the "time alone shaving" but I can't imagine that's typically of the population today. Plus shaving sites like this (which I'm finding very cool) with buy/sell forums would not accelerate the growth of new items from stores.
Just my 2 cents....

All you have to do to understand how small the market for classic wet shaving is is make note of how many of your friends, colleagues or neighbors shave using a double edge or straight and a brush. I know one colleague. And I'm responsible for his taking it up. I know no one else that practices the fine art of classic wet shaving. That translates into a very small market indeed.

gotta admit - that's a conversation I've never had with friends, colleagues, or neighbors
but now it'll be a good ice-breaker!

Be careful, while I've converted one of my brothers and my son, when I raised the subject with a couple of good friends it didn't really go over all that well - from their reaction you'd have thought I'd asked them what brand of condom they used!!  Thats why forums and youtube are so useful now that young guys can't/don't get this kind of helpful information from their dads.  I can't speak for the younger guys (I'm 59) but in my experience, guys don't talk openly about their grooming (in person).  To anyone, not even your barber.  You just let him cut your hair how he wants and if you don't like it you find another barber.  To actually tell him how you want your hair cut shows a little too much concern with your appearance which can be interpreted as weakness.  Don't get me wrong, guys want to look good and most actually do attend to their grooming, they just don't want to look like they actually spend more than the bare minimum of time and effort doing it.  And women think its easy being a guy.