Overrated! or Things that never worked for you that others deem necessary.

So...stealing this idea from another place and time. It's a good thread idea, and I apologize if it already exists here, somewhere, and I never found it...

What products or techniques have you found to be highly touted by the community at large that just don't work for you? As a guideline, this would be something that you read about as being mandatory, or necessary for a good shave, by a large percentage of this forum(or any other), yet you yourself find to be unnecessary or simply overrated.

Products and techniques both are welcome here.

I'll start:
Lengthy pre-shave rituals. Oils, hot towels, hot showers, pre-washes, glycerin soaps, beard prep, etc, etc, etc... I have yet to feel a significant difference in shave quality or comfort with any of the prescribed pre-shave rituals so highly touted by the community at large. Wash, oil and hot towel produces a shave no better or smoother than simply splashing hot water on my scalp and lathering.

Alum. It does nothing for me. I admit that when I was getting a lot of irritation starting out, the sting of the alum block did seem to reduce the post shave irritation, but I honestly haven't used it in months, and I have noticed no difference in my post-shave feel. The best thing I use it for these days is to stop a weeper and provide some necessary grip to my soapy fingers for stretching the scalp. As a styptic, it works well. As a post-shave skin toner, I find it useless.

Open Combs. I love my Old Type, and I really appreciate the look of an open comb razor. They just look like they will scalp you. But I don;t find them to perform any better than my safety bar razors, either in terms of closeness of shave or in ease of cleaning. I rinse my razors every couple of strokes, and never have an issue with clogging. Now...I shave every night, so perhaps if I let my hair grow in a couple days, it would make a difference in terms of clogging, but for a daily head shave, I find it to be unnecessary and overrated...

Your turn!

Your first paragraph is spot on for me. The second is not as alum is an essential part of my shave with coarse whiskers and sensitive skin. It keeps my irritation at bay.

For me, high end brushes are over rated. My silver tip takes a back seat to my Stirling Kong and I find myself worrying that the DFS brush might also not measure up.

Pre shave oils.

Just about everything else in wet shaving I can wrap my head around and appreciate even if I don't personally care for it or use it often myself.

I think "if it works for you" is a good way to look at most things in life as long as nothing causes harm.

Pre shave oils just don't make to sense to me and I wonder what people who swear by them like so much about them.

There's been so many razors, soaps, and brushes I have tried that didn't excite me over the years. I can understand other people digging them.

Sometimes I wonder whether I'm seeing overexuberant excitement when a new gotta have thing is talked about ad nauseam or if it's lack of broader experience in general coupled with sincere enthusiasm.

Other times I have to wonder if it's just plain old fanboy cult status too. That's ok with me. People are entitled to be passionate.

There's plenty of room in the world for everyone.

I would be lying if I said I sometimes don't try stuff at all out of pure cynicism. I try to be less cynical. Honest. It's just that when it seems too forced, and everyone's shaking the pom poms I have to think something's up. Someone has to has to have a dissenting opinion sometimes to bring balance to the force. Lol.

Happily though, I've been proven to myself time and again that some stuff truly just is excellent.

Not pre shave oil though. I think that stuff is silly.

There are too many things to list for me, but if others enjoy them, then who am I to contradict them.

I'm sorry you feel that way about pre-shave oils, Todd (bakerbarber).  I have been using them for as long as I have been shaving with a traditional razor.  The few times I don't use them with a DE or SE or if I am just using a cartridge and canned goo, my face never feels as comfortable post shave.  They may be silly for you and others but for me, a little extra protection for my skin doesn't hurt.  And isn't that what BadDad's thread is about?  What doesn't work for each of us personally does not necessarily mean that the product or shaving technique is bad or even silly.

Well it's all definitely YMMV and all of that. To reach their own, for sure. It's fun to see all of the different opinions.

No offence intended Freddy.

Just because I don't understand it doesn't mean I think people who do and enjoy it are not running their elevator all the way to the top.

I'm strictly baffled by the product, not the people who like it.

For what's it worth I meant no disrespect to anyone in the course of expressing my own opinion.

I respect your opinion on it and am glad you find it adds to your experience in a positive way.

Whenever I've tried it, it seems to mix in with my lather and I cannot tell the difference between my shaves with or without it. I find it a bit messy and don't enjoy having it on my hands as I worry about dropping my razor if I don't wash it off my hands very well after applying it.

I face lather most always. So in that context I may not be getting the optimal use scenario to have the most informed point of view on it.

So, I just elect not to use it.

I used beard oil as a pre-shave oil for a month or so, every night. The first week, I felt like it was making a big difference in the softness of my hair and in the slickness I perceived. But as the month wore on, it got tiresome, to me. When I stopped using it, I did not notice any discernible difference in quality or comfort of shave...

I got some samples of pre shave oil from AoS and it was real sticky. Great scent, but it was like having cooking oil in my face. It didn't do anything other than adding a step to my KISS routine.

I also tried Castle Forbes. That one I liked because it was water soluble. But again, it didn't do anything.

Noxema, ah, now we are talking. I keep a jar for those last minute shaves. I use a little and it is very slick. I only use it with mentholated soaps, but it does the job.

Just because I don't understand it doesn't mean I think people who do and enjoy it are not running their elevator all the way to the top.

I had never heard this expression, before.

Ah it kills me to see people say they don't get pre shaves. To an extent I understand why this is, and many pre shaves are a load of old pony however I do enjoy pre shave oils (from some brands) and Mickey Lee Pre Shave Butter a lot.

For me there is many things but I guess I am not a fan of super lathers for many of the same reasons as Freddy - if a soap doesn't work on its own its a no go for me.

Second, I am sorry if you are one of these people but I don't understand it when people love Unscented or very plain soaps such as MWF when you don't have sensitivities, this is because, for me scent is a huge thing, surely scent and enjoyment is part of the shaving expierence?!

But as everyone has mentioned, we are all different and I shave my face the way I want to and you can carry on shaving your face the way you want to