Member
(This post was last modified: 04-14-2017, 04:30 AM by Tbone.)
(04-12-2017, 12:23 PM)vtmax Wrote: August 2005 Badger & Blade began and grew. That drew new members. The core of the Shavemyface contributors grew older and I don't think a lot of them could get their heads around the logic in owning 40 soaps and 10 razors.From what I have seen, most traditional wetshavers can't get their heads around the logic of owning 40 soaps and 10 razors. At least that was true for several wetshavers I have met in real life, and a lot of folks from the old days online. Prior to 2010, the majority of the people I saw online seemed like they were more into getting a better, less expensive shave that having lots of stuff or super expensive stuff. Even today I see some level of friction between the purists and the accumulators on some forums. There are now some marked differences between the two camps.
Purists or Average Joes
- Want to get great shaves at a bargain price
- Most interested in tools that perform well and give good value for the money
- Have relatively few razors, soaps, brushes, etc. at any one time
- Also focus a lot on improving technique
- Often not terribly interested in intricate rituals and jumping through hoops to get a good shave (simple is better)
- It doesn't matter who makes it, as long as it works well and represents a good value for the money
- Just folks trying to get a better shave at an affordable price, not especially materialist
- Rapidly decreasing as a percentage of the active members on the wetshaving forums
- The great majority of traditional wetshavers overall
Traditional Wetshaving Forum Edition or Accumulators
- Want to get great shaves, and willing to spend exorbitant amounts of money to do so
- Want tools that perform well, cost is no object
- Value for the money is secondary to exclusivity
- Strong focus on having very large amounts of shaving gear
- Technique and great shaves are important, but gear is at least as important
- Often very into involved rituals and willing to jump through hoops to get a good shave
- Often strongly anti-corporate and with a marked preference for artisan products.
- A bona fide subculture of consumption, very materialist
- Now a great majority of active members on the wetshaving forums
- A niche group compared to the total number of traditional wetshavers
That is purely based on my own observations, and not meant to judge one group or the other. I see similar things happening with other special interests that focus on everyday tools and tasks. Fountain pens and flashlights, for example. I will never really understand why some folks want twenty tools to do a job when only one or two is needed at most. I also understand that those folks derive genuine pleasure from their pastime, don't do any harm, and provide revenue opportunities for artisans and small businesses.
Quote:Recently Reddit (Wicked Edge) with their 90,000 members dwarfs anything. Shaving forums are tiny compared to that board.Reddit is run as a business staffed by paid employees rather than a hobbyist site run by volunteers , so it is kind of an apples to oranges comparison. You are right, though, Reddit is growing by leaps and bounds.
