Why Should the Average Man Join Us?

Is just a conversation.  Some of you are making so much out of this.  Ok, lets go back and talk about who takes the best SOTD pictures.  Please!

hrfdez , you're definitely in that conversation - your SOTD pictures are awesome

Hehehe.  Average at best.  Celestino is the king of SOTD photography.

Yes, celestino takes SOTD to another level.

ask4Edge there's no doubt that there are plenty of shavers out there (men and women) using carts but using brush and soap and other post shave products and their shaves are immensely better than those of the cart and canned foam users.  I think there is room for everyone.  Sometimes its just part of an evolutionary process to migrate first to the brush and bowl then maybe later to the DE, SE or even the straight.

I agree, Marko, especially in regard to brush and soap. Speaking for myself, I've been at this hobby for ~15 years, and though I've noticed that more DE types/brands have cropped up, I think they have only barely dented the cart-dominated market. To be honest - and not to be negative - personally, I wouldn't wager on seeing DE shaving being a threat to cart shaving in the foreseeable future.

I think convenience will trump quality for the majority of shavers out there. It seems to be the way the world has been going for a while. Take food for instance, the home cooked traditional family meal is becoming less the norm. People don't cook, they eat out or heat up convenience food. Traditions are lost. Sad. With shaving, our fathers jumped on to more convenient methods be it carts or electric because let's be serious, most of our fathers or grandfathers weren't enjoying the same shaving experience that we are today with our access to fine artisanal products and so forth. My dad had a truly crappy set up with a fatboy (broken) using blades well past their prime, he had an awful shaving brush which was just a knot that had fallen out of the handle and his soap was a bar of baby soap in a plastic travel dish. Bits of tissue stuck to his face were a common sight at breakfast. Now to be fair, my dad has to be one of the cheapest people on earth (Yorkshireman) and this set up may not have been representative of the norm at the time but people like him eagerly embraced greater convenience. I've rambled on a bit but what I meant to say is, I agree with you.

Below is a post I wrote about a similar issue elsewhere that may have some relevance here:

There has been a safety razor niche since the 90's, about the time the cartridge razors really took off. But it has only been in the last few years that an explosion of new safety razors have come to market. All of these new companies and artisan producers would not have survived in the early 2000's, as there simply are not enough 'collectors' to satisfy this demand.

Case in point... The Art of Shaving claims "sales of safety razors have increased 1,000 percent from 2009 to 2014"

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/20/style/....html?_r=0

A 1,000% increase in safety razor demand in the last five years simply cannot be attributed to 'collectors' or 'hobbyists'. The numbers are exploding and will continue to grow. Why is this?

I agree with the point of view that says that most men find shaving to be a chore and a nuisance. Most men want a shave that is (in descending importance, price being excluded from present consideration):

1. Convenient and quick with minimal maintenance

2. Safe (the least amount of cuts, weepers, and irritation)

3. Close (BBS or DFS if possible)

One simply should consider the history of the last couple hundred years of shaving to see where we have been and where we are going.

In the 1800's, a straight razor shave was a man's only option. While the style of the times had a small part to play, you will notice pictures in this time period showing many more men wearing beards. Straight razor shaving arguably requires the highest amount of skill, and contains plenty of dangers. Maintaining a straight razor also requires time and skill, sharpening and honing... and barber shaves eventually get expensive, and are not always convenient.

So, in comes the invention of the safety razor. Much safer, and certainly more convenient. Now, we look at old pictures of men from the early 1900's. Not nearly as many beards.

Throughout the 20th century there has been many advances in shaving technology in an effort to deliver a better result with one or more of the 3 points mentioned above. These include disposable blades (point 1), injectors (point 1), stainless steel blades (points 1,2, & 3), electric razors (points 1 & 2), a pivoting head (point 2), and carts and disposables (points 1 & 2).

The reason why electrics and carts are as big as they are is because they are so superior at convenience and safety (points 1 & 2). But in doing so, they have sacrificed closeness (point 3). Men might desire convenience and safety over closeness, but the fact that closeness (point 3) is lacking is driving many men back to safety razors, and is also spurring new razor makers to develop the technology to better accomplish all three points.

Consider 2 examples: the Feather AS-D2 and the OneBlade. Both of these razors deliver some of the safest, closest shaves you are likely to find, with minimal to no irritation. Changing the blade on a OneBlade is easier than changing a cart, and it incorporates a pivot, which makes the razor even safer and allows the best success even with minimal technique.

At the rate new companies are springing up, how long will it take before a plastic handled AS-D2 or OneBlade is made to sell for $40 or less in your local Walmart? And with the amount of innovation out there, who knows what newer technologies will be coming on the market to better satisfy all three points!

I'm not sure what new technology or designs may be coming, but I do know this... men will happily give up their carts and electrics if a razor will be offered that is just as convenient and safe, but gives a closer, smoother shave.

And guess what gents... that is already starting to happen!

Traditional wet shaving, lol.....

Well, I don't know if the average man should join us. I do think that the average man should investigate traditional wetshaving if he is getting lousy shaves or views shaving as a chore. Some will find traditional wetshaving works great for them, others will do as well or better with a cartridge system or electric shaver. Of those who get an improved shaving experience, they should join us because traditional wetshaving will make their shaves more enjoyable. An enjoyable shaving experience is, after all, the end goal. This answer begs three additional questions:

What is the definition of traditional wetshaving?
How is the average man to discover that traditional wetshaving even exists as an option?
How is the average man going to learn how to use traditional shaving gear and what bits and pieces to get?

There has been a safety razor niche since the 90's, about the time the cartridge razors really took off. But it has only been in the last few years that an explosion of new safety razors have come to market.

As I recall, cartridge razors were introduced in the early 1970s and had all but taken over the marketplace by the end of the decade. Ubiquitous TV commercials made that a virtual certainty. The safety razor "niche" was probably old school guys sticking to what they knew and liked.

I'm not sure what new technology or designs may be coming, but I do know this... men will happily give up their carts and electrics if a razor will be offered that is just as convenient and safe, but gives a closer, smoother shave.

And you can convince them that it won't cut their face to ribbons.

I think the word "safe" is meant to imply it won't cut their face to ribbons. There are at least a couple new safety razors on the market that can promise exactly this, and with new innovations and technology, I expect even more from the future...

And while you are correct, Tbone , that carts became more dominant by the end of the 70's, they really started to dominate and cut into the electric market (electric was the more dominant market at the time), with the release of the Mach 3 in the 90's. It was only in the 90's that people started to return to safety razors, birthing the niche we have today which is only recently exploding.

What is the definition of traditional wetshaving?

I don't think there's just one great answer. I think the wetshaving part is much easier to tackle, as it's shaving which involves the use of water.
It's the "traditional" part which is murky. I think most/all of us would agree that a straight razor is traditional, and that a Fusion ProGlide is not.
How about a DE safety razor? Well, when first introduced, in 1903,  the safety razor was considered a modern invention at the time (and by no means traditional). Of course, through the passage of time, modifications, shaving method alternatives, etcetera, the safety ("safety", lol) razor, has become more and more widely accepted as traditional.

How about carts? Well, again, I think we all (or at least mostly all) can agree, a FusionProGlide razor isn't traditional. However, many in the cart community scoff at the modern 5-blade system cart, and state that they prefer a more "traditional" cart, like an Atra - which was introduced in 1971, and used by many generations of users. (I suppose that Atra, is - by definition - traditional.)

So...I don't have a definitive answer to what traditional is here, and I've yet to come across solid evidence of where, exactly, the (defining) limits of the term lie. (Of course, I touched upon just shaving instruments, and not shaving software.)

All that said, I think there is some practical value to the term, traditional wetshaving (but if anyone has a better term, I for one, would welcome it.)

How is the average man to discover that traditional wetshaving even exists as an option?

Well, it seems to me that the big names in shaving are rather content with shavers purchasing their expensive plastic disposable carts, so I don't see them strongly steering shavers into the realm of DE/SE/straight razor shaving (compared to the realm of cart shaving); for instance, just look at the massive advertisement campaigns for carts. (I think this is congruent with the fact that many of the old-school quality double-edge safety blades, the likes of Wilkinson Light Brigades, Gillette "Swedes, " etc., went out of production.)

New members will still keep trickling into the fold, though - either due to discontentment with the state of their shaves (hence actively seeking out alternatives), or due to having their interest piqued by some chance encounter with TWS- either through the internet, friend, brick-and-mortar store, or what have you.

How is the average man going to learn how to use traditional shaving gear and what bits and pieces to get?

Once aware an alternative shaving method exists, (hopefully) they'll get the spark to seek more info, such as that provided on forums, such as DFS. :-)

Although the definition of traditional wet shaving may vary slightly, I guess what I meant in the OP was any system, even using new tech, that uses single, common form blades (DE, SE, straight/shavette blades).

But to clarify, in the spirit of the OP, I don't even care so much about "traditional" wet shaving as such. I'm only with that because it gives me the best shave. Create an electric or laser razor that will give me more closeness, safety, and convenience and I will switch to that system, and advocate for it.

I think one thing the hobby has going in it's favor is the recent trend of men "pampering" themselves.

Say what you will about metrosexuals and "hipsters", they have done all of us a favor...they have made it socially acceptable for "real men" to pamper themselves.

Don't take that the wrong way. "Real men" have never much concerned themselves with how others perceive them...they do what makes them happy. But the hipster movement and the metrosexual movement have both opened up HUGE avenues of fashion and hygiene for men. New companies with product lines dedicated to men, by men, where in the past, men's lines were merely annexes of larger fashion outlets.

Suddenly it is not only OK, but encouraged for men to take better care of their skin, their hair, their nails, etc. "Manly" has always been portrayed as grease under the nails, crumbs on the shirt, dirty jeans and workboots. We only "cleaned up" when our women "made us". That's all changed, dramatically, I might add, in the last 15 years or so. It is now acceptable for men to pamper themselves, have soft and smooth skin, wear nice smelling products, dress in Sunday Best on Wednesday morning, and generally spend money on products and spend time on routines to achieve those goals...and still be able to tear into a carberateur, rip around on a motorcycle, swing a 15lb maul with one hand and own a chainsaw...just in case...

I think that is why this hobby continues to grow...

Think you nailed it.

Who's this "average man"?