THE ACCIDENTAL HOARDER

[DJKELLY]

Robin recently posted a thread about hoarders and while I don't have the visceral reaction he does about the issue, I agree with him wholeheartedly with the syndrome and the boorish nature of those involved in hoarding. To be honest, I have ten coticules and probably fifty razors that I have acquired from the bay all in an effort to improve my honing skills. I don't apologize to anyone for this fact and I don't show my "precious collection" to anyone, even my girlfriend. In fact, none of my razors have seen any restoration other than rust removal. All I care about is shaving performance and I have learned a good deal about that even though I wish I knew more about the best shavers out there. In addition I will admit to getting childishly excited when I make a breakthrough in sharpening performance.

That being said, I really screwed up the other day on Ebay. There was a 41 count beautiful razor collection in a presentation case with nothing but great names like Friodur, C-mon and other famous great shavers up for offer with six or seven bids, the final one I think 1500USD. I wanted to find out how high the bid actually was so bid 2500USD knowing full well with a couple days left the bid would blast right through that figure. Forty one beautiful razors at just 80 bucks each would be far more than I bid. I placed the bid and thought no more about it since I was not interested in spending that much for razors I don't need.

Suffice it to say I am now the shocked, proud, BROKE owner of some very nice razors. OUCH! No you can't see them, Robin, but you may be able to buy the case and the razors I find don't shave that well. I still can't believe it went for that price. I guess descretionary funds are very limited in this economy.

Your red-faced pal, Denny

 

[janivar123]

: : : : : : : : :

Now it could be possible to get most of that money back IF you stop hoarding
40 razors and one display case IIRC and some looked real nice

 

[DJKELLY]

I actually have a complete metal/woodworking shop and could restore and sell on ebay in the future. Way after I retire, I hope.

 

[decraew]

It's dangerous, bidding, "knowing"/assuming the item will go higher yet. Been there, done that, didn't like the result at all (although it was with one single razor so the damage wasn't to bad).

If you sell them piece by piece you will probably see you money back.

By the way, what exactly do you mean by "hoarder" ? In fact, if it is just a synonym for "collector", I see nothing wrong with it. People Like To Collect.

 

[DJKELLY]

I am too lazy to look again for Robin's comments on hoarding, but the gist is that the hoarder is one who can't wait to get and show off his latest acquisition. (udate-Robin's post was Message 15662) I am sure Robin can speak for himself, but I know what he is talking about. I have a nice collection of quality knives (Hen and Rooster, etc) and love them, but use them. I am genuinely nerdy when it comes to microscopic edges, but razors themselves don't make me swoon, but shaving with a straight takes care of my Sharp Jones.

I would be interested in learning some of the best shavers out there, price notwithstanding. One of my best shavers cost almost nothing, and has no name or stamping on it at all. There is a strange named razor you afficianados know of and it might be one of them. I would gladly have several of these if I could find them again, and leave it there. BTW Robin, I have several Double Duck Dwarfs and they shave great. If you are getting much better shaves than that, I would love to know what your are using. Sincerely, Denny

 

[Bart]

By the way, what exactly do you mean by "hoarder" ? In fact, if it is just a synonym for "collector", I see nothing wrong with it. People Like To Collect.

There is a distinct difference between hoarding and collecting.

Here's a quote from an old thread:

I don't have collector's blood myself, but several of my friends do. Some collect music record, some collect WW-II relics, some collect straight razors. There's one thing I noticed that all these serious collectors disgust: it's guys that hoard. A genuine collector would never refer to his hobby as an acquisition disorder, as he would find the lack of personal restraint that suggests, not only a disgrace for himself, but also for the objects he loves and studies.

I think a collector acts according to a plan, he tries to complete a series of objects that, one way or another, each relate in a meaningful way to the rest of the collection. I've known a guy who collected Dubl'Duck razors. He knew all the different eras of the company, which Solingen manufacturers made which razors during which era, and he tried to obtain one representative of each, preferably as mint as possible. That man had a plan, and the patience to spend years hunting the items on his list. I'm sure the real fun was in searching and finding, less so in owning the collection.

A hoarder on the other hand, only buys stuff to fulfill a primal tendency of gathering. Yet, he doesn't gather in a modest or sensible way, but in a way that piles up stuff without any further meaning or future need. He's addicted to the short hormonal responses of buyer's satisfaction. And that has nothing to do with collecting. It is a disease of the rich and bored, and of those that mirror themselves at how they see that class behave in magazines, commercials, TV-shows and in the "civilized" world in general.

Of course, being human, we'll all recognize these primal tendencies within ourselves, and being "civilized", I'm sure we all posses more stuff than we need. I know I do. : But it is not our most intelligent side showing, I feel Dennis' post captures the feeling quite well.

Kind regards,
Bart.

 

[Woodash]

Whoopsie Daisy!!! : : :

I guess descretionary funds are very limited in this economy.

Apparently not for everyone!
Sorry Denny, but that is hilarious! (Don't worry, we're laughing with you, not at you ).

 

[Paul]

Whoopsie Daisy!!! : : :

I guess descretionary funds are very limited in this economy.

Apparently not for everyone!
Sorry Denny, but that is hilarious! (Don't worry, we're laughing with you, not at you ).

Speak for yourself... I'm laughing at him

 

[Guest]

Ah, FUCK IT! Somebody fix this piece of shit forum software. I just lost a really nice reply.

Start looking for errors by creating a thread, then answering while someone else submits a reply.

What a waste. :thumbdown:

 

[DJKELLY]

Last laugh an all that, you evil bastards. Especially, you, Woodass.

 

[TM280]

Well, Denny, an interesting mistake. The silver lining is thick and fog-like...

While I don't envy you the outlay, it is an amazing opportunity to take a hands-on stroll through 20[sup]th[/sup] century razor history.

I think you may find that Heljestrand with the notched tang gives them all a run for their money.

The only question I can think of is: Do you shave every day? It may take a while to shave test all those blades

regards,
Torolf

(PS. Pictures for you tomorrow, Inshallah...)

 

[DJKELLY]

Well, Denny, an interesting mistake. The silver lining is thick and fog-like...

While I don't envy you the outlay, it is an amazing opportunity to take a hands-on stroll through 20[sup]th[/sup] century razor history.

I think you may find that Heljestrand with the notched tang gives them all a run for their money.

The only question I can think of is: Do you shave every day? It may take a while to shave test all those blades

regards,
Torolf

(PS. Pictures for you tomorrow, Inshallah...)

A gentleman, at last. Thanks, Torolf. I'm really am not upset at all, just surprised. I was on the couch with Jann, my girlfriend and could not find my offer/bid for this item. It didn't even occur to me to check won/purchased and when I did she said I looked like I had seen a ghost. I obviously would not have bid if I didn't have the money and there are, indeed, some great examples in the collection. Jann immediately said, "there goes my Christmas watch". I guess now I better make it a good one. She deserves it.

You will be pleased to know, I have enough left for your strops. Can't wait, and hope I don't wear them out on the collection. By the way, I do have to shave every day, but I cannot use a straight on my trips like I used to before 9-1-1. Maybe I will put the collection in my will to Coticule.be for a new fund raiser. YT, Denny

 

[Woodash]

By the way, I do have to sh ave every day, but I cannot use a straight on my trips like I used to before 9-1-1.

What - you work for the airline and you're afraid to check a bag!?!

 

[wdwrx]

Holy Crap Denny!
I nearly choked on my Rum when I read that!


And ya, I'm laughing right alone with Steve!:w00t: :w00t: :w00t:

 

[Guest]

Well, if that lot is what I think it is, you made quite a bargain in economic terms.

Bart has already said most everything that needed saying about hoarders and collectors. Here is my very personal take on the whole sad affair, called Neotoma, or less is more.

Any road, whilst shaving last night (and before the bloody forum software ate yet another post of mine - wrong browser, no autosave for text fields, anger ensued), I had this funny little idea. So I surfed by a few websites specialising in shopping disorders and depression, and came up with this little quiz.

Question	yes / no
Do you quite often feel the urge to buy razors when you are low or depressed?	(_)
Do you get a high from buying razors?	(_)
Do you frequently walk away from an online store with many more razor purchases than you had intended to make?	(_)
Are your credit cards almost to their limit or maxed out?	(_)
Are you unable to resist a sale or bargain?	(_)
Do you ignore family or work responsibilities so you can buy or restore razors?	(_)
Do you try to hide your purchases or even lie about them to family and loved ones?	(_)
Do you buy a lot of shaving related things that you end up not even using?	(_)
Do you feel a sense of guilt or shame after some of your shopping sprees?	(_)
Do you go on buying binges which you feel are beyond your control?	(_)
Do you quite often buy things that you know you cannot afford?	(_)
Would you rather shop than engage in other hobbies or recreational activities?	(_)

Seriously. Try answering these questions. There was a time when I came up with six positive answers. Granted, I never had financial problems, but that is beside the point. It was the partial loss of control that worried me. And then I started to ask myself, "why are you doing this?" A quick analysis revealed that it was perceived peer group pressure. Everybody was buying razors like mad, and I did not want to feel left out. Since I had the necessary wherewithal, I ended up with a nice little array of high quality razors. Still, I started getting rid of all excess razors, ie ones I had bought and had only shaved with once, or not at all. It was a truly liberating experience, let me tell you that. Then I spoke to my wife, and we agreed on a cap of 30 razors, and Bart kindly built me this, so I can actually justify all this nonsense as preserving a bit of my country's history. Which is OK, I think.

In any event, this article makes for some nice background reading. Because I think it is odd that the most vocal hoarders have been diagnosed with clinical mental conditions, and use them to publicly justify their hoarding. This is insane, if you ask me.

Collectors are a different story altogether. I like collectors. When I came up with the idea for SRP's straight razor database, I was hoping many more of them would come forward and upload their collections. But the world's leading straight razor forum has only managed to upload 682 razors in more than two years. This is ridiculous. There should be thousands of razors in there instead. The SRDB should be the leading, canonical source of straight razors on the internet. It is not. Which leads me to believe that many self proclaimed collectors are in fact hoarders. Add to that the fact that submissions to the SRDB are pretty much anonymous. And compare this to threads in which some pathetic losers flaunt their "latest eBay hauls". Then a picture will form. A picture of people who want to brag, who are desperate for recognition, and who most likely have a self esteem problem.

Because that is the way of the forum. Hobbyists gather, experts emerge or join, in-groups form, cults develop, commercial activities begin, and then it all goes South. I remember a time when people complimented you for making a good purchase, ie a particularly beautiful, well preserved, or otherwise unusual razor, preferably at a good price. Today, you need to come up with 10 so called Filly's, or have some beautiful razor anally fisted with some fey acrylics, to get the same amount of recognition. This has nothing to do with the preservation of the shaving culture any more. It is an abomination.

Thankfully, this forum is as yet free from this. I attribute this fact to the no-nonsense attitude of its associates. And I think we all should be grateful for their outstanding performance.

Ummm... where was I? Ah, yes, that collection. Nice catch, indeed. If it were mine, I would pick five razors, and sell the rest to the members of this wonderful little forum to cover the cost. Make that, "members who joined prior to 1 June 2010" to weed out the marketplace lurkers. But to each their own. At least these razors are now in good hands. :thumbup:

Regards,
Robin

 

[tat2Ralfy]

Excellent post Sir Robin :thumbup:

Regards
Ralfson (Dr)

 

[wdwrx]

Nice turn of phrase, that: "analy fisted with some fey acrylic scales" Hahahaha!. You have a way with words, there is no denying that. And some very salient points.
I for one, feel the pull, and am sometimes amazed at what I've accumulated in a year, but I try not to lose sight of the fact that I really got into this whole shaving thing because i resented the manipulations of the marketing empires that seem to rule our world. I want to spend my money on what I want to spend it on, not be forced to endlessly purchase and re-purchase consumer goods, like a rat in a wheel.
So, I say: Bravo Denny! May those razors serve you well, for many, many more years to come.

 

[Woodash]

So I surfed by a few websites specialising in shopping disorders and depression, and came up with this little quiz.

Question	yes / no
Do you quite often feel the urge to buy razors when you are low or depressed?	(_)
Do you get a high from buying razors?	(_)
Do you frequently walk away from an online store with many more razor purchases than you had intended to make?	(_)
Are your credit cards almost to their limit or maxed out?	(_)
Are you unable to resist a sale or bargain?	(_)
Do you ignore family or work responsibilities so you can buy or restore razors?	(_)
Do you try to hide your purchases or even lie about them to family and loved ones?	(_)
Do you buy a lot of shaving related things that you end up not even using?	(_)
Do you feel a sense of guilt or shame after some of your shopping sprees?	(_)
Do you go on buying binges which you feel are beyond your control?	(_)
Do you quite often buy things that you know you cannot afford?	(_)
Would you rather shop than engage in other hobbies or recreational activities?	(_)

.....And then I started to ask myself, "why are you doing this?" A quick analysis revealed that it was perceived peer group pressure.

Hoarder Syndrome? Shopping Disorder?....Horsehockey! Actually, don't these symptoms kind of characterize certain aspects of the manic phase of Bipolar Disorder? Just saying...:O

 

[DJKELLY]

Well, Robin, I feel like I know you a lot better and now understand your zeal against hoarding. I, too, find geeks in any field a real put-off. I never really analyzed what I considered a "geek" but now see it is the individual who is overly impressed with acquisition or is shamelessly seeking approval, a sure sign of emotional issues. I am in no way speaking of the guy who is excited by the learning process (me), the collector (not really me), or the guy giving others good natured grief (definitely me). There is an obvious difference among those types we all instinctively recognize, and thankfully we rarely see the geek here at Coticule.be. Those who know me well know I don't visit the other sites, and again, I now realize it is for this very reason they don't feel like home to me.
Sincerely, Denny

 

[Woodash]

Well, Robin, I feel like I know you a lot better and now understand your zeal against hoarding. I, too, find geeks in any field a real put-off. I never really analyzed what I considered a "geek" but now see it is the individual who is overly impressed with acquisition or is shamelessly seeking approval, a sure sign of emotional issues. I am in no way speaking of the guy who is excited by the learning process (me), the collector (not really me), or the guy giving others good natured grief (definitely me). There is an obvious difference among those types we all instinctively recognize, and thankfully we rarely see the geek here at Coticule.be. Those who know me well know I don't visit the other sites, and again, I now realize it is for this very reason they don't feel like home to me.
Sincerely, Denny

All kidding aside (B) ), I do agree with the some of the distinctions you're making. When enthusiasm moves way over into 'corksniffing' or being a real snob about things, that's when it get's weird. I've seen it; hell, I've been it on occasion. But it's not so good, I think. Anyway...

And btw, I joke about the Bipolar thing because it's just my attempt at humor. I have it in my family, I do not take it for granted, and I certainly hope that my comment was perceived in a light-hearted manner.

Can we get back to the giving of the good-natured grief now? :