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The Dreaded 2019 TSC "S Word" Thread

dkeester

dkeester

"TSC's Master of Bourbon"
Against advice of counsel (i.e. much of the Cadre membership), but as requested(?) by a few members, I hereby present to you the 2019 Purchase Sabbatical/Restraint thread.

Anyone who wants or needs a break from their various ADs is welcome here.

These are the rules:
1. When you sign up for the restraint you will declare the length of time, in months, you intend to engage in the restraint. The whole year is preferred, but not required.
2. The restraint starts at 00:00 January 1, 2019 in your local time zone and lasts until the end of your declaration or 23:59 December 31, 2019, which ever comes first.
3. For the duration of the restraint all shave purchases are disallowed. (A list of exceptions is included below.)
4. Disallowed shave purchases include the use of gift cards to shaving related sites, including shaving purchases from sites like Amazon and eBay.
5. Buying means spending money on shaving goods. This includes, but is not limited to: soaps, creams, brushes, aftershaves, blades, scuttles, stones, strops, lapping film, razor handles, re-plating services, honing solution, shave mugs, soap containers, and so on.
6. If you need something during the restraint it is expected that you will trade with another member for it.
7. Trades should be limited to no more than three per month of restraint. Postage does add up over time and significant postage expenses could be considered to be a shave purchase.
8. Please post pictures of all trades in this thread so that we all can get vicarious pleasure from the transaction.
9. Receiving of gifts and PIFs is a gray area. While not expressly disallowed, we are all gentle-persons on TSC and should agree to act as such in appraisals of "still in" or "knocked out" after the receipt of a gift or PIF.
10. Pass-around boxes do not count towards the trade limit, are not considered to be purchases, and are completely permissible.
11. Anything ordered and paid for before 00:00 January 1, 2019, but not delivered until after that time will not cause a "knock out" from the restraint.
12. Let's keep this gentlemanly/gentlewomanly and positive. We are doing this to encourage and support one another.

These are the exceptions:
1. Maintenance expenses such as razor honing. This does not include re-plating services, unless it is to make an unusable razor usable and no other usable razor is available.
2. Emergency replacements (i.e. your travel brush breaks while on vacation, you may purchase a replacement without being knocked out.)
3. Items purchased specifically to be included in PIFs. The item must be PIFed during 2019 if bought in 2019.
4. Any TSC branded merchandise.
5. Monetary donations to TSC.
6. Any officially sanctioned TSC group buys.
7. Soaps purchased specifically to donate to the TSC Soap Sample Library. (100% of the product must be donated and sent to the librarian!)
8. Soap samples acquired from the TSC Soap Sample library. (Yes, this could be a loophole.)
9. Sample sized containers for PIFs and donations to the Soap Sample Library.
10. Non-shaving items sold by shaving vendors. (i.e. body butter, bath soap, etc.)
11. An item from your personal exception list.

Personal exception lists: Each participant in the restraint should post a list of not more than three exceptions at the time they join the restraint. Lack of a posted list indicates that no exceptions are being taken! These exceptions should be as specific as possible. (i.e. "A purchase from Maggard Razors" is okay, but "A purchase of two soaps and two aftershaves from Maggard Razors" or "The purchase of a Timeless Razor" are better because they are more specific.)

Do you need a break? Does this sound like fun? Good! Who wants to join me?

********Sign Ups Copy this line all the way down********
1. dkeester - six months, exceptions: A brush purchase (either 2 Sorrentinos or 1 Paladin), 1 order from WCS or Italian Barber with a cap of $75, 1-3 new plates for Karve.
2. Dave in KY - six months and 1 day, Exception 1 order from CBL Soaps, and possibly a trip to Pasteur's
3. Aaron - all of 2019 and one day. Exceptions: one shave soap and a roller guard razor if I find one for a decent price.
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Last updated: 12/29/2018 9:33 PM Mountain Time
 
********Sign Ups Copy this line all the way down********
0. dkeester - six months, exceptions: A new brush (either Sorrentino or Paladin), one order from WCS, a Koraat SR
1. Dave in KY - six months and 1 day, Exceptions: Soaps, brushes and razors
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JUST KIDDING

0. dkeester - six months, exceptions: A new brush (either Sorrentino or Paladin), one order from WCS, a Koraat SR
1. Dave in KY - six months and 1 day, Exceptions: 2-Brushes (Beehive Paladin and any Cadre brush release for Members) 1 order from CBL Soaps and 1 razor
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I don't buy often, so I should probably join this. Saying that, not in.
 
I think Doug is anit-small business. His refusal to not purchase products for those six months means that he wants to slow the economy down and ensure the nature of the traditional wet shaving community shrinks.
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That being said...I should probably do one of these...but to be honest...I just can't. I probably won't go on a buying spree, but there is always something that I want. Thanks for setting this up Doug...but I will politely decline.
 
I will decline as well but wish you luck. Until very recently I actually went almost 2 years without spending on this hobby. Mostly out of necessity but still.
 
I will promise not to buy anything that doesn’t jump off the page at me or isn’t absolutely necessary. There are not very many soaps I absolutely can’t live without at the moment and razors I’m set. I actually think I broke my RAD with the exception of a couple open combs. With that said if I don’t find any of the above I probably could do this but I won’t lock myself into not buying.
 
dangerousdon said:
I think Doug is anit-small business. His refusal to not purchase products for those six months means that he wants to slow the economy down and ensure the nature of the traditional wet shaving community shrinks.
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That being said...I should probably do one of these...but to be honest...I just can't. I probably won't go on a buying spree, but there is always something that I want. Thanks for setting this up Doug...but I will politely decline.
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Don, I do believe it’s our duty to take up the slack and keep the economy moving!
 
I found Chris of the Lindsay clans thread at the other place. The Vader. I think that would work better over here. I can't commit to full restraint but wish you all luck! And will follow along
 
Cvargo said:
I found Chris of the Lindsay clans thread at the other place. The Vader. I think that would work better over here. I can't commit to full restraint but wish you all luck! And will follow along
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Can you elaborate? On how that would work over here.

A few things to consider. (Oh, Here it is long tounge Sharps at it again.)
1. What about instead of trades. Selling current items to finance other accusations?
2. I am on the Charcoal Goods Waiting list. I am number like 406.

I came off a three year restaint just because I lost interest of shaving. And there are a few more things I feel I need before 2019 starts. Raw-RS 10 at either a Paladin Flagstaff or Black Eagle Warthog. I might be taking up straight razor again.

From a health of the Forum and what these guys are trying to build. Is it smart to start a restraint with alot of the major participants while TSC is trying to grow membership and vendors. Might that drive away newbies and vendors if no one is accumulating new things. I might be over analysing this but that might be one thing to consider vs a groups that have 9K-90K members.

We have had some good growth in the past few weeks and I am not saying not to do it for yourself.

Just my $15 and .24 cents. Though I know I can do this with soaps and blades no issues.
If over reacting please advise.
 
You can always join and then fail. I've done it at the other place. Lasted a month there ??? But I'm seriously giving it my BEST effort here with my exceptions listed
 
I'm in for the S-word.

0. dkeester - six months, exceptions: A new brush (either Sorrentino or Paladin), one order from WCS, a Koraat SR
1. Dave in KY - six months and 1 day, Exceptions: 2-Brushes (Beehive Paladin and any Cadre brush release for Members) 1 order from CBL Soaps and 1 razor
2. Aaron - all of 2019 and one day. Exceptions: one shave soap (but only after I finish at least 2 that I already have) and a roller guard razor if I find one for a decent price.
 
Sharp's said:
\nCan you elaborate? On how that would work over here.\n\nA few things to consider. (Oh, Here it is long tounge Sharps at it again.) \n1. What about instead of trades. Selling current items to finance other accusations? \n2. I am on the Charcoal Goods Waiting list. I am number like 406.\n\nI came off a three year restaint just because I lost interest of shaving. And there are a few more things I feel I need before 2019 starts. Raw-RS 10 at either a Paladin Flagstaff or Black Eagle Warthog. I might be taking up straight razor again. \n\nFrom a health of the Forum and what these guys are trying to build. Is it smart to start a restraint with alot of the major participants while TSC is trying to grow membership and vendors. Might that drive away newbies and vendors if no one is accumulating new things. I might be over analysing this but that might be one thing to consider vs a groups that have 9K-90K members. \n\nWe have had some good growth in the past few weeks and I am not saying not to do it for yourself. \n\nJust my $15 and .24 cents. Though I know I can do this with soaps and blades no issues. \nIf over reacting please advise. \n
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\n1. The idea is to take a break and not get anything new for a while, so selling a bunch of gear and then buying new with the proceeds would knock you out. Go ahead and sell during the restraint, but wait until it finishes to buy.\n2. For things where you are on a waiting list that lasts months or years there is the list of three personal exceptions. Something like that would be a good use of one of those exceptions.\n\nAs far as your concerns about discouraging new members or new vendors, I think you are over reacting. But, I want to treat them seriously, so please allow me to respond at some length with my perspective.\n\nThere is nothing in the idea of doing a restraint or purchase sabbatical that says \"members of TSC must join and not buy for X months.\" It is completely voluntary. It is yet another aspect of this hobby. I am not saying I will never spend on shaving stuff again. Quite the contrary. But, I do have a ton of soaps that are brand new that I bought from vendors like Stirling that I haven\'t used yet. (I have like 4-5 soaps with matching ASes from Stirling in my den right now. I also have 4 more tubs of CBL soap in my den. I have 6 tubs of soap from Honeybee Sue. I also have several RazoRock soaps and ASes.) They are all brand new and deserve to be used and enjoyed. I think the vendors that participate here would rather us actually use and discuss the products that we buy rather than just acquire and hoard. Also, a few members of a single shaving forum probably aren\'t going to destroy any vendor\'s business. By taking some time off from acquisition I will be in a better position to support these vendors later on. And while I am not buying their products, I will be using and talking about their products! As far as new members go, not all of them are into the \"acquire lots and lots of new stuff often\" camp. Yes, several members here really love getting lots of new, shiny stuff on a regular basis and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. I am often a member of that group!! However, a membership consisting of only that mentality might itself be a turn-off to some prospective members that are minimalists or who really enjoy getting just a few things and then enjoying them fully before getting a few more new things. There are a number of people over on other forums who like participating in restraints. They restrain themselves for a while, then buy a bunch of stuff to restock or get some new stuff, then do a restraint again to use all of the new stuff that they just acquired. There are many types of people who participate on forums such as this and there are many ways to enjoy this hobby. If anything, I think I am opening the doors to more types of member by offering this restraint. Also, I have tried to structure it to be more in line with the ideals of TSC, rather than just a carbon copy of restraints as done on other sites. This is why I made it \"choose your own length\" and listed three exceptions rather than only one. If you just want to do it for a month, please sign up!!! A break of a single month is a completely valid entry into this exercise. If you want to list \"a purchase from Maggard, a purchase from Stirling, a purchase from CBL\" as your three exceptions go ahead. They are valid. More specific than that is preferred just to be more in the spirit of the exercise. Think of this as a way to as a group take a small breather from acquisition and enjoy it together. It might help to think of it as an acquisition vacation? This is not anti-vendor, anti-member, or anti-anything. I am trying to do something positive and explore something that hasn\'t been done here yet. Also, this is not going to affect \"alot of the major participants of TSC.\" Most of them are saying, or have said in the past something to the effect of \"no way am I going to join in that S-Word thing.\" Again, it is completely voluntary and anyone is free to completely ignore this thread if it doesn\'t appeal to them.\n\nAt the end of the day this is only one thread on one shaving forum. If a single thread on a single forum is enough to turn away a prospective vendor or prospective member then do we really want them around? Especially since many/most (all????) other shaving forums have similar threads with similar activities? What I am doing is part of our online shaving culture. It is not new or revolutionary. It is just another aspect that will hopefully allow my other Blade Brothers and Sisters to have another avenue to enjoy this really wonderful hobby that we all love so much. If someone decides to leave TSC or not join TSC because of this thread, I am not sorry. That person probably won\'t find a home anywhere in the online shaving community and I think TSC will be stronger for it.\n\nI appreciate your concerns, and thank you for sharing them. But if several people on TSC had not said within recent days \"I really need to take a break\" I probably wouldn\'t be offering up this restraint/sabbatical. I think the time is right.\n\nI hope that this helps alleviate your concerns.
 
Dave in KY said:
Wow, step down from the soapbox Doug and lay off the coffee for awhile. All valid points and well stated
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I apologize if I got on my soapbox. I just had a bunch of thoughts on Sharps' concerns and wanted to address them fully and give them proper respect. I hope I don't come off as preachy or dismissive. That was not the intent.

EDIT: or condescending. I certainly don't want to sound condescending. That is also not the intent.
 
dkeester said:
I apologize if I got on my soapbox. I just had a bunch of thoughts on Sharps' concerns and wanted to address them fully and give them proper respect. I hope I don't come off as preachy or dismissive. That was not the intent.

EDIT: or condescending. I certainly don't want to sound condescending.
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No it was thorough and covered all bases. Points I didn't even think of. Just my humor attempt man. Dismiss it please
 
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