I agree with
@Blademonkey.
For example, this week I took possession of MWF. I've used it every day. It's been good from day 1, but each day I've got a better feel for its nuances.
Once I have it locked in, then I can bring it in and out of rotation on any given day.
How do I decide rotations? I make two decisions. Firstly, the night before a shave, I decide on which soap/razor combination I will use, which I enjoy doing. Then when I get up, half the time I change my mind, and choose again, which I also enjoy.
Some other things re having lots of soaps in my first year of DE:
- For a period of time, some soaps and creams came in and out of favour with me. Some I liked initially, then went cold on. Others I left alone for a period, and discovered I liked them more when revisting. Sometimes this is seasonal - menthol soaps are popular in summer for some people, but may lie idle for the cooler months.
- That said, broader themes develop. For example, I have found that I prefer soaps more than creams.
- Notwithstanding the above, I've found it liberating to clear out the den once I know where I stand on something. I had a bunch of creams that I just knew I didn't love and was only using them because I had bought them. Often, but not always, these were cheap creams. I recently decided that it was a waste of a shave to use them. Why not shave every day with something that brings satisfaction, rather than just gets the job done? So, I put them in a bag, brought them into work and gave them to a guy who I had introduced to DE shaving. A win win situation. He was delighted with the freebies and got to try them out, I had a tighter, better quality portfolio at home, and it means if I buy another one, my wife won't notice an ever growing pile of tins and tubs.
I have also owned about 12 razors, but am back down to about 6 (similar rationale to the above). That said, having never been interested in SE shaving, I'm waiting on a 1912 to arrive, which could open up the rabbit hole again. I part with a razor after more consideration than I would part with a soap, however. Cost and availability influence this. 3 months ago I cleaned up my 1964 Gillette Slim and parked it as an investment piece, or an item to be handed to my sons in the future. For no reason that I can identify, I have used it for the last two days, enjoying it much more than I recalled and getting an excellent shave from it.
It's your den, your face, your shave. So many permutations and options abound - that's the joy of it.