I started with a Merkur a couple decades back and didn’t try another safety razor as it was just a blade holder and about as interesting as a toothbrush. I was mainly doing it for the cost savings and a general semi-hippie pro-environment/anti-corporate leaning. Inevitably though once straights got me into it there were a few injectors included with one lot I purchased and wow those were better. Between that and spending more time reading enabler forums I ended up with a fair few DEs and Gems @djundjila@sub.wetshaving.social had a post that inspired me to play with a Rolls which has been fun and I look forward to tweaking it further yet (grabbed some FeOx for it but haven’t tried it again yet, perhaps soon).

I’m almost indecisive as to whether I want to collect without using at this point. So far I’ve been mostly doing it out of interest in trying the various permutations of blade so I wanted to use them all. Now I happen to be looking at an auction for a pair that just look really cool and are quite old but I can already tell from the shape they probably wouldn’t be my favourite to actually use. Still sorta want to have them, but why? Yet I can’t quite let it go, so it could be that I may be open to having things purely for the sake of having them. I suspect I’d hone them anyways eventually, I’m no archivist looking to preserve, I like to think there are enough razors in museums doing that job so I don’t mind that my razors have to pay for my keeping them safe from rust by losing a bit of metal elsewhere in order to be made useful.

I’m not much for crafty hobbies either but I suspect that’s part of what drew me to this. I’m a programmer by trade so it’s all very abstract, honing is very tactile and intuitive by comparison so it makes a nice change of pace. Though there is definitely still a problem-solving / troubleshooting technical side to it. Can hardly care less about the scales though, that part has yet to draw me in the way the blades have. Luckily my brother is fond of woodworking so if I need scales done he can be persuaded.

I got a rather bad cut in a finger recently, and I 'm trying not to move too deeply into straights for the moment.

Heh, sounds like you have the opposite problem wherein straights move too deeply into you… Sorry though, does seem to be a sort of misfortune we risk by messing with these and why “safety” razors are a thing. It has become kind of a feature for me though: beyond the tactile part, I like that you have to pay attention. It’s a sort of meditation, I make a point of doing my best to be completely present in what I’m doing if I’m holding a razor and that is probably good for me mentally and perhaps has helped me have fewer mishaps than I would without that mindset. eg. I didn’t nick my first strop, but I nicked my second one once I got too complacent. My worst injury was when trying to use one of those cheap Ali Express microscopes on a straight held in a vise–to my mind I was clearly looking at the edge …but I was looking at it on a screen and not the part that was cutting me.

not before I have the impression that I can maintain a razor without ruining it

Luckily for you history has left us thousands of underappreciated blades in middling condition that you’ll almost certainly improve from their current state!