06-15-2016, 03:00 PM
The idea for this thread came from me reading that another member(s) was turned off from buying a product because of all the fanboys for said product on this forum. That got me thinking. On an objective level, the number of fanboys for a product, or the level of their devotion to it, has nothing to do with how well the product performs in its own right. Being turned off from trying a product because it has a lot of dedicated fanboys is more irrational than the blind devotion the fanboys themselves are accused of.
(A personal example: Apple products, and especially the iPhone, are accused of having a lot of fanboys. I own an iPhone, and an old school iPod for music. Those are the only two Apple products I own. Both the phone and MP3 player work great, do everything I want them to, and are my preferred devices for their respective categories. But I'm not a fanboy. I don't evangelize, am not a member of any Apple or computer forums, and am not looking to buy a Mac or iPad. Other members of my family use Android or flip phones, and they work great for how they use them. I would even recommend flip phones or non-Apple products to certain people, depending on their usage habits, budget, and understanding of different technologies. While I'm happy for the Apple fanboys, their enthusiasm for these products neither motivated me nor deterred me from first purchasing the Apple products I do use.)
To an extent, all of us here are fanboys of traditional wet shaving (TWS). If we weren't, carts or electrics would work just as well (if not better), or even if we did prefer TWS, we probably wouldn't join forums dedicated to the chore, or be buying up dozens of razors, brushes, or soaps. This is something nearly every member shares here. We are all TWS fanboys.
Then there are subcategories of TWS fanboyism. You have your straight razor guys, SE only guys, injector only, Gillette heads, vintage only guys more broadly, brush guys (both natural and synthetic), soap hoarders, frag heads, and on and on. Many of these folks are big collectors or advocates for whichever TWS subcategory they're most passionate about, and they may or may not be passionate about a single product.
(I'm not really a subcategory fanboy. I am, for the time being, trying a lot of soaps, but once I narrow down my top 3-5, the rest will be gone.)
There are method fanboys as well. Cold water fanboys, face lathering fanboys, shower shaving fanboys, etc.
(Got to admit, I'm a shower shaving fanboy. Nothing more luxurious, and too many benefits to mention here.)
There are even vendor fanboys. (Could Bullgoose be pushed any harder by certain members here?) G&C is another favorite here.
(I'm not taken in by being especially devoted to a particular vendor. Compete on price, have the items I want in stock, ship quickly and pack well, fix any issues with the least amount of hassle, and communicate well and quickly. Do these things and I'll be back... Don't, and I won't feel bad about looking elsewhere.)
Then of course are your individual product fanboys. I see that CRSW for soaps, Wolfman for razors, and M&F/Paladin for brushes seem to take the respective top slots in their respective categories in this forum for the greatest number of fanboys. On other forums the most favorite products differ somewhat.
(Some of this evangelism, worked on me. Bought a couple M&F brushes, have CRSW on order and own a Wolfman and BBS-1. Good products, from the ones I've tried, but not great enough to have me join the chorus. The only product I can honestly admit being a fanboy of is the OneBlade. That was the product that converted me to TWS, and I don't see a razor on the market, past or present, that can match the safety and closeness of this game changing design. So hi, my name is Len, and I am a OneBlade fanboy. Should I be ashamed of this fact, on a forum full of TWS fanboys?)
Anyway, what are you a fanboy of? Is someone else being a fanboy a problem for you, especially if you yourself are a fanboy for one or more of the products, categories, vendors, or methods (and aren't you a TWS fanboy anyway?)?
Here's a chance to either rid ourselves of irrational enthusiasm or celebrate the fact.
(A personal example: Apple products, and especially the iPhone, are accused of having a lot of fanboys. I own an iPhone, and an old school iPod for music. Those are the only two Apple products I own. Both the phone and MP3 player work great, do everything I want them to, and are my preferred devices for their respective categories. But I'm not a fanboy. I don't evangelize, am not a member of any Apple or computer forums, and am not looking to buy a Mac or iPad. Other members of my family use Android or flip phones, and they work great for how they use them. I would even recommend flip phones or non-Apple products to certain people, depending on their usage habits, budget, and understanding of different technologies. While I'm happy for the Apple fanboys, their enthusiasm for these products neither motivated me nor deterred me from first purchasing the Apple products I do use.)
To an extent, all of us here are fanboys of traditional wet shaving (TWS). If we weren't, carts or electrics would work just as well (if not better), or even if we did prefer TWS, we probably wouldn't join forums dedicated to the chore, or be buying up dozens of razors, brushes, or soaps. This is something nearly every member shares here. We are all TWS fanboys.
Then there are subcategories of TWS fanboyism. You have your straight razor guys, SE only guys, injector only, Gillette heads, vintage only guys more broadly, brush guys (both natural and synthetic), soap hoarders, frag heads, and on and on. Many of these folks are big collectors or advocates for whichever TWS subcategory they're most passionate about, and they may or may not be passionate about a single product.
(I'm not really a subcategory fanboy. I am, for the time being, trying a lot of soaps, but once I narrow down my top 3-5, the rest will be gone.)
There are method fanboys as well. Cold water fanboys, face lathering fanboys, shower shaving fanboys, etc.
(Got to admit, I'm a shower shaving fanboy. Nothing more luxurious, and too many benefits to mention here.)
There are even vendor fanboys. (Could Bullgoose be pushed any harder by certain members here?) G&C is another favorite here.
(I'm not taken in by being especially devoted to a particular vendor. Compete on price, have the items I want in stock, ship quickly and pack well, fix any issues with the least amount of hassle, and communicate well and quickly. Do these things and I'll be back... Don't, and I won't feel bad about looking elsewhere.)
Then of course are your individual product fanboys. I see that CRSW for soaps, Wolfman for razors, and M&F/Paladin for brushes seem to take the respective top slots in their respective categories in this forum for the greatest number of fanboys. On other forums the most favorite products differ somewhat.
(Some of this evangelism, worked on me. Bought a couple M&F brushes, have CRSW on order and own a Wolfman and BBS-1. Good products, from the ones I've tried, but not great enough to have me join the chorus. The only product I can honestly admit being a fanboy of is the OneBlade. That was the product that converted me to TWS, and I don't see a razor on the market, past or present, that can match the safety and closeness of this game changing design. So hi, my name is Len, and I am a OneBlade fanboy. Should I be ashamed of this fact, on a forum full of TWS fanboys?)
Anyway, what are you a fanboy of? Is someone else being a fanboy a problem for you, especially if you yourself are a fanboy for one or more of the products, categories, vendors, or methods (and aren't you a TWS fanboy anyway?)?
Here's a chance to either rid ourselves of irrational enthusiasm or celebrate the fact.
06-15-2016, 03:40 PM
I'm a fanboy of many of the SV products. I'm not ashamed to say that, without any hesitation. But would not be upset if it didn't work as well as it does for me for another member. I'm all for people trying a variety of products and using what works best for them. Make shaving what you want it to be and enjoy the results of it.
06-15-2016, 04:01 PM
I think the term fanboy is derogatory. Much of what we discuss in this forum is entirely subjective and people are entitled to their views on any given product, manufacturer or vendor. I don't see the reasoning in either liking or disliking a product solely because many others like it. Try the product and decide for yourself whether it's for you or not. Right now, for exampe, Paladin Brushes are hot, with a large number of positive posts on this forum. Does calling the Paladin enthusiasts "fanboys" make a positive contribution to the dialog about the brushes? Does it make sense to not get a Paladin brush because so many people rave about it? Just get the brush, make up our own mind, and accept the opinions of others.
06-15-2016, 04:35 PM
(06-15-2016, 04:01 PM)TheLegalRazor Wrote: I think the term fanboy is derogatory. Much of what we discuss in this forum is entirely subjective and people are entitled to their views on any given product, manufacturer or vendor. I don't see the reasoning in either liking or disliking a product solely because many others like it. Try the product and decide for yourself whether it's for you or not. Right now, for exampe, Paladin Brushes are hot, with a large number of positive posts on this forum. Does calling the Paladin enthusiasts "fanboys" make a positive contribution to the dialog about the brushes? Does it make sense to not get a Paladin brush because so many people rave about it? Just get the brush, make up our own mind, and accept the opinions of others.
I think the way in which the term is used makes it derogatory, or not. In any case, I would have to be attacking myself, and every member of this board, if I were using the term in a mean spirited way. Rather, I think it's healthy to not take ourselves too seriously, get over some false pride with some self depreciating, humorous observations, and loosen up a bit on political correctness.
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