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I have been shaving for easily 55 years. I am a lazy shaver, usually replacing the blade after its time.
I am still struck, as if anew, after all this time, by how much easier it is to shave with a fresh blade. Hmmmm... maybe I should replace the blade more often.... hmmmm.
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04-12-2024 08:37 AM
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Switch to straight razors and you can have a new blade every day. A few strokes on the hone or strop and voila! new blade!
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Having had a beard for most of the last 40 years, I am not the one to ask about shaving details. Though I do shave my neck almost daily.
I have a Gillette Fusion that vibrates, and I replace the blades when I notice it irritating my neck. Those things last forever. Good thing, cause each blade is several bucks.
I have a buddy who collects vintage shavers and brushes. He probably has a hundred or so. He is OBSESSIVE about shaving. Ironic, since he has a beard as well.
My grandfather was a barber. His shop was old-school. He did a hot shave on most customers. There was a shoe-shine guy there. His shop just across the border from Chattanooga in GA was very cool and still used as a barbershop until recently (though he passed away in the 60s).
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I tried a straight razor, because I loved the idea of it. Had a strop hanging from the bathroom doorknob, the whole thing (antique razor, modern strop). Also had couple of very cool "safety" Rolls Razors, with the strop and sharpening stone built into the case. Those worked very well; but I got tired of nicks and scratches. I have a great deal of admiration for those who can always shave with a straight razor without resulting in blood; but it's the modern replaceable-blade razor for me. And if you use the blade for 2 or more weeks, it is cheaper. But then I get the revelation with the new blade...
I do shave without shaving soap, preferring only hot-as-I-can-stand water. So I save a tiny bit of change on the soap (I still have Williams shaving soap in a mug, though, which I use when I have neglected shaving for too many days).
And Doctor Jeff, Perry Como was also a barber, giving an occasional shave to a few preferred customers almost to the end of his life.
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Originally Posted by Ukena
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I hate shaving, which is why I always have a beard. My clumsiness and a straight razor sounds like a trip to the hospital.
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Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
Somewhere in the late 80s or early 90s I read that the average male wastes at least 200h of his life trying to conform to pointless beauty ideals imposed by others (mostly the women, back then and where I lived). I'm pretty certain that result was based on the use of electric and multiblade safety razors.
I'd probably have a Gandalf beard by now if only I could stop myself from plucking and pulling hairs that are just a bit longer (or worse, aren't perfectly smooth).
Funny enough I enjoy taking a straight razor to my cheeks from time to time. I found a nice balm that works nicely as a shaving cream too and that's supposed to prevent hair in-growing (it's got Australian tea tree extract in it IIRC, and is actually meant to be used in that other area that current beauty ideals apparently need to see shaven)
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I hate shaving, but for most of my life I had jobs that demanded that I stay clean-shaven, so I never had a beard. After retirement I thought about it, but my wife unequivocally vetoed it. Some things are worth fighting about, some aren't, so I shave. I keep it down to about once a week, though. She lets me get by with that, although she's not happy about it. I get a couple of months out of a set of blades (I find the razors with multiple blades are more comfortable) that way, sometimes much more. I tried one of the vibrating Gillette razors some years ago, and found it just wasn't worth it. I used it for awhile with no battery, before getting a new one with more blades. With the Gillette business model, you can get a new razor for very little money, sometimes for free, just so they can sell you the blades. Printer manufacturers follow the same model. I could buy a brand new inkjet printer for less than the cost of a new set of ink cartridges back before I gave up on inkjet printers entirely. But there are excellent reasons why straight razors went out of favor about a hundred years ago. Build a better mousetrap and you can make lots of money, and the safety razor is exponentially better than the straight razor.
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Originally Posted by RJVB
It's almost as if my whole life's been about pleasing women! Is there something wrong with this? There's some pretty solid pay-offs in my experience :)
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Originally Posted by sgosnell
(Just imagine the outcry if they demanded a clean-shaven, bare head of all women too.)
Originally Posted by ccroft
A short beard (say <5mm) isn't noticeable, and I get exactly the same feeling of a clean shave (minus the skin irritation) from a hot damp cloth.
My experience with women who insist on pre-pubescent faces is that they won't accept similar demands on their own looks.
My partner would balk if I decided to get rid of my beard, she'd (probably) respect my choice.
If not, I had her pay for one of those permanent laser epilation jobs. I like how my beard gives some protection against sunburn but ultimately don't care about how I look or how it hides certain things and would prefer not having to get a daily reminder that I really should get out the trimmer most of the year.
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Harry’s Shave Club for me. I don’t have much of a beard but two maybe three shaves is all I get out of any disposable blade. Harry’s is good quality but every once in a while you get a bad cartridge and a few nicks will ensue.
Love this stuff
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Originally Posted by RJVB
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In terms of self-pampering I prefer to sleep a bit longer and/or spend more time on breakfast. I can understand the soothing effect of rituals but self-grooming and ablutions are a sadly necessary nuisance in my book. I'm beginning to understand why some people do all this at night before going to bed (besides shaving, which I also did in the evening, way back when).
I was hoping I didn't take after my grandfather in terms of keeping a (really) head full of hair until the end, but no such luck... (and yes, I know that's got nothing to do with beard growth, biologically speaking.)
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Originally Posted by RJVB
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I think all reasons cited are covered by the exceptions I listed
(though I didn't add that I personally don't condone the military one - but of course I come from a country that allowed long hair in its army long ago.)
Originally Posted by sgosnell
I guess the foundation of my attitude is the fact that I prefer things to be natural. If we have beard growth, it's because we're wired to be that way, and obliging someone to shave it off is ultimately (qualitatively) not any different than obliging a left-handed person to write right-handed or a homosexual to "be normal". Plus, I'll have to admit, the culture around clean-shaven, groomed & perfumed males evokes aspects of certain German culture in me that my upbringing has taught me to dislike profoundly.
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Beard preference had nothing to do with my falling in love with my wife 50 years ago. The subject never came up, because having a beard was forbidden. Now, it's still less important than the years we've spent together. It's just not worth arguing about, at least to me. A reasonable man must pick his fights, and I'm not prepared to die on this hill. Your relationships are your business.
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Originally Posted by sgosnell
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The rationale for banning beards in the military is straightforward. With a beard, it's not possible to get a good seal with a gas mask, and various armies around the world have large stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons. If a gas attack comes, a beard will kill you, and losing soldiers to that is not acceptable to any military force I know of. Dying from a nerve agent is not fun.
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For those of you who avoid shaving at all costs, may I suggest the Bond method:
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Clean-shaven, bearded, in-between with a few days' growth, mustachioed, or with sideboards – these are all perfectly fine ways to face the world. The way you choose isn't the best – it's just what works for you, for whatever reason. A personal choice – even if the choice is to keep one's job.
I don't understand why there has to be any "attitude" at all. No one's coming to take away anyone's facial hair.
I've had more than one professional shave, butI've never felt entirely comfortable having someone with a straight razor at my neck. Too many movies, I suppose.
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Originally Posted by Ukena
Last edited by Bobby Timmons; 04-13-2024 at 01:54 PM.
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Originally Posted by sgosnell
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Originally Posted by lawson-stone
I also enjoy shaving. I go for the wet shave with shaving soap or cream, shaving oil, a bowl and brush, warm lather, an old school double edged safety razor, alum block, and shaving balm. It's a ritual.
The multiple blade disposable razor cartridges are a profit driven misleading marketing campaign. The old fashion double edge razers are better for your skin and you can get a better barber shop quality shave with them but there is a little bit of a learning curve to them. Also, the double edge blades are better quality steel.
I change my blades after about 3 shaves and a I shave about every 3 days (the blades will last much longer but they are so inexpensive that I change them frequently anyways). 100 quality blades can be purchased for about $10 and that will last me over 2 years. I like the Astra Super Platinum blades. I use a Rockwell 6c razor which lasts for a lifetime.Last edited by fep; 04-13-2024 at 02:49 PM.
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Am I the only one who, seeing the thread title, has thought that Ukena just received a Blade RH4 and was ready to share his first impressions with us ?
After all, you can play jazz on a Strat-like guitar
As for the beard, look at my avatar, that's me 11 years ago, and haven't shaved or cut since
The Autumn of Solo Guitar 2024
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