What is going on in the wet shaving world?

[robertj298]

I've been wet shaving for quite a while but haven't been on here until the past few weeks after not
keeping up for a number of years. What is going on now? Seems like everybody and his brother are
making double edge razors acting like it's something new now and hundreds if not thousands of shave soap makers. I see a lot of
new people spending hundreds if not thousands of dollars on the latest and greatest razors and creams
being disappointed in their shaves not realizing an old $15 used Gillette will give them just as good a shave
if they learn how to use it

 

[NewYorkBuck]

Hobby has really gained a lot of interest in the last decade. With interest comes money, and with money comes market solutions to get it.

And when it becomes a hobby over a chore, that opens up wallets more. I just bought a Blackbird razor. I need another $200 razor like I need more gov't regulations. But lo and behold - as a hobbiest - I needed it ...

Not really indicative of anything about shaving per se, but rather just economics and human nature.

 

[Old Navy_1]

I can't really tell you, but like lot's of hobbies they get taken over by a certain group, who deem it the 'next new thing'. They usually have money to burn, and they price everything out of reach for everybody else. The good news is, you can usually wait them out. Some other 'shiny object' will catch their eye and they'll move out.

I've been 'DE wet shaving' literally for decades. I learned to shave with an old hand-me-down OC razor.

I got tired of being ripped off by the big razor companies, selling ridiculously priced multi-blade razor cartridges with proprietary handles costing $12-$15, or more, for 5 replacement cartridges.

I use good quality shaving products, mostly Proraso. Cost is moderate. I don't buy 'Designer Artisan' brands. But, if others want to, that's their choice.

Unfortunately, I've always used cheap DE razors. The first 'good' razor I bought was a Merkur "Futar" when it first came out and that was a disaster. Very bad experience.

I always wanted a good stainless steel razor, but the prices were out of hand. That is, until I found RazoRock.

Finally, a well-made s.s. razor I could afford. The Game Changer 68-P and GC 84-P.

AFAIK, my journey has ended. I have two quality, stainless steel razors that will last my lifetime.

That's really my only involvement in the 'hobby'.

b/r

ON_1

 

[Trollky]

In a nutshell - we've never had it so good!

There are choices galore so every conceivable taste is catered for. Alas, with all that choice comes option paralysis and FOMO.

 

[Calyshaver]

What is going on now?

It is all about supply and demand. Some other industries that make me think the same thing:

- bottled water
- vinyl records and players
- Stereo cables
- fresh dog food
- vitamins and diet supplements
- prescription drugs
- blue jeans
- sneakers
- handbags
- basically everything on Amazon.com!

 

[gpjoe]

...snip...I see a lot of
new people spending hundreds if not thousands of dollars on the latest and greatest razors and creams
being disappointed in their shaves not realizing an old $15 used Gillette will give them just as good a shave
if they learn how to use it

Spoken like a true veteran of wet shaving. Since you believe that (and I agree), you aren't missing a thing.

So far as I can tell nobody has revolutionized wet shaving by creating the greatest razor ever. Gillette did that in the middle of the last century.

 

[thombrogan]

It’s easier to get a dopamine hit with new garbage than by chasing skill. And there are newer, shinier toys around these days.

 

[ERS4]

In the era when DE razors were popular, the country I lived in was being colonized or at war, so now there are not so many cheap brass Gillettes available in antique shops, basically none at all; some merchants have only purchased across the sea in recent years Older razors are sold and thus have been hyped up for high prices; others are far below zinc-tech quality overdue products and are not really suitable for everyday use.

So I'm glad to have new manufacturers coming in, it's easier for us to buy than antique razors.

More people willing to go into the make/sell market, and more choices, can't be a bad thing for users after all; people who like to buy razors at antique dealers can still continue to treasure hunting, and both funs are great.

 

[sidpost]

I have an older Gilette that shaves well. The Edwin Jagger 89 is better. Not a huge difference but, it does work better for daily shaves. Neither work well with a multi-day whisker growth situation. With practice and skill, i.e. not a new safety razor user, I find I really want something a little more aggressive than the EJ89 but, not as aggressive as a Muhle R41.

The Edwin Jagger 3ONE6 Stainless Steel Knurled DE Safety Razor right now is getting a test run and early results are looking good.

I don't wear a good watch anymore due to skin allergies and never was a ring person so, a nice safety razor is a bit of JEWELRY to me in addition to being a personal care item.

 

[Tirvine]

It is all about supply and demand. Some other industries that make me think the same thing:

- bottled water
- vinyl records and players
- Stereo cables
- fresh dog food
- vitamins and diet supplements
- prescription drugs
- blue jeans
- sneakers
- handbags
- basically everything on Amazon.com!

And the list goes on and on. Fountain pens, knives, watches, pipes, fly rods, and guns seem quite popular. To those I would add my addiction of kitchen ware. This from a guy with one razor, one soap, and two brushes to enable alternation; one fountain pen; one fly rod; and so on. One is a great number if you choose well.

 

[mozartman]

I've been wet shaving for quite a while but haven't been on here until the past few weeks after not
keeping up for a number of years. What is going on now? Seems like everybody and his brother are
making double edge razors acting like it's something new now and hundreds if not thousands of shave soap makers. I see a lot of
new people spending hundreds if not thousands of dollars on the latest and greatest razors and creams
being disappointed in their shaves not realizing an old $15 used Gillette will give them just as good a shave
if they learn how to use it

Some of what's going on now may well be fads or conspicuous consumption, but not entirely, imo. Vintage razors are great collector's items, but most old $15 used Gillette razors ime are not in perfect like-new condition and will not necessarily give just as good a shave as the best new DE razors unless refurbished. Most of them were nickel-plated brass. Brass is soft and corrodes and nickel plating wears off, and those old Gillettes are at least 50 years old and often 75-100 years. That they can still be used at all is a testament to the quality of ordinary consumer goods of their time. Today you can get essentially the same thing made to closer tolerances in high grade stainless steel or titanium.

 

[kingfisher]

Some of what's going on now may well be fads or conspicuous consumption, but not entirely, imo. Vintage razors are great collector's items, but most old $15 used Gillette razors ime are not in perfect like-new condition and will not necessarily give just as good a shave as the best new DE razors unless refurbished. Most of them were nickel-plated brass. Brass is soft and corrodes and nickel plating wears off, and those old Gillettes are at least 50 years old and often 75-100 years. That they can still be used at all is a testament to the quality of ordinary consumer goods of their time. Today you can get essentially the same thing made to closer tolerances in high grade stainless steel or titanium.

They are coated brass, and they don't corrode. Most of them work as well today as they did they day they were first sold.

Even raw brass doesn't corrode: it develops a patina that protects from corrosion.

 

[robertj298]

Some of what's going on now may well be fads or conspicuous consumption, but not entirely, imo. Vintage razors are great collector's items, but most old $15 used Gillette razors ime are not in perfect like-new condition and will not necessarily give just as good a shave as the best new DE razors unless refurbished. Most of them were nickel-plated brass. Brass is soft and corrodes and nickel plating wears off, and those old Gillettes are at least 50 years old and often 75-100 years. That they can still be used at all is a testament to the quality of ordinary consumer goods of their time. Today you can get essentially the same thing made to closer tolerances in high grade stainless steel or titanium.

You can find a relatively affordable vintage Gillettes with full plating that will last for years. Yes the plating can wear off but it will only corrode if you just let it sit there. A lot of the new boutique razors are made of brass with no plating. It would be very easy to spend a thousand dollars on the new boutique razors until you find one that suits your face. These 2 razors are over 80 years old and I paid 50 bucks each for them. They would be hard to tell from new.

 

[Alum Ladd]

It is all about supply and demand. Some other industries that make me think the same thing:

- bottled water
- vinyl records and players
- Stereo cables
- fresh dog food
- vitamins and diet supplements
- prescription drugs
- blue jeans
- sneakers
- handbags
- basically everything on Amazon.com!

I have never really understood the bottled water thing.

I remember a label I read. There was a nice artwork of geological layers, beautifully done. The blurb basically said This water has been naturally filtrating through Alpine sediments since the last Ice Age to bring you the purest experience..or somesuch.

So why was there a 'Best Before End Sept 23' on the cap?

 

[gpjoe]

...but most old $15 used Gillette razors ime are not in perfect like-new condition and will not necessarily give just as good a shave as the best new DE razors unless refurbished...

I've purchased two NOS nickel plated ball-end Techs on the 'bay for not much more than 15 bucks. They are both essentially brand new razors and they shave great. Being plated brass they will out live me.

I've also got many user-grade Techs (and a pile of Gillette TTOs), found at antique stores 5-10 bucks, that perform flawlessly.

...Today you can get essentially the same thing made to closer tolerances in high grade stainless steel or titanium.

Yes, you can. I bought a new Feather ASD2 for $170 that is pretty much a modern Tech clone, that shaves the same, for only 10 times the cost.

I'm not trying to argue, or down modern stuff. I have several modern razors. I'm just trying to illustrate that the vintage razors are just as worthy, and certainly capable, for a LOT less $$$.

 

[Rob72]

A touch of reverse snobbery...? It is a "YMMV" hobby, and not everyone likes Victorian or Art-Deco style, so you see RazoRock(you'll hardly spend thousands there!), Karve, et al, that may appeal to more "modern" tastes.

I have a bit of everything, from an early 1800s stub-tail to a Sailor. Some designs are inherently better than others, some are subjectively better/worse. Personally, I do not have a decent shave from a $15 SuperSpeed, regardless of blade, soap or time. I do have a good shave from a Parat, which was twice the price, etc., etc..

 

[Ratso]

I have never really understood the bottled water thing.

I remember a label I read. There was a nice artwork of geological layers, beautifully done. The blurb basically said This water has been naturally filtrating through Alpine sediments since the last Ice Age to bring you the purest experience..or somesuch.

So why was there a 'Best Before End Sept 23' on the cap?

Those Alpine sediments are near end of life after thousands of years. Kidding aside, my well water is a good reason to get bottled water. Otherwise it’s nuts. Bottled water was up to $2.49 per gallon. I remember when gasoline was cheaper. In Chicago they put an extra tax on bottled water.

 

[Ratso]

I have plenty of razors. I’ve been on a mission to find the razor of all razors. I have vintage, mid range, and higher end new razors. Not one of these razors is head and shoulders above the rest. I just ordered a RazoRock Super Slant. Maybe that’s the one.

 

[Phoenixkh]

I'm one of those new shavers who has bought in to the newest shaving fads, I guess. I no longer have any Vintage Gillette razors but I have deep respect for them and for the people who enjoy them. Oooopss. I still have the SuperSpeed birth quarter and year razor @luvmysuper PIF'd me. I'll never sell that one.

I'm quite content with the small collection of DE and SE AC razors I've assembled over the past few months. All of them give me a 12 shave, while being comfortable, relaxing and smooth, while shaving that closely.

 

[sidpost]

I have never really understood the bottled water thing.

I remember a label I read. There was a nice artwork of geological layers, beautifully done. The blurb basically said This water has been naturally filtrating through Alpine sediments since the last Ice Age to bring you the purest experience..or somesuch.

So why was there a 'Best Before End Sept 23' on the cap?

Bottled water in Europe is a thing because of early waterborne illnesses from poor sanitation practices from human and animal wastes primarily but, other wastes too from what today we would call industrial processes (think tanning and similar things).

Back before modern medicine, people would go to areas in the "mountains" for "fresh air" and "healing waters" because it was upstream from the wastes making them sick.

The waterborne illness issue is also a big reason for beer and ciders being such an integral part of the culture early on because the alcohol killed off a lot of things that made people ill from the available water sources.

Today, beer is essentially a staple like bread in some areas because it provides the calories needed for a lot of manual labor. Not so different from frying foods in the American South when agriculture and forestry were essentially manual labor occupations.

That legacy still largely holds today from my experience in Europe because people generally don't drink "still water" and normally consume mineral waters. Beer is also treated much differently than in the USA. Beer in the USA is treated less like a food staple and more like a biblical sin from our puritan ancestors and to me generally lacks flavor unless you get away from the mass produced beers. Bottled water in the USA has become a convenience because water fountains are few and far between. Later, the flavored water varieties caught on and essentially become competitive with soda pop but with a healthier perception (less sugar and pseudo-fruit flavorings).

Personally, I'm drinking a lot more bottled tea and to a certain extent, milk/cream-based canned coffees. Being a bachelor, brewing a full pot of coffee is generally wasteful because I just don't drink that much. Beer has gotten so expensive locally, sadly, I don't get a chance to buy much of the tasty 'craft' varieties with inflation taking such a bit bite of my disposable income for recurring food-related purchases. In my case, a descent 1.75L bottle of bourbon costs less than a 12-pack of something like Shiner Bock, Modelo, or similar beers.