What's new

Overheard shaving conversation

I go to physical therapy twice a week. I have one main therapist - a man who is 57 - but he is sometimes helped by one of the younger therapists in the office, who is about 25 I believe, maybe 26. The other day during the beginning of my therapy, the younger guy, who had been sporting stubble for a few days and wore it well, had obviously shaved. The older one noticed. They briefly discussed shaving as they got me onto the table and into a laying position. I only listened and said nothing.

"Got rid of your beard, huh? You looked good with it!"
"Yeah, my wife didn't like it. So it had to come off."
"Do you use a razor or an electric?"
"A razor, man. The new 5-bladed Gillette...that's where it's at! It's great."
"Oh really? I'm old school. I use the 2 or 3-bladed ones."
"I don't know what they did, but this new one...it's really smooth. Once with the grain and once against the grain...perfect shave. No pulling at all."
"I may have to try it out."

At this point, the younger guy left. So I briefly talked with the older one about shaving. I told him that I used a DE safety razor and also a Gillette Guard (which I explained had 1 blade and was developed for the Indian market by Gillette). The man was taken aback.

"Really? A safety razor? I hated those. I used one when I first started shaving. It was horrible! I was glad when I moved to the 2-bladed ones. The 3-blades are even better. They still make the safety razors? Jeez."

That was the extent of it. I didn't get into the shaving gospel or talk about brushes or soaps or anything like that, because I don't believe in "converting" anyone's personal grooming habits. I just thought it was funny...I've yet to talk to anyone that's old enough to have used a safety razor back in the day that actually enjoyed it (other than here on the forum). My father (who is 71) loathed it as well. He uses a Sensor on the weekends, but a Remington electric day-to-day, and thinks I'm crazy.

Seven years into wetshaving, most people still look at me like I'm an alien if it does come up in conversation.
 
In defense of cart. it is a little easier and quicker to use vs DE razors. One swipe for a close shave vs 3+for DE blades.

Most old timers don't care really. Most people don't care tbh, this is more like a niche hobby than it is anything else.
I honestly sum it up to things "rich white people" get into. A mundane task as shaving, and we have a forum dedicated to it and collecting it and all the other stuff that comes with it. I don't mean any offense by "rich white people", but if you look at the sub forums, it is very "rich white people" esque. We have outdoors, fire arms, pipe/cigar, pen etc etc. sub forums, most of these things from what I've seen are mid 30's-60's white male with disposable income centric.

Then you have a few college age guys sprinkled here and there...Hence why people look at you like you're an alien. It's just shaving to 90% of the population, then you have the 10% people who have it as a niche market where we look at it as "more than shaving".

Most people don't have the time, nor care to spend 10 minuets prepping their beard, buying all these soaps and bowls and brushes and razors and 400 blades....Hence why I call it a "white middle/upperclass suburban male" thing. No one else has time to waste doing that, they have to get to work, or school, or somewhere that's important.

Sorry. Just my two cents.

/rant.
 
An interesting notion, that traditional wet shaving belongs to a 'class' ...... Although I'd have to disagree somewhat.

At least here in the UK, the DE razor was once a symbol of the working man ........ The notion that, be he ne'er so vile, he may gentle his condition with an affordable safety razor.

I'd say the kind of traditional shaving methods and gear we bang on about in these fora are certainly an affectation ....... But there's nothing frivolous about adopting methods and equipment that's been tried, tested and proven long ago......
 
There's a general perception that if something is new (in design and function, not necessarily material build), it has to be better than something that is old, otherwise it would not exist. This applies to virtually everything that touches our lives, from auto' to phones. Shaving would no doubt be right there as well.

Maybe he's never seen Rick Harrison pitch the MTO on TV.
 
I can see where you are coming from and I would agree, to an extent, with some of what you say. Where I would disagree with you is in your last paragraph below:

No one else has time to waste doing that, they have to get to work, or school, or somewhere that's important.

Sorry. Just my two cents.

/rant.

While there may be those on the forums who are in a financially sound position and can focus their energies solely into this hobby my feeling is that the large majority do have important places to be every day be that work, school or, like me juggle both alongside my role as a husband and a father.

For me this interest is something that helps me to relax and gives me another outlet. The time I choose to "waste" is at night, after work, when the kids are in bed, things are ready for the next day and studying for the evening is done.

I think that everyone needs some down time whether that be engaged in a hobby or even just sitting in front of the TV with a beer. This just happens to be the way that I and, I presume many other people on this forum choose to spend some of theirs.

One thing I know I am not is some rich man with nothing better to do than buy razors. Hence why I felt the need to respond.
 
I don't feel that DE shaving is a class issue, but it definitely is a niche hobby. Still fun, though not to mention great traditional shaves.
 
I am always on the look out for older vintage items, now I have added shaving items to this list. Weekend before last, we had a chance to hit several antique shops, one shop that we visited had several DE razors in the display at the front door, my wife mumbled something and wandered off.

The lady behind the counter began to question me on what type of razor I was looking for etc... I explained that I really wanted to find my birth year on a vintage razor. This only deepened the conversation, she asked if I collected them, to which I answered, "no ma'am I shave with them". She was in complete shock, she remembered her husband using them and had no idea that you could still purchase blades for them.

We talked about razors, blades, soaps, creams and brushes while my wife strolled thru her shop. It was an enjoyable conversation, I am assuming that her husband had passed and our talk brought back some fond memories of his shaving habits.

Who knows her husband may have been one of those who hated it too and she thought I had lost my mind for wanting to use them....

I have a guy at work that is wanting to give this type of shaving a try, he just hasn't taken the plunge. I am thinking about throwing a set together for him and loaning it to him to let him decide if he likes it or not. If he does I will just PIF the set to him, if not I'll clean it up and put it up for someone else.
 
I can see where you are coming from and I would agree, to an extent, with some of what you say. Where I would disagree with you is in your last paragraph below:



While there may be those on the forums who are in a financially sound position and can focus their energies solely into this hobby my feeling is that the large majority do have important places to be every day be that work, school or, like me juggle both alongside my role as a husband and a father.

For me this interest is something that helps me to relax and gives me another outlet. The time I choose to "waste" is at night, after work, when the kids are in bed, things are ready for the next day and studying for the evening is done.

I think that everyone needs some down time whether that be engaged in a hobby or even just sitting in front of the TV with a beer. This just happens to be the way that I and, I presume many other people on this forum choose to spend some of theirs.

One thing I know I am not is some rich man with nothing better to do than buy razors. Hence why I felt the need to respond.

I for one have to agree at least in part. I am a tool and die apprentice. Meaning I work 60-80 hours a week and also go to school at night. My time is limited. I do have some disposable income, but in all honesty I never was trying to save money. Just get a better shave and be able to more often than I could with carts, which I am.
I digress. I got into this hobby for the above mentioned reasons, but have also stuck with it for the relaxation, skill needed compared to carts, and overall enjoyment of doing it the "old school" way. I enjoy those types of things. Fountain pens, zippos, and now safety razor shaving and traditionAL lather with a brush. I'm a firm believer that newer isn't always better.
Like anything, this is a hobby. Some like it and some dont. I'd like to think that most don't even know about it, or our numbers would be even higher.
Mostly everyone I talk with about it either haven't heard of it (young) or know of it but have bad memories of using their fathers with no guidance or something similar to that. I don't think the learning curve was explained back then because there was nothing to compare it to. I.E. nowadays we say there is a learning curve and that it's different because of the comparison to carts being so easy, thought free, and readily available.
I did run into a gentleman who had his old army issue razor, but didnot know there were many blades available besides the ones in the store, and let's face it, although not as bad as some they aren't as food as most. That and the price for the store bought ones... cheaper than carts but more expensive than the 100 packs That we all purchase in bulk. I gave him a tuck of each of the 20 something brands I have and the next time I saw him he thanked me and said it brought back memories and was glad to be able to use his old razor.
most that I've gotten to try it, have stuck with it.
I firmly believe that if more people knew, the numbers would be greater. .. how many have you heard say, "wow I didn't know they still made blades for those!" Lol. Even I didn't know when I first heard about it.
anyway, sorry for the long post.
Enjoy your day gents!!
 
That doesn't surprise me. I still use carts though lately I have preferred the Trac II and Atra because they actually seem to be more efficient and the blades are much cheaper than the Sensor. But if you just want a one lousy shave, the Sensor is convenient and very comfortable compared to a DE. I've also found the Mach 3 very efficient, probably the best value in modern carts out there if you want a fast shave.

But in terms of what I put on my face, I prefer traditional shaving soap or cream.
 
Last edited:
Interesting. Though you have to remember that a lot of guys for who a safety razor was new still didn't have access to all the stuff we use today. They'd get the same blades and soap from the drug store around the corner. And most of them probably didn't do much more than the minimum before they shaved as well.

I haven't had a lot of conversations about shaving. The closest I had actually stemmed from cell phones. A training thing in the office had people surveying people about cell phones. I don't have a smart phone. The only reason my cell phone has a "keyboard" is that when my wife got a smart phone, she started texting me. So they're asking me about a bigger screen, longer battery, etc. Since it's not a smart phone, my battery lasts a week between charges and a bigger screen would just make it a bigger phone. One of my coworkers said "You're like one of those guys who stops using the 4 bladed razors and goes back to using a single blade...". I told him I did that too, and talked about the lower cost of replacement blades. That was the end of it. :)
 
Had no idea I was part of a "white middle/upper class suburban male" thing. I thought I was an old working class stiff looking for a decent shave! :w00t:
Never had the urge to try and convert someone to DE, although if someone asked, I might give my 2 cents. View it the same way as religion and politics..
 
In defense of cart. it is a little easier and quicker to use vs DE razors. One swipe for a close shave vs 3+for DE blades.

Most old timers don't care really. Most people don't care tbh, this is more like a niche hobby than it is anything else.
I honestly sum it up to things "rich white people" get into. A mundane task as shaving, and we have a forum dedicated to it and collecting it and all the other stuff that comes with it. I don't mean any offense by "rich white people", but if you look at the sub forums, it is very "rich white people" esque. We have outdoors, fire arms, pipe/cigar, pen etc etc. sub forums, most of these things from what I've seen are mid 30's-60's white male with disposable income centric.

Then you have a few college age guys sprinkled here and there...Hence why people look at you like you're an alien. It's just shaving to 90% of the population, then you have the 10% people who have it as a niche market where we look at it as "more than shaving".

Most people don't have the time, nor care to spend 10 minuets prepping their beard, buying all these soaps and bowls and brushes and razors and 400 blades....Hence why I call it a "white middle/upperclass suburban male" thing. No one else has time to waste doing that, they have to get to work, or school, or somewhere that's important.

Sorry. Just my two cents.

/rant.

I happen to be one of those college age guys around here. :001_smile
My reason for converting over to DE shaving was cost...which admittedly sounds counter-intuitive, since most traditional wet shavers invest in a variety of creams, soaps and aftershaves (guilty), but at the heart of it, DE shaving to me is still cheaper, heck even if I broke even taking into account the purchase of software, I would still keep doing it.

Why? Because I find it so much more enjoyable. The only times I can say I enjoyed using a Fusion cartridge was when it was a bran new blade. Those shaves felt nice, but after 4-5 shaves or so, I noticed a serious decline in performance and comfort, which led to a lot of irritating, uncomfortable shaves. Fusions also cost a lot to replace, so I wouldn't replace them until long past due. In my search for a cheaper option, I discovered classic DE wetshaving, and decided to try it and see how it went. Liked it so much that I never looked back. I could never shave daily with a cartridge, but now I shave almost everyday with my DE. There's just something classy and enjoyable about it, and a nice close shave is satisfying, since DEs take a lot more skill to use well.
 
I've used injectors, DE, two and three blade carts and foil and rotary electrics, brush and mug, canned foam and canned gels over the years. Honestly, I get DFS shaves in two passes with the SE, DE and Trac II carts and most preps. I get serious irritation with any electric or pivot-head razors (haven't bothered with more than three blades).

For some of us it's just a shave, for others it's about preserving and using vintage razors and sampling the latest and/or more exotic software.
 
I forgot, I used some kind of rotary Norelco electric razor for a while too. I usually kept it in the car for those days where I got some remark at work for needing to shave...that's how much I disliked shaving haha. Not a problem now!
 
Then you have a few college age guys sprinkled here and there...Hence why people look at you like you're an alien. It's just shaving to 90% of the population, then you have the 10% people who have it as a niche market where we look at it as "more than shaving".

Most people don't have the time, nor care to spend 10 minuets prepping their beard, buying all these soaps and bowls and brushes and razors and 400 blades....Hence why I call it a "white middle/upperclass suburban male" thing. No one else has time to waste doing that, they have to get to work, or school, or somewhere that's important.

Sorry. Just my two cents.

/rant.
Generalizations are generally wrong :)
I have to get to work, get two kids up, fed, washed and out to school. Yet I also traditional wet shave.
 
I forgot, I used some kind of rotary Norelco electric razor for a while too. I usually kept it in the car for those days where I got some remark at work for needing to shave...that's how much I disliked shaving haha. Not a problem now!

Haha I used to carry a Braun mobileshave (battery single foil) in the car when I used an electric. Never fully got the hang of getting a good shave out of my home electric, so when going to work if I'd noticed a missed spot I'd grab that and get it.... it was sad how often it got used... almost daily lol.
I still have my Braun series 3 at home... not sure why I'm keeping it. But I am. Maybe to look at it after a great shave and snicker about the old days...
 
In defense of cart. it is a little easier and quicker to use vs DE razors. One swipe for a close shave vs 3+for DE blades.

Most old timers don't care really. Most people don't care tbh, this is more like a niche hobby than it is anything else.
I honestly sum it up to things "rich white people" get into. A mundane task as shaving, and we have a forum dedicated to it and collecting it and all the other stuff that comes with it. I don't mean any offense by "rich white people", but if you look at the sub forums, it is very "rich white people" esque. We have outdoors, fire arms, pipe/cigar, pen etc etc. sub forums, most of these things from what I've seen are mid 30's-60's white male with disposable income centric.

Then you have a few college age guys sprinkled here and there...Hence why people look at you like you're an alien. It's just shaving to 90% of the population, then you have the 10% people who have it as a niche market where we look at it as "more than shaving".

Most people don't have the time, nor care to spend 10 minuets prepping their beard, buying all these soaps and bowls and brushes and razors and 400 blades....Hence why I call it a "white middle/upperclass suburban male" thing. No one else has time to waste doing that, they have to get to work, or school, or somewhere that's important.

Sorry. Just my two cents.

/rant.

I'm not rich, although I'm white...Case in point I still haven't gotten my 2016 range rover yet, so when I pull up to the country club my friends all tease me because I'm still in the 2015 and it has like 3,000 miles on it. Firearms for rich white folks???Only in the movies friend , when we want to kill our wives or our wives want to kill us. US rich white folks are scared to death of firearms. I bid you good day I must be off as I must meet a gentleman on my yacht for cigars . We are discussing my newest private jet, I may even get my butler to give me a shave with my merkur while we have a chat, good day.
 
Last edited:
In defense of cart. it is a little easier and quicker to use vs DE razors. One swipe for a close shave vs 3+for DE blades.

I honestly sum it up to things "rich white people" get into. A mundane task as shaving, and we have a forum dedicated to it and collecting it and all the other stuff that comes with it. I don't mean any offense by "rich white people", but if you look at the sub forums, it is very "rich white people" esque.

Then you have a few college age guys sprinkled here and there...Hence why people look at you like you're an alien. It's just shaving to 90% of the population, then you have the 10% people who have it as a niche market where we look at it as "more than shaving".

Most people don't have the time, nor care to spend 10 minuets prepping their beard, buying all these soaps and bowls and brushes and razors and 400 blades....

Sorry. Just my two cents.

/rant.

The hilarious thing about the "rich white people" is that I think there is some overlap with broke people with too much time on their hands. I'm one of the latter. I piked up pipe smoking in college because it cost less than a cigar. I started SE shaving because I wanted an alternative to carts and DE looked like it would be too expensive to figure out the right combo of blade and razor.

Frankly, if people would just slow down a little and enjoy daily activities a little more they might be happier. Shaving, cooking, eating, drinking coffee/ tea etc. are all things most of us do every day. Why not make them more enjoyable?
 
If you don't drink the kool-aid here on B&B you can do traditional wet shaving cheaply. Find a vintage razor like a Super Adjustable either free from a family member or friend or buy from a flea market/antique shop/thrift store on the cheap(10 to 25 bucks). Omega boar brush for 10 to 15 dollars. Arko or Cella in bulk for 20 to 35 dollars which is a couple years worth of good performing soap. If you want artisan then Stirling is excellent performer and quality for the under 10 bucks a puck price point. Stick to the cheaper blades in the 10 to 15 dollars per 100 blades range. That is a couple years worth of shaves for most guys in the initial investment for the cost of 3 or 4 months of carts. Hardly upper class luxury prices. Many guys can get away with shaving in the evening rather than the morning to off set the longer times needed.
 
It's a very sad commentary that a simple matter of taking an extra five or ten minutes for YOURSELF anymore is considered a luxury that only rich and middle lclass men can afford. It's really not true at all. This thing that we seem to think that we need to make each and every minute count for work is going to drive us all insane.

Stop. Breath. Look. Smell the roses. Take a moment. Pause. Enjoy.
 
Top Bottom