TV? Who watches TV nowadays?
The masses are just sheep who'll follow the latest "coolest" hype.
In the 1970's my friend Rusty used to make a $20 bet that he could find a radio station playing Zep with just one turn of the dial. I don't remember him ever losing that bet.Our local rock channel played it so much I got sick of it, even though I love the song and the band.
My best friend and I would look at each other when it came on, roll our eyes and go, "Uhoh. More Led poisoning."
My brother and sister are pretty understanding of their crackpot older brother.
I enjoyed your analysis. The only thing I might question is your assumption of 2-3 shaves per blade. Most men shaving in the early 50s lived through the Depression. The habits learned then died hard and they weren't quick to dispose of anything.Wet shaving has never been cheap. It has probably always been the same price as now, adjusted for inflation, purchasing power and other economic stuff.
Check out this 1951 ad.
It looks a sweet bargain. $1 for a Super Speed and 10 blades, which would be $11.87 in 2023 prices. The average yearly salary in 1951 was about $3,100.
The catch was after the blades ran out, it cost pretty much the same again to buy 20 blades. The uncoated carbons of the day were not known for long life, maybe 2-3 bearable shaves max.
So that was $11.87 for 40 shaves. (I know a 20 pack was 2 cents less, but it would have been close) that would have been $108.31 per year on blades if you shaved every day, and a lot did.
$108 in 1951 money works out to $1,282 in 2023 money.
If I don't use a DE, my go to cart is the Mach 3, probably the best cart ever made. It's well respected here. A lot of B&B's use it as a travel razor etc.
I can pick up a Mach 3 handle and 4 carts for about £8.50 ($10.39) tomorrow. I can get 12-15 good shaves from a Mach 3 cart, using DE shaving techniques. That's 48-60 shaves for just under the 1951 real money amount for 40 shaves.
So not much has changed really if you look at it. The great thing about 1951 though was that you were getting an all brass Super Speed for free, which would definitely be still shaving today. Now you get a plastic handle.
Your Gillette 195 cost you $1.95 between 1958-61 when they were made, and you got 6 blades free. That would have been $20.03 in 1959 money if yours is an E-1 to 4.
The same game. Give you a handle for free and a few blades, then buy the blades after at a premium. Gillette are consistent!
I would have to say, if mocked they do it behind my back. Most people appear to show a genuine interest and seem to like the idea. Ask questions and think its neat to still use a brush with soap and a vintage razor. How many take it to the next step, who knows but I am sure some have. I mean some of the people I start a conversation with about it seem more interested in it than I am so I must have helped convert a few.As the title says, are you mocked, teased, kidded, ridiculed because of your decision to use and perhaps (probably) collect DE blades and safety razors, soaps and creams and brushes?
I'm about 6 months into this journey and I'm surprised that if I mention my newest passion to friends or relatives, they give me a thousand-yard stare and sort of mutter, "Mmmmm. Well, okay."
I've added a birth year and other vintage Gillettes to my little razor arsenal and you would think people would at least appreciate the historical aspects of it. But noooooo! They kind of clear their throats and switch the subject to sports or something.
Even my wife, who isn't retired yet or have any real hobbies, rolls her eyes when I bring up a new purchase.
"That's nice, dear."
I mean, I'm only being half serious here. I don't really care all that much what people think. I got over that years ago, when I was in my youth. But nonetheless, I'm a little surprised that more people, particularly men, don't express at least some interest in me choosing safety razors over cartridges or electric shavers after all these years. I'm the naturally curious type, so had I been engaged in a conversation with someone about the subject years ago, I would have been all ears.
So here I am being curious again, wondering if any of you guys find that your friends have zero interest in this hobby/pursuit/interest or if you've been joined in brotherhood with a friend or two or if you just reached the conclusion years ago that we're all anomalies in this modern age of plastic razors and left it at that.
