Bad thoughts, please help.

[VULPES]

Hi All,

I have been trying to get my best friend into DE shaving, his birthday is in two weeks and I have bought him his birth quarter Black Beauty. I received it yesterday, gave it a soak and a little oil and it truly is a beauty. It adjusts smoothly with positive clicks, the numbers are all there, and it feels so good in my hand.

Problem is, I am having some bad thoughts. I am thinking the conversation might go something like this "Unfortunately it never arrived, really sorry, I will try to track down another".

At the very least would it be bad to have a shave with it?

Many thanks.

 

[CigarettesCigars]

I think your friend will be real happy

 

[Gamad]

Try to be morally strong. Think that this friend might be so thankful he will buy you something too in a short time.

 

[VULPES]

But I wanna keep it!

 

[Gamad]

Shaving with his birth quarter razor just wouldn't be right. You will feel remorse. After all it was he that was born at that quarter.

 

[prsman23]

No harm in shaving with it. It's not nos so it's been shaved with before.

 

[Snargle]

I think a test shave "for quality control purposes" would be appropriate. After all, you don't want to give your friend a defective razor as a birthday gift!

 

[huck1680]

Try to remember what you originally bought it for... besides they're not hard to track down.

 

[VULPES]

I think a test shave "for quality control purposes" would be appropriate. After all, you don't want to give your friend a defective razor as a birthday gift!

My thoughts exactly, and if it proves to be sub-standard.......................

 

[Mick]

If you shave with it you will enjoy it.

You can always find another one for yourself but at least you will know if you want one or not

Give the gift to your friend. The short handle super adjustable razors are not all that hard to find

 

[Prof. Moriarty]

Mate another one will come by. Its your best friend, so I say just give it to him. Don't test drive it as it will worsen the temptation.

 

[Oblique Human]

Its a cheap copy. Keep your conscience clear, send it to me.

 

[inspiringK]

Honestly, screw him!

In my experience, people can be encouraged to try wet shaving, but can’t be pushed. Getting him this stellar razor with all kinds of thought behind it and his birth quarter etc is kind of an awkward push.

I have been trying to get my best friend into DE shaving

This gives me the impression that you have tried and have yet to be successful at converting him to wet shaving.

When first starting out, people can’t tell the difference between a GEM SE and a Gillette Toggle DE (unless you try shaving with the second edge of the single edge razor). So, lend a more easily replaceable razor to him in the hopes that he will catch on. The adjustable option is nice for you because you have shaved enough to have preferences, he will suffer from having too many variables in the beginning.

For the next year, while he is borrowing and using the cheap lender, you hold on to and use the adjustable. If he catches on, give the adjustable to him on his next birthday – it will still be in the same condition it is today. If he doesn’t catch on, he will give the cheap borrowed razor back to you. Alternatively, if you give him the adjustable now, he will feel awkward about telling you that he doesn’t use it and another great razor will end up unused in the bottom of a drawer somewhere.

Lastly, on this long drawn out email, the biggest mistake that people make when buying a gift is; getting something for someone that they want the person to want to have, rather than buying a gift that the person actually wants. Your friend is not a DE user, you are. If he becomes a DE user, then get him a DE as a gift. In the meantime, encourage him to borrow one of yours.

 

[Slash McCoy]

Shave with it. Make sure it shaves good before gifting it. Clean it up nice and wrap it up, and if you liked the shave, get yourself a user.

 

[kingfisher]

I'm thinking inspiringK may be on to something.

Maybe give him a Tech if you really want him to just try it out. Keep the SuperAdjustable and use it yourself. If your friend decides he likes DE shaving, like inspiringK said, you give him the Super for his next birthday.

Provided you take good care of it there's no appreciable downside.

 

[michiganlover]

Honestly, screw him!

In my experience, people can be encouraged to try wet shaving, but can’t be pushed. Getting him this stellar razor with all kinds of thought behind it and his birth quarter etc is kind of an awkward push.

+1

I fully agree with your standpoint here. If he doesn't take up DE shaving (and he probably won't) all you have done is taken a very nice condition Super Adjustable out the hands of someone who would really appreciate it. The razor is simply going to sit unused in his cabinet for years, and may eventually simply get tossed (or sold on a garage sale for next to nothing).

 

[Haggises]

Shave with it. Make sure it shaves good before gifting it. Clean it up nice and wrap it up, and if you liked the shave, get yourself a user.

This.

plus you could always preface the offer with a - Look, if you don't like it, just give it back and I'll get you something else. I won't be offended.

 

[Den]

....the biggest mistake that people make when buying a gift is; getting something for someone that they want the person to want to have, rather than buying a gift that the person actually wants. Your friend is not a DE user, you are.

+1

Shaving is a chore to the vast majority and that will never change. Birth year razors, Stainless Steel razors, adjustable razors, etc all mean nothing to someone who just wants to get it done as fast as possible and get on with their day.

It's a very nice gesture, but I'm 99.9% sure you've just bought yourself a very nice Super Adjustable.

 

[jsj_297]

That's a beauty of a razor though!! Tuff choice, huh?

 

[velocityboy]

Get him a nice shiny and new EJ89 or something like that. I think most guys just being introduced to DE shaving would prefer a new razor over vintage just because they don't yet know better. If he actually takes it up you can always give him the black beauty next year.