"Golden Age" of Shaving?

[OV1kenobi]

To me, it had to be the 1970's.

The GEM SE, Schick Injectors, various incarnations of the Gillette DE, along with straight razors from around the world offered in specialty knife/shaving shops (Remington, Hoffritz, etc.) all over the place. Even in pipe and tobacco shops (remember those; particularly Churchills in the Midwest?) in all the major malls in just about any major city in the U.S.

Not only can you get just about any type of razor and blade ever made - even Wilkinson and Persona (sp?), but even various creams, soaps, lotions and potions offered on just about any store shelf just about anywhere.

Wetshaving was mainstream with so many choices that can hardly be imagined now.

What we now consider "vintage" gear, such as "Gramdaddy's" old lather-catcher or ancient Gillette that sat for years in his medicine cabinet or top dresser drawer was also available for next to nothing in estate and garage sales back then, almost forty years ago.

What are your thoughts?

Perhaps those of us on this and similar forums in "the know" are better and more appreciative wetshavers now that times have changed. Still, the variety offered back then was simply wonderful!

If I can only go back in time knowing what I know now!

Regards,

David

 

[Sydney Guy]

Well I started shaving in the 1970s and I don't recall it as a Golden Age. I didn't know what the heck I was doing and shaving was a painful chore every morning. Lots of cuts and weepers, so I'd shower after the shave to wash off the blood and even then I'd get bloodstains on my shirt collars as often as not. Here in Australia there wasn't that much choice in shaving gear available, maybe 2-3 varieties of blades and a handful of razors, a handful of soaps and creams, a few low-quality bristle brushes. There may have been better equipment available in barber shops but I don't recall any. Maybe the situation was better in the USA, but my guess is that unless you lived in a major metropolis you were limited to whatever your local drugstore stocked, which wasn't much.

AFAIAC we are currently living in the Golden Age of Shaving. Never before was there so much information available on shaving technique, such a wide range of blades, shaving soaps & creams, aftershaves, accessories and yes, even razors, available to the average Joe albeit on the internet rather than a B&M store. Before the internet and ebay there was no effective way of recycling razors, so they got left in drawers or they actually got used by the people who inherited them. Yard sales? I think these are a recent invention. These days I see signs every weekend for them in my neighbourhood, but I don't recall them in the 1970s & 80s. Back in those days people just didn't have as much stuff, and you used it until it was broken and worthless. As for shaving creams and soaps, most people didn't even know that Proraso, Tabac and the 3 T's even existed let alone could buy them.

So don't get nostalgic for the Golden Age of Shaving, because this is it.

 

[AlanL]

All good arguments so far, but I would not say the 70s were the Golden Age.

First of all, that was the decade in which men shaved the least. The hairy male was all the rage in the 70s with mustaches, beards, sideburns, long hair, and even chest hair all being in fashion. In some respects, this was the nadir of shaving.

The 70s also saw the introduction and widespread use of light, cheap, plastic, disposable razors. I'm not sure I'd ever call the advent of these products a Golden Age.

I would vote for the late 50s to early 60s, when almost all men were clean shaven, and high quality razors were available at low cost. The Fat Boy had evolved into the Slim, while Super Speeds were readily available for next to nothing. Even Techs went for 49¢. Other companies besides Gillette offered similar products.

My second place vote would be the 1920's, after WW1 when shaving at home with a safety razor became commonplace. It was a booming market, and everything was looking up.

 

[wulfgar1976]

The Golden Age, for me, is right now. With the advent of the Internet and sites like Ebay, I can buy anything I like, subject to availability. With sites like B&B, there is far more information and knowledge available about technique, products etc. Although there are blades that are out of production and sorely missed like Personna '74s and Gillette 'Swedes', there is a vast range of blades available to-day and everyone seems to agree that they are much better than the older carbon steel ones.

 

[bradyarz]

The Golden Age, for me, is right now.

+1

 

[michiganlover]

+1

+2

While the vast majority of men wet shaved in the 1960's, it's a fallacy to believe they were getting top quality shaves doing so.

The average male then (as they do today as well) likely believed that nicks, cuts, and irritation were a part of shaving that had to be endured.

If you don't know proper technique, a DE razor is fully capable of providing you with consistent wretched quality shaves.

 

[Sledgehammer39]

I believe that we are now in the Golden Age of shaving. A new life has emerged since the advent of world wide web allowing the world to be more open to us. Eventhough shavers of yester year had great razors I think that we do have considerable more variety these days and it's easier to get shaving items. This is just my belief as always YMMV applies.

 

[ouch]

All good arguments so far, but I would not say the 70s were the Golden Age.

First of all, that was the decade in which men shaved the least. The hairy male was all the rage in the 70s with mustaches, beards, sideburns, long hair, and even chest hair all being in fashion. In some respects, this was the nadir of shaving.

The 70s also saw the introduction and widespread use of light, cheap, plastic, disposable razors. I'm not sure I'd ever call the advent of these products a Golden Age.

I would vote for the late 50s to early 60s, when almost all men were clean shaven, and high quality razors were available at low cost. The Fat Boy had evolved into the Slim, while Super Speeds were readily available for next to nothing. Even Techs went for 49¢. Other companies besides Gillette offered similar products.

My second place vote would be the 1920's, after WW1 when shaving at home with a safety razor became commonplace. It was a booming market, and everything was looking up.

This.

The 70's era DE's weren't as good as older models. As far as a golden age is concerned, I'd say it's right now, despite what the knuckleheads are trying to do to our tallow based soaps.

 

[Sydney Guy]

I can't help thinking that this thread would be more appropriate in the General Shaving Discussion forum and would get more responses there. Maybe one of the mods could move it?

 

[Patrik]

The Golden Age, for me, is right now.

+3. I can't expand on that without repeating what's already been said.

 

[texasshaver78]

I would think now is the golden age , we have all the previous equipment avaliable to us , easily ( most is not to hard to find , just wait for the right price ) I mean i have right now thanks to a few great people here and others , razors ranging from a 1912 gem to a 67 gillette adjustable and now a rolls razor ( which i could not of afforded when it came out costing $12.50-15.00 in the 50's and sixties was about equal to $100+ in todays currency )

also we have what appears to be much better grade of blades to choose from ,( excluding a few noted examples , spoilers , 74's etc ) I mean i am a newbie and i have about 12 diff. types of blades in my drawer to choose from already and they all work good, great actualy . I dont think that would of been possible without the internet etc . I would of been limited to what the local store had ,I would need to pray the owner has the same intrest in razor blades as I do

also the modern razors ( merkur , pills etc ) , though more expensive than most vintage, are great and will be here for our childrens children to shave with providing Shaveapocalypse does not occur

there are more reasons , but i have been a collector of many things , usualy i come in after the golden age to get the items( when it is hard to find items and they are expensive to boot ) and well lets just say my comic book , baseball card and stamp collection were no where the calliber of my shaving collection after just 1 month


Jeff

 

[Go West Young Man]

The 50s/60s/70s were only good in retrospect, with the power of the internet helping you with technique, tips and the ability to procure any product you want from anywhere in the world.

There's a reason cartridges and canned foam took over, they provided a better shave at the time.......

 

[binowatch]

I agree with the above. For creativity and variety of newly presented shaving gear then the late 40's, 50's and 60's but for actual availability to most Americans, this is the golden age. As is true for many "collectables"--shaving gear, binoculars, knives, guns, pipes etc. the availability of the internet has truly democratized the country. Someone living in small town USA has essentially the same access to the variety of things as someone living in NY or LA. This was NOT the case before the internet. Also, the small proprietor with an interest in one of these could, with luck, survive in a big city. Now no matter where the BandM store is they can enjoy a world wide market and do well. The existence of high tech manufacturing processes holds the potential for reproducing classic gear without the old style tooling up-and lastly, as has been mentioned, the existence of fora such as this allow sharing of ideas, opinions and information in a way never dreamed of even 25 years ago.