The Search for The Holy Grail

[AimlessWanderer]

I don't do Medeval Christian legend, but If you mean have you found a way to get good shaves then yes.

It's called technique.

^^^ This! Technique is definitely my grail too.

All the products need to be, whether hardware or software, is "good enough". Technique is what elevates adequate to phenomenal.

For a few years, an Edwin Jagger DE3D14 was my primary razor. The most exceptional aspect of it, being my familiarity with it. Then in February this year, I was gifted a Game Changer 68 by @Cal . For fun, I decided to used that razor for Cal's annual Fixed Four thread that runs every March. After that month, I still wasn't getting shaves as good as what I got with the Jagger, but I was convinced that wasn't the razor's fault.

As such, once March gave way to April, I persevered with that new razor. It took over 14 weeks for me to fully recalibrate to the Game Changer, by which point I was getting shaves as good as with the Jagger. Equal, not better, but the same closeness and comfort, with the same speed and fluidity of movement, and without having to "try". For those first three months I had to concentrate and work for It, but eventually it became second nature.

Now, I don't want to go back to the Jagger, because I don't want another 3 month recalibration.

I tend to stick with a brush and soap for prolonged periods too, but will swap them when things have started to feel stale. There is far less disruption and a far shorter adjustment period when switching a brush or soap, but it can still take me a while to settle in, depending on the scale of the change.

As you might imagine. Swapping shaving kit around daily/weekly, is not for me. As essential as technique is to a great shave, familiarity is the foundation for that technique. I have tried the frequently swapping "life style", and it's the shaving equivalent of wearing new shoes everyday, and never feeling that fully broken in and conformed comfort of an older shoe.

Best razor? Best brush? Best soap? For me, it's whichever I am most familiar with in the moment. Whatever I shave with next, won't be as good. For a while, at least.

 

[Qanzoq]

Searching for the Holy Grail

Too late Monty Python tried but the French got there 1st

 

[Dave himself]

Ever new razor I bought or won in a PIF or competition has been the one. In fact I now have around fifteen different versions of the one.

 

[nlife]

Searching for the Holy Grail

Too late Monty Python tried but the French got there 1st

Not only that, but they taunted him, farted in his general direction and flung a cow at him!

 

[dotKomo]

I keep thinking that such a thing exists, but after 14 years of shaving this way I'm not sure I believe it anymore.

I think there is a phenomenon that takes place in this hobby that is very similar to something I have found in one of my other main hobbies, golf. It works like this: generally speaking, if you borrow your friend's driver, you tend to hit it very well, much better than you hit your current driver.

But if you go and actually buy the driver, over time the magic begins to wear off, and you hit it about the same as you hit your old driver.

But the thing is, it's really a lather/rinse/repeat situation, because if you borrow yet a different driver, you will again hit it much better. But then if you buy it after that, the mojo usually goes away.

I think it's the same for razors, once your technique is reasonably sound. Sure, some might fit your style of shaving better than others, but almost always the new razor you just bought will be better. For a while. And then it begins to revert to the mean.

So while i do think that some razors work really well for some people, I don't really believe that there is such a thing as a 'holy grail' razor. I think that for every person, there are any number of razors that would fit your style and perform about the same.

Maybe the real secret to a 'holy grail' razor is to just decide on one that you like, and then continue to choose it as your best, day after day.

When I was a teenager I asked my father how anybody could ever get married, how anybody could say in their mind or their heart that any particular woman was the 'best' for them, given that their are so many women in the world. His answer was that, even after 35 years of marriage, he 'chose' my mother every day. You don't just choose her once, he said, rather you choose her again and again, day after day.

If one really wanted to narrow down their razors to just one, their 'holy grail,' as it were, perhaps they would, in essence, really be doing the same thing. Saying, deliberately, that this is the razor they choose to be the best for them, and then just continuing to make that choice every single shave.

Wow, eloquently said, sir! After ten years of being back into DE/Wet Shaving, I thought I could find my "Holy Grail" razor. And, while I have stumbled on to some I really like, and others that just didn't work for me, I came to the conclusion that such a razor is a unicorn. I still have too many razors. Truthfully, I could probably cut the number down to a hand full, or less. I am trying to apply this wisdom to my flights of fancy when I see or read about the next/best razor, but I admit that I am not tempted to pull the trigger on another purchase!

Your father passed on a gem of wisdom regarding marriage. I've been married 39 years. While love starts off as a feeling, it really does morph into an act of the will and a decision you make every day. There is a song recorded by Roy Clark that puts it well - "Right or Left at Oak Street".

 

[ivan_101]

I am curious. I wonder how many folks here are still on the quest for The Holy Grail? That perfect combination of razor, blade, brush and soap that means your wandering days are over. Are you still searching for perfection despite 20 years in the game, or have you accepted that you are doomed to a shaving future that is ruled by shallow, transigent infatuations!?

Me? Well, I have been around the block a few times and I am not sure that monogamy is in my nature. I have had more than my share of razors and brushes and I have enjoyed a lot of them....I still do. I mean, I can see myself settling down at some point, as long as that means settling down with about ten different sets of gear for use on different days!

In addition to your views on "shaving monogamy", I am also curious to know how long you have been involved in the traditional shaving hobby? I suspect that most of us plan to settle down when we first begin to explore this hobby, but I know that many folks find the amount of variety on offer is just too spicy and enticing...or perhaps that's just me.

Edit: This was initially meant to be a poll, but after posting it I realised that the analogies (and the language) might be a little too "19th Century Paris"...Let's keep it PG!

Mate, what have you done?
I bet half of our members, especially the new ones didn't even know about the 'Holy Grail' thing. Now they have the concept in their heads. You have effectively sent them on a quest to spend huge amounts of money.