What my dad left behind..

[drumguy]

My dad passed away in 1995.He always shaved daily. I noticed he had some kind of old fashsioned razor. I thought at the time that it was an out of date piece of junk. I was using a triple blade and considered it to be state of the art. After my dad passed I took that old razor as a keepsake,I put it in a drawer and forgot about it. A couple of years ago I started to get interested in single blade shaving and remembered that old razor. I got it out and looked it up on the web. It turned out to be a Gillette "Fat Boy" from the 1950's.I was amazed that it was older than me and in such great shape! So I started using it and fell in love with it. Turns out it was'nt a piece of junk after all.I only wish my dad was still using it.....

 

[ducatisteve]

That must be quite a feeling to shave with the razor that your dad used. I hope you enjoy it for years to come!

 

[Falstaff]

I can definately relate to the whole "dad's razor" theme.

 

[Bit2]

Be happy that you have something you can use everyday to remember him by.
I think my sister and wife tossed out all of my father's "old" razors.
I would have like to have one of his.

I did get two (a SS and a flare tip) from my father-in-law and re-plated them in Rhodium.
That way I will have a keepsake from him.
He was amazed at how well they look after a good cleaning and re-plating.


John

 

[Uncle Erik]

I think your father would be thrilled that you're using his razor and thinking of him.

My grandfather gave me his Fatboy probably close to 25 years ago. He died in 2000, but I always kept the razor around. A couple years ago, when I got fed up with cartridge prices, I got it out and started using it. It's still in my rotation and will absolutely be passed on in my family.

 

[ackvil]

Thank you for sharing. It is special when we use something that our father or grandfather used.

The FB is a wonderful razor. Mine dates back to 1959 - when I was a young lad of 17.

 

[jansob]

Lucky man!
My dad used some sort of a TTO DE which I remember playing with (sans blades) as a kid after he had changed to an injector. Unfortunately no one thought to keep any of it after he passed away (I wasn't shaving age yet)...but judging by what I remember, the DE was likely a SS or something similar. The injector was a Schick, and I remember him explaining it to me in rifle magazine terms, which as a southern boy I understood.

Wish I still had them, although I do remember lots of toilet paper stuck to his neck...I don't think shaving was anything but a painful chore for him.

I've wondered recently about what many of our dads and granddads would think about our abandoning the easy and bloodless cartridges for the tools that so many of them hated! For us DEs and straights have emotional and nostalgic connections that they didn't have.

Interesting to think about as I gladly grab my DE and learn how to use it better!

 

[Ride4TheBrand]

I only wish my dad was still using it.....

I hear you, brother.

 

[Carlo A]

My condolenses to your father.
I shrug at even the thought of losing my father-I think of this almost every time I shave.

God bless my man and take care.

 

[AlanL]

As much as we enjoy using the razors of our fathers, imagine how overjoyed they would be to know we are using them.

 

[djh]

I hope that your Dad's razor gives you great shaves. Enjoy a few quiet minutes with it each morning in front of the mirror.

 

[MRast01]

Very cool; my parents believe they have my grandfathers, but are unsure where it might be located from when they cleaned out my grandparents house. I hope you enjoy it, and the memories. I hope to find the missing one at my parents soon.

 

[Jwolf24601]

I shave with my Great-Grandfather's Tech, and my Grandfather's Slim. Both are great razors.

My dad threw out his super speed in the 80's, I had to buy him another one when I started DE shaving, got him his birth year/quarter superspeed

 

[BladeRunner001]

Enjoy and what a way to keep dad in your memories .

 

[Hercule]

I dare say yours is a common story here at the B&B. Though my dad is still using his razor and brush, I have the fondest memories of watching him shave when I was very young and when the time comes his shaving kit is what I want most to remember him by. Good for you! I hope you come to think of your shaving time as time spent with your dad, even if only in memory.

H

 

[BlackAngus]

That's really cool...I wish I had something similar. Thanks for sharing.

 

[HesNot]

I remember my dad having something of a collection of razors - he really hated shaving and would try just about anything to make it a pleasant experience. He stuck with a mug and a brush until he grew a full beard and stopped shaving altogether post retirement, but went down the long road of razors. The two I remember most clearly were a Gillette Fat Boy and a Super Adjustable. Even after he stopped using them I always thought they were fascinating as a little kid - and much like learning to drive a stick shift I learned to shave with one of his old slim adjustables. But he had a variety of injectors, travel kits, and then a bunch of Trac II, Atra and Sensors...

While I'd gone to a trac II I was still the only guy in my freshman dorm I ever saw using a mug and a brush to shave like my dad taught me (stuck with that through law school and eventually succomed to canned goop). I believe most of his collection was tossed back when he retired and they moved out of the DC area. I had just finished college and was still years away from returning to a DE razor and wetshaving. When he passed away I dug around in his stuff to see if any of them survived as at that point i would have liked to have had them - but sadly they were long since gone it seems. They are one of a handful of things I sure wish I'd known to ask him for when he was cleaning out stuff.

I've since acquired a slim adjustable and gone back to using a DE regularly, and just acquired a super adjustable. I'll eventually pick up a Fat Boy and while they won't be his, they still bring back memories for me and I will pass to my son an appreciation for a good shave, but I'm going to make sure the equipment gets passed along as well!

 

[polaar]

I myself use my Grandpa's '59 Fat Boy. I'm happy that you can also can keep memory and tradition alive.