Are they as good as legend has it?
When is the next razor the last razor? When is the dragon chased?
- Thread starter Sethology
- Start date
ERS4
My exploding razor knows secrets
I can't feel other people's skin, so at least that's my personal experience.
A medical prep razor will face some situations:
1. Let someone else (nurse) shave for you, lacking the guidance of skin feeling.
2. There may be a lack of adequate lubrication when shaving.
3. It must avoid causing more skin burden or damage to the patient.
4. Work must be completed most efficiently.
5. Ability to adapt to most people's skin, rather than just being comfortable for one person.
6. Must be able to be adequately cleaned and disinfected.
Olaf Rasmussen is a professional tool designed to overcome these difficult tasks and therefore also meet our shaving needs.
So it's very logical that it makes an excellent razor.
Finally, we all at B&B know that one razor won't be the answer for everyone.
At least this razor won't be too hard to sell.
When you look at your collection of razors and think to yourself: "This has gotten totally out of hand. No one actually needs all these just to get a good shave."
Then, you decide to start focusing more on improving your skills instead of acquiring more equipment. As long as your equipment is decent, skills are more important.
It's can still be fun to acquire something different or unusual, but just an occasional thing.
Then, you decide to start focusing more on improving your skills instead of acquiring more equipment. As long as your equipment is decent, skills are more important.
It's can still be fun to acquire something different or unusual, but just an occasional thing.
Yes... and no. Have I found the 'be all end all' razor? Yes. It's the Rolls Razor. With a properly honed blade it's *chef's kiss* perfect, and I can swap out blades if I want a different feel (Escher honed vs. a very old coticule, for example).Ever since I began wetshaving I've found myself ever chasing the dragon. Not only that, my skin or my hair or perhaps my preferences ever seem to evolve. I used to favor very aggressive razors. But eventually I realized a sore face is not the mark of a good shave. Of late I've favored mild razors, extremely mild. I use setting 2 on my osprey and my slants gather dust currently.
Still I wonder, is this the pinnacle? What if something else is better for my skin or hair type?
I have bought numerous razors and sold them only to buy them again. I find I almost forget what they were like and am curious again. Yet lately I'm thinking there is no perfect tool and that it's best to just stick with one that gives you a pretty darn good shave and master it. It helps that my osprey is adjustable. And yet now I'm looking at the ti osprey, the karve bison, etc. Where does it end? Should it end? When do you all say "enough is enough" and just use what yuh got? On that note, what razors clamp better than an osprey?I've yet to find one, but having sold all my others I'm now wondering again
I do occasionally buy more Rolls Razors, and I'll scoop up the occasional good deal on Rolls strop dressing.
I just purchased seven straight razors, though I don't know if that counts as a shaving hobby purchase. It could count towards the 'whetstone collecting and use' hobby, which is just as addictive and potentially even more of a money sink than wet shaving, especially if one collects natural stones.
I have a 25 year collection of razors. It fills one small shelf, but spans centuries, and showcases many an unusual razor. This advice is spot on.
Even if you find the 'grail' razor, it might not continue being a grail razor as your skin and hair age and change color.Who wants to find their Grail? Not me!
I enjoy buying new razors, so if I find the ultimate, then the search part of the shaving process that I love so much is over. And that my friends, would be terrible!
The 1920's and '30's had a variety of well made and unusual razors.
This has never ever crossed my mind >>>: "This has gotten totally out of hand. No one actually needs all these just to get a good shave."
It does, however, sound like something my wife would say. To her, the thought of a seven day set of blades or razors is absurd, let alone dozens.
Quite right…
But I also found this to be true:
View attachment 1860198
For the less mathematically inclined:
The more you have mastered shaving (skills) and the longer you have shaved (experience), the less inclined you are to make new purchases all the time.
I believe that as novices most of us went through a phase when we were buying items more often than once we had accumulated more experience and skill.
Call it Brutus’ Razor* if you like…
B.
* Razor as in “a principle or rule of thumb that allows one to eliminate unlikely explanations for a phenomenon”.
e.g. Occam’s razor
BINGO.
I chased the dragon only to realize I ran a full circle back to my second razor.
Hi,
I chased but then caught it. For me, it was the Fasan DoubleSlant. Fall 2013. Good enough to have me enter the Fourth Quarterly Restraint. By the end of that, I knew I wanted a second one with the metal top cap, so I listed it as my One Exception for the Year-Long Restraint in 2014.
And, that was It:
Changed the handle:
The metal top cap one:
Changed that handle as well:
Stan
I chased but then caught it. For me, it was the Fasan DoubleSlant. Fall 2013. Good enough to have me enter the Fourth Quarterly Restraint. By the end of that, I knew I wanted a second one with the metal top cap, so I listed it as my One Exception for the Year-Long Restraint in 2014.
And, that was It:
Changed the handle:
The metal top cap one:
Changed that handle as well:
Stan
Your choice. I started again with a DE after stopping 40+ years ago.
Had to buy a razor.
Bought a second one.
I can easily get rid of the first one now.
Had to buy a razor.
Bought a second one.
I can easily get rid of the first one now.
I’ve definitely said that a few times. Especially when it comes to Gillette Techs
I have a handful of vintage and modern razors that I consistently get excellent shaves with and that I will likely always keep in the rotation, and if I had to, I could pick one of several razors as my last razor.
But I don't think I've ever felt like I was on a quest to find "the one".
Instead, I have been/am on a quest to keep learning and to experience and explore as much of the hobby as I can. For me that translates into a rotation that I hope will continue to evolve for many years to come.
But I don't think I've ever felt like I was on a quest to find "the one".
Instead, I have been/am on a quest to keep learning and to experience and explore as much of the hobby as I can. For me that translates into a rotation that I hope will continue to evolve for many years to come.
The only thing more embarrassing than "dragon chasing" in the DE razor market, is chasing duplicates. That's right. I have THREE Rex Envoys. Why? Ask my therapist. There's no way that's even related to sanity.
I'm still waiting for my next to last <eg> razor to be available... and then the Executive Shaving Company had a 30% off sale... I was planning on buying some of their pre-shave "water soluble" oil. It's too expensive to order just one thing from them as shipping to the States isn't cheap. I ended up buying that pre-shave oil and ummmmmm a Claymore Evolution razor head. This one is sand blasted..... I had heard there have a few issues with the latest polished Claymore Evos... So I'm hoping this one is as good as the matte finish one I already own. I'm not sure if there is still a relationship between ESC and Alpha Shaving Works or not. I might have bought NOS.
Hi,
Well, when you do find the one, you need at least one spare. Which is why I have two Fasan DoubleSlants. Doubly (get it?) important as they are few and far between these days. So, if I busted #1, I'd have #2 to use until I found #3.
Stan
I stopped chasing after razors, and products, after completing a few of the annual sabbaticals. During that time I pitted my razors against each other. The one that came out on top was a 40's Super Speed, which has become my daily shaver. The only razor that has caught my eye recently has been the slant razors. Not enough temptation to get me to budge.
I understand that feeling. They just never appealed to me and never really saw the point of them
I only recently started collecting, so I've been a bit over the top, lately.
Basically, I've now got a user-grade Gillette collection spanning a 1918 Old Type to a 1982 Black Beauty, along with a couple non-Gillette vintage razors and a small group of inexpensive newer razors.
I'm pretty much done with the Gillettes, as I don't feel like I need the minor cosmetic variations of everything. I managed to get all the major varieties for relatively cheap.
So what did I do today? Pulled the trigger on a cheap auction for a Schick Injector and a GEM Junior. Off I go into SE land...
Guess I'm not done chasing that dragon, after all.
Basically, I've now got a user-grade Gillette collection spanning a 1918 Old Type to a 1982 Black Beauty, along with a couple non-Gillette vintage razors and a small group of inexpensive newer razors.
I'm pretty much done with the Gillettes, as I don't feel like I need the minor cosmetic variations of everything. I managed to get all the major varieties for relatively cheap.
So what did I do today? Pulled the trigger on a cheap auction for a Schick Injector and a GEM Junior. Off I go into SE land...
Guess I'm not done chasing that dragon, after all.
I have had vintage razors that cost 5.00 and modern razors that are discontinued that now sell for 400.00. If I had to estimate the number of finds in the wild it would be well over 200 razors. New would be around 20 or so.
In looking for that perfect razor I found a toggle, multiple aristocrats, presidents and everything else but a bottom adjusting and red dot fatboy. I had a few I probably should have held on to, but I have all the vintage razors I want. I still enjoy looking for razors at antique and thrift stores, it’s the thrill of the hunt for me.
I came to the conclusion I like sharp, shiny things. I was always fascinated with razors and knives and I have to believe it’s hardwired in me. My sons and now my grandsons are the same way. I gave my oldest grandson a knife with the ok from his parents. Without ever saying anything he uses it the way I did at his age, he whittles items and carries it when he can. He commented the other day he just likes his knife.
I recently found a president and after years of buying and selling multiples it’s the last one. I intend to keep it indefinitely and pass it down. If it’s a vintage razor it will have to be something out of the ordinary for me to buy it, but it doesn’t mean I will stop looking. I might try a Lambda , but who knows I might not.
Is the dragon slayed? No, but it’s under control. It reality after perfecting technique one razor doesn’t shave that much different for me. Easier yeah, but practice makes perfect.
In looking for that perfect razor I found a toggle, multiple aristocrats, presidents and everything else but a bottom adjusting and red dot fatboy. I had a few I probably should have held on to, but I have all the vintage razors I want. I still enjoy looking for razors at antique and thrift stores, it’s the thrill of the hunt for me.
I came to the conclusion I like sharp, shiny things. I was always fascinated with razors and knives and I have to believe it’s hardwired in me. My sons and now my grandsons are the same way. I gave my oldest grandson a knife with the ok from his parents. Without ever saying anything he uses it the way I did at his age, he whittles items and carries it when he can. He commented the other day he just likes his knife.
I recently found a president and after years of buying and selling multiples it’s the last one. I intend to keep it indefinitely and pass it down. If it’s a vintage razor it will have to be something out of the ordinary for me to buy it, but it doesn’t mean I will stop looking. I might try a Lambda , but who knows I might not.
Is the dragon slayed? No, but it’s under control. It reality after perfecting technique one razor doesn’t shave that much different for me. Easier yeah, but practice makes perfect.
Truth in advertising: Since I wrote this my DE search is still over, but I have purchased an SE, Alpha Spirit.
Having never shaved with an SE it has been a bit of an adventure. The razor is easy to use, but I had zero knowledge of SE blades. I started with three samples and Monday they will deliver three more. After all these years it's kind of nice to start over in a new place.
And I still don't own a SR, so who knows what the future holds?
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