WSJ article about DE shaving
- Thread starter cgr86
- Start date
You have to have a subscription to read the full story, so I am out. First line says it is shaving with a DE razor is growing.
WSJ always has a pay "wall".
- Thread starter
- #4
Yeah, I was hoping someone had the ability to paste it. It caught my attention!
Here you go:
Men Pick Up Grandpa’s Razor for a Close Shave—Too Close
Growing numbers are ditching cutting-edge technology for old-style double-edge blades, at the risk of a little bloodletting
By Sharon Terlep
Sept. 22, 2019 2:30 pm ET
When Paul Young glanced down during his morning shave and saw the water in the sink had turned pink with his blood, he blamed himself, not his 1800s-style razor.
“It was my fault, I was listening to a political podcast and I got exercised,” says Mr. Young, 59, who sells software from home in Columbia, Mo.
Mr. Young is among the growing ranks of men risking a little bloodletting to return to simpler times when razors didn’t have flexballs and lubrication strips and can cost more than $4 to replace a blade. They are ditching cutting-edge technology for double-edge or “safety” razors.
Safety is something of a misnomer for what is basically a straight razor attached perpendicularly to a handle with only a metal guard separating blade from skin. Popularized in standard-issue World War I field kits, the razors are so-named because they replaced the barbershop-style straight razor that was simply blade-on-skin.
Men are looking to reconnect with the past, “either their own family or a romanticized version of a 1950s barber shop,” says Mark Herro, who runs Sharpologist.com, a kind of online shaving bible, and started using a safety razor over decade ago.
“How many of us remember standing at the feet of your father in the bathroom, watching him shave?” the site says.
Mr. Young says he switched from multi-blade razor refills because “it offended me on a moral level” to pay so much “for something that gets thrown in the trash.” A double-edge razor costs as little a 15 cents for a blade that is typically recyclable.
He started using a safety razor intermittently about a year ago, then ditched modern blades altogether early this year. He bought a styptic pencil, an essential tool to stanch bleeding from mishaps.
The perils of grandpa’s razor have driven users to virtual communities of men who share tips on surviving an old-timey shave. Without the safety features of a modern razor cartridge, pressure is paramount. Too little leaves behind stubble; too much causes razor burn or worse. A careless lateral swipe can leave a nasty gash.
Critical is getting to know your razor, says Shawn Burns, who runs men’s grooming site toolsofmen.com. “No two safety razors are the same, they all weigh differently and have different blade gaps,” he says. “And with the neck especially, you get irritation because the hair grows in eight different directions.”
A downside is that the Transportation Security Administration doesn’t allow safety-razor blades in airline carry-on luggage.
'You have this razor from 1955 or from 1909, and it’s weird to think about where that has been,' says Paul Bissonnette, who keeps a collection of 83 safety razors.
Men who have mastered the shave say it can help to have the right shaving cream, brush, handle and soap. Baxter of California, a maker of men’s grooming products, recommends a brush made from a badger’s belly hair.
Nick Theccanat, a New Yorker who works in public relations, came across a blog suggesting the razors as a way to cut costs while attending college a decade ago. “The first couple of shaves were not that successful,” he says. Early attempts left his face covered in nicks and often a Band-Aid or two. “It was embarrassing.”
He sought suggestions online for a less bloody shave and came upon a world of how-to videos, passionate writings on the safety razor’s merits and collectors showing off rare razors.
On the Double Edge Safety Razor Club Facebook group, around 1,000 members go for advice on things like “What is the best way to clean shaving cream residue/buildup off the razor brass” or “Is it normal for your face to look like a war zone?” The community wasn’t kind to one who announced he was returning to modern razors, criticizing him for giving up too soon.
The safety razor’s recorded history dates to an 1847 U.S. patent application, filed by British-born inventor William S. Henson, describing a device resembling a “common hoe.” A second iteration made its debut in the late 1800s, with Brooklyn brothers Frederic and Otto Kampfe submitting a patent for “new and useful improvements in Safety-Razors.”
More pivotal was the 1901 introduction of a safety razor with a disposable blade. Behind it was American businessman King C. Gillette, founder of the namesake razor giant that Procter & Gamble Co. acquired for $57 billion in 2005. Mr. Gillette won a contract to supply American troops in World War I. Soldiers returning home began the device’s path toward becoming a mainstay.
A spokesman for P&G, which still sells Gillette safety-razor blades, said there was no meaningful shift to safety razors. The consumer-products giant in 2009 acquired The Art of Shaving, which sells high-end safety razors and accessories, among other items.
Safety razors represent a tiny fraction of the U.S. razor industry, with around $2 billion-a-year in annual sales, according to one estimate. Their growing following has made an impact on people like Nancy Woda, who with her husband runs Taconic Shave in Yorktown Heights, N.Y.
‘There’s a trend of men reconnecting with the past, either their own family or a romanticized version of a 1950s barber shop.’
“It used to be that we were the only ones in the space, now we have a huge amount of competition,” she says. The company distributes and co-owns Parker Safety Razor handles, blades, brushes and other products.
Most recently, Ms. Woda says, environmentalists have taken up safety-razor shaving because the blades are recyclable and the handles last pretty much forever. “I am hashtagged all the time by eco people.”
In an eager collector’s community, razors can go for hundreds, sometimes thousands, of dollars based on age, rarity, features and condition. A Gillette Bottom Dial razor, considered high-tech when it came out in the 1960s with a handle dial to adjust the blade, sells at auction for $1,500 or more.
Paul Bissonnette of Bucksport, Maine, has 83. He started collecting after his search for a superior replacement to his safety razor led him to a 1955 Gillette model. It worked perfectly, says Mr. Bissonnette, 44, and the search left him intrigued.
“You have this razor from 1955 or from 1909, and it’s weird to think about where that has been,” he says. “Then to know that 100 years from now it will be a great razor.”
Write to Sharon Terlep at [email protected]
AoM; B.O.S.S.;Knight of the Veg Table;MFR2019
Men Pick Up Grandpa’s Razor for a Close Shave—Too Close
Growing numbers are ditching cutting-edge technology for old-style double-edge blades, at the risk of a little bloodletting
By Sharon Terlep
Sept. 22, 2019 2:30 pm ET
When Paul Young glanced down during his morning shave and saw the water in the sink had turned pink with his blood, he blamed himself, not his 1800s-style razor.
“It was my fault, I was listening to a political podcast and I got exercised,” says Mr. Young, 59, who sells software from home in Columbia, Mo.
Mr. Young is among the growing ranks of men risking a little bloodletting to return to simpler times when razors didn’t have flexballs and lubrication strips and can cost more than $4 to replace a blade. They are ditching cutting-edge technology for double-edge or “safety” razors.
Safety is something of a misnomer for what is basically a straight razor attached perpendicularly to a handle with only a metal guard separating blade from skin. Popularized in standard-issue World War I field kits, the razors are so-named because they replaced the barbershop-style straight razor that was simply blade-on-skin.
Men are looking to reconnect with the past, “either their own family or a romanticized version of a 1950s barber shop,” says Mark Herro, who runs Sharpologist.com, a kind of online shaving bible, and started using a safety razor over decade ago.
“How many of us remember standing at the feet of your father in the bathroom, watching him shave?” the site says.
Mr. Young says he switched from multi-blade razor refills because “it offended me on a moral level” to pay so much “for something that gets thrown in the trash.” A double-edge razor costs as little a 15 cents for a blade that is typically recyclable.
He started using a safety razor intermittently about a year ago, then ditched modern blades altogether early this year. He bought a styptic pencil, an essential tool to stanch bleeding from mishaps.
The perils of grandpa’s razor have driven users to virtual communities of men who share tips on surviving an old-timey shave. Without the safety features of a modern razor cartridge, pressure is paramount. Too little leaves behind stubble; too much causes razor burn or worse. A careless lateral swipe can leave a nasty gash.
Critical is getting to know your razor, says Shawn Burns, who runs men’s grooming site toolsofmen.com. “No two safety razors are the same, they all weigh differently and have different blade gaps,” he says. “And with the neck especially, you get irritation because the hair grows in eight different directions.”
A downside is that the Transportation Security Administration doesn’t allow safety-razor blades in airline carry-on luggage.
'You have this razor from 1955 or from 1909, and it’s weird to think about where that has been,' says Paul Bissonnette, who keeps a collection of 83 safety razors.
Men who have mastered the shave say it can help to have the right shaving cream, brush, handle and soap. Baxter of California, a maker of men’s grooming products, recommends a brush made from a badger’s belly hair.
Nick Theccanat, a New Yorker who works in public relations, came across a blog suggesting the razors as a way to cut costs while attending college a decade ago. “The first couple of shaves were not that successful,” he says. Early attempts left his face covered in nicks and often a Band-Aid or two. “It was embarrassing.”
He sought suggestions online for a less bloody shave and came upon a world of how-to videos, passionate writings on the safety razor’s merits and collectors showing off rare razors.
On the Double Edge Safety Razor Club Facebook group, around 1,000 members go for advice on things like “What is the best way to clean shaving cream residue/buildup off the razor brass” or “Is it normal for your face to look like a war zone?” The community wasn’t kind to one who announced he was returning to modern razors, criticizing him for giving up too soon.
The safety razor’s recorded history dates to an 1847 U.S. patent application, filed by British-born inventor William S. Henson, describing a device resembling a “common hoe.” A second iteration made its debut in the late 1800s, with Brooklyn brothers Frederic and Otto Kampfe submitting a patent for “new and useful improvements in Safety-Razors.”
More pivotal was the 1901 introduction of a safety razor with a disposable blade. Behind it was American businessman King C. Gillette, founder of the namesake razor giant that Procter & Gamble Co. acquired for $57 billion in 2005. Mr. Gillette won a contract to supply American troops in World War I. Soldiers returning home began the device’s path toward becoming a mainstay.
A spokesman for P&G, which still sells Gillette safety-razor blades, said there was no meaningful shift to safety razors. The consumer-products giant in 2009 acquired The Art of Shaving, which sells high-end safety razors and accessories, among other items.
Safety razors represent a tiny fraction of the U.S. razor industry, with around $2 billion-a-year in annual sales, according to one estimate. Their growing following has made an impact on people like Nancy Woda, who with her husband runs Taconic Shave in Yorktown Heights, N.Y.
‘There’s a trend of men reconnecting with the past, either their own family or a romanticized version of a 1950s barber shop.’
“It used to be that we were the only ones in the space, now we have a huge amount of competition,” she says. The company distributes and co-owns Parker Safety Razor handles, blades, brushes and other products.
Most recently, Ms. Woda says, environmentalists have taken up safety-razor shaving because the blades are recyclable and the handles last pretty much forever. “I am hashtagged all the time by eco people.”
In an eager collector’s community, razors can go for hundreds, sometimes thousands, of dollars based on age, rarity, features and condition. A Gillette Bottom Dial razor, considered high-tech when it came out in the 1960s with a handle dial to adjust the blade, sells at auction for $1,500 or more.
Paul Bissonnette of Bucksport, Maine, has 83. He started collecting after his search for a superior replacement to his safety razor led him to a 1955 Gillette model. It worked perfectly, says Mr. Bissonnette, 44, and the search left him intrigued.
“You have this razor from 1955 or from 1909, and it’s weird to think about where that has been,” he says. “Then to know that 100 years from now it will be a great razor.”
Write to Sharon Terlep at [email protected]
AoM; B.O.S.S.;Knight of the Veg Table;MFR2019
- Thread starter
- #6
LOL. It just takes using a VPN to get around most pay walls.
AoM; B.O.S.S.;Knight of the Veg Table;MFR2019
That seems like a fairly balanced article.
I think nostalgia is a big factor for interest in double-edge razors, as was pointed out. There are less bloody ways to save money shaving, and IME, the DE blade is one of the least efficient razors of all the safety razor designs- it's the VHS of razors. DE's do have alot of cheap blades and handles out there, mostly because they are still used by the poorest of the poor in developing nations, for whom shaving with DE is more of a burdensome chore than a fun hobby.
I think nostalgia is a big factor for interest in double-edge razors, as was pointed out. There are less bloody ways to save money shaving, and IME, the DE blade is one of the least efficient razors of all the safety razor designs- it's the VHS of razors. DE's do have alot of cheap blades and handles out there, mostly because they are still used by the poorest of the poor in developing nations, for whom shaving with DE is more of a burdensome chore than a fun hobby.
Thanks for posting the article. Most intriguing.
Personally I think it's bit negative mentioning all the blood etc. No real positive references to all the help provided here and elsewhere to folks looking for a better shave at a more reasonable cost.
Hopefully more encouraging articles will be written.
Chris
Personally I think it's bit negative mentioning all the blood etc. No real positive references to all the help provided here and elsewhere to folks looking for a better shave at a more reasonable cost.
Hopefully more encouraging articles will be written.
Chris
I don't think it exaggerates. My first DE shave was not bloodless. I quickly gravitated towards Shick and GEM razors and inherited a stash of blades from my uncle's father's estate. Skin irritation went down by a great deal. DE's aren't easy at all to learn to shave with, and even the mildest are alot like taking an open blade to your face.
- Thread starter
- #11
It’s either a tech , or cart for me at this point.
Heh. I something think that if I had realized Trac II cartridges could still be purchased inexpensively at Dollar General (they've since discontinued them) I might never have taken up DE shaving. I was just getting annoyed at how much my 4-blade Dorco cartridges cost. And now you can't reasonably get those either.
Unrelated, I'm puzzled by the mentions about recycling razor blades. Unless you're discarding into a metal can that you recycle contents and all when full, I wouldn't want to be the guy sorting the single-stream recyclables and finding a bunch of razor blades.
Mine are in a can that I will probably never fill in my lifetime. But, I can just take the whole thing and drop it off at the local scrap yard.
AoM; B.O.S.S.;Knight of the Veg Table;MFR2019
AoM; B.O.S.S.;Knight of the Veg Table;MFR2019
Our experiences are different, which is what makes the world go round. I don't have any nostalgic interest in DE (or Gem blade or injector) razors, and have not experienced more blood-letting from any of them than I did with cartridges. And my DE shaves are much closer and long-lasting. And I live in Seattle, which has poor people (though not among the poorest of the poor) only because the runaway cost of living in a prosperous local economy leaves folks behind. I am working to figure out how to provide the local homeless with cheap DEs, and $.10 Astra SP blades, to allow them to escape the $4.00 cartridge challenge.
Most conventional recycling programs won't take them as they are too dangerous to handle for workers and machinery.
Hospitals and pharmacies will usually take them off your hands. I have no idea what happens to them, probably they are treated as any other sharp would be. I've heard some people trying to take their blade banks to scrap metal yards
I did try some of Dollar General's Trac II clone cartridges after I got burned out years ago on DE's. The one thing going for them is the relatively cheap price (about 25 cents per cart). I always found the Trac II substantially harsher than my Sensor (double your blades, double the irritation) and not a real improvement outside the cost. However, you can buy single edge disposable razors quite inexpensively, and single edge and injector blades are still being made (and injector razors are still being made in China, mostly type M Shick clones).
BTW, Dollar General has some good stuff for traditional wet shavers - their clone of Old Spice is excellent, better than the current P&G product. And I like their knockoff of Vitalis, it's pretty much identical to the real thing.
Last edited:
Thanks Brian C for sharing this informative article!
Interesting to see how much blood is mentioned in it. I get the occasional weeper, but I never got an actual cut on my face with a DE (though have have gotten my back a few times, but considering that I can't see what I'm doing back there and can barely reach for that matter, it's not that surprising).
Very biased article. What I get from it is this : "Well there are some psychos that use an old crappy contraption to shave, and they get A LOT OF BLOOD MUCH BLOOD, you can try it but your Gillette cartridge is going to be a lot better,, here's a coupon as well" Furthermore most articles from this "journalist are about P&G, very weird...
Similar threads
