The classic safety razor
First (from my perspective) there was the Gillette Sensor. Mailed free to every male of age (or so I remember), this little two-blade razor did a pretty good job of scraping the growth from my chin. Truth be told, it didn't have a lot of work to do. But hey.
Then, in college, there was the Gillette Mach 3. A third blade (and a moisturizing strip!). It certainly seemed to give that holy of holies, grail of grails, the "closer shave". And I (and more importantly, Jenn) was pretty happy with the whole thing.
And then there were 4 and 5 blade razors, but those got silly. After all, they crossed the line that existed only in my head, that three blades was okay, but more than that was verboten.
And so the Mach 3 did its daily duty of keeping my face smooth so that my wife would deign to be near me. And day followed day, week after week, year mounted on year. Until I realized that those little cartridges of three-blade-and-a-moisturizing-strip were actually pretty pricey for what you got. Now, they weren't anywhere (say) CPU expensive, or (worse) ink jet printer cartridges, but still.
And so I started using the same cartridge longer, and longer, and longer. And the shaves got worse and worse, but so gradually that Jenn didn't really notice.
The razor, of course, is accompanied by the shaving cream. And as with the Mach 3, I was seduced by the promise of technology, that cream that came in a can (with a spray tip!). But to tell the end of the story first, I soon switched my alliance to the classic brush-and-shave-soap combination. In truth, that is a story for a later day (short version: holy cow GUYS SWITCH 'CAUSE THE SPRAY CAN SUCKS!). But it directed my first uncertain steps down that most rickety of paths: classic shaving.
I'm not talking about a straight razor, of course. I'm not crazy or anything.
For Christmas/Hannukah/you-get-the-idea Jenn bought me a classic safety razor. You know, the kind that takes the little double-sided razors that then go in the slot in the back of the medicine cabinet and fill up the bathroom wall. In particular, we decided on the Merkur HD ( for one example). And we purchased along with it a little packet of Merkur brand blades.
And the shave was better than my month-old Mach 3. In fact, it was better than a new Mach 3.
And new vistas opened to my smooth-faced gaze. With Gillette you have the never-ending search for more three-blades-and-a-moisturizing-strip cartridges; but you have little choice. In fact, you have a strictly numeric choice: 2, 3, 4, or 5. Possibly 6. With a safety razor, you have an endless variety of razor blades to choose from. I began my quest with Merkur brand, but since found a number of merchants who would sell you packets of blades from metallurgists all over the world. And so I start a new thread: my adventures in shaving.
Next up: Feather blades from Japan.
Then, in college, there was the Gillette Mach 3. A third blade (and a moisturizing strip!). It certainly seemed to give that holy of holies, grail of grails, the "closer shave". And I (and more importantly, Jenn) was pretty happy with the whole thing.
And then there were 4 and 5 blade razors, but those got silly. After all, they crossed the line that existed only in my head, that three blades was okay, but more than that was verboten.
And so the Mach 3 did its daily duty of keeping my face smooth so that my wife would deign to be near me. And day followed day, week after week, year mounted on year. Until I realized that those little cartridges of three-blade-and-a-moisturizing-strip were actually pretty pricey for what you got. Now, they weren't anywhere (say) CPU expensive, or (worse) ink jet printer cartridges, but still.
And so I started using the same cartridge longer, and longer, and longer. And the shaves got worse and worse, but so gradually that Jenn didn't really notice.
The razor, of course, is accompanied by the shaving cream. And as with the Mach 3, I was seduced by the promise of technology, that cream that came in a can (with a spray tip!). But to tell the end of the story first, I soon switched my alliance to the classic brush-and-shave-soap combination. In truth, that is a story for a later day (short version: holy cow GUYS SWITCH 'CAUSE THE SPRAY CAN SUCKS!). But it directed my first uncertain steps down that most rickety of paths: classic shaving.
I'm not talking about a straight razor, of course. I'm not crazy or anything.
For Christmas/Hannukah/you-get-the-idea Jenn bought me a classic safety razor. You know, the kind that takes the little double-sided razors that then go in the slot in the back of the medicine cabinet and fill up the bathroom wall. In particular, we decided on the Merkur HD ( for one example). And we purchased along with it a little packet of Merkur brand blades.
And the shave was better than my month-old Mach 3. In fact, it was better than a new Mach 3.
And new vistas opened to my smooth-faced gaze. With Gillette you have the never-ending search for more three-blades-and-a-moisturizing-strip cartridges; but you have little choice. In fact, you have a strictly numeric choice: 2, 3, 4, or 5. Possibly 6. With a safety razor, you have an endless variety of razor blades to choose from. I began my quest with Merkur brand, but since found a number of merchants who would sell you packets of blades from metallurgists all over the world. And so I start a new thread: my adventures in shaving.
Next up: Feather blades from Japan.