For the last few years I’ve become more green conscious thanks to my wife Kim. We’ve started recycling, buying local food (farmers markets for the win) and being more aware of our power usage. One of the things that has begun to bug me has been the throw away nature of our culture. When I look at my grandfather and great grandfathers generations I see products that were built to last. Specifically with shaving products I was annoyed. Three generations ago you owned a boar brissel brush, mug for your soap, strop, sandstone and a straight razor. The only item you had to routinely purchase to shave was soap and that came in a puck that would last you at least a month or two. While you had to save up to pay for these items they would all last you at least five years. None of them had any land filling packaging (even the soap often didn’t have a box surrounding it) and all of them were made with quality. In fact I’ve heard of people who inherited their grandparents shaving kit and continue to use the razor to this day (putting it at well over 40 years worth of usage). I just like the idea that when I buy something I’m investing in quality that could last me a lifetime.
When I started looking into classic shaving gear I was rather surprised by the shear price of investing in a new razor. I did realize that this was going to be an investment and I wanted something that would really last so the cost didn’t scare me off. One of my chief sources of pricing came from browsing Classic Shaving. I am still really impressed by their selection and how well their site is laid out but with the outlay of funds I knew it wasn’t going to be any time soon that I would be shaving with a straight razor.
Recently I decided that as long as I held onto it I was never going to get anything off of my wish list (due to my wife managing the finances). So I made up my list and handed it over to her to budget in where she could find room. Not more than a month later I was met with a surprise that was like Christmas. Not only had she got me a straight razor, she managed to get four old style razors and under $100. What can I say she is awesome and tracking things down.
Here is a picture of the razors and blades she found me:
The razor on the far left is a Parker Safety razor which takes double sided blades. While it’s not totally sustainable like a solid straight razor (due to it needing blades) the blades are very cheap and there is little packaging involved. It is also far closer to the shave I am accustomed to so it’s a good transition piece and nice for quick shaves. The next razor is a Geneva cutlery 11/16 straight razor which has a good feel and heft to it. The next is a Morris 400 prosperity wedge which feels a bit light but has a nice sharp blade. The final blade is a Parker safety razor that takes half blades and is in the form factor of a straight razor.
What I’ve found in working with these razors is that my face had been totally pampered by the Gillette 3 and 4 blade razors I had been using. I have made myself bleed a lot trying to shave with these. The positive is that I haven’t given up and the more I work with them the less I’m cutting myself. This is very interesting and I would suggest to anyone to invest in yourself and your shave by getting an old fashioned razor.
