Hannah's Dad
I Can See Better Than Bigfoot.
Brilliant post, Gus.A delight to use in every aspect of the shave regime. What do I mean by that? Well, from the moment you pick it up in your hands the balance and feel is apparent of a quality shaving tool. The installation of a fresh new blade, the feel of screwing on the handle onto the top cap threaded stud feels like it’s turning on high precision bearings. That pinch or crunch of both plates stabilizing and supporting the blade with stern rigidity is a most sweet sound to my ears. When it comes to the actual shave itself, the feel on skin is simply fantastic with a rewarding and satisfying sound that proves it’s doing the work precisely as it was intended to do so. I know, it’s just shaving but, as a man who deals with precision tools and instruments on a daily basis one can appreciate the exactness, quality and precision that is felt from the moment you pick up a razor to the moment you set it down with a satisfying poop eating grin knowing it was a job very well done indeed.
Now, that goes for any shaving tool that uses quality control & assurance to make sure that a razor is up to specific standards by razor manufacturers and to certify that it’s within reasonable tolerance to be finalized and released for the wet shaving consumer. Other razors are produced in mass with cheaper materials at a much lower cost per razor and subsequently are much more affordable & accessible to the buying public across the globe. They still provide and execute on demand for a man or woman to get a great shave for minimal cash outlay. No harm and certainly nothing wrong with purchasing in the economical group as I have quite a few of very affordable razors and enjoy them just as much as the “luxury“ or “boutique” razors in my collection. However, I can’t explain to you in words what owning a high end razor made from an industrial grade alloy (stainless, brass-bronze, aluminum & titanium) with sufficient clarity or with verifiable data & numbers because it can’t be done. It’s a feeling of appreciation of that quality & workmanship that can not be passed on or described. It just has to be felt and experienced for one to at least marginally understand the thought process of said ownership. For an example that I think most can relate to, take a store bought cheesecake. It’s cheesecake that tastes pretty good, is easily attainable at a decent price so to speak and satisfies the need for something sweet & delicious for cheesecake lovers of course. Now, go to a world renown bakery that just specializes in just making a quality cheesecake that you ordered specifically to your wants and tastes and if it’s not readily available, they’ll get it made up and tell you it will be ready the next business day. The moment the first slice is cut and one places that first bite into your pie hole, it’s another level of cheesecake euphoria that only you and your tastebuds can perceive and rightly determine it to be a world class cheesecake and worth the cost. That’s somehow how I can describe the feeling and use of a regularly made razor vs the use of a precisely made “boutique” razor at a substantially higher cost.
Price discrepancy is a whole other bag and what one considers worthy or not is based primarily on one’s ideology of their personal economic beliefs and standards. In other words, there is no standard, just your own that should be tied in with your means of affordability and lifestyle.
The argument on what is the better way of acquiring, spending and using any specific shave tool will be an exhaustive debate that will ultimately achieve absolutely nothing for decades to come. Neither side of the cheap vs expensive dilemma will ever find a common ground that can be settled upon as it’s simply fruitless.
Point is, you live only once and when we leave this good Earth we take nothing with us to our graves. As men, we are for the most part simple creatures that take the most joy in the most simplistic of pleasures & activities. We protect, we care and we love those that matter to us the most. If you can do those 3 things, I’d say without much reservation you’ve lived a pretty good life and are a decent human being. Shaving is a requirement for most and a pleasure for some. One finds their razor that works and can live blissfully without another care or thought on acquiring another razor. But, if one can indulge for at least one high end, luxury, boutique or premium alloy shaving tool in their lifetime, I highly recommend one doing so if it is ever within their means to do so. Don’t order Filet mignon if your pockets only have Whopper designation. That’s being careless and not practical. Logic & common sense should be the norm in anything we seek to purchase. If it’s feasible though, there are plenty of excellent options out there to consider from the likes of Timeless, Blackland, Rocnel, Tatara, Wolfman, Lambda, Alpha Shaving, H&S, Carbon Shaving, Atelier Durdan, Aylsworth, Rockwell, Razorock and a few others that escape me at the moment. The one below is especially worthy of equal consideration as those mentioned previously, the Guerilla Bronze by Wolfman. No bling, nothing extravagantly shiny with a polish that rivals the brightness of the Sun. It’s a workmanlike look with a semi industrial look to it that sort of caters to the individual that loves quality tools like Snap-On, Armstrong and the once highly thought of Craftsman Tools. Designed perfectly with no extra frills, polish or visual aesthetics that bring nothing extra for its stated purpose. That purpose is to provide a more than just satisfactory shave but, also bring as an added bonus pride of ownership that will outlast one’s lifetime and if considered can be passed on to the next generation as part of an individual’s legacy. A Vintage Gillette can do that just as well and so can these artisan crafted masterpieces that will become classics & collectibles in the foreseeable future if not so for some of them already.
The Guerilla Series is designed to cater and fit any shaver that either wants, light, heavy, exotic, open comb or closed and varying options on gap sizes with impeccable scrutiny to tolerances & fitment. It’s not cheap by any stretch of the imagination but, I do consider it a worthy investment if one high end razor is the goal. For me it delivers on all points for my shaving needs.
Great shaves to all….
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