On Expensive Razors . . .
- Thread starter cpcohen1945
- Start date
I am sad because, why would you go on about telling that ... there are people with only DE razors around here, while there is a RAD beast lurking in the void among us
... somewhere in the void ...
... RAD beast opens its black bottomless mouth and starts to suck in unsuspecting matter ...
... Through speakers you hear a voice announcing, jump through wormhole to SE universe starts in 3, 2, 1 ...
... But a small voice in your head screams "abort abort abort dammit!"
... you instinctively hit that abort button with all the speed and force that you can muster, the command signal causing the wormhole to collapse just before you venture through it.
...from the void angry gnarling and growling is heard for an instant
...then nothing
Uh, dodged that one, barely.
I am staying in DE universe ... for now.
I guess I shouldn't post about my second Atelier Durdan La Faulx AC then... My first one was in bronze with his premium polish and it amazing.... I just got and absolutely love a SS La Faulx razor head... basic polish...I'm using it with a Timeless Ti Crown handle (polished)... It's going to be one of my travel razors later this month.
Edit: I'm on the Wolfman waiting list and plan to buy a WR4 in bronze when my name gets to the top in early April. <eg> Just the razor head as I have a bronze Darwin handle and razor stand waiting for it.
Edit: I'm on the Wolfman waiting list and plan to buy a WR4 in bronze when my name gets to the top in early April. <eg> Just the razor head as I have a bronze Darwin handle and razor stand waiting for it.
You can find AC-format* single-edge razors in the $18-$200usd range.
* AC-format = single-edge razor blades about 50mm wide and usually 8mm tall
Just like the buffets in Vegas they used to be 5 dollars all you can eat. Nobody would eat at them. Then they jacked up the price to 19.99 all you can eat. The buffets are always full and nothing changed except the price. People have a psychological bias if it costs more it has to be of higher quality which isn’t necessarily true. For all we know those are made in a factory for a dollar piece. There could be warehouses full of them. And they give them out to you tube influencers to build hype to cause the popularity bias to occur. I will stick with my Fatboy that’s 74 years old still does the job and was brand new when my dad brought it when he shipped out to boot camp.
My current razors: ATT R2, ATT SE2, Vector OC stainless, Wolfman WR1, Blackland Tradere OC, Timeless .95 OC, Timeless Bronze .78 OC, Karve CB OC brass. Some were purchased second hand and I wouldn't call any of them cheap. I don't regret buying any of them. I've also had others that I sold including more from Wolfman, Timeless, and Blackland. I had some cheap ones over the years from Merkur, Muhle, and some vintage Gillettes. I didn't keep any of those for long.
The other day I realized I have some kind of "shoe rule" in my head I wasn't aware of, which is I'd be ok with a razor that would cost as much as a pair of shoes I might buy, if I used it for long time. Shoes are obviously more important, but a razor should last longer, and I think the shoe rule is kind of more of an upper limit. I don't have plans to buy another razor necessarily but it's just something that occurred to me about the way I was thinking about things.
I guess that would work for me, my last pair of Alden's was around $650.
I'll gladly spend more on a pair of shoes I can wear for 8+hours a day, 7 days a week, than on a razor I use for 15min, once a day and every other shave day (in my case). And that's if I don't use any other razor.
I've been using my Wolfman every day at home for about 7 years, but I purchased it for about $155 when James was just starting out. I haven't paid over $200 for a razor - yet - but sometimes I wonder if I would have ever purchased the Wolfman at today's prices.
As I said, I think it's more of an upper limit and a rough approximation in my head. Also, I can't think of shoes I've worn daily year-round that have lasted as long as my razors — and I've had some shoes and boots that I've had for quite awhile.
These shoes are made for shaving!
I wear orange Crocs for shaving. Want to trade?These shoes are made for shaving!
They are easy to locate, water and lather proof when the lather starts flying.
There is also change in how much was your salary (I guess) and all prices in that time when Wolfman was for 155..
Yeah, but your view of what is expensive forms early on....
I get sticker shock every time I go into a grocery store or a auto dealership.
Back to shave gear, I've only once spent over $100 on a single item, a Rockwell T2, and I was disappointed with it. It's a good razor, but I've been happier with my vintage Gillettes, $3-$50. I'm not about to tell anyone else how to spend their money, but for my purchases, that third figure is a deal breaker.
If ever there was an example of YMMV, this is it.
Exactly! The question is always "What is it worth to YOU?"
This was my review on Judge.Me - i posted something similar on another thread (I can't remember or find). It's not for everyone, but it was for me...
Priceless
Oscar Wilde is credited with the quote, "A cynic is a man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing".
I see the Tedalus as more of a mirror into our inner shaver than anything else. Many Chinese and Japanese spend literal decades learning how to properly conduct their respective tea ceremonies. Not very economical or utilitarian if all you want is a cup of tea. Likewise, spending 4 hours for two servings of tea doesn't feel very practical, yet the ones I have participated in are highlights of my life (well not the first one, I was still a Western Barbarian ).
We have the same thing with our relationship to shaving. Some of us see it as a chore to get through the day (well probably not reading this) and others see it as an avocation - a passionate interest or a secondary area of expertise that brings enjoyment and fulfillment that we spend an inordinate amount of time experiencing and pursuing (but never reaching) perfection. I can shave in under 10 minutes, but I most decidedly choose not to.
I have a kintsugi bowl that from a utilitarian perspective is probably worth a couple of bucks. It is basically broken pottery held together with gold-infused lacquer. Maybe $10 worth of material and a couple of hours of labor. So its actual costs exceed its utility from the get-go. But to me it is priceless. It is beautiful to my eyes. It helps me appreciate the beauty of imperfection and impermanence. It teaches me to value the history and journey of objects, embracing their flaws as part of their overall beauty. It speaks of all who came together, each bringing their skill, experience, and knowledge across time - from the original potter, to those who used it, to those who broke it, to those who honored it with the repair.
I see the same thing with the Velocity-ONE - a single person's pursuit of "perfection" achieved through a network of skills, knowledge, and experiences - even in the packaging. Though not on the same scale, the same passion created Tesla, SpaceX, the MacIntosh Computer, and other things where technology, art, passion, vision, and engineering all come together to create something special.
Yes, I ordered one as soon as I saw it and understood it. Probably shouldn't have, wife says it is my next 10 birthday presents (which is significant as I am 70 ). A tool I will enjoy using, looking at, and contemplating its existence. Priceless...I look forward to it being in the family for a long time.
Oh yes, it shaves wonderfully too! Smooth with a very slight blade feel so you know that it is working. Enough heft to shave itself with no pressure. My first shave (Dorco Prime, Barrister & Mann Melange sample) was an enjoyable 3-pass BBS that lasted over 12 hours.
Priceless
Oscar Wilde is credited with the quote, "A cynic is a man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing".
I see the Tedalus as more of a mirror into our inner shaver than anything else. Many Chinese and Japanese spend literal decades learning how to properly conduct their respective tea ceremonies. Not very economical or utilitarian if all you want is a cup of tea. Likewise, spending 4 hours for two servings of tea doesn't feel very practical, yet the ones I have participated in are highlights of my life (well not the first one, I was still a Western Barbarian
).We have the same thing with our relationship to shaving. Some of us see it as a chore to get through the day (well probably not reading this) and others see it as an avocation - a passionate interest or a secondary area of expertise that brings enjoyment and fulfillment that we spend an inordinate amount of time experiencing and pursuing (but never reaching) perfection. I can shave in under 10 minutes, but I most decidedly choose not to.
I have a kintsugi bowl that from a utilitarian perspective is probably worth a couple of bucks. It is basically broken pottery held together with gold-infused lacquer. Maybe $10 worth of material and a couple of hours of labor. So its actual costs exceed its utility from the get-go. But to me it is priceless. It is beautiful to my eyes. It helps me appreciate the beauty of imperfection and impermanence. It teaches me to value the history and journey of objects, embracing their flaws as part of their overall beauty. It speaks of all who came together, each bringing their skill, experience, and knowledge across time - from the original potter, to those who used it, to those who broke it, to those who honored it with the repair.
I see the same thing with the Velocity-ONE - a single person's pursuit of "perfection" achieved through a network of skills, knowledge, and experiences - even in the packaging. Though not on the same scale, the same passion created Tesla, SpaceX, the MacIntosh Computer, and other things where technology, art, passion, vision, and engineering all come together to create something special.
Yes, I ordered one as soon as I saw it and understood it. Probably shouldn't have, wife says it is my next 10 birthday presents (which is significant as I am 70
). A tool I will enjoy using, looking at, and contemplating its existence. Priceless...I look forward to it being in the family for a long time.Oh yes, it shaves wonderfully too! Smooth with a very slight blade feel so you know that it is working. Enough heft to shave itself with no pressure. My first shave (Dorco Prime, Barrister & Mann Melange sample) was an enjoyable 3-pass BBS that lasted over 12 hours.
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Found my earlier post - Swiss Razor TedalusThis was my review on Judge.Me - i posted something similar on another thread (I can't remember or find). It's not for everyone, but it was for me...
Pricelss
Oscar Wilde is credited with the quote, "A cynic is a man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing".
I see the Tedalus as more of a mirror into our inner shaver than anything else. Many Chinese and Japanese spend literal decades learning how to properly conduct their respective tea ceremonies. Not very economical or utilitarian if all you want is a cup of tea. Likewise, spending 4 hours for two servings of tea doesn't feel very practical, yet the ones I have participated in are highlights of my life (well not the first one, I was still a Western Barbarian
We have the same thing with our relationship to shaving. Some of us see it as a chore to get through the day (well probably not reading this) and others see it as an avocation - a passionate interest or a secondary area of expertise that brings enjoyment and fulfillment that we spend an inordinate amount of time experiencing and pursuing (but never reaching) perfection. I can shave in under 10 minutes, but I most decidedly choose not to.
I have a kintsugi bowl that from a utilitarian perspective is probably worth a couple of bucks. It is basically broken pottery held together with gold-infused lacquer. Maybe $10 worth of material and a couple of hours of labor. So its actual costs exceed its utility from the get-go. But to me it is priceless. It is beautiful to my eyes. It helps me appreciate the beauty of imperfection and impermanence. It teaches me to value the history and journey of objects, embracing their flaws as part of their overall beauty. It speaks of all who came together, each bringing their skill, experience, and knowledge across time - from the original potter, to those who used it, to those who broke it, to those who honored it with the repair.
I see the same thing with the Velocity-ONE - a single person's pursuit of "perfection" achieved through a network of skills, knowledge, and experiences - even in the packaging. Though not on the same scale, the same passion created Tesla, SpaceX, the MacIntosh Computer, and other things where technology, art, passion, vision, and engineering all come together to create something special.
Yes, I ordered one as soon as I saw it and understood it. Probably shouldn't have, wife says it is my next 10 birthday presents (which is significant as I am 70
Oh yes, it shaves wonderfully too! Smooth with a very slight blade feel so you know that it is working. Enough heft to shave itself with no pressure. My first shave (Dorco Prime, Barrister & Mann Melange sample) was an enjoyable 3-pass BBS that lasted over 12 hours.
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