you can lead a horse to water....blah blah blah

so I offered to gift one of my fat handle Techs to my brother, figuring he might be open to DE shaving, unfortunately he expressed very little desire to even try it out. I hate it when people are this close-minded I could still send it to him but I fear my gesture would be wasted on him. I was even going to include a new tube of Godrej or C.O. Bigelow, a couple of packs of Red Pack Personnas, a cheap shaving brush from Walgreens and one of those Mühle metal safety razor cases.

Not everyone thinks cartridge shaving is bad. As far as he is concerned, there isn't a problem to solve.

I like to think of it as one less person to drive up the price of vintage razors! That way, when people tell me my hobby is stupid, I can think to myself, "Ha! It's less stupid since YOU'RE not involved in it!"

when I talk to him about DE shaving I don't really address the issue as 'cartridge shaving sucks, therefore you must DE shave." I know convenience is a major factor for him, so the idea of switching to an older way of shaving that's more time consuming is a turn-off. I basically try to pique his interest in DE shaving by telling him how much closer my shaves are and how Zen it is for me. I figured if I sent him a DE shaving care package for free he's got nothing to lose - unfortunately, i'd be losing out on a favorite safety razor if he chose not to give it a chance

gaseousclay said:

I hate it when people are this close-minded

Click to expand...

There are countless things that a given person is not an enthusiast of. Generally, I don't think of people as close-minded just because they don't share my enthusiasm for something. No one has infinite time for various pursuits.

gaseousclay said:

when I talk to him about DE shaving I don't really address the issue as 'cartridge shaving sucks, therefore you must DE shave." I know convenience is a major factor for him, so the idea of switching to an older way of shaving that's more time consuming is a turn-off. I basically try to pique his interest in DE shaving by telling him how much closer my shaves are and how Zen it is for me. I figured if I sent him a DE shaving care package for free he's got nothing to lose - unfortunately, i'd be losing out on a favorite safety razor if he chose not to give it a chance

Click to expand...

Well, it sounds saving time and convenience are the key areas. Perhaps you can put a different spin on DE shaving, such as...

- You can purchase bunch of blades cheaply, saving time going to the store and avoid running out at an inconvenient moment.
- You can try different blades without having to change razors.
- You can get closer shaves and, therefore, skip shaving sessions to save time.

Give that a try and see if it sinks in.

You might be surprised. My brother was luke warm on the idea, but I set him up with a kit for his birthday last week. Most of the time he wears a beard, but he gave me a call that night and let me know that he used it and enjoyed shaving as compared to the disposables he was using to trim up.

Then again, you might be wasting your time. I offered my pop a DE razor for father's day, but he had absolutely no interest. He let me know that he knew how to use one and did for 20 years, but gets the best shave he ever had with his fusion. I did give him a new shaving brush and a bunch of soap for father's day.

I guess what I am saying is you don't know until you try. Give him the opportunity to use it and if he decides not too, then at least you did your part. Some people are happy with their routines.

And when he talks for 20 minutes at the dinner table about that fantastic new toothbrush he bought, how it really gets in between the teeth and picks all the food crumbs out, you'll know how he feels.

Go West Young Man said:

And when he talks for 20 minutes at the dinner table about that fantastic new toothbrush he bought, how it really gets in between the teeth and picks all the food crumbs out, you'll know how he feels.

Click to expand...

This basically sums up what's likely to occur in terms of feelings, good intentions or not.

I recently set up my bro-in-law, and my two cousins with DE starter sets, each one containing:

- a nice pigskin dopp
- a slim (exc. condition)
- a flare-tip superspeed (exc. condition)
- a tube of proraso
- an omega badger brush
- an assortment of about 100 blades, of about 12 different brands
- a styptic pencil
- misc clippers

Everyone was very pleased, but one of these guys liked the brush and cream, another liked the razors, and the third liked the dopp. It's a crapshoot to know if or when any of these guys will use any of the stuff. Really, though, the point was to provide them with a selection of grooming items that were a little more indulgent, and a little less common.

I explained that I've been having great results by changing my routine, and really enjoyed the way my skin feels. I'm hoping that they decide to give it a whirl. I pointed them here, and to mantic's youtube channel. If they don't pick it up -- no harm done. I've got a half-dozen more slims and flare-tip superspeeds, and thousands more blades, so I'm not out anything. The truth is, there's something in each of those kits that a person could use, regardless.

-- Chet