Hi folks,
I have used a double-edged razor for over 40 years. In 1976, I found a Gillette Super Adjustable, on a sink in one of the heads (Naval term for lavatory) of the ship I was stationed aboard. I still have it.
Having a double-edged Gillette didnt make me a wet shaving enthusiast. Safety razors were common and It was just the tool I used to perform a daily task. I also had a Trac II handle that came in a grooming kit I got for a Christmas present. Those were my shavers for decades. However, by the time the Mach 3 was introduced, I had added a Gillette Super Speed, an Atra, and a Gem Contour to the stable, as well as a vintage Ever Ready Shovel Headjust because it looked cool.
About ten years ago I noticed it was becoming more difficult to find replacement blades for my razors. Gillette Super Stainless (the Spoiler) and Schick razor blades were harder and harder to find in stores. Then I started noticing that some stores were discontinuing the Trac II and Atra blades. I stocked up.
It started to dawn on me that I was a bit out of step with my old razor, my Burma Shave boar brush, and a puck of Williams in an Old Spice shave mug. Old fashioned. However, it wasnt until I searched online for razor blades that I was even aware that wet shaving had such a devoted following, or that there were so many blade options available. I read many a review here on B & B before purchasing my first sampler pack of blades.
Shortly after that, my friend in London gifted me with some Taylors of Old Bond Street shave cream. After thirty-five years of shaving, I had a revelationthat this bathroom ritual didnt have to be a chore. From that point on, when I was out and about, I was on the lookout for shaving soaps and shaving accessories. I replaced my old boar brush with an entry level badger and I picked up a couple different soaps and soap bowls. Then last year, for my birthday, I got a Merkur 1904 Classic safety razor and a top of the line badger brush. With the nicer soaps and quality razor, I was amazed the difference in my shaves and how nice they were. I was being swept in and didnt even know it.
This past spring, my step son said he wanted a straight razor for his birthday. His mom asked me to look for one (I had already bought him a DE razor set for a previous Christmas). It was during this 2-3 week research period that the world of shavingof soaps and creams, of brushes and blades, of razors and technique was opened up to me. Thank you, youtube.
And here I am, one might say inevitably, on Badger and Blade. I have learned more in the past three months than Ive known over the last 39 years. Shaving is no longer a chore. I wake up looking forward to making my pre-shave, shave, and post-shave choices. And what choices! Ive already acquired a dozen razors, as many soaps and creams, a half dozen brushes, a shelf of balms and aftershaves, and years of blades. Stocking up for the shaving apocalypse. But most importantly, I am focused and working on technique, so cutting myself is the exception, not the rule. That in itself makes shaving more enjoyable.
I have used a double-edged razor for over 40 years. In 1976, I found a Gillette Super Adjustable, on a sink in one of the heads (Naval term for lavatory) of the ship I was stationed aboard. I still have it.
Having a double-edged Gillette didnt make me a wet shaving enthusiast. Safety razors were common and It was just the tool I used to perform a daily task. I also had a Trac II handle that came in a grooming kit I got for a Christmas present. Those were my shavers for decades. However, by the time the Mach 3 was introduced, I had added a Gillette Super Speed, an Atra, and a Gem Contour to the stable, as well as a vintage Ever Ready Shovel Headjust because it looked cool.
About ten years ago I noticed it was becoming more difficult to find replacement blades for my razors. Gillette Super Stainless (the Spoiler) and Schick razor blades were harder and harder to find in stores. Then I started noticing that some stores were discontinuing the Trac II and Atra blades. I stocked up.
It started to dawn on me that I was a bit out of step with my old razor, my Burma Shave boar brush, and a puck of Williams in an Old Spice shave mug. Old fashioned. However, it wasnt until I searched online for razor blades that I was even aware that wet shaving had such a devoted following, or that there were so many blade options available. I read many a review here on B & B before purchasing my first sampler pack of blades.
Shortly after that, my friend in London gifted me with some Taylors of Old Bond Street shave cream. After thirty-five years of shaving, I had a revelationthat this bathroom ritual didnt have to be a chore. From that point on, when I was out and about, I was on the lookout for shaving soaps and shaving accessories. I replaced my old boar brush with an entry level badger and I picked up a couple different soaps and soap bowls. Then last year, for my birthday, I got a Merkur 1904 Classic safety razor and a top of the line badger brush. With the nicer soaps and quality razor, I was amazed the difference in my shaves and how nice they were. I was being swept in and didnt even know it.
This past spring, my step son said he wanted a straight razor for his birthday. His mom asked me to look for one (I had already bought him a DE razor set for a previous Christmas). It was during this 2-3 week research period that the world of shavingof soaps and creams, of brushes and blades, of razors and technique was opened up to me. Thank you, youtube.
And here I am, one might say inevitably, on Badger and Blade. I have learned more in the past three months than Ive known over the last 39 years. Shaving is no longer a chore. I wake up looking forward to making my pre-shave, shave, and post-shave choices. And what choices! Ive already acquired a dozen razors, as many soaps and creams, a half dozen brushes, a shelf of balms and aftershaves, and years of blades. Stocking up for the shaving apocalypse. But most importantly, I am focused and working on technique, so cutting myself is the exception, not the rule. That in itself makes shaving more enjoyable.
