I just explained the hobby of razor collecting, and the words weren't bad.

There are not very many collectible items from over a century ago that are still usable now just as they were then. On eBay, a nice vintage razor is moderately expensive with the priciest not usually breaking 200 bucks (there are some exceptions) and some of the coolest acquisitions not breaking 50 dollars. I don't know about others on this forum but I for one get a sense of awe when I consider that I am using a razor from when my grandfather was 3 years old.

To me, there is something quite special about using a razor issued to someone in WWI, that has been passed around since 1910 to come to land in your hand a century later. Its a simple effective piece of human ingenuity, and it does what men have been doing since the dawn of time. Few other hobbies leave you feeling so connected to history, and few collectibles are so accessible, attainable and usable.

You make an exceedingly simple, clear, and profound case for the hobby.
Well said, well done!

I agree. Bought my first DE a few weeks ago (new) and started checking out B&B. I had no idea how many vintage razors are out there, nor how affordable they are! It's the usability that's the most unique IMO. Most vintage tools/collectibles are hands off, these seem to be used pretty frequently and loved by there users. I need to get some vintage and start my collection!

also, when you think of it, it is entirely amazing that a large group of people determined, discovered, implemented, and continue to provide, a consistent and specifically accurate commodity level component through all those years. The 'common sense' of modern marketing would never allow such a travesty. I speak of the double edge "blade" itself.

The simple DE blade, cut from strips of steel, sharpened and polished and then stamped and wrapped. Once the process was automated King Gillette's costs went from 10c/blade to 1c/blade. With today's modern equipment, its even less. DE blades, SE blades, the razors themselves...there is an echo of nostalgia to all this which I believe keeps them being produced and handed down.

Take for example the Merkur classic 34c or the Merkur slant? These designs have been around for decades, and they work well even today. I can think of few other hobbies in which the equipment of today is largely unchanged from the equipment from back then.

As an aside, I believe King Camp Gillette is one of the greatest entrepreneurs in the history of the world.

Originally, I was kicking around the idea of wet shaving, but the more research I have done, the more fascinated I become with all of the nostalgia associated with the equipment of the hobby. Though I haven't yet purchased my first DE razor, I can see myself scouring for new finds in antique shops and on ebay. So well made and collecting can certainly be affordable for anyone.

So then, what would be the holy grail of DE's or SE's?
Someone like myself, who enjoys the hunt almost as much as the acquisition also gets the gratification of using such items long chased.

Well said. Could not agree more.

Likely something like a mint never used 1925 Big Fellow with NI head

BSAGuy said:

Well said. Could not agree more.

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+1

SchickHappens said:

+1

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+2

Holy grail is anything that gives a quick, efficient shave without irritation or ingrown hairs. I love playing tennis and we always say in tennis that a tennis pro will be able to beat an amateur easily even if the amateur is using the latest $250 tennis racket and the pro is using a frying pan.
Bobby Riggs was known for betting people he could using a broom or one of his legs tied to a chair and he would always win. He even bet on himself to win the Wimbledon singles, doubles, and mixed doubles one year and won 200,000 pounds(in 1939).

So anyways, perfect the technique, that is the holy grail

If only these razors could tell their story.

Right on, man! I have an Army-Issue 1918 that somebody filed little notches into at the top of the handle for a better grip. I always wonder: who did that and where were they when they did it? They obviously used that razor enough to take the trouble to modify it.

You talked good!

darfoo said:

As an aside, I believe King Camp Gillette is one of the greatest entrepreneurs in the history of the world.

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Amen my friend, he was and his legacy is most brilliant!!

I completely agree with you OP. Vintage razors also take up less space than vintage cars.

Well put I have this same conversation with my wife every time a new to me razor arrives in the mail.

Right on! I'm a wild hunter myself and also enjoy the thrill of the hunt. I will never be able to drive a different classic car to work like Jay Leno, but I can take a different classic razor for a spin before work.

A couple other great antiques to find and use are.

Hand tools, I have several pliers and adjustable wrenches from the 50's or so that were cheaper and are better than most of what you will find at the store.

Cast iron cookware, So much lighter weight and better build quality than anything made today.

Ericaw said:

Well put I have this same conversation with my wife every time a new to me razor arrives in the mail.

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Sir, you need to use the tactic that A City Manager I once worked for used. At the time I was a city policeman and he ran the city. I did a lot of competitive shooting and he loved guns and that is the bridge we had that made us friends, both on and off of the job.

He once told me that his wife was really getting mad about his continued purchases of new guns, so he made a deal with her and told her that from that day forward he would only trade for guns. Now as the late Paul Harvey would say, comes the rest of the story.

What he did not tell her was that he would go to one of the local gun dealers and take from $500 to $1,000 in cash with him and trade it to the dealer for a gun, the change would be used for either lunch or dinner. Always did like and get along with him both as a friend and boss because he also had a devious side.