What was your ONE purchase in 2024 that impressed you most and why?

[Ranyart Finn]

Stumbling on an Eclipse Red Ring in a local antique store for just $30. I knew nothing about the razor, and nearly passed it by, but find it to be a fantastic piece of kit. It's comfortable, cleverly designed, in flawless condition, and so much fun to shave with.

As a runner-up, Rex razor blades - smooth, sharp and comfortable, and up there with my beloved Perma-sharps.

 

[Cal]

Stumbling on an Eclipse Red Ring in a local antique store for just $30. I knew nothing about the razor, and nearly passed it by, but find it to be a fantastic piece of kit. It's comfortable, cleverly designed, in flawless condition, and so much fun to shave with.

Pics would be nice, Ranyart.

 

[Stan_M]

Weck sextoblade. I use straight razors a lot but looking at the Weck with its thin replaceable blade looked scary. When I got it it was easy to use and I love the smoothness.

 

[retiredguns]

Digging out the decades old Atra. Had some NOS blades and the shave was a very pleasant surprise. I decided to get the fancy Reed & Barton handle and some more NOS blades and it is even better. First time in years I have strayed from my safety razors.

 

[Roedeer]

The GC1.05P (Game Changer 1.05mm safety bar) baseplate.

I'd used the GC.84P for years, and thought it was about as "grail" as my shaves were going to get.

Also, the 1.05 was marketed as "aggressive", which was a deterrent to me — but if anyone bought it hoping for a fire-breathing face-ripper, they are in for a disappointment.

For any seasoned user of the .84, it handles the same, and it's still almost as easygoing (compared with Lupos), but it's more efficient. It's my new favourite. ✓

 

[Ranyart Finn]

Stumbling on an Eclipse Red Ring in a local antique store for just $30. I knew nothing about the razor, and nearly passed it by, but find it to be a fantastic piece of kit. It's comfortable, cleverly designed, in flawless condition, and so much fun to shave with.

As a runner-up, Rex razor blades - smooth, sharp and comfortable, and up there with my beloved Perma-sharps.

 

[Ranyart Finn]

Pics would be nice, Ranyart.

Edited my post to add a couple.

 

[eSteve]

Ok, you asked. It’s a story.

It was after the early weeks of when I started, about seven months ago. I had just had my first consistently comfortable shaves, with a EJ89 and a Late 40s Ball-End Tech. The Tech was from my first (razor) eBay purchase; but the best deals are local, face-to-face. A local deal came up. I knew the neighbourhood. I used to spend a lot of time there, it’s just seven minutes away by car, on the other side of the river. After my second marriage ended, about fourteen years ago, I knew a woman there. We were madly, deeply for more than two years. She was tall, athletic; whip-smart. We were a very good match, perhaps the best of my life. We were both very sad to part.

I don’t have reason to visit that neighbourhood anymore so it’s nice to drive through once in a while. And this razor lot was on an adjacent street there. I was starting to try different razors, so collect. The Gillettes cleaned up very well, like new.



I was after the Slim Twist, the Beatles razor; it’s a good shaver. Score. The incidental England 60s Spiral Tech was nice and a good shaver. Cool.

The third razor was pretty much a mystery to me, I was just starting to read on here that there were legit vintage razors that weren’t Gillette. I could barely identify it as injector razor and it seemed like a ancient relic to me, I was completely unfamiliar with it’s curious design.

This razor trio cost C$15.

Discovering the Schick Type E was like a shaving explosion for me. The Type E has been so much fun, it’s the razor I’ve used the most. Very nice original box and the crazy Trac II injector. An incredible amount of learning and experimentation. And a springboard for similar fun with other DE and SE razors. So this was my one purchase.

And here is the song I used to spin in the early months of my time with A, when I longed for her every minute of every day. I’ve had the original vinyl since I was 21, in the mid 80s.