Recently I have taken up straight (cutthroat) razor shaving. It’s an entirely different ballgame than DE shaving, I must say.

I can’t complain about my initial few shaves. I did some reading on Badger and Blade and Straight Razor Place, watched some videos and went to it. I’m getting a few cuts and significant razor burn, but also DFS (damn fine shaves). I’m a BBS (baby-bottom smooth) fanatic. I am probably pushing it too hard with the straight trying to get BBS results and using too much pressure.

The learning curve is steep and long according to the old hands. I’ve read recommendations that one should start just shaving one cheek, then moving into more territory on subsequent days. I want to shorten things so I’m doing my entire face. Oddly, I’m better with my off hand than my main. Must be something about the whole process being foreign to me, so my left hand is as good at it as my right.

What I’m really having trouble with is learning how to strop. I have cut my starter strop multiple times. I really didn’t think stropping technique would be so difficult to learn. Good thing I bought a backup strop.

Which leads me to the vendor I used to purchase my starter setup. I bought the ‘sight unseen’ straight razor deal and poor man’s strop kit from Whipped Dog Straights.

This is a fine way to put a toe into the straight shaving pool. Larry will provide an older, but shave-ready honed, straight razor and starter strop cheaply. You don’t see a picture of the razor, taking it on faith that he will do you right. And he does. Larry’s reputation is stellar and I can see why. This is a terrific service.

I’m looking forward to shaving again, just like my early DE days.

I’ll be updating as I go along. I think many acquisitions loom in the future.

I’ve just come across a website that offers multi-blade users a way to cut their costs for blades. Dollar Shave Club will send you new blades every month for a flat fee.

The video on the front page is pretty good. Look for the toddler shaving her dad’s head. I personally will stick to the “single blade your grandpa used” but hey, they give wetshaving a nod and I’ll give them credit for that.

Prices range from a buck a month for twin blade Atra-style cartridges to nine a month for the five blade behemoths. Nine dollars a month for blades seems obscene to me, but then I preach dime blades to anyone who will listen.

On a personal note, I was in Japan on business for a few weeks recently. My Japanese coworker asked if I had any hobbies (he collects Starbucks gift cards). Of course I had some shots of my razor collection on my phone. He and his wife thought shaving for a hobby was both weird and hilarious. Looks like Japan is the next frontier in the wetshaving revolution.

As usual, I’m late to the party. I looked over at Sharpologist to see if Mantic was on this and of course, he is not only aware of it, he’s using it.

I was spending some quality time listening to comedian/actor Larry Miller’s podcast last night.

For anyone not familiar with his comic genius, he is probably best known in my circles for his portrayal of the bitter doorman in an episode of Seinfeld. “You think you’re better than me because I’m a doorman, don’t you?”

Larry and his guys enjoyed barber shop shaves in a previous podcast. In this show, he talks about wet shaving gear sent to him by a listener. Larry is now the proud owner of a Merkur 34c and an assortment of blades.

This podcast also talks about the ‘sixth level’, which is a reference to Larry’s classic standup bit “the five levels of drinking”. In my opinion this bit is one of the all-time greats and stands right up there with the best of Cosby, Carlin, or Pryor. Google it and check it out, I imagine you could see it on Youtube or someplace – do yourself a favor.

Welcome to the fold, Larry! May I suggest a Tweezerman brush, while you’re developing your style, and perhaps some Proraso cream to start you on your baby-bottom smooth path to shaving enlightenment?

Larry Miller, wetshaver

Hard to believe it’s been over 25 years now since the two-bladed pivoting Gillette razor, called the Contour in the U.K. (Yanks will remember it as Atra) hit the scene.

Enjoy this advert that clearly is trying to tout how high-tech this razor was at the time. If you’re sensitive to a lot of flashing lights you might want to pass; this must have been made before the Pokemon cartoon caused kids to have seizures.

The more things change, the better classic wetshaving gets.

Cambridge University is seeking a PhD candidate interested in studying the mechanics of wet shaving.

The study will be funded by Gillette – so I suspect the results will be something along the lines of shaving is best accomplished by using a Fusion ProGlide.

No, seriously, I would never expect a hallowed institution such as Cambridge to stoop so low. It should be some interesting science. Hope the bloke gets his doctorate for it.

A clip:

“Gillette have developed instrumentation capability to characterise the mechanical response of hair during shaving.
“The broad aim of the research is to extend the capability through further characterisation of the mechanical aspects of shaving.
“Further characterisation will enhance model fidelity of predictive simulation of the shaving process.
“The PhD project will focus on understanding the mechanical interactions typical of wet shaving.”

You can read more about it here: Cambridge to study wet shaving

For the holidays, some Mad Men-era Gillette Christmas advertisement goodness from Oz. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

In the fight over the bankrupt rubble that was Personna maker American Safety Razor Company, Energizer Holdings comes out victorious.

This isn’t bad news. At least venerable ASR is still held by Yanks – Energizer being based in St. Louis, Missouri.

Energizer, of the famed battery brand Eveready and Energizer, also owns Schick. So the number three player in the shaving market falls, to be gobbled by number two. Number two now is in a better position to unseat numero uno, P&G/Gillette.

Well, maybe not.

But I for one, would like to welcome our new shave-bunny overlords.

All Hail the Shave Bunny!

In honor of the World Series, WSB presents a classic old Super Speed ad. This is the one I think of when I see the male models complaining about ‘tugging and pulling’ in the current Gillette spots. Pee Wee Reese and Roy Campanella show us how real men used to do it.

In today’s collectors’ lingo, the ‘light’ version is known as the Blue Tip, ‘regular’ is the Flare Tip, and ‘heavy’ is the much sought-after Red Tip.

Just throwing that in there, since they didn’t have the miracle of color TV in those days.

Enjoy, and Play Ball!

(oh yeah, and Go Giants! Fear the Beard! use a Super Speed instead!)

I banged on this razor pretty hard a while back. And hey! It must have hurt sales, right? Cos here’s the thing marked down quite a bit at Amazon, don’t say I never did anything for ya.

Well, you’ll do something for me if you click this link, it’s an affiliate thing. Now let’s see if we can find some cheap cartridges for it.

The newest Schick entry into the shaving market is a five-bladed device that features, rather than the hydrating ‘strip’ that’s been around for more than a decade, a ‘reservoir’ that contains aloe vera, vitamin E… you know, stuff to make your skin feel better.

I priced a pack of four replacement cartridges at Walgreen’s at $11.99 USD.

That’s THREE DOLLARS A CARTRIDGE, kids.

At that kind of price, it ain’t your face that needs to be lubricated.

It’s simple, fellas. If you want your skin to feel and look great, and your wallet to stay full, take up wet shaving.

You can get a vintage Gillette Super Speed on eBay for ten bucks.

Blades average a quarter each.

Etc. Etc.

You can buy a nice tub of high-end English shave cream if you really feel the need to drop serious coin on your shave, and even then you’ll save a bundle compared to this Schick affront to the dignity of shaving.

If you’ve found your way to this post via Google, because you were looking for info on the Schick thing, I sincerely hope I’ve talked you out of it, or at least given you food for thought.

One of the players I noticed while flipping through the shopping channel (looking for boss Invicta watches! lol) was a device that appears to be an electric shaver that you can get wet, or use dry. The Rotoshave!

Hahahahahahahahaha. I had to check the price on this new miracle. Around a hundred and twenty bucks American. It would seem the thing also requires replacement blades.

Looking around the net, I’m entertained by the various reviews and comments on the Rotoshave. A standard review will say it doesn’t give any better shave than any other electric and some go as far as to say it sucks. Invariably a shill will post a comment about how the Rotoshave is the second coming of shaving Jeebus! And obviously the reviewer doesn’t know how to use it right.

*sigh* I feel for the unenlightened masses who might be duped by this snake oil hucksterism, when their forbears knew how to get a good shave and actually enjoy the experience.

No.

Bond used a Slim.

Check out ‘Goldfinger’, the movie so cool it’s even responsible for the sale of millions of watch straps. While in Pussy Galore’s plane, you’ll see 007 pull a tracking device out of his specially modified Gillette Adjustable Slim.

Just something to think about the next time you start drooling over that Fat Boy on eBay.

Nod to Bond Lifestyle for the info.

For the record I should update that the seller who neglected to include the Fat Boy in the Gillette razor lot I had purchased made an honest error. She not only sent the Fat Boy along but let me keep the Super Speed she’d included by mistake! Now that’s the kind of seller that keeps eBay going.

As I thought might have been the case, she was a seller of all things vintage and wouldn’t really know a Fat Boy razor from a Harley-Davidson.

The Fat Boy was in kind of ‘meh’ condition. Solid mechanics but lots of plating issues and no paint at all on the numbers.

I flipped it and one of you out there is enjoying outstanding shaves with it. If I were to keep it I’d have it re-plated in heavy nickel, and fill in the numbers with black nail polish. It would be a beautiful piece for years to come.

It would seem the gloating I did in the previous post has come back to bite me. I received the shipment of razors from the seller today – but instead of the Fat Boy pictured, another Super Speed was there.

Oh, my. I am PISSED.

I can’t help but wonder what’s going on here. This seller frankly doesn’t strike me as a person with the mental horsepower to know what the Fat Boy was, and purposely leave it out of the package hoping I wouldn’t notice or something.

No, I suspect she just screwed up. Or… somebody noticed it in her antique shop or whatever, offered her way more than I paid, she took it and just threw in another Super Speed hoping I wouldn’t notice.

Looks like I gloated too soon. It was a lot of fun, though.

I’ll post the follow up to The Great Fat Boy Scam when it’s resolved, for good or ill.

I’d say the odds against me getting my hot, grubby hands on that Fat Boy are pretty long.

"Gilette Fat Boy Razer"

I recently bought this lot of fine, Gillette safety razors from that large auction site. Got a good deal, too. I don’t want to tell you how good, because you might cry. See that thick one in the picture? Yep, it’s a Fat Boy.

I have posted previously that sometimes you have to look hard to find a Fat Boy for a good price on eBay. I mentioned that occasionally you can find one listed when the seller doesn’t know that’s what it is.

Well, sometimes, you can find one where the seller not only doesn’t know what it is, but doesn’t know how to spell ‘Gillette’. Or ‘razor’.

That’s when you can score a true bargain.

Keep looking, kids. The deals are out there.