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A couple of years ago I was with a friend in a mall and ran across this place called The Art of Shaving.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n They were selling OLD School shaving implements. I was quite taken with the Nickel razor and brush set in the upper left of the photo.<\/span><\/p>\n I bought the set and the soap and several other products.<\/span><\/p>\n I get all this home and found that I really enjoyed shaving with a brush. Surprisingly it doesn\u2019t take any more time than shaving with the stuff out of the can.<\/span><\/p>\n In the last year… I became increasingly interested in going REALLY old school! So that led to the purchase of my first straight razor.<\/span><\/p>\n The first time I shaved with a straight razor I was shaking pretty badly toward the end but I could see the potential. Theory and reality are Ummmm not exactly in alignment and I had the cuts to prove it!<\/span><\/p>\n You guys out there know, most of the time we shower, dry off, and shave without bothering to dress between one thing and another. So I\u2019m half way through my first shave (drawing blood in a couple of places) when it dawns on me \u201cIf I drop this razor… I\u2019m gonna really hurt myself\u201d. If ever there was an incentive to really think about what you\u2019re doing that was it! Talk about FOCUS!<\/span><\/p>\n My first razor is a Dovo (German make). It\u2019s got a personality all it\u2019s own and gives a good shave. I didn\u2019t even think about the possibility of different razors having different characteristics when I started down this particular rabbit hole.<\/span><\/p>\n From the various reading I\u2019d done on the subject of straight razors. I\u2019d learned that you probably wanted more than one razor. The reasoning behind this is you want to be able to switch off and let the blade rest.<\/span><\/p>\n If you choose not to have a few razors then you\u2019re going to be sharpening the one you own a lot more frequently depending on your beard and other factors. <\/span><\/p>\n Those other factors hit me bright and early one Sunday morning. I was happily shaving with my Dovo when I caught the edge of the blade on the faucet of the sink. I was rinsing the blade and got too close to the faucet taking a chunk out of the blade. %&*^$$&&!!!! <\/span><\/p>\n I called around and found out that sharpening the blade could repair the damage but that there were darn few people that had the skills to sharpen a straight razor. <\/span><\/p>\n Additionally, these guys are BUSY! in recent years theres been a bit of a renaissance in straight razor shaving. Which has led to a bunch of guys just like me. <\/span><\/p>\n Guys who are trying to rediscover for whatever reason the lost art of straight razors and who have absolutely no clue about how to put an edge on a knife… much less the finer edge required on a razor.<\/span><\/p>\n I turned to the internet and stumbled across a place in Palm Springs that was pretty much full service. I went to their web site and while I was arranging for the repair of my razor, I took a look at their \u201cnew razor\u201d store. BIG Mistake!<\/span><\/p>\n \n …My next razor acquisition was a French blade made by Theirs-Issard. It\u2019s a completely different feel against your throat. It\u2019s light and agile and flickable. <\/span><\/p>\n This a a beautiful razor. It\u2019s got some detail work along the spine that sets it apart from many of the other razors I\u2019ve looked at. <\/span><\/p>\n OK at this point I\u2019m hopelessly hooked. I\u2019m shaving with the straight razors on the weekends. Kind of as a nice ritual for myself. Long shower, quiet time and a slow meticulous shave. (Slow at this point because I\u2019m still learning and don\u2019t want to \u201cSweeney Todd\u201d myself!). <\/span><\/p>\n My Dovo came back a week or two later and is good as new. Now I had a razor for Saturday and Sunday and I\u2019m happy.<\/span><\/p>\n What I find though is that I\u2019m beginning to PREFER the straight razors over the standard safety razor. And I\u2019m putting off shaving for days just so I can enjoy the weekend shave.<\/span><\/p>\n I hear that the place in Palm Springs has opened a retail store, prior to this they were mail order only. So I make a point of going to Palm Springs for a day and I visit the store. MISTAKE!!!!! (Well not really…)<\/span><\/p>\n I needed some supplies. I\u2019d been using items from The Art of Shavings line. Occasionally, I\u2019d picked up things from the Anthony mens line.<\/span><\/p>\n I walked into the store and was a very happy man. The store has soaps in all varieties and flavors. They\u2019ve collected a bunch of different manufacturers products together and provide samples. It was great and they also had my downfall… A case full of razors.<\/span><\/p>\n \n …. The next razor I bought, is an American blade made by Hart Steel. This puppy has a completely different feel from the first two razors. This is a slightly larger blade and it\u2019s got a point on it that the two European designs don\u2019t have.<\/span><\/p>\n \n It\u2019s a great shave too. But you really have to be mindful of the point… I dang near did a Van Gogh on myself the second time I shaved with this bad boy. We\u2019ve since learned to respect each other and I wouldn\u2019t trade it for the world.<\/span><\/p>\n At this point… I\u2019m shaving more often with the Straight razors than with the safety razor. I\u2019m no longer reserving the straight razor experience for just the weekend. I\u2019m getting experience and nicking myself far less often than I did in the beginning. <\/span><\/p>\n There\u2019s a Zen like quality to using these blades and I enjoy that they enforce a quietness and focus that you don\u2019t get with the safety razors or electrics. You really have to be present in the here and now while you\u2019re shaving with one of these.<\/span><\/p>\n If you\u2019ve ever considered going old school, I say take the plunge! <\/span><\/p>\n I\u2019ll grant you that the start up is pricy. But the overall cost drops significantly once you get set up.<\/span><\/p>\n Let me bore you with a couple more points.<\/span><\/p>\n This is as green as you can get! <\/span><\/p>\n You don\u2019t throw anything away, the soaps are usually all natural and organic. <\/span><\/p>\n The shaving oil is all organic and often comes in glass bottles.<\/span><\/p>\n \n The razors are resharpened not disposed of.<\/span><\/p>\n With proper care and handling the razors also can be handed down because they\u2019re built to last.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n As a side benefit to all of this… I\u2019ve gotten to a point where I want to know how to sharpen my own razors rather than sending them out to professionals. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Learning to sharpen my razors will also mean that I\u2019ll be able to sharpen the kitchen knives and many other things that have an edge. So in future, I won\u2019t be replacing knives as much.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n OH and to my Family….<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n If I mysteriously die in a Sweeney Todd type accident. If the cut is on my right, I was murdered. If the cut is on my left it\u2019s a accident! I am notoriously hard on the left side of my throat, I haven\u2019t a clue about why… but if i\u2019m gonna cut myself it\u2019s always on the left!<\/span><\/p>\n \n A couple of years ago I was with a friend in a mall and ran across this place called The Art of Shaving. They were selling OLD School shaving implements. I was quite taken with the Nickel razor and brush set in the upper left of the photo. I bought the set and the soap … <\/p>\n
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