Shave Nerd

I’m a shave nerd, wait, I’m repeating myself.

I can’t help it. I’m getting older. I like a good shave.

My best friend did it to me, he tricked me and it was subtle. I forgot how we got on the subject, “hey, I have a bag of those old double edge razors, I’ll give it to you.” I used to shave with them 30 years ago. Something like that.

I get some of my old razors from antique stores. It’s a trip back into time. A time where manufacturing was solid in America. People made things out of steel, rubber, wood. They made things to last. I used to buy old double edge razor handles and use Wilkinson blades or Gillette, those two were the only blades I could find but not anymore.

There is a whole slew of shave nerds now and it’s the internet that brings us together.

I stopped using old style razors after getting marketed to by Schick, Gelette and Bic. Those commercials about two blades, then three, four and now five, with a snot strip to keep your shave smooth. Probably hemostatic to stop the bleeding as your face gets scraped smooth by five razor blades in one stroke! Then you threw the plastic and metal disposable razor away.

How good is it if it’s disposable?

After looking for the bag to give to my friend, I didn’t have a bag full of old razors, I had culled them down to a couple but there it was, a nice Gillette “Fatboy” in its original case…

I feel like I told this story before.

He looked like the Grinch that stole Christmas, “You sure?” “Hell yeah, I bought it for a few bucks decades ago.”

I didn’t need that thing anymore…

We go do things on Friday mornings, we both have it off. He said he needed to go to the Razor Emporium.

Long story short, not only did I give him my prized old, vintage, MY razor, he asked me if I was sure.

I’m over it now, I found another razor I like, another Gillette, a different model.

Now I’m back to antique stores doubling down on each component.

The Razor Emporium is a couple of miles away. It is half museum and an excellent, best-ever, shaving store. I have even shaved with a single edge razor! A razor knife at my throat and it’s cool, a smooth shave.

I’m a shave nerd for sure.