Why Do We Wet/Traditional Shave Why ?

Mike Smart

Mike Smart

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well a silly question you may all think but as from today my whole opinion has changed.
Initially for me & i guess for everyone here it was probably beard/bristle reduction and like many on here we’ve all spent a small fortune on products.
but i had a real eye opener today
I recently bought a genesis one blade my wife shipped it out to Norway for me and my first use was today.
Man an eye opener indeed
what an absolutely class shave, 100% bbs with no feedback from the alum whatsoever.
Now i asked myself could this possibly be the best razor i have ever tried and i think it possibly could be
HOWEVER it has to be the most boring lifeless soulless shave iv ever had.
Have i discovered the holly grail of shaving ?
quite very possibly but i hate it hate it hate it
infact i very much doubt i’ll use it again,
saying that i spent a few quid so maybe just maybe i might use it a couple of times a year
but can’t make my mind up.
So it got me thinking what am i actually looking for why am i wet shaving and possibly found the best razor ever but as i say i hate it.
For me iv now realised it’s not really about the shave, for me it’s the excitement of trying new razors, new blades, combinations, soaps, creams, brushes and everything else that goes along with it.
The actual shave for me has become irrelevant.
I like the thought of trying out badger, boar, horse and synthetic brushes, trying to figure out what does what.
To me it’s a bit of a science
finding your best razors, finding the best blade for that razor, finding the best soaps that all react totally different with different brushes.
Then you find a forum like this and speak to like minded really nice people.
It’s a fantastic journey and the end product is irrelevant it’s all about the Equipment & products.
Anyone boys onwards & upwards,
iv only been on this journey 18 months & i can’t see it stopping any time soon.
Stay Safe
 
Mike Smart said:
well a silly question you may all think but as from today my whole opinion has changed.
Initially for me & i guess for everyone here it was probably beard/bristle reduction and like many on here we’ve all spent a small fortune on products.
but i had a real eye opener today
I recently bought a genesis one blade my wife shipped it out to Norway for me and my first use was today.
Man an eye opener indeed
what an absolutely class shave, 100% bbs with no feedback from the alum whatsoever.
Now i asked myself could this possibly be the best razor i have ever tried and i think it possibly could be
HOWEVER it has to be the most boring lifeless soulless shave iv ever had.
Have i discovered the holly grail of shaving ?
quite very possibly but i hate it hate it hate it
infact i very much doubt i’ll use it again,
saying that i spent a few quid so maybe just maybe i might use it a couple of times a year
but can’t make my mind up.
So it got me thinking what am i actually looking for why am i wet shaving and possibly found the best razor ever but as i say i hate it.
For me iv now realised it’s not really about the shave, for me it’s the excitement of trying new razors, new blades, combinations, soaps, creams, brushes and everything else that goes along with it.
The actual shave for me has become irrelevant.
I like the thought of trying out badger, boar, horse and synthetic brushes, trying to figure out what does what.
To me it’s a bit of a science
finding your best razors, finding the best blade for that razor, finding the best soaps that all react totally different with different brushes.
Then you find a forum like this and speak to like minded really nice people.
It’s a fantastic journey and the end product is irrelevant it’s all about the Equipment & products.
Anyone boys onwards & upwards,
iv only been on this journey 18 months & i can’t see it stopping any time soon.
Stay Safe
Click to expand...
I've seen the same thing said about the razor in question time after time, so i will not be trying one no matter how good the results are, who needs that! :)

Paul.
 
Blademonkey said:
I've seen the same thing said about the razor in question time after time, so it will not be trying one no matter how good the results are, who needs that! :)

Paul.
Click to expand...
I agree 100% paul but perhaps it’s worth a try to understand the soullessness of it lol :ROFLMAO:
If you fancy giving it a go give me a shout & when i’m home i’ll ship it out for you to have a Boring shave :ROFLMAO:
 
For me it's just an enjoyment. Personally when using the cartridges I was getting decent shaves, without irritation or ingrowns.
Trying new things, different combinations, collecting the stuff, experiencing different scents and that bit of me time. It all makes it worthwhile.

Also there is that something in seeing some immediate results after the effort that has been put in. It's just so satisfying!

Even if I did find my perfect razor/blade/soap/as combo -I doubt I'd stick to it all the time - I'd still love to explore! (random thought - maybe to match my reply I should get zingari man - the explorer? haha)

On a bit of philosophical note, it also might be our primal instincts in a way - after all blades (all kinds) were always considered as something dangerous and harmful... and here against all those perceptions we wield them and use them for something enjoyable.

And obviously the amazing community out there too!

Okay that's it for my evening (more like a night) ramblings lol
 
Lol I’ve bought the genesis twice sold it and bought it back again suppose just because I wanted to have one again.. I’ve used it twice since I bought it back not that it isn’t a great razor I suppose it serves a purpose I just enjoy the straights too much to use much else at all now but if I wanted a guaranteed flawless finish with no chance of irritation or redness in sight and had somewhere important to go I may resort to the genesis for the occasion but as you say it really takes the skill out of it and therefore the enjoyment
 
Actually, I started down this road as a solution to ingrown hairs. I have been through all the stages and some more than once. To me the most important factor is still that initial goal. Everything else is secondary. I have all the blades, soaps, brushes, etc., that a man could possibly pine for, but once in a while I buy a bauble here & there. Variety is nice, but the luster of that "diamond" has since faded somewhat. If I could sell 95% of my stuff for a fair price I believe I would as I would be content with a Tech and a Schick injector. I am "jaded", but I still enjoy the Kameradschaft obviously as I am still here and a few other places.
 
I got into it purely because it was different, it was a more traditional and "old fashioned" way of shaving. Was never my intention to save money (and I havent...im now a closet hoarder).

Got more into it because I like the craftsmanship of the razors, the scents of the soaps, how my skin feels better
 
I concur with Karl and various others above. I understand that many people experience skin irritation or ingrown hair etc from cartridge razors. I don't. They are, for me, simple and effective. I can get BBS in 5 minutes with Gillette M3 or WS Quattro. But they're an environmental disaster and also just boring. I love the vintage straight razors for the history - what stories a pre-WWII Solingen could tell if it could talk?! Also the craftsmanship and tradition. Plus it's a blokey skill to acquire, both in use and in maintenance. Then there's the whole ritual thing, and the taking of time to try things, experience sensation and aroma, and of course the sharp (sorry!) focus needed to wield a straight razor without incident. It's meditative. Do I get better results faster? No, for efficiency the carts win hands down. But I'll swap 5 minutes of chore for half an hour of "focus blokus" (tm) any day.

One thing's for sure, I've already spent more on shaving in the last couple of months than I have in the previous 38ish years on carts and dispos. So the "saves you money" isn't it for me, and ought to be heavily caveatted. They're one- off or long term investments that may never pay back in £, only in satisfaction.
 
This thread is really onto something, I feel. For decades, shaving was a chore, and used to hurt. In frustration and curiosity I tried DE shaving and have never looked back. I once got stuck without luggage, however, and bought a Mach3 and some aerosol gel as an emergency measure. To my surprise I had a great shave: the technique learned through DE shaving made a huge difference. I am sure I could continue, now, to get great shaves with cartridges.
But that isn’t the point, for me. I like the ritual, the history, the collecting, the challenge (that sodding GEM Micromatic is trying to maim me) and even the blokey camaraderie here. A chore is now a hobby.
 
Rubbish Triathlete said:
This thread is really onto something, I feel. For decades, shaving was a chore, and used to hurt. In frustration and curiosity I tried DE shaving and have never looked back. I once got stuck without luggage, however, and bought a Mach3 and some aerosol gel as an emergency measure. To my surprise I had a great shave: the technique learned through DE shaving made a huge difference. I am sure I could continue, now, to get great shaves with cartridges.
But that isn’t the point, for me. I like the ritual, the history, the collecting, the challenge (that sodding GEM Micromatic is trying to maim me) and even the blokey camaraderie here. A chore is now a hobby.
Click to expand...
Couldn’t agree more
 
For me I think much the same as @Digimonkey once said, 'We achieve much the same as any other shaver. It is just we do it better'

For me it as much a case of giving myself some of that 'Me time'. I spend a lot of my life running around for others and may be my shave time is one of those moments I can self indulge in. At the same time having 'choice'. I see it as much more than simply a neccesity or a process. It is an art form in its own right.

The Genesis is one of those products which I can see why people love them, but I view it as comparing a photo of the countryside with a John Constable. But I do understand those who would take the photo and have done with.

Then it gives me an opportunity to scribble up some right shite as an SOTD.
 
Mike Smart said:
well a silly question you may all think but as from today my whole opinion has changed.
Initially for me & i guess for everyone here it was probably beard/bristle reduction and like many on here we’ve all spent a small fortune on products.
but i had a real eye opener today
I recently bought a genesis one blade my wife shipped it out to Norway for me and my first use was today.
Man an eye opener indeed
what an absolutely class shave, 100% bbs with no feedback from the alum whatsoever.
Now i asked myself could this possibly be the best razor i have ever tried and i think it possibly could be
HOWEVER it has to be the most boring lifeless soulless shave iv ever had.
Have i discovered the holly grail of shaving ?
quite very possibly but i hate it hate it hate it
infact i very much doubt i’ll use it again,
saying that i spent a few quid so maybe just maybe i might use it a couple of times a year
but can’t make my mind up.
So it got me thinking what am i actually looking for why am i wet shaving and possibly found the best razor ever but as i say i hate it.
For me iv now realised it’s not really about the shave, for me it’s the excitement of trying new razors, new blades, combinations, soaps, creams, brushes and everything else that goes along with it.
The actual shave for me has become irrelevant.
I like the thought of trying out badger, boar, horse and synthetic brushes, trying to figure out what does what.
To me it’s a bit of a science
finding your best razors, finding the best blade for that razor, finding the best soaps that all react totally different with different brushes.
Then you find a forum like this and speak to like minded really nice people.
It’s a fantastic journey and the end product is irrelevant it’s all about the Equipment & products.
Anyone boys onwards & upwards,
iv only been on this journey 18 months & i can’t see it stopping any time soon.
Stay Safe
Click to expand...
New stuff has no charisma, no soul, just meaningless tools to get the job done. Like using a printer to print the Mona Lisa instead of painting it. Vintage is the journey that I choose, tools that have a history, a story to tell, and gobs of charisma. If I just wanted to hack off the hair I would use Bic disposables, and I wouldn't be on the computer right now. :unsure:
 
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