Pre-shave: Dr Bronners Peppermint Soap
Lather: Krampert’s Finest Bay Rum Acadian Spice Shaving Soap
Brush: Vie-Long #12705B natural white pure horse
Razor: Parker 22R butterfly with a Persona Platinum
Post-shave: Cool water rinse, alum, and Krampert’s Finest Bay Rum Aftershave
Beard care: Scotch Porter Beard Balm and Big Red No7 Beard Comb
While those of us who swears to the single blade (and even single edge), the obsession with having two, three, or even five blades are puzzling… but it’s not a recent idea as some might think.
One of the ones that I found was filed by Palmer Harman in ’54, and included not just an “improved” safety razor but also a novel blade construction – which probably doomed it in the market.
To quote, the razor:
…comprises generally a plurality of superposed blade retaining plates adapted to receive cutting blades therebetween, and transversely extending pins for positioning the plates and blades.
…the teeth on an adjacent pair of blade retaining plates are disposed in alternate or staggered relation so that if a hair is held depressed by the teeth of one plate and missed by the associated blade, such a hair will be guided by the teeth of the next adjacent plate into contact with the cutting edge of the blade associated with the latter plate. In this manner, assurance is provided that no hairs will be missed upon any single movement of the razor.
The main objective of the invention? Almost word by word what the big multinationals claimed when they pushed out the multi blade cartridges:
…as each blade completely cuts all the hairs in the path of razor movement, a pair of blades may be inclined at different angles relative to each other so as to effect both coarse and close shaving upon one stroke of the razor.
Pre-shave: Dr Bronners Lavender Soap
Lather: Dr Selby Lavender Luxury Shaving Cream
Brush: Turkish No6 ‘horse hair’
Razor: Parker 22R butterfly with a Persona Platinum
Post-shave: Cool water rinse, alum, and Krampert’s Finest Bay Rum Aftershave
Beard care: Scotch Porter Beard Balm and Big Red No7 Beard Comb
Judging by some posts on the shaving forums, the absolutely worst thing that can happen to a brush is the development of a cavity in the middle – some even referring to it as a wound in the knot. What if I told you that someone not only though the cavity to be a good thing, but managed to secure a patent on a brush with such a gaping wound?
Enter Earl D Snodderly, whom in 1965 filed a patent for his “foam shave applier”. Most inventions are dreamed up to fill a need – imaginary or not – and the foam shave applier should simplify the operation of applying lather and the brushing action. To quote the word salad from the patent itself:
The present invention relates to foam shave applier and has for an object to provide a shaving brush in conjunction with an attachment therefore by which a suitable cavity is formed in the bristle body opening through an end of the brush for the purpose of receiving shaving cream or the like whereby the operations of applying lather and the like to the face of the shaver and the brushing action by which the lather is worked into the skin are simplified and combined in a single action which will economize time and facilitate the action of working the lather into the areas of the facial skin requiring shaving.
And how was this miracle of science to be achieved? By creating a cavity in the brush, with what looks almost like a roofing nail:
Just looking at the drawing makes my insides turn… I’m very happy this invention didn’t take off, and I’m sure my brushes are too.
Pre-shave: Dr Bronners Eucalyptus Soap
Lather: Brutalt Bra Barbersåpe TSN SE “Norwegian Wood”
Brush: Semogue “The Shave Nook 2012 Limited Edition” mixed boar-badger
Razor: Parker 22R butterfly with a fresh Persona Platinum
Post-shave: Cool water rinse, alum, and Myrsol Agua Balsamico
Beard care: Scotch Porter Beard Balm and Big Red No7 Beard Comb
Pre-shave: Dr Bronners Peppermint Soap
Lather: LEA shave stick
Brush: Omega #50014
Razor: Gillette “Khaki” Old Type with a Lord blade
Post-shave: Cool water rinse, alum, and Krampert’s Finest Bay Rum Aftershave
Beard care: Wet Shaving Products Matterhorn Beard Oil and Big Red No7 Beard Comb
Phil – the guy behind my favourite shaving forum – is running a competition where you can win one of his eagerly awaited Asylum Rx razors. I havn’t tried it myself, but the feedback from the early testers are encouraging to say the least.
Full disclosure: I’m one of the forum moderators, and I lust for this razor badly myself.
Pre-shave: Dr Bronners Peppermint Soap
Lather: LEA shave stick
Brush: Omega #50014
Razor: Gillette “Khaki” Old Type with a Lord blade
Post-shave: Cool water rinse, alum, and Krampert’s Finest Bay Rum Aftershave
Beard care: Wet Shaving Products Matterhorn Beard Oil and Big Red No7 Beard Comb
From left to right:LEA shave stick, Gillette Old Type from the khaki set, Omega #50014 travel brush, travel sized Krampert’s Finest Bay Rum Aftershave, WSP Matterhorn Beard Oil, and a travel sized stick of alum.
Pre-shave: Dr Bronners Peppermint Soap
Lather: Prairie Creations Walter
Brush: Wilkinson Sword Badger
Razor: BiC Sensitive SE disposable
Post-shave: Cool water rinse, alum, and BodyShop Maca Root Energetic Face Protection
Beard care: Scotch Porter Beard Balm and Big Red No7 Beard Comb