Razor: Gillette 1958 TV Special
Blade: Wilkinson Sword
Brush: Vie-Long #14033
Pre-Shave: Proraso Pre Shave Cream
Lather: Asylum Shave Works Flying Mango
Aftershave: Barber No3 Marmara
Additional Care: Alum Block
Razor: Parker 22R
Blade: “Normal”
Brush: N/A
Pre-Shave: Proraso Pre Shave Cream
Lather: La Toja canned goo
Aftershave: Barber No3 Marmara
Additional Care: Alum Block
Halfway on a whim, I decided to try the canned goo I got in Gifts&Care’s advent calendar. Not as horrible as I recall canned goo being, so I guess improved prep is alpha and omega if you’re reduced to aerosol cans for your shave. Made a mess though; uneven coverage, and had to wash my hands before I could pick up the razor.
But I tried it…
The history of the shaving industry can be described – in part – as being a fight over control. As long as a company controls the patent, they control the manufacture – and thus the cash flow. A very good example of this is the blade. As long as Gillette’s patent for the three hole blade was in force, no one else could legally make three hole blades. Once the patent got close to expiration, Gillette started to innovate again. One constrain was that a new blade should fit old razors too – but new razors shouldn’t be able to use the old style blade. The result was a new slotted blade – but not quite the blade we know today.
Continue readingRazor: Parker 22R
Blade: “Normal”
Brush: Wilkinson Sword Badger
Pre-Shave: Proraso Pre Shave Cream
Lather: B&M Latha Oceana
Aftershave: Barber No3 Marmara
Additional Care: Alum Block
We can all agree that hygiene is important, even when we are not at home. And it was for those times that Raymond J. Gotto filed a patent for a hygiene implement in 1982. A vaguely pen-like implement that contained a tooth brush, and a razor, the device would been easy to bring along. Or buy from a vending machine, for that matter.
The form factor and overall compactness puts Mr Gotto’s invention in the same class as the pen style shavette from 1921, the compact razor from 1927, the combination writing instrument and shaver’s kit from 1936, and of course Bowlin’s shaving kit from 1947.
Continue readingRazor: Parker 22R
Blade: “Normal”
Brush: Vie-Long #13051M
Pre-Shave: Proraso Pre Shave Cream
Aftershave: Epsilon for Men Scottish Spirit
Additional Care: Alum Block
Razor: Gillette Single Ring
Blade: Wilkinson Sword
Brush: Omega #10048
Pre-Shave: Proraso Pre Shave Cream
Lather: B&M Latha Oceana
Aftershave: Barber No3 Marmara
Additional Care: Alum Block
Laziness is the mother of inventions. At least, it seems to have been an important reason why John K Joice filed a patent for an automatic razor in 1906. It was made specifically so that people with no skill could shave. To qoute:
The object of my invention is to provide a razor which may be used without special skill on the part of the person who is shaving himself, in other words, a razor of the safety type.
From US patent 899,870
Perhaps I am a little hard with Mr Joice. Any safety razor can be described as letting people with no skill shave. And while novel when patented, being a safety razor is not the outstanding part of his invention.
Continue readingRazor: Gillette Single Ring
Blade: Wilkinson Sword
Brush: Semogue TSN LE 2012
Pre-Shave: Proraso Pre Shave Cream
Lather: B&M Latha Oceana
Aftershave: Barber No3 Marmara
Additional Care: Alum Block
King Gillette originally considered his blades to be reusable. You could ship them back to his company and get a new blade for every two you sent in. Devices for reconditioning the edge at home also cropped up early, and kept popping up again and again.1 But with all that honing and sharpening, the blades would wear. The edge would creep slowly but surely closer to the middle of the blade. This would, naturally, change the geometry of the head – likely resulting in suboptimal shaves. Enter left; Abraham Zilbersher and his safety razor for worn down blades.
I can see nothing stopping a shaver from using Mr Zilbersher’s razor with new blades. It does look like a nice razor, and one that would give you the option to use either a comb guard or what is – in essence – a safety bar.
Continue reading