“A good lather is half the shave”
William Hone (3 June 1780 – 8 November 1842)
English writer, satirist and bookseller.
A word of wisdom
Reply
Shave of the day 8th December
Pre-shave: Dr Bronner’s Liquid Peppermint
Lather: Mama Bear’s Awakening
Brush: Vie Long 13051M pure unbleached horse
Razor: Gillette ’58 TV Special razor with a fresh Wilkinson blade
Post-shave: Cool water rinse, alum, and Krampert’s Finest 80 Below
Shave of the day 5th December
Pre-shave: Dr Bronner’s Liquid Peppermint
Lather: RazoRock XXX
Brush: Vie Long 14033 mixed horse/boar
Razor: Merkur 45C Bakelite razor with Treet blade
Post-shave: Cool water rinse, alum, and Thayer’s Original Witch Hazel
Shaving in the dark…
…must have been a problem during the Depression – it is the only logical explanation I can think of for why Mr F Pollifrone patented a combined safety razor and flash light back in 1928.
…an improved combination safety razor and electric light which will enable the user to secure a better shave due to better light.
Come to think of it; if this is an improved combination, what combinations came earlier?
The actual invention seems to mainly consist of a flash light with a pair of adjustable arms that holds either a DE or SE razor head. The net effect is a unwieldy and heavy razor.
…the combination with a cap adapted to cover one end of a flash light and to direct light there from, of links pivotally attached at one end to the sides of said cap and diverging in advance thereof in spaced relation to the paths of the rays of light emitted by said flash light, said links being adapted at their upper extremities to be pivotally attached to the end portions of a safety razor for adjustably supporting the same in advance of said cap, and projections on the inner sides of said links adapted to engage in spaced: recesses in said cap for retaining said links in an adjusted position.
The obvious problem I spot – the razor head will throw a shadow directly on the area being shaved – seems to have escaped the worthwhile inventor completely…
Shave of the day 3rd December
Pre-shave: Dr Bronner’s Liquid Lavender
Lather: Mike’s Natural Lavandin & Eucalyptus sample
Brush: Vie Long 13051M pure horse
Razor: Merkur 45C Bakelite razor with Treet blade
Post-shave: Cool water rinse, alum, and Proraso Liquid After Shave Cream
FaceBook users gives Gillette apiece of their mind
Social media… one of my pet peeves, but sometimes even FaceBook can deliver comedy gold:
Gillette posted a picture on their photostream (is that even the right word?) celebrating* 110 years since their first patent… the comments on it probably isn’t quite what they have hoped for:
The one from 1904 works better
I prefer the 1904 model
The tagline should read: look how we have ruined a perfectly good and cost effective design for 100 years!
And yet the razor from 110 years ago is far superior.
Thanks Gillette. You’ve helped me find a new razor. I will now be buying a Merkur 1904 model from Amazon…
*) “celebrating their first DE safety razor” must be corporate speak for “shilling their new wobbly plastic wonder”…
Shave of the day 1st December
Pre-shave: Dr Bronner’s Liquid Orange
Lather: Mike’s Natural Lime Soap
Brush: Semogue TSN 2012 LE mixed badger/boar
Razor: Merkur 45C Bakelite razor with fresh Treet blade
Post-shave: Cool water rinse, alum, and Krampert’s Finest Bay Rum
Shave of the day 28th November
Pre-shave: Dr Bronner’s Liquid Peppermint
Lather: Lea Shave Stick
Brush: Omega #50014 travel boar
Razor: Merkur 985CL Open Comb travel razor with Treet blade
Post-shave: Cool water rinse, alum, and Krampert’s Finest Bay Rum
Warm razor for cold days
Is your bathroom chilly in winter? The the patented invention of Mr M M Gravin would be just the thing for you, despite the fact that the purpose of the invention was to provide for a more even shave.
It is a well-known fact in having with a razor that the heating of a razor blade, makes the razor blade out just that much better in shaving the beard. For this reason it is a frequent practice to dip the razor whether open edge or safety razor into hot water before the user shaves. The lather on the face cools the razor and lessen; the efficiency with which it cuts. This makes it necessary to frequently dip the razor in hot Water as the shaving progresses and makes the shaving uneven.
It’s not a well known fact any longer, so I’m not sure if this claim was pure hogwash or if it actually did make a difference with carbon steel blades.
Mr Gravin also took care to make sure the handle didn’t get too hot, by providing an air gap and suggesting using an insulating material for the handle. What he didn’t say anything about was how he intended to avoid corrosion to cause a short in the heating element – leaving the shaver with a potential electrical short right next to their face…
Shave of the day 26th November
Pre-shave: Dr Bronner’s Liquid Peppermint
Lather: Lea Shave Stick
Brush: Omega #50014 travel boar
Razor: Merkur 985CL Open Comb travel razor with Treet blade
Post-shave: Cool water rinse, alum, and Krampert’s Finest Bay Rum