…I mean, just look at this!
One of the tabs that holds the cartridge on the Gillette Sensor I got as a freebie when I was in boot camp back in early 1993 snapped! Just a little over twenty five years and it is now useless, while my Khaki Gillette is still going strong after a hundred years… good thing I have a second Sensor handle so my Better Half can still shave her legs.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to tie an onion to my belt and chase some kids of my lawn!
A while back I found this old advertisement on the ‘net, and decided to start digging a bit. After all, a razor that folds flat, fit in your pocket and carries a total of five blades sounds wonderful, right?
Covered by US patent 229844A, the Trav-a-long – or Travalong, as it’s described in Waits’ Compendium – folded into a neat rectangle measuring 1 by 2 by ¼ inces (2.5 by 5.0 by 0.6 cm).
The Travalong sold in a cardboard box or a leather pouch with a snap, and was available in either chrome satin, silver, or gold finishes – and to make things more complicated it was also sold under the name of Tru-Flex.
Based on how many pictures there is online of the Travalong, the razor must have sold reasonable well, but most probably didn’t see too much use. It is, after all, a travel razor and not a razor for every day use.
Speaking of pictures, here is a few I found online:
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From a mechanical and technical point of view it is a very interesting and somewhat challenging design, relying on using the two arms that hold the razor head as flat springs to hold it securely – which means the tempering of the two arms are critical to get just right.
From a shaver’s point of view the handle shape will be a radical departure from the norm, but for the occasional use that shouldn’t be a major issue.
The patent have – obviously – lapsed, so if any aspiring machinist or CNC-operator out there want to have a go at this, it’s a free and already proven concept.
Bottom line up front; It’s a comb. I got better ones for my short goatee.
I bought the BullDog comb as part of a package deal along with beard shampoo, beard oil and beard balm, and didn’t actually realise the box contained the comb until I came home and unpacked it.
This comb is shaped more like what I think of as a ‘normal’ comb, with a pronounced wedge shaped profile. The teeth narrows to a point, but are several millimetres thick at their base. The shape seems to help it untangle long beards, but also makes the comb slightly more awkward to hold in my opinion.
I honestly have no idea what sort of wood the comb is made out, but it seems quite strong.
For the most part this beard comb sits in the back, unused. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a bad comb… it’s just that I got better ones, and the shape of this one don’t work as well for me as the one I looked at last week. If I had a longer beard it would probably work better.
I was asked recently what safety razor I thought was the best one… and I found the question very hard to answer because, well… it’s hard to pick just one; I have many favourites among the ones I own myself.
I enjoy my vintage Ever-Ready1914, but mostly because it’s a heirloom piece from a family friend who meant a lot to me when I was growing up.
I always look forward to shaving with my vintage GEM Micromatic Clug Pruf, since it’s such an easy SE razor to master.
Likewise I always looks forward to using my Schick “Lady Eversharp” Injector which I bought as New-Old-Stock, it’s my only injector and the blades last three times longer than ordinary DE blades.
I like my vintage Gillette “Khaki” Old Type from 1918, which started it’s life as a service kit issued to a US soldier in the Great War, and that I now use when I’m on exercises and operations.
My three different Cadet razors (TP-01, TTO-11 and TTO-13) are all fun to use, since they taught me that inexpensive razors can be just as good shavers as expensive ones.
My Mergress Adjustable Bling means a lot to me, since it is both a good shaver and a gift from a friend.
I like the shaves I get from my Merkur 45C Bakelite, since it’s so light I have to concentrate on my technique when I’m using it.
Likewise I like using my vintage Phillips Philite, for the same reason.
And those are just a few of the ones I have in my rotation, and I like the ones in my rotation that I havn’t mentioned – that is why they are still in the rotation. On top of that there are many, many safety razors both vintage and modern I have not tried, both cheap and expensive. There are some really nice high end razors out there I would love to try, and there are some low cost options I would enjoy giving a go. And while some shavers will hunt for the One Razor that is perfect for them, I enjoy the variety and challenges that comes from mastering razors with a wide range of characteristics.
To me there is no “best safety razor”. To me there is a set of features that I enjoy;
So while not a straight forward and easy answer to the question I was asked, I got to sit down and think about why I like the razors I do.
Pereira Shavery makes – as readers of my blog knows – a pretty damn awesome soap and related items, as well as sourcing some fun stuff such as the little shavette I got. For a new artisan/vendor in the market they do stand out in terms of quality and presentation, and from what I can tell they are planning more products in the future.
Recently I learned that Pereira Shavery is planning a crowdfunding campaign aimed at, to paraphrase, “The Man who thinks he has Everything”. As far as I know some exciting things are planned, and if you want to know more you can email them at giveaway@pereirashavery.com – if you use the subject line “I want in!” you’ll also enter their monthly give-away which starts this August and runs the rest of 2018.
For the cost of an email you can be among the first to know what’s coming from one of my new favourite soap makers. Can you afford not to email them?
So.. one of the almost-local malls have a new tenant; a barbershop! One that does beards as opposed to just haircuts, and that uses brushes, lather and shavettes to do the trim!
Bottom line up front: A good choice for a daily carry comb. Handy size, indestructible and useful for more than just combing the beard.
A few weeks ago I got a package from Pereira Shavery that – along with other nice things – contained a metal beard comb of the general size and shape of a credit card. Ever since it’s lived in a pocket of my work clothes, begin pulled out and used every time I need to get my somewhat unruly goatee under control. So what have made this comb my daily carry?
Firstly, the handy size. It sits comfortable in a pocket, in a vallet, a credit card holder, or in the back of my cell phone holster (careful not to scratch the cell phone though). That means it’s always there when I need it for combing or other tasks.
Secondly, it’s metal and easily survives daily carry. In the past I’ve bent plastic combs and broken wooden ones. This metal combs just takes the abuse and keeps going… and the form factor makes it more resistant to bending than most other combs I’ve used.
Thirdly, it got a few handy other uses. The built in bottle opener works well, the little flat head screwdriver in one corner have come in handy on a couple of occasions (sometimes the right tool is the tool at hand), the so called can opener on the end have come in handy as a letter opener as well as lifting the ring on the end of soda cans… I’ve not yet got to try the spanner (wrench) yet, since every time I’ve had to unbolt something I’ve had better tools at hand, and I’m not entirely certain what purpose the elongated hole between the spanner and comb is supposed to have.
The most important part is off course the comb, and the comb works very well for me and my curly beard hairs. It can get hung up on tangles, off course, but nothing a bit of care can’t work trough.
Can I recommend the metal multi-utility comb from Pereira Shavery? For a daily carry comb, yes. I’ve carried it and used it daily since I received mine, to the point where I’ve managed to wear of the markings on the back.
For a comb that lives in your bathroom or shave den? It’ll work just as well there, but Pereira also offers some better options in wood for that purpose.
Safety razor companies realised early on that by only marketing to men, they shut themselves out from about half the potential market – after all; if they could also sell to the ladies, they could sell at least two razors to every household.
However… shaving was seen as a masculine activity. In order to appear more ladylike, King Gillette’s early advertisements for women did not to use the word ‘shaving’ but the word ‘smoothing’ instead. ‘Shaving’ was an activity men engaged in; ‘smoothing’ was more feminine.
A little something from my meagre collection that I’m slowly building information on for a later post… emphasis on little. I know a little of the back story on this particular one. Did I mention little?