When I first started shaving the three or four hairs that showed up in my early teens I used my moms cheap disposable bic razors she used to shave her legs. Probably even used her 'used' ones. Single mother, only child, so I never had a man to teach me about shaving. One summer staying with my grandparents my grandmother saw this, saw the razor burn and cuts and told me I had it all wrong. She went in my grandfather's drawer of retired manliness tools and gave me his old DE. In that drawer he also had some old zippo lighters, and a very nice straight with ivory scales that had a print of an old dock and fishing boat on it among other things. The thing I remember most about that straight was the smell. The whole drawer had a smell. It smelled like awesomeness mixed with knuckle sandwich. He had a nicer newer model DE so his old one was mine to keep. I learned how to shave proper with that old thing. It gave a very nice shave but was brutal while learning. I used it for a couple of years. I left home at 15 and somewhere between then and getting married it was misplaced.

I've looked at some of these new DEs and their prices. Wow. My old one was much nicer. It was burgundy with silver trim. The top opened like french doors and the razor just dropped in. I am now holding some regret over that loss. I recently retrieved some boxes among other items that I had kept in storage for over a decade and I'm hoping that when I go through those boxes I will run across that little gem.

Regrets,
John Paul