Thread: Then and Now

Just to put things in perspective here, if you took someone from 1910 and gave them a typical current production TI razor with all it's production faults and dull edge the guy would probably throw it back in your face and dress you down for selling him seriously defective mdse.

One thing our grandfathers didn't have: this! In other words, the internet, SRP, and near-instantaneous access to thousands of like-minded, knowledgeable people and their videos, pictures, and a 1001 small tips for every question under the sun.

But since a culture of the straight razor existed for a long time (even before the internet!), I don't doubt that some men got exquisite shaves with wicked-sharp edges, whether at home, or from the barber who was a master of the blade; probably some got shredded by hacks, too (like when you take your kids to SuperCuts and it looks like a blind monkey cut their hair with a weedeater).

And I'm sure a lot of real old-timers (80's and 90's) smirk when they find out this is a hobby to us-after all, my father-in law, 87, has used electrics for decades. I used his old SuperSpeed this morning, for what that's worth.

I suppose most everything is "more" something nowadays, with the rapid advances made in nearly every field (more accurate, more fast, more comfort and convenience). Better? Who's to say? I wouldn't trade now for then, though I do miss some of the gentler, slower pace of my "Old South" (now mostly gone).

Interesting topic, thanks for indulging my musings. Aaron

Originally Posted by MHV

I'd make an analogy with film photography: until the late 1990s, film was the standard tool that everybody used for their pictures. With digital taking over the photographic world, the basic standard of quality is much easier to attain, and people think you're a weirdo if you're "still" using film.

Film, as a medium, requires some work to get a picture out of it, and many people scraped by with disposable or cheap cameras using inexpensive amateur film that was badly stored, and shoddily developed in seldom maintained chemistry, with the result that most of these pictures are now fading away.

But we must remember that film-less photography existed beyond the laboratory since the 1980s, and was then called "video still cameras". The technology was still analog (like a VCR), and never caught up until 1) the CCD image was digitized in-camera and 2) the internet was sufficiently widespread to allow image sharing.

So today, the people like me who are using film treat themselves to now-inexpensive professional cameras, and spend lavishly on using the best films available, and work hard to create pictures we're proud of. The days of approximately gauging exposure, slapping prints in and out of developer directly into the fix with minimal rinse are over, since we do not use film to merely get the picture anymore. We use film as an artistic medium, and so we try to achieve the best possible quality. If we need a picture quickly, there's always digital (this is not to say that there aren't superlative fine digital printers, but just to explain the logic behind those who go the extra mile to use film today).

We tend to think of technology evolving in a strictly linear fashion: newest is the best, and that's the same for all sorts of other aspects of life. Remember when Juicy Fruit advertised itself as the gum with a "fascinating artificial flavor" ? Artificial flavours came later, thus would be better!

hey! Are YOU calling ME a weirdo? I guess the shoe fits. Not only am I shaving with a straight, but I've went back to 35mm, and listening to lp's. Ah,the good ol' days.

I think the shave was as good (if not better back in the old days,but the main reason the safety razors took over was the fact that you could get a decent shave, quickly and safely. Straights aren't the safest shave in the world, especially when you're in a rush. I realize that the more familiar you become with them the faster the shave, but still you have to maintain some form of concentration or you can wind up with a nice scar. The DE's are a little safer and faster. The main thing with them is to remember not to pull the darn thing sideways with the blade still touching your face. With both safety, speed, and lack of honing the safety's probably looked like a Godsend to our ancestors.

I love it!!!

When I started the first forum in 2000, the thought was we have to preserve the art of straight razor shaving!!

Who knew..................................