Thread: Read it and, well, laugh...

http://www.aidangillformen.com/shave/

How's that sounding to you? I wonder why there are no pics of the actual shave. look at the the barber making a pass on the patron's face with, hold it, Mock3! LOL

Nenad

A Poster over on SMF told us about the shave he got there.

Apparently, despite giving him a bad nick, they never told him, so he was left with a streak of dry, crusty blood down one side of his face , only to be noticed once he returned to his car.

They forced my hand. They made me send them this e-mail:
After reading "The Shave at the End of the Galaxy," I was amazed at the way this article keeps the reader misinformed about shaving implements. The following quotation sums it up fairly well:

>Some might believe that the straight razor is a more viable option. Mr. >Gill intervenes: "Romantic machismo ideas, spaghetti Westerns and various American gangster >movies have led a certain group of young men to believe that a shave with a straight razor is a >ticket to Valhalla. This is false." (1)

This article completely fails to paint a proper picture of the choices on the shaving implement market; specifically that straight razors give better shaves and that they are more economical and better for the environment.

A properly honed and stropped straight razor will have an edge comparable to a disposable razor's edge. (2) The advantage of the straight razor is the ability to vary the angle of the blade instead of having a fixed angle, like on disposable "safety" razors. Different facial areas have different shapes and direction/density of hair growth. A straight razor user can customize the blade angle to cut hair in an efficient and irritation free manner. In addition to that, the open blade design makes rinsing soap/hair residue much easier and thorough than on a disposable. These two factors provide a closer and more comfortable shave.

Even though getting started with a straight razor can be pricey, in the long run it is still more economical than using disposable safety razors. Getting a good quality 7-day straight razor set with a good hone and a quality leather strop can come out to cost close to $1000, but it lasts a lifetime. Safety razor blades have to be replaced on a weekly basis and they become obsolete, so new and even more expensive models come out. The costs can easily run in the ballpark of $200 a year, which means that a lifetime (60 years) of straight razor shaving costs about as much as 5 years of disposable razor shaving. 20 cents on a dollar is a clear economical advantage.

Finally, using straight razors is obviously better for the environment. Even a single straight razor is good for a lifetime of shaving for two generations of men. The environmental waste is negligible. On the other hand, if every man who shaves with a disposable throws one blade a week away, this means that 100,000,000,000 (a hundred BILLION) disposable blade cartridges end up on landfills every year. Unless they start recycling disposable blade cartridges, straight razors will continue to be a much more environmentally friendly choice.

I hope that my letter clarifies the point that even though it may not be "a ticket to Valhalla," straight razor shaving performs better, costs less and is better for our environment than shaving with disposable "safety" razors.

Sincerely,
Ilija Milicevic
Etobicoke, ON

(1) "The Shave at the End of the Galaxy" http://www.aidangillformen.com/shave/
(2) Verhoeven, John D. "Experiments on Knife Sharpening" Ames: Iowa State University Press (Department of Materials Science and Engineering), 2004

I just could not resist

Excellent retort! They might listen...

Thank you, but I sincerely doubt it. They'll just write what they want to write. On the off-chance that they do listen, any cursory inquiry about SR shaving will lead them to this place where people more qualified than me can further their education.

I am sure they won't listen but well said none the less.

Excellent try Firestarter but I'm afraid you can't educate pork.

Dunk

Originally Posted by dunkmiller

Excellent try Firestarter but I'm afraid you can't educate pork.

Dunk

I guess that goes with the saying " What can you expect from a pig but a grunt!"

But alas, 'tis our duty to make an attempt with due dilligence to educate the brute beasts

Imagine if you went into a barber shop...requested a nice shave, and the barber pulled out a mach 3???? That wouldn't fly with me, nor anyone here I would imagine!!! Interesting read though!!!