Thread: New Book "Sharp Practice"

Thank you gentlemen. I'm looking forward to giving it a read. Now I'm torn b/w asking for hints or holding out until it arrives lol.

My thanks also go to Anders, and Lynn for both making this possible. I'm looking forward to the read.

John

Good for you guys. Damn time difference though. I enjoy a good read as much as the next person.

www.amazon.co.uk
£ 6.00 plus shipping, if I remember right

Mats

If it really is 12CAD then it's a steal. Even useless book written by mindless hacks go for more and this one appears to be a useful piece, written by an author who has something to offer.

Read this book a few months ago. Infact I think I ordered it about 2/3 months before it was published and it took me ages to think why it hadn't been deliverd Quite good actually. Nice to see shaving book that seems to be pro SR instead of against them.

Some funny stories as well.

Steven

Well, it just arrived and I'll get into it as soon as I catch up with the SRP

I just saw that I was on the list and would like to thank lynn and the author for this opportunity. I'll certainly eagerly be checking my mailbox now

I read through the book quickly and I'm ready to offer my impressions. The fact that I read it cover to cover so quickly should tell you that it was well-written and very informative.
A bunch of anecdotes, historical bits and great fictional writing make it read like a novel, thus making picking up useful bits of information very easy and enjoyable.
Even though it was written by a straight shaver, it caters to all dry and wet shavers with useful info on every aspect of shaving.
Anders, there are some things that I would change in a future edition if I were in your shoes, but the fact that there are so few of them spread out over 160 pages should tell the prospective reader something about the quality of both writing and the information:
1) You may wish to reconsider your comments about stainless steel blades. My G. Butler inox took on an amazing edge and there are many users here who swear by their inox pieces.
2) Even though I generally agree with your advice on going with either French or Solingen steel, you may wish to include a warning about Pakistani "Solingen" razors. Maybe a stronger emphasis on DOVO would do the trick.
3) Vegetable oil can go rancid. Mineral oil is easily found in pharmacies for $2 per bottle (or at IKEA for $8 a bottle lol) and it never goes bad. Machine oil = more expensive, non-food grade mineral oil.
4) Thiers-Issard blades may come shave ready but not all of them do. Even if you lucked out on yours, some still need to be honed before their first use.
5) The mechanism of an electric shaver is well protected from the hair. None of the moisture from the saliva will reach it. I cleaned my old Braun by taking off the foil, tapping the shaver with the foil to loosen most of the accumulated hair and then blowing into each, after every shave. The only reason I replaced it after 8 years of use was that the battery wasn't holding a good charge any more.
6) Hank's axe story should contain a caveat about the fine grain and hardness of the steel. Some steels (can you say Zeepk?) just can't cut it.
I am just offering this stuff to slightly improve an already great piece of writing. The two parts that really jumped out for me were the Livestock Only anecdote (made me fall off my chair ) and the extremely valid point you made about modern artificial hones, stressing the value of their predictability.
Overall this book is entertaining, informative and a real pleasurable read. The price makes it a steal, especially for a hard cover. Way to go Anders

Hi,

Just like to say my book arrived here in Oz yesterday, so that is pretty good shipping wise.

Gave it a quick browse, and it will be a good read for sure.

My thanks to Anders and Lynn for making this possible

John