I have been reading posts for months now and have decided to jump in and begin sharing. As a boy I can remember a peculiar purchase that my grandad made and had in his basement. It was an antique barber's chair. My brothers and I used to quickly head to the basement when we arrived for a quick ride on the old thing. I never asked my grandad why he bought the thing, but I can recall that he left that day with the intention of buying a car for one of my uncles and instead came back with it.
As an adult I think back to those times and have very fond memories. A few months back I too made an odd purchase - you guessed it - a barber's chair. In fact I have three for a downstairs bar or man cave. Two originally from the Palmer House hotel in Chicago and another 1930's Koch. This trip down memory lane brought me to a fascination and enthusiasm for a quality experience. I have purchased a few old straights, 1940's gillette double edge, some brushes to assist me in my experience. Last week I even went to Bath and Body works to purchase Proraso under a different name.
Anyway, I have had some quality and some not so quality shaves with my double edge and I am looking forward to a great experience with my straight razor if I can ever get it right. More than anything I want to pass along a sense of quality to my son who watches me enjoy the learning and frustration that comes with shaving and life. I look forward to learning lots from all of you veterans.