Thread: Expensive mastro Livi vs cheap shavette..

Originally Posted by JCitron

So now I post the question as such; if you were to go to a barber, and he shaved half your face with a well honed W&B, or any other vintage razor, and the other half with a Livi, could you tell the difference? In this you are comparing the two only with respect to their ability to remove hair from your face, and I think THAT is the question.

Yes, that's very much part of it. I don't think you can totally disassociate everything else though. And you've added a barber into the equation.

You might say that both sides of your face came out the same.
Then you might ask the barber if he had an easier time doing one side or the other.
He might say that it was easier with the razor that was better balanced and even though he achieved the same result on this shave he wouldn't be able to use the other one for constantly giving shaves all day long.
Moving a bit more towards the intangible, he might say that one doesn't fit his hand so well and distracts him requiring more concentration on that part of if.
And finally, he says it just puts him in a better mood whenever he looks at that razor and uses it making his job more enjoyable. He finds that more people ask for a shave when he has it sitting out on the counter and they always choose that one when asked which razor they'd like him to use.

So for the first part there's no difference. I don't think Livi uses or produces significantly better steel than a quality vintage (or new) blade. I don't think you can achieve a better edge with a Livi. After that may be where his razors start to diverge from the average/ordinary.

So back to the cars . Both got you to point B. Would you rather drive the fiat or the enzo? Would you pay more for the enzo than the fiat (not how much; but more)?

I added the barber to concentrate only on the shave, which it seems we agree could be exactly the same regardless of the blade.

You know, I may also ask the barber what he thought.
And he may say that he does this all day long regardless and didn't notice a difference between the two.
(On a personal note I feel the balance of my vintage razors is fine.)
He may say the one with the wonderful file work was distracting to look at while he shaves.
He may say he enjoys using a razor that has been doing it's duty for hundreds or years. (Yes, I know that's a bit extreme.)
At the end of the day he likes his pretty razor, but treasures the history of his vintage blade.

For what it's worth I interpreted the question as to which shaved better as pertaining strictly to the shave aspect, i.e. removing hair from the face. This is why I used the barber. This is why I disagreed with some of the posts. When you throw in balance, and materials, etc. you venture into the broader realm of shave experience. In that regard I don't disagree with you Quick. Though I don't have a Livi, I'm sure if I did it would be my favorite shaver for the reasons you mention.

And the Enzo, all day!