Thread: Thiers-Issard & Heavy Beards

Mparker, I take your point about metallurgy, but I wonder if it really contradicts my theory. I mean, better metallurgy let hollows really shine, but as you and others have attested, you've got to be pretty good to use them effectively. The fact that straight-shaving was moving more and more into the hands of professionals in the 20th century could still have been a necessary condition for their ascendancy over the wedge.

Still pushin' my theory.

p.s. you're an expert as far as I'm concerned, because early on you gave me exactly the right tip to get me out of each impasse I was in.

Even though the safety razor was being used in ever increasing numbers as the 20th century progressed, like everything else it was the young guys who jumped on the bandwagon right away. Just like the change from pocketwatches to wristwatches Most older guys remained with the straights and don't forget straights were still being made in large quantities through the period of the second world war. It was almost the 1950s when they really started to stop production and even many kept up into the late 1960s though usage was almost nil by then.

And true the wedge was more time consuming to hone but you could shave alot more people inbetween honings with one and many older barbers did prefer them.

I think the key point here is people's mindset just like Mr Gillette was able to convince people to switch to his razor because it was the modern way to shave it the same with straights. The wedge is just old fashioned while the double hollow grind was the new fangled way to do things but hey some guys still prefer to drive a 57 chevy to an 07 one and some women prefer to drag their clothes outside and boil them and beat them with a stick and wring them out by hand and hand em up to dry rather than throw them in the electric washer and dryer. They would tell you the same things we do about shaving. Everything is relative. And when I find that woman I'll let you know who she is!