Thread: Wedge again

Originally Posted by Kees

Do you really think wedges are the thing for newbees even if they are really macho men? They are much harder to maintain. IMHO I would recommend 7/8 or 8/8 blades to men to whom you think size really matters just for the sake of ease of maintenance. You don't wanna put a beginner off.

no i am not saying that a 7/8 or 8/8 blade is a good choice for a beginner. really given a choice i would say a 4/8 or 5/8, think dd satinwedge, would be best for a beginner. However, if i'm selling razors i have to assess my clientèle and determine what they want... things that fit their psyche, not necessarily what is best for them... this would be especially true at a knife and gun show. remember, in American perception is reality. a dainty looking scuttle from the 1800's would be looked at by many as "feminine" and many a man is afraid of being called that, same goes with a razor.
you will notice very few people have pink scales on their razors. Razors are like cars it is better to learn on something small and then move on in size if you want... learning to drive in a semi-trailer would be bad... but if you have the basics down you can learn to drive a heavy goods vehicle.

Originally Posted by syslight

no i am not saying that a 7/8 or 8/8 blade is a good choice for a beginner. really given a choice i would say a 4/8 or 5/8, think dd satinwedge, would be best for a beginner. However, if i'm selling razors i have to assess my clientèle and determine what they want... things that fit their psyche, not necessarily what is best for them... this would be especially true at a knife and gun show. remember, in American perception is reality. a dainty looking scuttle from the 1800's would be looked at by many as "feminine" and many a man is afraid of being called that, same goes with a razor.
you will notice very few people have pink scales on their razors. Razors are like cars it is better to learn on something small and then move on in size if you want... learning to drive in a semi-trailer would be bad... but if you have the basics down you can learn to drive a heavy goods vehicle.

Of course yu're right that it is important to assess a customer's needs and expectations first, but still in most cases I would recommend a newbee however macho to start with a smaller hollow or half hollow ground. Both for ease of shaving and maintenance. Call it a practice razor and tell them the big guns are more suited for the experienced straight razor shavers. Wet their appetites by showing them the big ones as well. After practice made perfect they might come back and buy more razors off you. If they're put off by a big wedge as a 1st razor they'll most likely never come back.

Straight razor shaving is pretty macho anyway.



My USD 0.02