My father was staying at the Park Sheraton when Albert Anastasia turned up for his barbershop appointment. That has nothing to do with the topic, I just thought I'd tell you!

Hold on a moment, back to Page One to see what the question was...... oh yes, I shaved for years with electrics. If you have ever been bitten by a broken foil, you never forget it; Philishaves are better, but are prone to grabbing your neck (try explaining that away); rechargeables give up when least convenient; all electrics are useless when you travel to a humid climate: you can't shave with one and sweat at the same time; when the last electric broke I vowed never again.

I bought a Gillette Techmatic, which had a wind on tape blade which scratched me like an angry cat; the best cartridge razor I have found is the Gillette GII, but really, how many thousand would you eventually go through? So I moved on.

I keep a couple of old butterfly Gillette DE, and have a supply of Derby blades for them, bought really cheaply. I particularly like the way the heavy head retains the heat of the rinse water. Good when I am in a hurry.

An old barbershop was closing down a few years ago nearby and I bought his three straight razors, two nibbled old strops and little barber hone. (Until last year when I changed my old bondi blue iMac for this new one, I thought I was the only fellow left on the planet to be using them!) The reason was in around 1974 I had gone into a barbers in Jermyn Street, London SW1 called Ivan's for a haircut. It had been recommended to me by a racehorse bookmaker who went in there every morning for a haircut and shave, at God knows what expense.
The barber asked me how close I wanted the shave, and I settled on light. Close but not too close. If you said to me now, with a brand new Dovo Perlex 6/8 and an 1850ish mirrored Sheffield 13/16 both professionally honed to the 'n'th degree, that they would still never shave as close as a five-blade cartridge contraption, well perhaps I wouldn't argue, I wouldn't get into a fight over it. It's missing the point, as you know better than I. Those things are not good for you. They give you razor burn, bumps........ and surprise nick and cuts when it really isn't your fault.

In contrast to that, we have all of us found that there really is not anything to be frightened of with a straight razor as long as you are patient and don't rush. On the contrary, they are good for you, they give your face the kindest nicest shave of all.