Originally Posted by
Lynn
Awesome discussion.
I am really undecided on this one as I believe there were probably some OCD folks around in the good ol' days, no matter how far you go back. What I find interesting is that I can go to one barber shop and have an awesome experience and be left with a minute amount of whisker in the same trouble areas as when I shave and then go to another shop and have a complete BBS shave. Both are great experiences and both shaves are sticky smooth. Some days when I am shaving, I experience the same thing myself. Some days I only shave with the grain and although I look presentable (always a matter of opinion.....lol), I can obviously feel a little whisker across or against the grain. I think that since we started the first forum, we have seen a lot more compulsiveness regarding the sport and I think that some of the soaps that make big cushion and suds might be better today, but I really don't know. We do have a lot more visibility than in the old days and the capability for information and experience to be shared on a global basis. This is a really good thing, but we also have those who would proclaim products, individuals and even source information as the best or greatest which sometimes offsets people developing and learning from their own experiences.
We do know that there were good razors in the old days as many still exist. But, even in history, there were people who used stones, belts and grinders to sharpen razors so I'm sure the variability there was as big as it is today. I would just love to go back into history and talk to barbers and guys from a couple hundred years ago to see what their shaving experiences were like. Sometimes when you shave with a 100 year old razor or one that is older, you can't help wonder about it's shaving history.
I for one, think that we are making our own history by preserving this art and ensuring that the next generations have the opportunity to enjoy the pleasure of shaving that we enjoy from the straight razors or DE's and all the wetshaving tools.