Thread: Do we really need more than one razor?

I'd say No, you don't need more than one razor. BUT, you absolutely must have no less than one razor. So if you do like a lot of guys and nick it on the faucet, drop it in the sink, or get distracted stropping and roll the edge, then you find yourself MINUS one razor.

Pre-King Gillette a razor was often more expensive than they are today given some of the wages that were paid, but wages fluctuate. I don't think it was common for a man to buy more than one razor, but it probably wasn't uncommon for a man to have more than one razor, as grandfather's passing would mean his tools would be passed down. But you have to remember too that facial hair was common and acceptable, particularly among working men, right on up until the safety razor era. As a result it was less of a necessity for the average working Joe to have a razor.

Peace,
Jim

Personally, I need to have at least 2 razors of every enviable razor maker dating before 1891 or else I can't shave

I think its a personal preference if you dont mind the same thing..I have 5 straight's..rotate em all..I tried using only 1 razor til it got dull..drove me nuts to use the same razor..dunno...guess I like facial razor variety ;-)

I've only been at this for 3-4 months, so my perspective is a little skewed. If I am to rightly infer the overall message of this thread, it would seem to me I might have plunged into the obsessive end of the need vs. want pool. We might want to start our own 'anonymous' group......nah.....that would just feed the many variations of disorders that this website fosters.

In response to the OP, in one of the workshop posts, there was recently a mention made about not using steel from an automitive leaf spring to make razors, due to its tendency to return to its pre worked curve shape. While this is easily overcome, it DOES illustrate the elastic nature of steel, and its "memory" for shape.

After you use a razor, and that micro fine edge has been pressured into whatever less than perfect position, it is completely believable that it might return to its prior state after sitting undisturbed. This would make the next stropping more effective, and make for a smoother shave (a stropping done on an edge not yet re-aligned would provide a false alignment which would then "return" to normal, thus taking the edge out of perfect again. Or something like that. Never mind, I think I drank too much after shave.

Originally Posted by bman40

is it possible to use just one razor, and use it every day?

Yes. If you know how to properly keep your razor, you should be able to shave 30 men a day or just yourself.

Originally Posted by bman40

Is 'blade resting' a myth?

There may be some truth to it, and I don't know, but whatever need there is for a razor to rest is precluded by proper maintenance techniques for being able to use a razor everyday. Maybe there are certain situations that came up more frequently in the past where letting a razor sit for a few days made the subsequent shave more bearable. I could see this happening for poorly kept razors. To use a bad analogy, someone who slices the golf ball all the time could start a myth that one needs to aim left in order to hit a good golf shot Maybe a poorly honed razor doesn't hurt so bad when your face has had a couple of days to recover from the last shave?

Just strop your razor everyday you shave, keep it honed periodically, and you will be fine

Originally Posted by hoglahoo

Maybe a poorly honed razor doesn't hurt so bad when your face has had a couple of days to recover from the last shave?

That makes a lot of since, many physiological experiments deemed something was the cause of behavior when it was a variable no body thought of all along.

I shave with just 2 razors. All i have is 2 razors. But i like shaving with both each time, the 1/4 Dovo for the first pass then double hollow grind Sheffield for ATG. Haven't had any problems i enjoy going about it that way, apart from stopping two razors...

Regarding resting the razor, I'm inclined to think it's a myth in part if not the whole.

Magpie's right about steel being elastic, and there may be a measure of "return" gained from allowing a razor to rest. However, the blunting that's caused by your whiskers as you shave is too severe considering the edge's thickness to return completely on its own. That's why we have to strop between shaves, even if we let that razor rest a day or a week. Dent a soda can and you might be able to pop it back out to original shape but usually the points of that dent will leave a deformation. Now consider that a can is thicker than the leading edge of the razor, so that fine edge will be permanently distorted by shaving.

All that said, it's a wonderful myth for those who wish to sell or buy more razors. "No sir, one razor simply won't do! You have to let that razor edge rest at least 24, no I'd say 48 hours before you shave with it again. That's why we're offering this one time special deal! Buy one razor, get the second one 25% off!"

JMHO

Peace,
Jim

I have collected about 20 over 3 years and it is not enough. I want more!

OK, I'm letting out a secret and will likely be banned for life for doing so but here goes:
Razors are just like pipes. As a younger man I knew guys who had 200-300 pipes but it seemed I always saw them smoking the same 5 or 6. Same way with razors, even if you have a huge collection, a handful will distinguish themselves as your go to razors and as a result be those razors that you instinctively reach for. Once in a while, you'll be in the mood for a little variety and whip out your reserves but ultimately you always seem to be back to your core of go-to's.

I've done this with pipes. On a whim I'll pick up a pipe I haven't smoked in a long time. Inevitably, I"d say to myself, "Gee, this is great smoking pipe, I should smoke it more often." Inevitably though, I'd end up repeating the scene with the same pipe several months later. Yes, I could be perfectly functional with one pipe just as I could be with one razor but I don't suppose it would be much fun at all.