Razor Nostalgia

[jhco50]

I am often asked why I use the straight razor instead of a disposal.
It is simple economics and a yearn for a slower time in life. I don't
like to spend hard earned money on a piece of plastic knowing I'm
going to just toss it in the trash. I also refuse to pay Gillette and
Schick $15 dollars for a pack of 4 blades so I can throw them away.
Electric razors just don' t give a really close shave.

Then there is the nostalgia. Sometimes I will reminisce of days gone
by. I remember a time when people enjoyed life. They had friends, new
their neighbors. and had time for socializing. We used to get together
on Saturday night and play cards and drink coffee, while enjoying the
conversations. A time when both the wife and the husband didn't have
to work full time to make ends meet. The wife stayed home and took
care of her home and the children.

I used to play around on Auction Arms and Gunbroker. I enjoyed looking
at the guns and knives, especially the older ones. I had bid on a few
of them, but was not willing to give the high dollars most of the
sellers wanted. One day, I ran across a straight razor. It was an old
Geneva. I didn't know a thing about them, but it was old and peaked my
interest so I bid on it. I gave $20 dollars for it, a princely sum at
that time.

When it arrived I sat there looking at it and wondered about the
history of the thing. I also wondered if it could be brought back to
its original usefulness. I had no intention of s having with it as I
figured I would hurt myself. I decided to see what I could find out
about it so I went to the internet. I found two forums dealing with
straight razors and one was in German. I joined the English forum and
started asking questions. I met some really nice fella’s and they
helped me tremendously. I still keep in touch with some of them.

One of the young men (Travis) I met was just getting ready to go to
college. I really liked this young man and corresponded with him a
lot. He was just learning how too take care of his razors and between
him and the owner of the forum, they put together a wonderful little
razor for me. First I will tell you, I never liked to shave. I did so
only because I had to. Travis was so excited and could hardly wait to
send it to me.

Up until then I had no intention of shaving with a straight razor. I
was just getting information on them. Even with the beautifully
restored razor Travis sent me, I still hesitated. He kept at me though
and I finally tried shaving with it. From there I joined with the
other new shavers in the learning curve.

Keep in mind that when I started looking for information, we were
still trying to bring back a pretty much lost art. Straight razors had
almost become history and the technique involved with their use was
not readily available. With the renewed interest in this type of
shaving, the people involved worked hard to revive the information and
get it out there again. With the good information came some
misinformation. From this combination of information and the constant
testing by users, the techniques have been developed to a point that
accurate information can be readily found.

The history of the razor is also starting to be found in bits and
pieces by people interested in the collecting area of straight razors.
Although much of the history is lost forever, I see more and more come
to light every year. It amazes me how dedicated and determined
straight razor users have been in reviving this old tradition.

All of this was several years ago and I am glad that Travis talked me
into trying it. I actually enjoy shaving and the nostalgia that goes
along with it. It is a touch of the old, that more simple time. Yes, I
got the information I was looking for, and I like to think I added to
the reservoir of information that newcomers to straight razor shaving
have to draw from.