Why I hate "which razor is better" posts

Discussion in 'General Shaving Talk' started by PLANofMAN, Nov 26, 2018.

  1. Terry

    Terry Tool Admirer

    Yep
    One on one is the way I have been doing it. That's me.
    See..
    I was the trainer for a TV station for about 20 years. I trained football players, english majors, and everyone else to run a the tape room, master control and for productions.
    Repeating the instructions or directions over and over is just part of the job. Some get it quickly, some not so much. Others need to have it explained to them a few different ways before the light would come on.
    It can wear a person out, not everyone is cut out for it. Getting aggravated impeads your progress with them, can't do that. Keeping people relaxed and calm helps them learn, that means you have to, must, gota, stay relaxed and calm.

    I'd say things like "they say seconds count! Well, it's our job to count those seconds. So we time the shows to the second." Silly yea, but it gets the point across gently not harsh. Audio is important! "Silent movies are so, so yesterday, that's why we do talkies now, we found our viewers like sound alot too, yes realy, they do"

    I like the joking around here on TSD. See, I think it's all part of the learning.
    Thanks!!
    tp
     
  2. Primotenore

    Primotenore missed opera tunity

    Article Team
    +1
    It's like asking a question in a store and the associate simply "points". Man, do I hate that...
     
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  3. Spyder

    Spyder Well-Known Member

    Irony. This just showed up on my FB feed.


    C79AF2CD-F7BE-44F8-808D-B4D16A63F1D2.png
     
  4. Bama Samurai

    Bama Samurai with Laser-like Focus

    To be clear, I am no expert. Just teaching him movable chord shapes and useful scales. Singing requires ear!
     
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  5. Primotenore

    Primotenore missed opera tunity

    Article Team
    Give yourself some credit, Chris.
    NO ONE is an expert at teaching at first. I sang professionally for 30 years. I was a disaster as a teacher for the first 2 years. Teaching is a skill best learned by doing. Also, playing any instrument takes a trained ear, that goes for teaching one. Except maybe the drums.
     
  6. Lancre

    Lancre Well-Known Member

    Yeah. My own method is to usually provide a simple answer if I can, not a major treatise as I'm a lousy typist. If someone else gets to it first, or if it's late and I'm tired, I just let it pass.
     
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  7. Laird

    Laird Well-Known Member

    Then there's the dreaded feedback loop. Your google search leads you to a forum thread where the response is a recommendation to just do a google search.
     
    Zed117, PLANofMAN, Lancre and 3 others like this.
  8. jtface

    jtface Well-Known Member

    Having recently come to the realisation that I can get a BBS/DFS out of any razor at all (obviously actualy razors in actual working condition - *cough* MAYhem *cough*), the advice that I would offer any newbie to wet shaving would be to get: 1 razor; 1 blade type; 1 soap; 1 brush; 1 AS, and join the 30 Day Crew... Focusing on technique instead of on tools will yield the best results. This is advice born from the experience of trying to find the 'best' razor for me (tried Merkir 34c, English and US 1912s, MMOC, Schicks, Ming Shi, Techs, shavette). My best (favourite) razor is my English Flat Bottom Tech, but I couldn't recommend it as the best razor to anyone else... (Even though it is ;))
     
  9. brit

    brit in a box

    i will send payment to... ;) seriously glad you found a simple ,work horse design, tried and true vintage razor that ticks the boxes...
     
    Last edited: Dec 1, 2018
    wristwatchb and Keithmax like this.
  10. wchnu

    wchnu Duck Season!

    BUTTTT I have video.

    YES....

    I have a special radar that seeks out these post you know.

    You should know.

    I do love to read your post you know.

    As a older hand I expect the new guys to all ask the same question. I do tend to let my opinion slide toward what I really think. ( SE is always the answer to a Best Razor question). People like to have the interaction instead of just reading the information. Well most do I think. I agree give a honest answer or move along, No need to be snarky. ( I am often snarky I know but not because of a newbie question)
     
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  11. SHAVEWIZARD420

    SHAVEWIZARD420 Well-Known Member

    So what is the best razor?

    And how much is this old beat up razor worth? 200? 500?

    Hahaha just kidding. In all seriousness, it is a nuscence to see these kind of posts. An unfornuate part of technology and the "need it now" mentality these days. People dont like to do any kind of reaserch, they just expect to gain knowledge instantly and thats not how it works. You dont have to spend hours on the fourms to learn about various types of razors and make a decision based on individual needs.
     
  12. Jayaruh

    Jayaruh The Cackalacky House Pet

    Supporting Vendor
    I finally got around to reading your lengthy post. It is well thought out and pretty much non-committal. "Enjoying shaving is fun." It certainly is, and we don't need to be fretting over it. I haven't tired of this community, and I still enjoy shaving. Next week, I will finally get to shave with a Stahly. Stah tuned.
     
  13. battle.munky

    battle.munky Has the menthol.munky on his back!

    ;):cool::lyrtuy5:
     
  14. Shaver X

    Shaver X Well-Known Member

    I don't think it was a mistake, and it needed to be said and debated. Posts like this appear every so often on forums of all sorts. Some people find repeated newbie questions tiresome, others just answer the question. When I see such questions, I either answer them or move on without worrying about it. IMHO, it is not something worth stressing over. A lot of people seem to forget from whence they came.

    I often see wetshavers who want to recruit others into becoming wetshavers. Preferably several million others, but a few at least. We can't bring fire to the human race by being unwelcoming.

    Okay, so newbies do a Google search and gets a ton of search results. How are they to know which results are useful and which are merely marketing or inaccurate? There is a lot of information on the Interwebs, but it can be a little hard for novices to sort through.

    Forums are good for tutorials, but even better at answering questions once a person has studied the subject matter a little. Steering newbies towards these resources can quickly teach them the basics:

    Dr. Shave's Book of Shaving
    https://www.executive-shaving.co.uk/dr-shaves-book-of-shaving

    Mantic59's YouTube Shaving Videos
    https://www.youtube.com/user/mantic59

    Then encourage them to post any questions they have as a result on the forums. This will give aspiring wetshavers a better idea of what questions they need to ask, and gives them known-good tutorials. It also answers their initial questions and encourages them to explore further.
     
  15. PLANofMAN

    PLANofMAN Eccentric Razor Collector Staff Member

    Moderator Article Team
    Very true. However, when I first got into this hobby, long before it became a hobby, I read much and spoke little. Actually I just lurked. It was a few years before I actully joined and participated in daily forum life.

    Things were different then. Pils, Tradere, Weber and iKon were about the only companies making "modern" razors. 90% of forum razor talk revolved around vintage Gillette razors, with the other 10% devoted to straight razors. Modern razors were a curiosity, barely a blip on the radar screen.

    Perhaps I'm just mourning the passing of an age of innocence into one of commercialism and marketing. There's not that many of us left who are still active who remember how things used to be.

    Weber and Tradere razors are considered classic collectibles now. One of the benefits of being a failed razor company, I guess. Doubtless they would agree with me, albeit sourly.

    Edit: Modern shaving products have been a godsend though. As much as I've bellyached, I love modern soaps, creams, and aftershaves, while still appreciating the classics. MWF will always be a staple in my den...as will Barrister and Mann.
     
  16. PLANofMAN

    PLANofMAN Eccentric Razor Collector Staff Member

    Moderator Article Team
    Duh! Why do the research when they can just ask someone who has already done the research?

    That assumes that the person doing the answering has actually done research. Fanboys and shills are also prompt responders.

    *Full disclosure: I am a self admitted fanboy of the shake sharp, cooper monobilt, and early aristocrats. Also of Gillette adjustables and TTO open comb razors. Most of you guys know that already. Lord knows I've turned a number of you onto the coopers and shake sharps. :) Edit: ...and what that has done to the ebay prices of those razors is simply appalling. :(
     
  17. brit

    brit in a box

    forum razor talk -90% vintage gillettes and 10% straights..damn ,missed out again...happy to have the new soap/razors etc available today ..keeps the old school technology alive and well..
     
  18. PLANofMAN

    PLANofMAN Eccentric Razor Collector Staff Member

    Moderator Article Team
    Admittedly, much of the (online availability of) history and identification of gillette razors has been done in the last ten to fifteen years by amateur historians/shaving enthusiasts. The success of eBay has done much to help in this regard. Prior to eBay, boot and yard sales were the only source for collectors.

    The Ranger Tech was called a "double band super speed" or something similar 15 years ago. So few cased examples were available, no one knew exactly what it was or when it was made. ...and that's just one example.

    Now of course, everyone knows what a Ranger Tech is, and forgets that once we didn't.
     
  19. Dansco

    Dansco Well-Known Member

    Maybe on this forum. TSR (UK) it's rare to see a vintage Gillette. Mostly new stainless stuff
     
    brit likes this.
  20. brit

    brit in a box

    i admit my knowledge of vintage gillettes was zip before i started de in august ish 2016.thankfully, yourself and many others have helped bring the history together and alive for many like myself to read and enjoy..
     
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