That's a very valid point. However, Barbicide, the EPA approved germicide, pseudomonacide, fungicide and viricide, and "the" standard in the barber/cosmetics industry for sanitizing tools works well enough for me.
Even among the same manufacturer's products more expensive doesn't mean "better". I sold my Blackbird but will keep the Dart. The Timeless Bronze SB does better by me than the 95 OC.
I now run razors I find through the dishwasher and call it good. No, it's not a sterilizing autoclave but I refuse to believe it needs to be. All I do is break them down (if 3 piece) or opened up (if TTO). Any surfaces with anything possibly infective after decades will be blasted clean. Besides which, I've read that raw brass has antimicrobial properties, so brassed razors are probably more sterile than we might think. Nickel, I don't know. But a hot, high pressure wash will remove any crud or residue that microbes or spores might be clinging to. I ain't dead yet and my jaw hasn't locked up.
I do. A combo of Wahl clippers and an old Playtex adjustable hair trimmer. I still have to go in about every year or so to get what's left adjusted but for the most part I've gotten pretty good at it. The Wife does the hairline in the back, though.
But you're not all Howard Hughs about vintage razors. I was just wondering how many think Barbicide is good enough for clippers that cut thousands of heads, but not for one guy's old razor.
Some mythology, ritual, and even dogma have developed in and around wetshaving, much of it apparently only within the past 15 years or so. Mostly harmless, I suppose, in the grand scheme.
Personally, I agree. After reading more than a few discussions about sanitizing vintage razors, I've become convinced that I have more to fear from an eBay seller not washing his hands than I do from some dead guy's germs.
Lysol concentrate at a 5% solution is what hospitals use to disinfect countertops, medical equipment so I've been told, should be good enough to disinfect a razor. Best finish to use for razors is silver if you want something hygienic. Silver's anti-microbial properties work best when it is in contact with water. In the days before pasteurization they used to silver dollars to keep milk from spoiling too quickly.
With modern razors on price you have to factor in build quality. For example you can get an dollar store razor for $1 but if you have to replace for arguments sake 4 or more of them a year because of poor quality build issues at some point that more expensive razor actually is a better buy if one lasts longer than they amount of cheaper razors you had to replace. With that said a lot of high priced razors just because they are built better doesn't mean they won't last a lifetime because the materials used are too brittle and will eventually chip, crack, snapped threads that sort of thing. I am coming to the conclusion the blade is more important than the razor when all is said and done once you've shaved with a DE long enough. It is not necessarily how sharp the edge is but how long it keeps an edge.
I just spent the month of January shaving with a 1954 Gillette Flare Tip Super Speed that I almost certainly paid less than $25 dollars for. It's six years older than I am. The blade aligns evenly every time I load it, and that razor provided perfect baby smooth shaves until the blade became dull on it's fifteenth or sixteenth shave. Do I prefer a razor with a bit more blade feel than a SS? Yes, so then I often use an older Gillette model such as an "Old Type" or a "Long Comb NEW" which I also acquired for the princely sums of less than 25-30 dollars each. Blade alignment is a little finicky on the Old Type due to the two post system, but can be sorted out in mere moments before the final turn when you tighten up the handle. I've had some of my older Gillette models replated in bright nickel so now they look beautiful with a classic style that is original, not "retro" and the total cost of the purchase price and plating is still well below the cost of these boutique razors of late. A humble ball end Tech and a few months of practice (with a bit of research on this and other shaving forums about prep and technique) will get you BBS shaves as well as any higher-priced razor. (Says the guy who has learned this after buying a higher-priced razor.......and also a Tech).
No. I have many razors. Some shave better than others. Some offer a unique experience. Example, the Shake Sharp. It's a single edge razor that shaves like a single edge razor...but it uses DE blades. It does not shave better than a Gem Micromatic, and honestly, the Micromatic looks better. When i purchased the shake sharp, they sold for about $20-40. I reviewed it and made them popular. They are an uncommon vintage razor and now sell for $100 and up. The Gem Micromatic can be had for $20 or less. The Wolfman razors are copies of the British Gillette Raised Flat Bottom Tech razor. Can't afford a wolfman? Go vintage. I prefer Gillette's twist to open razors over most three piece razor designs, and honestly, modern three piece razors feel like a technological step backwards to me.
Thanks Gary, and to think how I've squandered my money by restoring several vintage razors when I could still be saving and trying to buy a lathe-turned, C-N-SEED unobtainium model.
three of my favorites in original condition..brit new tech hybrid, #44 brit rfb new, and brit flat bottom new /french service set..fabulous shavers..
