This past weekend was SoonerCon. Rather than go home Friday night and stay in the convention hotel (the Biltmore on Meridian in OKC) on Saturday, as we’ve done in the past, we decided to stay both nights next door at the Econo Lodge. It costs about half as much, so in effect we got two nights for the price of one.
We quickly learned that we would have been happier elsewhere. Our motel made the Biltmore look good, which I hadn’t thought possible. The furniture was battered, the beds were hard, the pillows were flat, the housekeeper was very rude in a right-now-or-never kind of way…
But let’s dwell on the positive. This is what I liked about that Econo Lodge:
1. Shower head produced a delightfully luxurious spray of water. Really, no sarcasm.
2. Missing alarm clock was one less thing for the baby to chew on.
3. Toast at the free continental breakfast was okay.
4. The hair dryer worked. I used it to dry out some damp clothes.
5. The window had a nice coating that kept out most of the afternoon solar heat.
6. Couldn’t hear swimming pool noises from inside the room, even though we were right next to it.
7. No need to leave a tip for the housekeeper since she didn’t actually do anything.
8. Dorm fridge!
But other than that… Next time we might stay somewhere else.
One interesting discussion panel at the convention was about how history could have gone differently in Europe. At least that was what the program guide said. Really the main focus was on the 1632 series – which I haven’t read yet – and Victorian steampunk to a lesser extent.
The authors on the panel pointed out something that had long been percolating in my own mind. People way back in history weren’t stupid. They just lacked today’s level of scientific advancement.
People have always faced many of the same basic problems. Often their solutions didn’t work very well. But sometimes they did a pretty good job. We just forget too easily when a new way comes along. We lose ideas that could prove useful later.
One concern over the ages has been how to shave. The ancient Greeks and Romans went around beardless. America’s founding fathers did it too, as did countless men between then and now. But how could they shave safely without electricity or plastic?
None of the modern shaving methods have done a fantastic job for me. My current electric razor is okay, I suppose, when I have time to use it. It takes a while.
My Mach 3 removes hair very well. After a hot shower and four passes of the razor from different directions. And a lot of nicks and painful razor burn. Also, cartridges cost about $2 each at Sam’s and last for maybe 3 shaves if I’m lucky.
So I looked into the alternatives. I read general articles that covered the basics. I asked a few older people what they knew. I spent a lot of time with Badger & Blade reading specific reviews and instructions. Last week I got on eBay…
My shiny new razor arrived in the mail Monday morning. It’s not really new. According to its date code, it was made in the first quarter of 1960. This razor was 14 years old when I was born.
It’s a twist-to-open Gillette Super Speed, part of a product line that for decades dominated the shaving market. It’s not in perfect condition, but it’s reasonably good considering its age. Here’s a picture that I took after cleaning it up a little:
(I’m using this to test how well iPhoto, Flickr, and WordPress work together. Still undecided about whether to move all of my pictures to a photo hosting service like Flickr or to continue with ZenPhoto. At least ZenPhoto needs an update, and some old stuff from Coppermine still needs to be moved over. But anyway.)
Here’s a better picture of the same basic model, as found on Badger & Blade:
I chose this type partly because it has a good reputation. More importantly, it was cheaper than buying a new one. Oh yes, they still make double edge safety razors, in places like China and India and Germany. But not here in the USA. Gillette and its competitors have moved on.
Blades can still be found. Sample packs are available, so people can try several brands to find what works best for a particular combination of razor and face. Once the ideal blade is found, it can be ordered at astonishingly low prices in hundred-blade packs. 100 blades looks a lot like a year’s supply.
I got a pack of Personna blades from Walmart to start out. By my math, it costs about a tenth as much as Mach 3 cartridges. I also got a can of Barbasol shaving cream, which I tested over the weekend in a disastrous experiment involving a free disposable razor and a motel sink.
Thus a new experiment began: Combine razor and blade, take a shower, apply the cream… Most instructions tell a beginner to start with only one pass, going with the grain. After some practice add a cross-grain pass, and then eventually try a third pass against the grain. Lather up between passes.
I skipped to three pass mode on the first session. My technique was horrible. The angle wasn’t quite right. I pressed too hard on the razor. I didn’t let the cream soak in long enough. I have 20 years of habits to unlearn.
Best shave ever.
Compared to my usual Mach 3, the ancient razor caused fewer nicks and less razor burn. My cheeks felt like the proverbial baby’s butt. I even had fun with it.
To be fair, the razor wasn’t the only variable in the experiment. It’s possible that the Mach 3 could be made less gruesome by re-lathering between passes. I’ll have to try it with some of my remaining cartridges.
But let’s guess that equalizing shaving cream usage makes the two comparable. Which is better, a great shave with a $2 blade, or a shave just like it for 20 cents? Think about this.
That brings up a question. If the double edge safety razor worked well enough for so many decades, why did the market move away from it back in the 1970s?
For starters, plastic is cheaper than metal. At the time even the double edge razors were moving towards more plastic parts. A lift-and-cut system might have worked better in theory, given such a lightweight razor.
Maybe people just didn’t want to handle those sharp double edged blades anymore. But my guess is that the big players wanted to regain a proprietary advantage.
The relevant patents had long expired. Anyone could make a razor, anyone could make a blade, and there was an excellent chance that they’d work with each other. By shifting to the modern cartridge format, they reset the clock on new patents.
Ever notice how a new wave of razor models hits the market every few years? Not all technological change is for the benefit of its users. Sometimes it’s all about profit. Never let the monopoly end.
The experiment continues. I’ll try another shave on Wednesday.
