After rocking a beard of some kind for the last decade or so, I decided to go back to just my moustache, so I dusted off my old Mach 3 razor, and went to the store to buy some cartridges to replace the manky old one still in the razor.
Sweet tap-dancing Freyja on a twister mat.
A four-pack of cartridges, a small can of pressurized goop, and some aftershave was damned near $35. After recovering from sticker shock, I left the big-box store without buying anything.
At home, I dug through some boxes and came up with an old double-edge safety razor and brush that I picked up a decade or so ago, spent 89 cents on a five-pack of Turkish DE blades, $4 on a used shaving bowl from Ebay, and $9.99 on a trial “shaving system” that has pre-shave, shaving cream, and after-shave.
Using the brush and bowl means that I only need about a pea-sized dollop of the cream, so it’s lasting me a heck of a lot longer than the pressurized can stuff.
It’s not a good economic sign when a shaving system that was developed in 1904 (and then supplanted in 1970) is less than a third of the cost of “economically better” cartridge systems.
Since I’m still using the $9.99 trial stuff, it may come out to be less than a quarter the cost.
And I find that I enjoy the ritual of wet-shaving, to say nothing of the fact that it’s a better, closer shave anyway.
Long-time Gentle Readers will remember that Rita and I do a lot of our writing with fountain pens. Just out of curiosity I priced a 12-pack of disposable Pilot G2 gel pens at the local store. Almost $30 for a pack of 12. Sod that for a game of soldiers, when I can buy a bottle of Quink for $7.00, and have it last for several months. Hell, we’re still using three bottles of Levenger ink I bought more than a decade ago.
It’s a terrible thing when being a Yesteryear Hipster is less-expensive than using modern conveniences — especially when the old-fashioned stuff winds up costing you less than half.
Couple that with the plain and simple fact that Amazon has been regularly messing the bed on orders we’ve made; we’re finding that the little farmer’s market can be cheaper than Wal-Mart, and if we catch the specials meat is better quality, and less-expensive at the little carniceria and the local butchery than it is at the big chain grocery in Itchy Paw.
Some of local Tiny Town Tribe have started little kitchen gardens, are trading for eggs, and buying meat in bulk from local ranchers.
I’m not sure if the government in general — and the POTATUS specifically — actually intended to wreck big chain companies and drive folks away from the products of multi-national corporations, but they’re damned sure getting the job down, at least for me and Rita. And, I suspect, a lot more Americans.
And you know what? I’m not sure that we won’t be better off in the long run with the big corporations and big chains hurting, if not out-and-out cratered.
Interesting times, indeed.
LawDog
I hate to say that it’s the beginning of the end…
… but its the beginning of the end.
And I don’t have a single f’in clue as to what comes next. History seems to be clear on what’s coming, but the how of it has some variation in it? Also, maybe I’m reading it wrong.
I sincerely hope everyone has their covered wheelbarrows ready for the cash required to buy anything in the next few years
That’s why we have the convenience of digital dollars.
I started using a double-edge safety razor before they wrecked the supply chain and triggered massive inflation by sending checks to everyone. Even then, it was more economical than the razors in the store. I paid $15 for 50 Swedish made blades then. Surprisingly enough, they are still the same price now. If I want to go with slightly lower quality, I could pick up 100 blades for $16.
The cartridge razors have been a bad deal for at least a decade, if not longer.
My daughter gifted me with a straight razor, a shaving bowl, a brush and a stand last year and I have started using it, mostly. As I learn the skill I am getting much better shaves than one would expect, and I think it will improve as my skill increases.
For traveling, I have a old “premium” from a convention in 1918 that includes a disassembled single edge safety razor, and a metal box that holds about 4 blades. All in a nicely lined clamshell travel case about 4″ on a side and about 1/2″ think. Very nice. And the blades are not expensive.
Long time ago I spent a couple of years using a straight razor. Once got the hang of it I got a very good shave and fewer nicks than using a modern throwaway.
I’d get out of the shower and shave right then, so the beard was good and soft.
I love Levenger and recently dug up all of my Levenger stuff from more than a decade ago. I’m seriously looking at going back to paper for as much as possible and not just as an F.U. to the Tech Bro Tyrants and their everything-as-a-service (software/licensing/subscriptions). I’d also like to remind you all that getting razors in our mail (snail mail) from relatives in Hungary was the only way to get them so the men could shave, which is not quite the same problem since razors can still be had, but it does make me think that’s coming too. I don’t know how long or convoluted the global supply chain for razor blades is (but it apparently didn’t reach into 1970s Romania) and now it makes me wonder.
I went to a safety razor after the Gillette stupidity in 2019. It was like $20-25 for a chinese copy of an old german model. Still works fine 5 years later. I’m still working my way through a 100 count pack of Parker blades that I bought in 2019.
I will say that the Harry’s blades Walmart carries are kind of awful and I would avoid them if at all possible.
I’ve avoided using anything Gillette since they started backing draconian gun control laws in the 70s.
Having a heavier than average beard, it hasn’t been easy. I can use an electric for a few days, but after 3 or 4 days I need a real shave.
I’ve a preference for the red box Personna blades made in Israel. Sharp, but not too sharp, with a composition that stays reliably smooth and durable. A good, fatty shaving soap goes a long way in helping avoid scrapes and nicks.
So, what you’re saying is, Gillette is no longer “The Best A Man Can Get”?
Nah, what we’re saying is, Gillette was never “The Best a Man can Get”. For a while it was extremely convenient and not too expensive.
Now, it’s fairly convenient but you pay out the nose for it AND support Woke causes!
Like Jeff, I started back to a double edge safety razor back when Gillette started insulting their customer base at the Super Bowl. It’s long been cheaper than the cartridge razor blades. Cartridge razors are like printers. The initial razor is cheap. The blade cartridges are where they make their money.
I seem to remember spending about $35 11 years ago to replace my 25 year old Norelco electric. Since I’ve worn a full beard since 1985, I just use it to trim my cheeks. 3-4 years ago, I replaced my 35 year old Wahl clipper with a new one… and that’s all I spend on beard care. Well, other than buying Dr Bronners peppermint soap every couple of years to wash my hair and beard with
I went to a safety razor several years ago. Very satisfied with the quality and price of Viking blades. (D)s are idiots and the (R)s are right behind them.
Tornado Weather. F5+. When IDK. Why because it can’t go on. But who the Gavrilo Princeps or Muhamed Gouzizi will be and where is as yet unknown. It will come. Slowly at first and then all at once kind of like Under A Graveyard Sky.
Some time back I bought several 10-packs of the BIC Men’s Twin Select Disposable Razor. I just stick my face in hot water in the shower and then shave.
As a family man that lives in the boonies, I can state unequivocally that I Like Big Box Stores: Amazon + Walmart.
Since the intarwebs got retailed up, my costs and frustrations are WAAAAAAAY down. No more driving an hour to look all over The Small City for my widget in vain, then drive back all frustrated, over 3 hours lost with no results.
Jeff Bezos has awful political leanings, but I cannot avoid the convenience and money savings his company provides.
My Mom, RIP, had a safety razor for her legs. I don’t know what exactly happened to it when she died but I couldn’t find it. Anyway, I have found that the modern copy I have bought works better than any cartridges razors I’ve ever had. And the blades are super cheap! I also like the straight edge.
Ulises from the People’s Republik of Kalipornia