Critique: Sustainable Shaving Tools

In which Tim Keirnan and Mike Beasley discuss vintage shaving tool designs, featuring the safety razor and straight razor. Shaving with these old methods has many advantages, including:
* Closer shaves that last longer before the dreaded 5 o’clock shadow appears
* Improved skin condition due to premium creams and soaps used
* Lower cost of ownership (unless you start collecting gear as a hobby)
* Sustainable technology compared with disposable plastic-dominated, modern, overpriced crap
* Better user experience due to mindful nature of single-blade shaving that many find relaxing and even fun, due to the “gourmet” shave creams and soaps, brushes, and blades used. As Mike says, it’s more classy.

Two forums in particular helped us convert from multi-bladed cartridge monstrosities with industrial “goop in a can” to vintage shaving:
http://straightrazorplace.com/
Mike frequents this forum and likes it a lot.

http://www.pogonotomy.com/
Tim favors this one for forum owner Bruce’s blog and the very international nature forum that is small enough to feel neighborly and doesn’t overwhelm you with millions of posts per day.

Legendary Zack’s article on boar bristle shave brushes, and some other blogs:
http://www.shavemyface.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=35880
http://www.shaving101.com/
http://sharpologist.com/

YouTube channels that helped us greatly include:
http://www.youtube.com/user/mantic59
Legendary Mantic59’s Shave Tutor channel. Excellent how to videos.

http://www.youtube.com/user/geofatboy
Geo does a lot of terrific reviews of razors old and new, shaving with them while doing his reviews.

http://www.youtube.com/user/mokujingris1
http://www.youtube.com/user/MrGuysRazors

And Michael Ham’s reference how-to book on safety razor shaves:

http://leisureguy.wordpress.com/shaving-book-reviews/

Listen Now