Misunderstood products

Method shaving & its products. I'm not even sure if these products are still being made since Charles' passing. Still, he was a pretty misunderstood guy. Gotta love the passion he had though.

Loved my two Austin visits with him and the chats on the phone.  
Charles Roberts was golden.

Loved my two Austin visits with him and the chats on the phone.  
Charles Roberts was golden.

I also enjoyed my chats with Charles at his Austin store. Fascinating fellow. I also appreciated the ability to buy Feather DE blades at his store, the only place in the wild where I've seen Feather blades. My dad lives in Austin, and I always knew I could carry-on a DE razor when visiting my dad, and not have to cringe when buying the DE blades available at Walgreens or CVS...

Couldn't agree more-Charles was very misunderstood.

SharpSpine , as far as I know the products are no longer available. I've been able to make some home-made substitutes that approximate them and come close in function, if not appearance.

I think the core of the misunderstanding was that Charles was trying to make the process we love a method. No more YMMV-one kind of razor, one kind of blade, one standardized soap that could be customized a bit, one way of making the shaving strokes.

I could go on, but this thread is about misunderstanding and what led to that misunderstanding was that Charles was attempting to standardize the process. That and his precise, but unusual, use of language. But the 5 years of daily method shaving with that one razor, blade, soap and forms taught me more about shaving than anything else.

I very much miss Charles and like CCity and vtmax miss my chats and visits with him. Once in a while, I'll break out some of the remaining Hydrolast products, some of which I got from him shortly before he passed, and it's always bittersweet for me.

Method shaving & its products. I'm not even sure if these products are still being made since Charles' passing. Still, he was a pretty misunderstood guy. Gotta love the passion he had though.

Loved my two Austin visits with him and the chats on the phone.  
Charles Roberts was golden.

Loved my two Austin visits with him and the chats on the phone.  
Charles Roberts was golden.

I also enjoyed my chats with Charles at his Austin store. Fascinating fellow. I also appreciated the ability to buy Feather DE blades at his store, the only place in the wild where I've seen Feather blades. My dad lives in Austin, and I always knew I could carry-on a DE razor when visiting my dad, and not have to cringe when buying the DE blades available at Walgreens or CVS...

Couldn't agree more-Charles was very misunderstood.

SharpSpine , as far as I know the products are no longer available. I've been able to make some home-made substitutes that approximate them and come close in function, if not appearance.

I think the core of the misunderstanding was that Charles was trying to make the process we love a method. No more YMMV-one kind of razor, one kind of blade, one standardized soap that could be customized a bit, one way of making the shaving strokes.

I could go on, but this thread is about misunderstanding and what led to that misunderstanding was that Charles was attempting to standardize the process. That and his precise, but unusual, use of language. But the 5 years of daily method shaving with that one razor, blade, soap and forms taught me more about shaving than anything else.

I very much miss Charles and like CCity and vtmax miss my chats and visits with him. Once in a while, I'll break out some of the remaining Hydrolast products, some of which I got from him shortly before he passed, and it's always bittersweet for me.

Now these are real unobtaniums. Very nice, and congrats. I haven't tried any of these, but from what I hear they are good stuff. Enjoy them in good health

Curious, how so many succumb to peer pressure and mob rule on an ephemeral communications device over something grown men do in their homes, behind closed doors, with their own money or by grace of friendship. Religious proselytizers don't even get the door opened anymore yet I'm sorting through more plot twists than TV Wrestling over soap. It's sobering how many good people and products have been lost. It makes me want to review the market and release my inner magpie again.

I think everybody wants to feel like they belong to something "special". The internet has made it extremely easy for every single person, no matter how mundane or twisted, to find someone else they can feel connected to in some way, through some commonality. Usually enough to start a forum...

Whether that will ultimately have a positive or negative effect on society and the evolution of mankind, if you believe in that sort of thing, still remains to be seen.

DFS is the only forum where folks are not beaten up or ganged up on for supporting PAA.

Damn Fine Shave is the only forum where members are not bullied or outright banned for a lot of innocuous things. There are other forums often very eager to use the ban hammer does much to limit their accuracy and usefulness of their information. It is not just PAA, there are a bunch of other vendors non grata. I have made it a point to do business with banned retailers and manufacturers, so far with great results. I have found that a very accurate indicator is the Leisureguy litmus test. If Leisureguy, a consummate gentleman, very knowledgeable wetshaver and all around nice guy, is banned at a forum, then that place is messed up and not worth visiting. Just my personal take, though.

Despite the fact that the majority of accusations against them are known to be inaccurate, at best, many people like to create drama, and the character of Douglas Smythe is a target. People that know only the outline of accusations will insist they are true and despicable, and refuse to look at the situation for what it really was...they just buy the drama, because that helps them to "fit in" on those big forums.

And perhaps because they will get booted, or at least yelled at, if they challenge the status quo? As for Erik Hodges and Frances Towle, their "sins" seem to be more of marketing in days past than of actual wrongdoing, at least from what I can gather. I will believe otherwise if I see proof. Real proof with direct links proving intentionally bad behavior, not guesswork, hunches, paranoid suspicions, fifth-hand knowledge, financially motivated bashing, or emotions masquerading as reason. This Forbes article paints a portrait of two upbeat, fun loving small business owners. I trust Forbes a lot more than some anonymous yowlers on rather problematic forums.

And why do people bash Douglas Smythe for being a fictitious character and not Col. Conk or Ronald McDonald? That makes no sense whatsoever.

Anyways, I think the most misunderstood products are brushless shaving creams. I have read posts where people bash these creams because they don't lather. No $&%@ Sherlock, they are brushless. As in made to be used without a brush. I have tried a couple of these creams and they worked quite well. When I stated this, the response was "But I like to use a shaving brush. Without a shaving brush it's just not shaving to me." So? Choosing brush-only shaving is fine, but that choice has no bearing on how well a brushless cream works. It is like bashing a shaving cream that requires a brush for not working well when applied by hand.

"SharpSpine , as far as I know the products are no longer available. I've been able to make some home-made substitutes that approximate them and come close in function, if not appearance."


Charles Roberts had most of his products made by Naprodis in San Diego. Naprodis is a Contract Manufacturer specialized in natural cosmetic products and natural remedies.

One of the finest was his Hydrolast Aftershave Conditioner. I loved the Peppermint.

Naprodis, I believe, still makes it and can be ordered directly from them in San Diego  scented as you wish.

I never tried his products. This is intriguing. Anyone interested in a group buy; a sort of in memorium honor of the man and a chance for the uninitiated to experience his efforts?

I think from the outside, the most misunderstood is the safety Razor. People think because it's metal and has one blade that it's scary and not effective.


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Thanks for the link to the Forbes article, Tbone (post #75). A good read.