Shaving Myths......

for me the first myth is that I will save money. No complaints here, i am always having fun
second is that the best products are the expensive ones
third is that there is a 'best' for every element: best soap; best razor; best strop; best method

happy shaving

One can save money from cartridges if they buy one razor one brush and one soap. What happens is that it turns into a hobby and or Obsession / addiction. Then the idea of saving money goes down the drain

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Artisan equates to Quality. It does not. One can be an artisan (baker, silversmith, soap maker, baker, etc.) and the product be poor quality (referenced in https://damnfineshave.com/thread-what-is...an-artisan by an artisan as a "shartisan"). No where in the definition does "artisan" mean nor imply quality vs commercially produced products. I find this inference in the wet shaving community, the mere mention of "artisan" means the resultant product will be the best thing since Popeye's canned Spinach, ridiculous. It does not anymore than when I see I sign saying "artisan pizza" that it will be any good. I can make pizza by hand from scratch. It does not mean its any good. I have had poor tasting "artisan" pizza, poor "artisan bread, and this concept applies to any product sold. Some is good, some is average, and some is poor, regardless if hand made or machine made


https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/artisan

An artisan has both the creativity and the skill to make a product.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/artisan

a worker who practices a trade or handicraft

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artisan

An artisan (from French: artisan, Italian: artigiano) is a skilled craft worker who makes or creates things by hand that may be functional or strictly decorative ...

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/artisan

a skilled workman; craftsman

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dicti...sh/artisan

a person who does skilled work with his or her hands

https://books.google.com/books?id=gTMjAQ...an&f=false

Artisan is a practiser of vulgar arts Note vulgar arts in lieu of "fine arts" or arts involving physical work

I agree.  I also believe--based on nothing more than opinion--that the association between the words, "artisan" and "quality" harkens back to the time when guilds set and enforced strict quality standards.  Said differently, the mystique surrounding work produced by hand lingers on.  It might also be a reaction against the sameness of mass-produced work.  As a friend of mine recently remarked: "anyone can push a button on a computer-controlled machine."  But at the same time, we must realize that even the most accomplished hand worker (using that term for the moment) can seldom--if ever--match the precision of (say) a computer-controlled lathe which, if properly maintained and calibrated, can produce hundreds, if  not thousands, of pieces all within 1/1000 of an inch of each other --or better.

So what's the appeal of hand-crafted work?  Simply this:  each hand-created piece--be it a piece of furniture, a chess set, or in our case a razor or a brush--is unique.  Even created in the same pattern or style, each piece retains its own unique characteristics, its own "personality," if you will.  As one well-known artisan recently observed, "although materials may be different, hand work takes people back to the way pieces were made 150 years ago."  There is appeal to that.

The issue is that there are no longer any objective standards that must be met before a person can call him/herself an "artisan."  At the same time, the marketplace is ruthlessly Darwinian:  those who produce work of quality commensurate with price will (often, but not always) flourish.  Those who do not will fall by the wayside.

Certainly, some hand workers start off with more talent than others.  But raw talent means little unless the worker has the discipline, perseverance, time, and resources to hone his/her skills:  mainly hand-eye coordination, understanding the characteristics of differing materials, and powers of discernment (tool & material selection, aesthetic sense, attention to detail, etc.  (Have I even mentioned "marketing and public relations?")) Even then it can take years (decades?) to attain the level of proficiency for one to properly call oneself a true artisan.  

A final issue is that of price.  A quality hand-made piece will, of necessity, cost more than a similar piece made by machine.  Why?  Many reasons--some of which we've already covered; however the primary "cost drivers" involve time--the amount of time required to create something by hand v. a machine--and the comparative lack of economies of scale--it simply costs more to buy in the smaller quantities practical for the artisan than for a large-scale manufacturing operation.

So what's the bottom line?  Why would anyone subject him or her self to the rigors of "artisanship?"  And why would anyone pay a premium for a handmade object when "machine made" is generally cheaper and more readily available?  

I'll leave those answers to you.

I'll leave those answers to you.

I agree with everything you wrote and will only focus on one point you made

So what's the appeal of hand-crafted work? Simply this: each hand-created piece--be it a piece of furniture, a chess set, or in our case a razor or a brush--is unique.

True. And I will give you a better example. There was a time when car engines were mostly hand made. As time went by, the process became more automated. Today, in almost all cases machines are doing the entire machining and assembly ...

And the tolerances of those engines are far, far better than "back in the day". They might be all exactly alike. Now if you took 1,000 machinists and had them build engines, you will get a normal curve. Some will be crap, most average and probably not equal what the machines can do, and some excellent. But one thing will be the same, each engine will be uniquely different.

But that doesn't mean they are any good. And that was my point. But I think we agree. And perhaps you are right that back in the day, there were standards for apprentices or trades that had to be met. But like I said, I can make Pizza from scratch. But it won't be very good pizza compare to some I can buy, better better than others sold commercially. But its still artisan pizza.

I think 3 "ways" are sufficient.

I do my own thing  do not pay to much attention to myths..

Some that I have heard over years;

Badger brushes are superior and the only brush you should have

That glycerin soaps do not lather

Synthetics brushes do not work

Yep, all pretty much bullshit IMO, although, I haven't met a glycerin soap that I have liked. It could just be me though.

Grim,

I am not disputing your statement but do those figures not refer to the worse than useless five or six edge Gillette creation? The one with so many welds they call it "Fusion"?
Or am I suffering from conFusion? having used it for one uncomfortable month?

Vive Rolls and GEM no weld, no nonsense stand alone steel strips!

Have you seen that short film put out by Gillette starring a scientist - a woman?
Listening to her description in Gillettease and watching the film which is contrary to what she says is a revelation in contraryness and good for a hearty laugh or 5 or 6.

I break both of these guidelines for optimal shaves every day:

1) Shower before you shave
2) Use warm/hot water when shaving

I completely agree with this. Actually, I never shave after shower because I cut easily then. Also, bath soap dries my skin, which is also bad for me, if I need to shave after that.

I agree that one of the biggest myths is that wet shaving will save you money. But anything that one does as a hobby will tend to require money unless your hobby is, say, walking or deep breathing. My father in law is 87. He shaves with a DE he's had since the 1960s. HE USES HIS FATHER'S BRUSH!!! IT LOOKS LIKE A TROLL DOLL'S HAIR, if you remember troll dolls BUT IT WAS HIS DAD'S. And he uses Barbasol from the can, so the brush is only to smoosh the lather around, it's chiefly a memento. I keep him in blades. For him, shaving's no more a hobby than brushing his teeth. He's never bought a cartridge and he's saved a small fortune.

Anyway, my favorite myths:

Tallow soaps are superior to vegetable-oil based soaps

A straight razor provides a closer shave than a DE

More expensive generally means better

You can't get a great shave with a cartridge razor

I agree that one of the biggest myths is that wet shaving will save you money. But anything that one does as a hobby will tend to require money unless your hobby is, say, walking or deep breathing. My father in law is 87. He shaves with a DE he's had since the 1960s. HE USES HIS FATHER'S BRUSH!!! IT LOOKS LIKE A TROLL DOLL'S HAIR, if you remember troll dolls BUT IT WAS HIS DAD'S. And he uses Barbasol from the can, so the brush is only to smoosh the lather around, it's chiefly a memento. I keep him in blades. For him, shaving's no more a hobby than brushing his teeth. He's never bought a cartridge and he's saved a small fortune.

Anyway, my favorite myths:

Tallow soaps are superior to vegetable-oil based soaps

A straight razor provides a closer shave than a DE

More expensive generally means better

Those are all good ones. I have heard after using a DE say, "Well it's no straight razor shave." How much better than BBS can you get?