Your best set of wheels
Ever had a vehicle or two that you will never forget, they brought a smile to your face and a feeling of sprightlyness whenever you turned on the ignition or looked at it ? Mine were a Land Rover Discovery 3, a pre-70's Land Cruiser shorty and a specific Suzuki Katana of the few bikes I owned. For those of you who have not tried classic wet shaving; that special ride IS classic wet shaving, all the other ho-hum cars that you hardly remember are cartridge razors, gel in a can and disposable razors.
No matter how much you read about other sets of wheels, listen to other people's opinions, or how many other vehicles you have owned or driven, all of that simply cannot rewire your system to generate the same experience or feelings you get when you think back to the times when you owned this vehicle. Heck, even obscene amounts of money can get you the speed, looks or admiration of others, but deep down you know that special place in your being is reserved for that specific vehicle only. These feelings are intertwined with our beings, and will remain with us forever; your first bike, favorite toy as a kid or first girlfriend, that first tee shot that went subsonic on your local golf course, they are all in there, they may be stored a bit deep as a modern society demands all of our time, but they are there nonetheless.
Back in day, shaving use to be one of those experiences, I still remember my grandfather's smell, super smooth face, rock hard stubble and routine to this day. It was done on a daily basis after a cold shower (heck he was tough or had an extremely good edge on his razor) I always had the impression that it was his domain, his 'happy place' as the saying goes nowadays. Damn guys! If you recall similar flashbacks from early childhood it must have been pretty special, as there are so many other milestones in our lives that we cannot even remember, not to mention recalling the smell of it! Well, there was the time I was attacked by a swarm of bees and nearly died..you get where I am going with this?
I'd also like to compare shaving in general to your daily drive. If you are not enjoying it, you are 'driving the wrong car'. Maybe your Defender sits in the garage while you drive the economic 'platkar' to work, sad but understandable in today's day and age, at least Fridays and the weekends has you smiling from ear to ear!
Discovering and using the right combinations of consumables and hardware replicates the experience of taking vehicles out on test rides, each one has good and bad attributes, but then there are the ones where everything just comes together. There are direct parallels between when you team up the correct combination of blade, razor, brush and consumables and when you find that 4x4 with all the added extras, in the right color with your preferred engine and rubber configuration. I use safety razors during the week, they are quicker to use and still offers a superb experience. Shaves with a straight razor are reserved for the weekends when I take life really slow and easy. So, essentially I get to drive my Defender to work every day, and to top it off I hit the outdoors on the weekend... THAT me fellow South Africans is where YOU need to be with your shaving routine.
But is it relevant today? New tech is better, cheaper, faster and shaves closer? No, its not. It does excel in one thing though, and that is filling up our landfill areas and finding its way into natural environments. Its got a bad rep, and a huge marketing budget that is supported with your money. There are more producers of classic wet shaving gear and consumables today than there were in the period of history when it was the only shaving system available, says something doesn't it ?
Getting into classic wet shaving is utilizing one of the few opportunities you will get in life where you get to choose a better product at a lower price. Its like getting a brand new luxury SUV with the monthly installment of a secondhand Kia Picanto.
To date, less than one percent of our buyers had decided that using a safety razor or straight razor was not for him/her, and we have many ecstatic clients ranting on about why the heck they ever hesitated so long to take it up.
Try it, it is brilliant!