A History of …… Shaving

~ Bookstooge

Back when I was a mere stripling, I didn’t need to shave. Oh, those carefree days. Little did I know the master I would soon come to serve for the rest of my life.

 

sensorexcel

My first razor was a Gillette Sensor Excel. Two pure blades of goodness sliding over my downy cheek, I was sure I would never need another razor for the rest of my life.  I mean, how can you possibly improve on 2 blades? I plead the naivety of youth and ask my gentle reader to forgive me for such dunceheadedness.

 

mach3

Because the obvious way to improve on 2 blades is make it 3 blades! The Mach3 was when I moved from being a boy who shaved to a man who thought long and hard about his shaving options and chooses the best.  When you are 16, these kind of things are very important. It starts you down a path you can never turn back from.

 

mach3turbo

Of course, once I was a man, it became important for me to stay abreast of the latest shaving technologies. So when gillette came out with the Mach3 TURBO, I started using that. Look at that picture. That razor is practically flying at supersonic speed! And for almost 15 years I used this razorblade. It was a workhorse, a champ. In 2010 or ’12 I began shaving my head due to thinning hair and joining a private security company. The Mach3 Turbo kept my dome pretty chromed and made me as aggressive looking as one can be at 5’3″. It did its job without complaint and I was satisfied. Until one Christmas at a church Yankee Gift Swap.

 

fusion5

Somebody brought a Fusion5 giftset to this particular Yankee Gift Swap. If you don’t know what a Yankee Gift Swap is, here’s a link to easily and concisely explain it:

Yankee Gift Swap Explained

I had my eye on this and when some poor lady ended up with it, I knew it was time to strike. I opened a box of chocolates and exchanged that for the razor set. Both of us were happy.  5 blades! The head on this thing was a veritable monster and even the handle was pretty hefty. I wondered if it could double up as a riot control baton! The only downside was that the replacement razor heads were relatively expensive but with judicious shopping around and drugstore brand replacements, it was doable.

 

proglidepower

Of course, it was the profusion, and hence confusion, of names in said drugstore that led me to my next step on this journey. It was time to buy some blades for the fusion5 and CVS had some storebrand options at half the price. I picked up what I thought was the fusion blades. Turns out, what I picked up was the Fusion Proglide blades. Those blades don’t fit the handle of the Fusion5. Is gillette sneaky or what? It ended up being cheaper to just buy a Proglide handle than to deal with the hassle of returning the opened blades to CVS.

If you had asked me if I would ever use a powered blade (powered by a AAA battery), I would have told you to feth off. But in the last couple of weeks of using it, I must admit, I am liking it. My  head has never been smoother and I don’t have to go over my face multiple times. I have fully embraced the Gillette Fusion Proglide Power.

 

bookstoogedamus

What does the future of shaving hold for me? Not even Bookstoogedamus knows. But I am sure that change is as inevitable as the hair in my beard going white. Whatever the future holds, I will embrace it and rejoice. Because when it comes to shaving, Bookstooge is SERIOUS!

 

 

36 thoughts on “A History of …… Shaving”

    1. Huh, for some reason this went into my spam folder. Good thing you didn’t write it in spanish 😀

      Yeah, I’m an odd mix of “tell the readers more than they EVER wanted to know” and “Privacy & Paranoia”. Part of that is because at times I get this need to write words and practically vomit them out on my blog. Then it passes and I’m back to nothing but reviews and a few tried and true non-review type posts 😀

      This month is filled with fluff and glitter though. So be aware…

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    1. Ahhh, a gentleman of exacting standards I see. I only use 100% natural moisturizer/shaving cream. I use the blood of my enemies as shaving cream. VERY good for the skin 😉 AND it’s organic, hahahahaa….

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

  4. I gave up on shaving, and now with, barbers being closed since mid-March, I’m going for the “Cast Away” style…
    Already there, to be honest, but there is hope next week they will allow them to open… can’t wait to get my hair under some control 😉

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. See, I can’t do that because without shaving, my throat goes crazy itchy. I can’t stand hair below my jawline. Plus, I like a clean shaved scalp, so that has to be every day. I don’t have the time or money for somebody else to keep me lilly white 😀

      Tom Hanks just told me he’s wicked proud of you. He says Wilson says hi 😉

      Liked by 1 person

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  5. Lol I can’t believe I was just talking about this with someone. Have you considered women’s razors? They’re virtually the same other than color, price, and apparently the way they subtly soothe your skin.

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. I have not. I’m very big on gender separation.

      Personally, I prefer my razors to peel the flesh off of my face every time I use it. Keeps those cheek bones looking very prominent 😀

      For me, all joking aside, the gel/cream I use seems to play a bigger part than anything. I use something called Miracle II. My dad discovered it about 5 years ago and once I started using it, I’ve never gone back…

      Liked by 1 person

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    1. I suspect momentum has more to do with it than anything. Do you know how much effort I’d have to take to figure some other brand of razor and all their configurations? I’d probably spend at least 2 minutes on the problem. That would just be a complete waste of my precious time 😀

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        1. Greed, pure and simple. They know they have us by the short and curlies and so they take every penny they can. It’s outrageous! Somebody should DO something.

          Oh, in our hour of need, where is our Savior? Oh Bernie Sanders, won’t you nationalize the shaving industry and help us become a better nation!?!?

          (Sorry, I’m just in a really good mood after a long day. So sitting on the couch feels extra good at the moment)

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          1. I’m sure your good mood is rooted in the fact that your head is smooth and without an itching hair in sight 😀
            I do wonder though, how much would making a five-bladed razor blade really cost and if there really is a marked difference between three and five blades – or is it all just marketing? Creating needs you didn’t have before is what most of the marketing is about these days 😉

            Liked by 1 person

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  8. I’m envious of your dedication to shaving and, more importantly, the growth that requires it. I make a daily pass over my visage with an electric razor but if I skip a few days no one can tell. That’s in contrast to an old roommate who could go to the bathroom, shave, and have a five o’clock shadow by the time he walked down the hall.

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      1. Man… Speaking of lightsabers… I finally got around to torturing myself into checking out Episode IX… I can TOTALLY see you killing someone in real life because of that movie. They butchered the franchise in ways that you couldn’t possibly imagine… I’m sure you have no intention to checking it out but I’m telling you this to kill any evil form of curiosity within you for it! 😛

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        1. I subscribe to a channel on Youtube called “How it should have ended” and they recently did a video about Ep IX. It was hilarious as always, but even the little bits made me realize that yep, butchery went on 😦

          Thanks for the confirmation warning…

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  12. Pingback: May ’20 Roundup & Ramblings | Bookstooge's Reviews on the Road

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