That Little Extra Something...

This is the thing that makes straight shaving special...


When you look at the other ways people take care of the hairs that grow in places they don't want, they're all pretty...utilitarian. Mass produced, faceless, just there to get the job done. Sure, there are all kinds of doohickeys and gewgaws, lube strips and guard wires,vibrating motors and whirling blades, but the basic idea is: make it as brainless and simple as possible, and make the tool as cheaply as possible.

I can't say that it's a bad thing, for companies to take shortcuts in their manufacturing--it's the way of the world. But looking at things made in the past, when people's hands actually made the tools we used, and you can't help but feel like we've lost a lot of character, a lot of soul.





This a modern straight razor, relatively. It's probably mid- to late-20th century, made for barbers in one of the more barbering traditional markets I've encountered: Japan. Japanese barbers today might have switched to disposable blade razors, but they're still shaped in the old way, like an old Japanese kamisori, and up until the 80's or even 90's, barbers still bought and used straight razors. And they were still made up until very recently.



The blade says it all, really. It's a razor, like so many others, but someone cared enough to make it look a little snazzier. Put some extra class on there, so the professional using this tool was proud to do so--it's not just a tool, it's a GOOD tool.



It's well made, naturally, and shaves wonderfully. I find myself using it almost every day, and I watch it in the mirror. I think about the guys working at the factory where it was made. They didn't have to make this thing so perfect. The grind, the etching, the scales, the balance...there could have been corners cut, and it still would have shaved perfectly fine. But not a thing is off about this razor. (Yes, yes, I know the English punctuation is a bit sketchy...but these guys probably didn't speak English too well). It's a joy to use, because it was made with care.

I think that's what attracts me so much to Japanese tools. Strops, razors, stones--there is just so much CARE put into them. Japan's "monozukuri" culture is a dinosaur in the modern age, where it's actually hurting the economy here to focus so much on making good things. But it really does make the things produced here things to treasure.

Anyway. Enough philosophizing.

Time to shave.