Out with the "old" and in with the...

... "NEW???" Well, new to me anyway. The double-edge safety razor dates back to 1903 with King Camp Gillette and the concept has changed very little since then. But still, all this time and I've never even seen or held one so it is new to me even though it's been in use for over a century.

All I can say is that this is by far the best shave I've EVER had... period. The quest began after being tired of ingrown hairs and razor burn, or rather "perma-burn" around my neck line. So, I began researching. Apparently the multi-bladed razors that are currently available have more to do with marketing wars than a closer shave and the hefty price tag per cartridge comes with it. My new razor costs a whopping 50¢ per blade on average, AND the blade is made to Japanese surgical, stainless steel precision. We're talking NINJA sharp here.

That shouldn't be scary though. When I was in boy scouts we always used to say, "That a sharp blade is a safe blade" and after all the thing IS called a "safety" razor. The last thing you want is some sort of honed device just skipping along uncontrollably because of a dull edge.

My choice after all the research? A german-manufactured Merkur "Barber Pole" Hefty Long-Handled Classic. Weighing in at 4.4 oz. all I have to do is let the razor do the work. No pressing or nothing! The pleasure of hearing the whiskers fade away like the end of an old vinyl RCA 78 is hard to beat.

Music to my ears... and face! :-)