The Irony of Mild Razors on My Mug

On this date: Fifty-three years ago today John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas: November 22, 1963.

****

I have recently come to accept some rather ironic facts:

• On average, I get my best shaves (close, comfortable, minimal skin insult, easy to perform, and easy on the psyche) with my mild-tempered Merkur 33C Classic razor head.
• When I use less-aggressive razors (which are few) such as my Weishi 9306F I don't get as close a shave and it's more irritating.
• When I use more-aggressive (many still consider these mild) razors such as my post-WWII Gillette Techs (1965 Travel Tech and c.1948 standard, gold-toned, brass-substrate Techs), my Rimei RM2003, or my Merkur "Bakelite", I might (occasionally) get as close a shave as with my Merkur 33C, but usually not quite as close and usually with more skin insult than with my 33C.
• So the bottom-line irony is that no matter how aggressive the alternative razor I choose including my Gillette Slim Adjustable on aggressive settings and my Merkur 37C slant, when I really want a close, comfortable, insult-free shave, I should reach for my Merkur 33C Classic razor.

This begs the question: why have more aggressive razors in the drawer?

Well, there's always the variety-is-the-spice-of-life argument (which I would prefer to apply to close women friends ;-).

On a more practical note, for those rare occasions when I want to do a quick standard shave (that is, one pass, with grain), a slightly more aggressive razor might just be the ticket for me. But the reality is that most times, when I resolve to do a standard shave, I usually am dissatisfied with the result and end up taking more strokes to improve the quality, and that's often when my trouble starts with more aggressive razors.

So this morning in a fit of good sense, I cleaned out my razor drawer in the bathroom, leaving only the Merkur 33C as my go-to instrument, and keeping the c.1948 Tech on hand for variety, and the Merkur 15C open-comb razor for shaving the back of my neck and cleaning up other hair lines as necessary.

My intention is to sell off, donate, or throw away my other "extra" razors as their value and my available time dictate. We'll see how long this resolution lasts.

Happy shaving!