Leisureguy's Guide to Gourmet Shaving the Double-Edge Way

Seventeen years ago, I was sitting in a barber chair getting my hair cut while I ranted about the ridiculous marketing of cartridge razors. The Gillette Corp. had stopped selling its first two successful cartridge razors, the Atra and Trac II, in the American market -- at least in any of the stores I frequented -- and by 2005 the cheap knock-off cartridges had also vanished. Suddenly we were expected to buy the company's new and far-more-expensive multi-bladed razor cartridges at about four dollars a pop. It had finally dawned on me that American men were the victims of a vicious marketing scheme designed to separate us from our money. I'd just learned that old-style razor blades could be purchased over the Internet at about one-fortieth of the cost. And as the barber clipped away, I told him I wished I could just find an old-style safety razor somewhere and give old-fashioned double-edge shaving a try."Hang on a sec," the barber said. "I've got a bunch." He dunked one in Barbicide and sold it to me for two bucks. "You'll never go back," he said.He was right. Double-edge shaving gives a result as good or better than modern cartridge razors. And it's so cheap that nobody could make any money from it -- hence Gillette's decision to abandon a technology it invented and perfected. In the early '60s, Gillette recognized that overseas manufacturers would eventually be able to undercut the razor-blade market, and starting with the poorly designed Techmatic Razor in 1964, it launched an effort to convince America that old style razor blades were old hat. The future lay with patented cartridges of proprietary design that would require customers to pay a premium.This wonderful book by Michael Ham is nothing less than a celebration of old-style double-edge shaving. He treats the subject seriously. Most of us who have gone "back to the blade" recognize quickly that the shave is superior, the cost is ridiculously low, the experience is a delight. But Ham takes the time to explain why, and provides much useful information about products and "best practices."I was especially amused by his story -- he started shaving in 1955, back when double-edge razors dominated the market. But it was considered so commonplace that no one ever talked about it. No one ever told him you should make more than one pass, that you should lather before each one, and that three passes is the key to a "baby-bottom smooth" (BBS) shave. That the first pass should be "with the grain," the second "across the grain" and the third "against the grain."Most of us who take up the blade eventually figure these things out for ourselves. Or maybe we don't. Even I have learned a few things from the current wave of YouTube shaving videos -- and here I am, in my fifties. Ham's book is a great compendium of "everything a shaver needs to know."I was amused by a chapter on "The Most Common Problems." I've learned all the same lessons, through trial and error. I was especially delighted to see a section entitled, "Setting an Adjustable Razor Too High." That old razor the barber sold me -- and which I used for 13 straight years, without really thinking about it -- was a 1959 Gillette Fatboy stuck on the most aggressive setting. What did I know? I just learned to be very careful.Since then I've obtained a Fatboy that functions properly, but every razor is different, and my current fave is the first and second generations of the Gillette Tech, made from 1938 to 1963. And yes, the merits of these two razors are discussed in the book, as well as many others. Ham goes into detail about the merits of the closed-bar razor over the early open-comb designs that prevailed until the late thirties -- and a thousand other points.But what I especially value is a book that tells me something I didn't already know. Ham offers an insight I had never considered. These days we are starting to see younger men give up on the regular daily shave, and much though it makes me shudder, beard stubble has become fashionable. Ham suggests that this rejection of traditional grooming standards is the direct result of the adoption of the razor cartridge. The cartridges are so darned expensive that most guys are tempted to use them long after they have gone dull, forcing them to press down hard and wreak havoc on their faces. They're trying to get off the treadmill, just like I did, but by avoiding shaving whenever they can help it. Ham suggests that savvy marketers picked up on it, decided it was "a new look," started featuring male models in advertising with a couple days' stubble, and the whole thing naturally caught on. It's as good an explanation as I've ever run across, though I would give special credit to Don Johnson and Miami Vice back in the 1980s. (Remember how startled everyone was by his unkempt stubbly appearance, before it went mainstream?)The only thing I really missed in the book was a discussion of how exactly Gillette and other manufacturers perfected the safety razor over the course of about 60 years, to the point that it probably could not be improved upon -- and then did an about-face and convinced the American public that a much-costlier, less-effective method of shaving was superior. I was a kid in the '70s, and I remember the barrage of TV commercials quite well. It was one of the biggest triumphs of the American advertising industry, and it is a wonder that it succeeded. I should say I don't blame Gillette for doing it -- if the company had stuck with double-edge razors it probably would have ended up like Kodak. But thank goodness for the rise of e-commerce, and the opportunity to buy products made for overseas markets where ridiculously over-designed and outrageously expensive razor cartridges never caught on. The Internet has made it possible for regular joes like me to shave like real men again.An historical discussion of this sort is beyond the scope of this book, and the story has yet to be written. Instead, this book is a thoughtful primer on double-edge shaving that is useful both to the newbie and the fellow who has been using the blade for years.

If you read nothing else of this review, read this first paragraph. Leisureguy's Guide to Gourmet Shaving the Double-Edge Way, 7th ed. is the definitive, end-all book on wet shaving with a safety razor. There is no comparable book on the market. You will learn to shave with a safety razor—and enjoy it—after reading this scholarly treatise. Shaving *can* be enjoyable. Hook your wagon to Leisureguy and he’ll take you to the promised land of pain-free, comfortable and enjoyable shaves. It does exist. I know, because I’m there.I’ve been wet shaving since the summer of 2006. I participated in a popular wet shaving forum and sought desperate help from the shaving elders. Leisureguy, among many others, was there and offered helpful recommendations. It took me a little time to perfect my technique and lather-making skills, but I got there. And now, 9 years later, I’ve not touched a cartridge razor. Never again. Leisureguy’s 1st edition of this book was instrumental in helping me perfect my technique.I recently purchased his latest edition, the 7th, and read it cover to cover. It’s hard to describe just how much more information is in this book as compared to the 1st edition. It’s like the first book was an executive summary and this 7th edition is the full report. It’s amazing. The amount of research that went into every recommendation and point of instruction in this book must have taken many years. There’s specific quotes from wet shavers, citing of surveys and Leisureguy’s personal experience that make up his recommendations and instructions for the new (and seasoned) wet shaver.In this book you’ll learn why wet shaving is superior to shaving with a cartridge razor—and it’s not just the price point. You’ll learn what equipment generally works well for the new wet shaver who wants to get started, but doesn’t know what to buy. You’ll learn why face prep is so important and how to do it. You’ll learn what makes a good shaving soap or cream and how to properly make true lather with each. You’ll learn how to shave with a safety razor—the mechanics and technique. You’ll learn about differences between various safety razors. You’ll learn not all blades perform the same for every face and why purchasing a blade sampler is so important. You’ll learn the ins and outs of the post shave—to include alum blocks, nick/cut sealers and aftershaves.You will learn it all.One item I’d like to touch on that’s so important for many men, especially young men and black men, is how wet shaving can alleviate most if not all problems associated with acne, ingrown hairs and razor bumps. In this book Leisureguy talks about those specific problems and he offers specific steps and products that will help a wet shaver overcome such painful and frustrating face problems. Many men report great success with these very steps and products.I read a recent review of this book where the reviewer gave Leisureguy one star due to “lots of typos” and “repeating the same paragraphs over and over”. I found just one typo in which two words were not properly separated by a space. That’s it. Also, I did not find there was a repetition of paragraphs. Rather, there is a repetition of main points and ideas. This is a guide, after all. Important points are always reinforced in different ways in any guidebook or handbook. That’s how a learner realizes which points are very critical to any topic of discussion. Sort of like how a professor might slap his book three times as he provides instruction, thereby informing the students: this is an important point!That one-star review was very unfair and should not be taken seriously.I wish you pain-free, comfortable and enjoyable shaves, men. This book will help you get there. Thank you for taking me there, Leisureguy.

this is a great book about DE shaving. A lot of info that is useful to the beginner, or anyone who feels that the experience could be improved upon.I took away a star because I feel that a significant portion of the book could have been omitted, or included in the appendix. This would include info about vintage razors, razor history, and exhaustive lists and descriptions of shaving product manufacturers. I would have preferred if he just listed a few, commonly available options and left it at that. The info for shaving though is the best around, and would be difficult to find on the web in a concise and comprehensive form. Aside from this, the book is very useful, and I plan to keep it for some time it has proven to be a valuable reference and instructional guide. I would give 5 stars, save for the superfluous information about special interest topics, which impinges upon the more practically applicable sections.

This is a fantastic book on shaving. It covers everything you need to know to start wet shaving. Buy and read this before you order your hardware.

A wonderfully well written encyclopedic introduction to the delights of wet shaving. Not to be missed. Most enthusiastically recommended. It is a joy to reread this volume in the new edition.

I purchased this book around 2 months ago, as a complete novice to DE razor shaving, and as a result with a face covered in razor burn and nicks. Having read the book from cover to cover, I am now walking around with a face as smooth as the proverbial bottom, free of my prior irritations and injuries, having now understood and corrected the multitude of errors I had been making.The depth of the content belies the price, with a combination of technical knowledge and humour delivered in an easy to digest format, with the author touching on concepts as abstract as shaving as a meditation tool, without ever seeming condescending or off topic.In particular the section on hard water and air temperature affecting one's shave were things I had never considered as relevant factors to a shave.This combined with personal anecdotes and experiences, the continued reinforcement of keys points throughout the book, and at times the author's obvious passion for the experience and ritual of shaving, take what could have been a bland topic and instead create an interesting and informative book which has changed the way I view my daily shave from a chore to a pleasure.My thanks to the Author for the time taken in writing this book, highly recommended to new and experienced DE shavers alike.

I like very much this book. I found the author "one of us". One who knows very well what he's talking about being an expert from his own experience! It's interesting the style of the book that's not only a "technic" book but also a little bit "philosophical" a sort of "The Zen and the Art of WetShaving with DE"

YMMV. Diese Feststellung hat wohl jeder der gepflegten Nassrasur Verfallene schon machen muessen, wenn das im Forum hochgelobte Produkt sich bei ihm als echte Gurke herausstellte. Dem Autor gelingt es, dieses Verhalten als geradezu systemimmant zu beschreiben und glaubhaft zu machen. Im Gegensatz zum deutschsprachigen Standardwerk gibt es hier keine Vorverurteilungen ganzer Produktfamilien (Kunstfaserpinsel), sondern es werden die Vor- und Nachteile sauber beschrieben - vor allem auch die möglichen Handlingunterschiede, die für so manchen Voodoo Effekt ursächlich sein können.

Covers every imaginable shaving topic with a bit of life philosophy for good measure.