Whatever happened to …

… Wilkinson Sword?

I was out walking the dog the other day and noticed a single razor blade at the side of the road.  That got me really thinking and remembering and counting money…

As a teenager, I just couldn’t wait until I could shave.  It was one of those passages to manhood, I guess.  There did come a time when I needed to do it.  I borrowed my father’s razor and it was one of those single blade razors with a Wilkinson Sword razor blade in it.  It was his brand.  The blades seemed to last forever.  They sure seemed to last a great deal longer than the toilet paper roll where I would rip off little pieces and stick them to the inevitable cuts.  Those little bumps right under the nose were the worst.  I could mitigate it a bit by making a funny face in the mirror.

It was painful.  Why did I ever long to be able to butcher my face?

These days, you see these single blades in movies in drug preparation.  I haven’t noticed them in the supermarket or drug store where I buy blades.

After a few years, I had saved enough money to buy an electric razor.  I remember it having three heads on it and the advertising was that it wouldn’t cause you to cut yourself.  It didn’t mentioned that you didn’t get a really close shave though.  Basically, I’d end up with a scrub when I was done.

At one point, I decided to grow a beard.  I looked good in it but it still needed the help of a razor to keep things trim.  And scissors to trim.  That can be even more painful.  So, I whacked it off one day and just left a moustache.

Then, the shaving world changed.  New razors and new designs gave us razors with two blades and then three blades and then five blades.  The idea was to give you the closest shave possible.  And it did.  It still does.

These days, I bounce between Schick and Gillette.  They have become so expensive that the stores have to put them behind little plastic doors that set off an alarm when you try to get a package!  Now, the price is the determining factor.  I do find that Schick blades last longer than Gillette do before they lose their edge resulting in pain.

I can’t win.

It’s not just a guy thing.  Shania Twain sings about razors but I find it had to believe that it’s a financial issue for her.

So, for a Sunday, let’s have some fun with this.

• Do you remember your first razor?
• What really is the optimal number of blades in a razor?
• Have you ever grown a beard?  Goatee?  Something fancy sculpted with a razor?
• What works best?  A running flow of hot water on the blade or a full sink and you swish the razor in the water.
• Do you have any tips or tricks for extending the life of razor blades?
• Whatever did happen to Wilkinson Sword?

Please take a moment to share your razor experience in the comments below.

This is part of a fun regular Sunday series of blog posts.  You can read them all here.