Mr. Crowell attributes his ability to achieve a good shave with a basic blade to his strong putting game. “People who have a good feel for the contours of the putting green don’t need a fancy razor,” he says. “If you’ve got some degree of touch and feel, you can follow the topography of your face accurately.” (via Fancy Shavers Leave Some Men Feeling Nicked - WSJ.com)
My insanely expensive silvertip badger brush was my gateway into the world of old-school shaving. I think the $60 I spent on a chrome Merkur has already paid for itself in blades, and the actual shaving part doesn’t take me any longer with the double-edged razor than it did with a Sensor or Mach 3. Getting a good lather whipped up with the brush, on the other hand …
Now the only problem is that the blades I liked best were discontinued, and I had to go through another round of testing to find substitutes. Even an “expensive” double-edged blade is about a quarter of the cost of a single Fusion cartridge, though, so it was worth the trouble.
And it is surprisingly relaxing. Few things empty your mind like shaving with a double-edged razor.
