Sunday, July 19, 2009
Sometimes older technology == better
Sunday, July 19, 2009 
0 Comments
Sometimes older technology is better by far.
1. Shaving systems.
For years I have spent many hundreds of dollars on the Best A Man Can Get from Gillette. Now, I have an unusual beard, it's pretty thick and I get five o'clock shadow at noon. I bought into the whole thing and for the most part the results have been lackluster.
When my Dziadzia passed away, I got one of his straight razors. I've always been afraid to try it... for nostalgic reasons and for fear of carving my face into pieces. However, recently I've read up on proper use, and even knowing it's not as sharp as it's supposed to be (note: I could still neuter a gnat with this thing), I have never gotten a shave this close. Not even remotely close.
It's going to be the straight razor for me all the way now. It takes a little more time, but ultimately it is so worth it. I won't get five o'clock shadow until nearly 7PM now. I'll be getting this razor sharpened and possibly look for another. I'll stick with a sharpening service to get the job done, as this is a critical step I have no experience with (except for things like a Kabar fighting knife where you can be off a little bit). You don't sharpen a razor with a strop, only remove the burrs, FYI.
2. Writing instruments.
Nothing beats a technical pencil for the kind of work that I do when I need to make notes in my moleskin, but as far as an inked writing system goes... nothing beats a quality fountain pen.
The heft makes long writing sessions tolerable, the nib and a quality ink are far more expressive that something you roll along on a papered surface. If I had the time and the patience I would use a bottled ink and a dip pen... I used to make pen & ink drawings this way and the accuracy was always astounding on a heavier weight, clayed surface.
It's always good to turn back the clock and find things that withstand the test of time and technology.
1. Shaving systems.
For years I have spent many hundreds of dollars on the Best A Man Can Get from Gillette. Now, I have an unusual beard, it's pretty thick and I get five o'clock shadow at noon. I bought into the whole thing and for the most part the results have been lackluster.
When my Dziadzia passed away, I got one of his straight razors. I've always been afraid to try it... for nostalgic reasons and for fear of carving my face into pieces. However, recently I've read up on proper use, and even knowing it's not as sharp as it's supposed to be (note: I could still neuter a gnat with this thing), I have never gotten a shave this close. Not even remotely close.
It's going to be the straight razor for me all the way now. It takes a little more time, but ultimately it is so worth it. I won't get five o'clock shadow until nearly 7PM now. I'll be getting this razor sharpened and possibly look for another. I'll stick with a sharpening service to get the job done, as this is a critical step I have no experience with (except for things like a Kabar fighting knife where you can be off a little bit). You don't sharpen a razor with a strop, only remove the burrs, FYI.
2. Writing instruments.
Nothing beats a technical pencil for the kind of work that I do when I need to make notes in my moleskin, but as far as an inked writing system goes... nothing beats a quality fountain pen.
The heft makes long writing sessions tolerable, the nib and a quality ink are far more expressive that something you roll along on a papered surface. If I had the time and the patience I would use a bottled ink and a dip pen... I used to make pen & ink drawings this way and the accuracy was always astounding on a heavier weight, clayed surface.
It's always good to turn back the clock and find things that withstand the test of time and technology.
Labels: old technology