Today, I came across an interesting thread in which a beginner wanted to know whether the US$ he had paid for an unused Henckels 70 1/2 with original box were too much. A perfectly valid question in my opinion, especially from someone completely new to buying razors. But one of SRP's senior moderator quashed it, stating, "You do realize that we don't allow valuations on SRP". Which made me wonder. Because if they aim at being the leading straight razor related online resource, why not use their superior knowledge to help their members to pay the right amount of money for their equipment? Why not, indeed?

Occasionally I pretend to have a masochistic streak. It is on days like these that I browse various shaving forums in the vain hope that I will encounter something resembling sense. Today was one of those days, and what I encountered at Badger & Blade was interesting. The same kind of "interesting" demented minds represent to psychiatrists.

This one is on its way to Germany from Norway. Horween oil tanned horsehide. If it works as nicely as it looks, this one will be another winner. I shall keep you posted.

Have you ever wondered what the term "honemeister" actually means? Look no further, the CTH Crew have spared no effort to bring you the truth. Really !!!!!!1

Right. So I came across this cutthroat razor related blog about a week ago. Actually, more than one blog, all belonging to the same person. Skimmed their contents, thought it was outstanding. Got to talk with the owner. Suggested to consolidate all blogs into one website using Drupal, which is the same software we use here. We're almost done, having imported his Blogger content, added a shop system, and done some other stuff as well.

Once it's been launched, we'll let you know. But it's the best written blog about cutthroat razors I have ever read.

Chaps, here we go: The best written razor blog, and a very nice site overall - Jim Rion's new Eastern Smooth.

Where would the straight razor shaving scene be without the internet? A purely hypothetical question whose answer is beyond the scope of this article. A question more easily answered, however, is: Which straight razor shaving forums are actually worth visiting - and why?

Shaving with a straight razor is actually simple. So much so, that all the required information for any beginner, except the brain damaged ones, would fit nicely into a 20 page Beginners Guide to Straight Shaving. But, it is the nature of drug dealers shaving forums to get beginners hooked because most of the shaving forums are waging penis size turf wars against each other, and fighting for silly titles like "the biggest", or "the most popular", or "the most frequented" shaving forum. Bollocks to that, I say. For me, the goal of a forum should be to come up with novel ideas, discuss them, refine them and make them publicly available.

Instead, what we are getting is something like SRP's series of so called "Beginners Tips", a collection of sciolisms in semi-broken English with far too many exclamation marks. I have so far refrained from commenting on them because, in all fairness, what little information they contain is still a whole lot more than what other forums provide. Yet the following remark really, really annoyed me: "So I looked at many of the conversations and the one thing that stood out was the huge amount of information thrown at the beginner much of which is contradictory..." Because its underlying misconception is not only mind-numbingly wrong, but also highly indicative of the way allegedly experienced members mistreat beginners.

In a previous entry, I commented on how to obtain razors for sensible money. That was almost a year ago. Since then, I have reduced the number of razors I own even further. As of today, I own exactly 24 razors, and will put each of them to the test for a week over the next twelve months. Each one I do not completely like will go. That includes one Friodur (because I have an identical one in black), and one Silberstahl (which I have already more or less given to my brother-in-law). But more will have to go, and I do not intend to re-stock. Unless I should come across a minty Puma 89 with rubber tang in black scales. If you own such a razor, feel free to contact me immediately - you will not regret it.

So here are some musings about razors, and why there still is no silver bullet.

I have always been uncomfortable with the meister part of honemeister. The reason for this is a cultural one: a German Meister has little in common with the English use of the term. Yet still, the entry for honemeister in the Straight Razor Place's FAQ makes a lot of sense: "A honemeister is a person who is highly skilled at honing. Honemeister is a title bestowed on a honer by others as an expression of recognition for that person's skill and experience." All required boxes ticked: peer review, the ability to operate at µm precision, and knowing your way around problematic razors (of which there are more than the average user would believe).

But now someone set up a honemeister review blog. And that someone has managed to take the hype to a whole new level. In a very, very bad way.

There is a saying in IT that if someone thinks they've built an idiot proof system, someone will build a better idiot. Well, looks like the vBulletin crew will have to re-calibrate the brain-damage-o-meter on their software.