Glance at razor advertisements today and you see a sea of products, electric and cartilage based, that promise smoother and deeper shaves, more convenience, and greater efficiency. Every year, it seems like razors have more and more blades, with added tricks and twists. At the same time, there has been a growing community of daily shavers who are rejecting modern razors and switching to the double-edged safety and straight ones; the kind you probably saw your grandfather use. 

 A double-edge safety razor uses a single steel blade, unlike their modern cartridge counterparts that can contain multiple blades embedded within plastic. But this “old-school” style of shaving isn’t just restricted to the razor, it also includes the paraphernalia that accompanies a shave—rather than the ubiquitous canned shaving foam, proponents instead use shaving soaps that you must whip into a lather in specialised bowls.