Razor Blades Behind Bars: Why Caged Blades Work
Every man is his own animal. One likes it extravagant and reaches for a safety razor at shaving time, the way granddad did it. Another wants the job done and done quickly, so a simple cartridge razor is the order of the day.
You will have worked out where this is going. We are talking about razors and the blades that go in them.
They come in every shape and every price bracket. Blades behind bars, the modern approach, built for the cartridge razor. Or the classic route, a single blade dropped into a safety razor.
Back in childhood, watching the odd television advert, the writer of this Charlemagne blog post was left with a large question mark... why did the big blade manufacturer beginning with W run a blue laser across the razor head in the ad and lock the blades behind bars with a rather clever piece of animation?
Below we get into the pros and cons of keeping blades locked up, and what caged blades actually mean for your shave. Enjoy the read.
The big advantage of a wet razor with blades behind bars.
Blades behind bars have one clear benefit. Shaving with these things is safe. The risk of nicking yourself and doing real damage drops to almost nothing. That is exactly why razors with caged blades get sold as "safety" razors.
The good cartridge razors, which are correspondingly expensive, do not depend on shaving pressure, on pulling the skin taut, or on holding the right angle, the way a straight razor or a double-edge razor can.
They just get on with it. Whether that counts as an advantage is in the eye of the beholder, or rather down to how the man holding it sees things.
We think shaving is a ritual, and a ritual is allowed to take a bit of effort. We enjoy it, after all. It is our lifestyle.
The downside of blades behind bars
Blades behind bars always come as part of a cartridge razor. Nothing wrong with that in principle. But modern cartridge razors have one serious drawback. Replacement cartridges are extremely expensive. The market runs from three blades up to seven, all promising you shaving results bordering on bliss. On that note we want to be very clear about one thing. Shaving is not a competitive sport. Shaving takes as long as it takes, particularly once beard grooming has become your hobby. Our firm view is that if you are going to shave that beard of yours with a system, it does not have to be the absolute top of the range at a top-of-the-range price. Anything with more than three blades behind bars is showing off. And the worst part: nobody brags about their razor. So in shaving terms the newest of the new is, as we see it, largely unnecessary, and it will never give you the extra value you were promised, especially once you factor in the cost. Stick with what works.
One more plus
Blades behind bars have the considerable advantage of not counting as a prohibited item. That makes air travel a great deal easier. It means you can take a cartridge razor with caged blades in your hand luggage. Be honest, most aftershaves are too big to make it on board at all. It surprised all of us that a well-known London-based airline, to name one example, lets this kind of razor through. So a wet razor is a genuine alternative to packing an electric shaver.
As you have read, blades behind bars have their advantages and their drawbacks. What you do with that, as always, is your call.
If you prefer the traditional approach to beard care, you will find the right kit in the Charlemagne Premium shop, because:
"A healthy and well groomed beard is important for a real man, that's why we offer everything you need to keep yours doing so."
As barbers with more than 20 years in the trade between us, we went looking for styling and grooming products that convinced us completely. There were good products on the market, but none that gave us everything we needed. After some thought, in 2014 we decided to build our own range. For two years we spent every free minute after work at the barbershop down in our cellar, refining the formulas. When it came to ingredients, only the best was good enough. We bought the finest jojoba oil available in Morocco and argan oil from Italy.
Two years and a lot of attempts later, our first product line was ready, and it has been winning customers over ever since. We think 98% positive reviews speak for themselves. Since the official launch in 2016 we have kept developing it. That is one reason Charlemagne Premium products have won not one but several comparison tests in recent years.
You will find all of our products right here in our online store. If you have any questions about them, you can reach us any time at info@charlemagne-premium.com.
