What's in a name?

Every razor has it's own unique shave characteristic and what I might consider a wonderful whisker whacker might tear your face to pieces..  load up one of the many available blades, each with it's own set of dominant traits and the matrix goes hyper on your..  Aside from the visual appeal of different razors, it's their temperament that differentiates them from a daily shaver, dust collector or worse...offered for sale or trade.

I recently added a vintage 1961 Gillette Fat Boy Adjustable to my inventory.  Its prior owner had named it George.  Learning this got me thinking about each of the razors I have.. not so much from a technical, forensic perspective, but in consideration to the way they treat my face and hands and what images they bring to mind before, during and after a shave.  While I don't know exactly how George got his name, I find it appealing that he actually has a name and I working on naming George's stable mates.

Some of the razors are named based on the image they conjour up and some are based on the characteristics of the shave.  Either way, let me begin to introduce you to the members of the den... 

Click the images for a larger version...

We have George...the Gillette Fat Boy..  I have no idea how George got his name, nor do I have plans to change it.  Surely it would be bad luck, like changing the name on a boat.  But the smooth topside and robust mid-section conjure up mental images of George Costanza from the Seinfeld crew..

 

 

Terminator... The head is a vintage Hoffritz Slant  bar mated to an anodized black, Bull Mastiff Ultra Lite handle from Bob's Razor Works..  Arnold Schwarzenegger in black leather pants and jacket, with his polished metal skeleton exposed through partially stripped outer skin... 

Demonic and efficient. 

All business.

 

Bill... The Feather Artist Club Straight earned it's name after it filleted my face the second time I used it.  Why Bill?  Bill "The Butcher" Cutting of course...