"Occupy Your Bathroom"
One man's part-time hobby became so successful that it led to reinventing the wheel—er, the razor. And it all began with old, corroded Gillette shaving gear that was destined for the landfill.
Dear Friends,
With this week’s story, we’re going to let you in on a little secret: The makers of today’s disposable shaving gear invented what might be the biggest racket in consumer goods.
Not long ago, a good razor was something one owned for decades, durable enough to be passed on to your grandchildren. But today, it seems like some new razor design hits the market every other month, promising to give you an even better shave than last month’s model did. Even if that were true (and it isn’t), when the new razor model hits the stores, good luck finding refill cartridges for the razor in your bathroom cabinet, still in perfectly good condition.
Fortunately, in recent decades a few frustrated (and enterprising) people started collecting old, vintage razors, which they refurbished and sold on platforms such as eBay. One of those collectors was a radiology technician in Tennessee named Stan Hickam, who went on to create a little company that made gorgeously precise, modern versions of those sturdy old Gillettes. As it turns out, all of these traditional razor designs outperform their modern competitors—on your face, on your pocketbook, and on the environment.
I hope you’ll enjoy reading this updated version of “Occupy Your Bathroom," written by yours truly. There’s also an audio recording of the original story on our podcast.
“The Art of Repair” issue will continue through mid-November, thanks in part to our sponsor for this issue, the Culture of Repair. Each Friday through mid-November, we’ll release a feature story, short article, mini-documentary, photo essay, or podcast that relates to our mission—to “create a world built to last.” So please, stay tuned.
In the meantime, I hope you'll always find something intriguing to read, watch, or listen to within our pages. We welcome your thoughts via email, as well as on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Thank you for reading and sharing our stories, for donating to our cause as you can, and for being such a loyal part of the Craftsmanship community.
Sincerely,
Todd Oppenheimer
Publisher & Editor-in-Chief, Craftsmanship Magazine
Craftsmanship is a reader-supported publication. To help sustain our ad-free, independent journalism, please consider a paid subscription here on Substack.
Fall 2023: The Art of Repair
In a culture addicted to novelty and fast profits, the humble art of repair has declined almost to the point of extinction. But it’s not too late: In this issue, we’ll delve into the history of planned obsolescence, and the reemerging ethos of restoration. From the patient hands of watchmakers, piano restoration experts, and veteran appliance repairmen to the story of a young French woman who got her country to ban planned obsolescence, we’ll explore what it really means to create, maintain—and truly value—a world built to last.
This issue is supported in part by a grant from the Culture of Repair.
Interested in sponsoring an upcoming theme or project? Contact us at publisher@craftsmanship.net.
“Art of Repair” Reader Survey: Your Rants & Raves
We’re all surrounded by our collections of “things”—and some of those items are more sustainable than others. Whether it’s the heirloom chair you refurbished to last another 50 years, or the kitchen gadget you bought online that fell apart a week later, we want to hear about the belongings you love the most—and those you love to hate. Tell us about it in our 5-minute Reader Survey, and we'll share the best entries throughout the Fall issue.
Love audio stories? So do we…
You’ll find dozens of choices on the free Craftsmanship Podcast, including Jeff Greenwald’s recent recording of his story on custom batons, which Substack featured as a Weekly Read in July. You can play or download these offerings directly from our site, or wherever you like to get your podcasts, including Apple and Spotify.
I miss old-fashioned razors You could use those things for years.