Why isn’t this still a thing?

"Honeybunchesofgoats" (honeybunche0fgoats) 04/09/2019 at 18:06 • Filed to: None

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The Lustron home got me thinking about the house my grandfather built for himself in the 50s. He was a salesman for Alcoa, and at some point he came to this realization that it was way easier to sell aluminum to yourself than anyone else, so he started a home building company. Family lore has it that he paid his workers really generously, but did everything else at cost, just profiting off of the commission from the aluminum.

The only thing I remember about his house is that there was a slot for safety razor blades in the wall, which seemed both gross, but also really smart. I thought this was his invention, but after some  Googling, it seems like this was a fairly common thing.

I love safety razors, because I’m cheap and they’re cheap, and they’re easy to clean, so they last longer, too.

I’m guessing the argument against is that eventually someone is going to tear down a wall and get murdered by discarded razor blades, but that’s not really doing much at the moment to dissuade me from cutting a hole in my bathroom wall.

TheRealBicycleBuck > Honeybunchesofgoats 04/09/2019 at 18:14

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Perhaps it’s because most exterior walls are insulated these days? Maybe it’s because a wet blade with some human skin scrapings is a great starter medium for mold?

For Sweden > Honeybunchesofgoats 04/09/2019 at 18:15

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Throwing trash into your walls is bad, actually

BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind > Honeybunchesofgoats 04/09/2019 at 18:16

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I assumed they...went somewhere. Like a small bin that could be emptied, similar to the needle disposals in hospitals. The fact they just go into the wall is both gross and terrifying. 

Honeybunchesofgoats > For Sweden 04/09/2019 at 18:16

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But... 

LOREM IPSUM > Honeybunchesofgoats 04/09/2019 at 18:17

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Disposable cartridges are larger an d take up more space. The hole would need to be bigger, and the cavity would actually have a chance of filling to the brim in a lifetime or two.

Mold and liability might have been concerns as well, but probably to a lesser degree I guess.

I just use a blade bank.

Honeybunchesofgoats > TheRealBicycleBuck 04/09/2019 at 18:17

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That was an interior wall, and I expect most are. I assumed that it led down through the foundation, but I was like, five.

Honeybunchesofgoats > LOREM IPSUM 04/09/2019 at 18:19

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I’m very jealous of that safety razor collection. 

Spamfeller Loves Nazi Clicks > Honeybunchesofgoats 04/09/2019 at 18:22

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Because around the 1950's-1960's, this was replaced by the much more useful Kleenex Box hole.

No, I’m not joking at all. Starting in the late 50's and early 60's, with the advent of the ‘standard’ size box of Kleenex, they started putting in openings for a standard box of tissues, with a Kleenex-branded chrome cover. Every single house in my development has or has had this in one or more bathrooms, next to the sink.

I mean think about it. The toilet paper is 1-2 steps away, and it’s toilet paper. Yes it’s tissue but some people will go ‘eww gross.’ But stick a Kleenex box, at chest height, within less than arm’s reach? Well shit. Everyone can use that. Blow your nose. Take off your makeup. Stick it on that razor nick.

Of course, it’s usually right next to an outlet, and I assume at some point somebody learned that tissues are extremely flammable. The hard way.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > Honeybunchesofgoats 04/09/2019 at 18:24

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Wait a second... it’s a slot to put used razor blades... and it just goes into the wall?

It doesn’t go into a bin where it could be collected and brought somewhere to be recycled?

Honeybunchesofgoats > Spamfeller Loves Nazi Clicks 04/09/2019 at 18:24

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Wow, I actually totally remember one of those in that house, but I had forgotten all about it. 

Chariotoflove > BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind 04/09/2019 at 18:25

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We have a biohazard bin for needles.  I’d do the same with blades, just like at work.

Chariotoflove > Honeybunchesofgoats 04/09/2019 at 18:25

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TIL living, breathing people still use safety razors.

Honeybunchesofgoats > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly 04/09/2019 at 18:25

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Yup.

But really though, more things just need to get thrown between walls and forgotten about. 

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > Honeybunchesofgoats 04/09/2019 at 18:26

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Like nuclear waste?

Honeybunchesofgoats > Chariotoflove 04/09/2019 at 18:27

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A five pack of blades is like, $2.50 and since you can remove them easily, you can clean them off after each use.

Hell, even if you only used them once, that’s $0.50 a shave, which is still cheaper than cartridges. 

Spamfeller Loves Nazi Clicks > Honeybunchesofgoats 04/09/2019 at 18:28

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Yeah, what I remember about it most is that by the time the house was about 30 years old?

The box was rusting out, the chrome cover was pitted to hell and no longer fit correctly, and then that rust turned into water going in the wall any time you took a shower.

Cannot imagine why it didn’t stick around.

Honeybunchesofgoats > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly 04/09/2019 at 18:28

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I mean, it was the 50s, so people were already getting exposed to a lot of radiation anyway. 

LOREM IPSUM > Honeybunchesofgoats 04/09/2019 at 18:34

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I’ll never go back to anything else. Managed to pick up most of the vintage Gillette’s on ebay. I’m cheap too so I had to wait for the right deals, as some sellers absolutely know what they have .

The Above the Tie S2 (slant) was a little more sp endy, but it’s probably my current favorite from what I have , followed by the Gillette Old T ype. I really want to add a Timeless to the collection ... but back to that cheap thing.

facw > Honeybunchesofgoats 04/09/2019 at 18:34

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My parents’ previous house had these. Unfortunately I never got to see how full the wall was when the bathrooms were remodeled.

In any event, I assume they don’t still exist because very few people use safety razors these days. Also sticking blades into walls that may have things like electrical wiring seems like a poor idea.

benjrblant > Chariotoflove 04/09/2019 at 18:36

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I use one! blades are surprisingly affordable and if I’m going to get all environmental, a single piece of steel is easier to manufacture and recycle than a more complex assembly of plastic and metal.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > Spamfeller Loves Nazi Clicks 04/09/2019 at 18:46

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The thing that really makes me laugh about this is that I’m pretty sure that box size has become the defacto standard for the long facial tissue boxes. Even generic ones are exactly that size...

Of course, I’m a millennial, so for the same reason I don’t buy paper napkins, I don’t buy facial tissue. If it’s too delicate for a paper towel, you use toilet paper. I’ve been doing that since I moved out, in fact. Crazy boomers stocking four or more distinct paper products.

66P1800inpieces > Honeybunchesofgoats 04/09/2019 at 18:51

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After amortizing a Andis trimmer, beard in winter and stubble in summer is practically free. Would be hard to shove in a wall once it breaks but I will try.

Many older medicine cabinets have the razor blade slot.  

Outlander Engine's Dimensional Emporium > Chariotoflove 04/09/2019 at 18:54

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Better shave. Cheaper. What’s not to like?

LOREM IPSUM > Honeybunchesofgoats 04/09/2019 at 18:57

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Not to mention a better shave overall with the right razor/blade/technique combo. More smoothness, less irritation. No comparison imho.

I  prefer Feather blades, fwiw. Sharply sharp!

jimz > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly 04/09/2019 at 19:03

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yep.  my folks’ house was built in ‘57, and the vanity cabinet has that.  IIRC the idea was it was safer just to do that than to try to throw a razor sharp, uh, razor blade in the trash. 

Honeybunchesofgoats > LOREM IPSUM 04/09/2019 at 19:04

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Do you do anything to them before you use them for the first time? I’ve seen lots of sweet older ones in antique stores that I’ve been tempted to by, but even though the cutty slicey part would be new, there’s a part of me that can’t help but remember that I’m not up to date on my tetanus shots. 

Chariotoflove > Honeybunchesofgoats 04/09/2019 at 19:21

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Since my Braun gave out, I’ve been using the store brand pack of 10 disposables for $3.50. I use each one for like 2 weeks.  I could try these though.

Chariotoflove > benjrblant 04/09/2019 at 19:23

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I’ve been using the cheapo pack of 10 from the store. I have a full beard, so a single one lasts me at least a week, often two.

I might try these though.

LOREM IPSUM > Honeybunchesofgoats 04/09/2019 at 19:31

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I clean and sterilize them before use. Scrubbing Bubbles foaming bathroom cleaner is probably the best product to use to clean and disinfect them, from what I understand. A pparently raw brass has disinfectant properties of it’s own as well if what I have been told is to be believed, so we have that working in our favor too.

There is an online community called Badger and Blade which is full of “wet shaving” enthusiasts. Lots and lots of information and knowledge there, if you or anyone else reading needs a new rabbit hole. Be warned though, you may find yourself with an addiction to shaving hardware, scented soap pucks, afte r shave splashes, and the like. Great bunch of gentlemen though.

Spamfeller Loves Nazi Clicks > Eric @ opposite-lock.com 04/09/2019 at 20:07

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It did, because everyone started making things for the standard ‘Kleenex box’ size which held the standard ‘facial tissue’ size. Even my soft boxes are roughly that size. (Dimensional tolerances these days, actually, are something like -1.5" from back then too, BTW.)

Allegedly I am both a ‘millenial’ ( fuck off with this shit ) and a ‘Gen X’ and a ‘Xennial.’

What this actually means is that I do my own thing and punch anyone who calls me any  of those things because they never do not mean it in an insulting fashion.  

punkgoose17 > Honeybunchesofgoats 04/09/2019 at 20:19

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Because 50lbs of razer blades fall out of the wall when you have to redo the bathroom. My dad i s redoing a bathroom. We did not realize that putting razors in the wall was a thing eventhough there was a slot in the mirror.

Pixel > Honeybunchesofgoats 04/09/2019 at 20:20

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Speaking as someone who’s house has one of those and who had to open up the bathroom wall due to a water leak, because you end up with a bunch of rusty, tetanus covered sharp metal in the wall, and anywhere else a thin blade can slip. Basically in a 10 ft radius in the wall and the crawl spac e underneath there is a chance of finding a blade.

I have no idea how I managed not to cut myself on any of them.

XJDano > Honeybunchesofgoats 04/09/2019 at 20:31

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I am the one cleaning these blades out. Although they are covered in rust by the time I get to them and harmless when handled safely.

I know for sure the wall / slot in the medicine cabinet had this in my dad’s 1910’s house and my old house built in the 60’s had it.

A few houses that have had asbestos mud/ tape in bathrooms that I’ve come across have had them too. More of an inconvenience than a health hazard. Although it’s still gross. 

ttyymmnn > Chariotoflove 04/09/2019 at 20:48

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Those store brand disposables are the worst. When I go a week or two without shaving, like in vacation, I’ll burn through 4 or 5 to do the job. Costco makes a good cartridge razor, btw. 

MM54 > Honeybunchesofgoats 04/09/2019 at 21:04

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I need this in the garage for blades out of my utility knife.

Chariotoflove > ttyymmnn 04/09/2019 at 21:20

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They are the worst. And yet I’m finding them adequate. I just wet my neck and have at it. When I was young that would have bled me out. But now it’s fine. I must have grown a thick skin. 

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > Spamfeller Loves Nazi Clicks 04/09/2019 at 22:05

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I’m most technically a “ Xe nnial”, but aside from music and living some of my life in a very Gen X world, I am very much a M illennial, so I simply own it. Oh, and Gen X people think I might be one of them because my first computer came so young and it was a typical one that they grew up with...

Shour, Aloof and Obnoxious > Chariotoflove 04/09/2019 at 22:27

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Count me amongst the modern user. Lower cost, better shave, what's not to love? 

benjrblant > Shour, Aloof and Obnoxious 04/09/2019 at 23:26

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Yu should try a safety razor with a fresh blade and  some nice shaving soap. You're in for a nice treat

benjrblant > Chariotoflove 04/09/2019 at 23:29

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I also have a full beard, but safety razor with hot water and a good lather of soap is sooo nice .

Spamfeller Loves Nazi Clicks > Eric @ opposite-lock.com 04/09/2019 at 23:30

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It is beyond infuriating for me because I look and sound younger than I am (unless I let my beard or temples grow out, which is lots of gray.) So I constantly have to deal with people who make assumptions that are so far beyond obnoxious it’s just disgusting.

Tristan > Chariotoflove 04/09/2019 at 23:40

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Me. Best thing ever and sooooo inexpensive. Invest in a quality handle and it'll last you a lifetime. When the nice blades are crazy cheap especially when compared to a Gillette Mach 18.  One thing no one talks about is the big shiny metal head stays so nice and toasty after the rinse!

Chariotoflove > Tristan 04/09/2019 at 23:44

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I remember a couple of these around the house when I was a kid. I wonder if my dad has held on to any. I’ll ask.

It’s funny how everyone here is talking about how great they are when we long ago enter the age 0f quad blade cartridges and up.

Chariotoflove > benjrblant 04/09/2019 at 23:45

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I’ll see if my dad still has one lying around.

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > Chariotoflove 04/10/2019 at 00:37

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There are indeed. I have a couple of friends who still use them daily. I gave it a try and i t was the closet shave I’ve ever had, by far.  That said, the combination of time spent and the risk of cutting myself led me to stick to my electric razors (a few years ago I did learn the difference between a $100+ one and the cheaper ones I had used since high school and have never looked back).

ttyymmnn > Chariotoflove 04/10/2019 at 07:29

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I have found that simply Dove soap makes an excellent shaving cream. I haven’t used actual shaving cream in 30 years.

TorqueToYield > Honeybunchesofgoats 04/10/2019 at 08:52

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Ah yes, the good old days of “just bury that shit in the back we don’t need to dispose of it properly”.

Chariotoflove > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com 04/10/2019 at 09:33

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My nice Braun lasted me about 13 years. I haven’t moved to replace it yet. 

Chariotoflove > ttyymmnn 04/10/2019 at 09:35

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Yeah I’ve read that. Shaving cream isn’t necessarily any better. 

Tristan > Chariotoflove 04/10/2019 at 11:57

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I scoffed at them for a long time, dismissing the whole thing as fake hipster nostalgia bullcrap. I figured technology and the free market had done their thing and the current offerings were the superior choice. But, as cartridges got more and more expensive and seemed to last less and less time, I decided to give it a shot with a cheap handle. Don’t get a cheap crappy handle from WalMart.

You have to adjust your technique a bit and it’s easier to nick yourself , but it’s a very nice shave and you’ll be good at it in no time.

Also: way less plastic filling the landfills!

Here’s the handle I use- it’s very user friendly and does a great job of preventing nicks:

https://www.amazon.com/VIKINGS-Chieftain-Safety-Swedish-Platinum/dp/B011L8WJIA?th=1