my favorite inventions.......

kgruber

kgruber

Final Approach
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Skywag
Showering this morning I saw two of them.

1. Curved shower curtain rod....................just WOW!

2. Gillette razor lube strip. Does ABSOLUTELY nothing to help the shave, but wears out fast making you think you need a new razor!

 
Um, the curved shower rod is pretty common in most hotels and is actually functional since it gives just a bit more elbow room. On the razor, I thought people changed out razors when the blades started getting dull and pulling facial hair, not when a blue strip starts wearing?
 
SoonerAviator said:
On the razor, I thought people changed out razors when the blades started getting dull and pulling facial hair, not when a blue strip starts wearing?
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The way I understand it as far as a razor getting dull is that the blade corrodes and the corrosion effects its sharp edge.

I had a science teacher who took a single edge razor used it for a long period of time. After he shaved he removed the blade, washed and dried it. It did not loose its edge.

He did the same with another blade but did not wash or dry it after use. He clamed the washed and dried blade stayed sharper much, much longer.
 
AKBill said:
The way I understand it as far as a razor getting dull is that the blade corrodes and the corrosion effects its sharp edge.

I had a science teacher who took a single edge razor used it for a long period of time. After he shaved he removed the blade, washed and dried it. It did not loose its edge.

He did the same with another blade but did not wash or dry it after use. He claimed the washed and dried blade stayed sharper much, much longer.
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I can certainly see that being the case, especially since it's not a lot of material thickness we're dealing with so a little bit of corrosion would quickly make it pitted/dull.
 
Mtns2Skies said:
I use a safety razor... the cost savings over my life will probably be in the 10's of AMU's over expensive replaceable razors.
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Guess it depends on how often you shave. I generally shave twice per week (Monday/Thursday), so even a multi-blade razor cartridge like Mach 3/5 will last a 2-3 months. My facial hair is fairly coarse and grows quickly, but I'm okay with the 3-day stubble to avoid having to shave often. For those who shave daily or every other day, those cartridges will eat you out of house and home. I've heard good things about the Harry's substitutes and such, which are much cheaper than Gillette's stuff.
 
Mtns2Skies said:
I use a safety razor... the cost savings over my life will probably be in the 10's of AMU's over expensive replaceable razors.
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I tried a safety razor once and I did actually do a decent job, but I always felt like I’d take hunk of my face with it, so I gave it up.

As for the ‘blue strip’ - I think it’s a marketing gimmick. They seem to fade within about 4 or 5 shaves, but the blades themselves still cut fine, so I’m sure it can’t dull that quickly, but it may also have a lot to do with the coarseness of your facial hair. Mine are quite coarse, so I may dull razors quicker than the average bear, I dunno.

I usually just go with a pack of Gillette Sensor 3’s and it seems to last me about a month or so.
 
kgruber said:
Curved shower curtain rod
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I stayed at an AirBnB once where it was installed BACKWARDS

Ryanb said:
As for the ‘blue strip’ - I think it’s a marketing gimmick
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Agree, I use those those razors well beyond the blue strip TBO

I've considered signing up for one of those dollar shave club type things.. but haven't yet
 
Tantalum said:
I stayed at an AirBnB once where it was installed BACKWARDS


Agree, I use those those razors well beyond the blue strip TBO

I've considered signing up for one of those dollar shave club type things.. but haven't yet
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I came to the conclusion a long time ago that Gillette was ridiculously overpriced. So I shopped around - and found the offerings all over the place in both price and function. I have settled on
Personna "Comfort Coated" Twin Blade throwaway razors. I can often get a pack of 10 for a buck at the 99 cent store. There are other brands out there that are not nearly as good (IMHO). BIC
cuts me to pieces. YMMV.

Dave
 
in the spirit of the OP's number 2 (useless inventions)
I like the split lock washer.
 
Electricity was not invented, but ways to generate, harness, transmit and control it for useful purposes have been incredibly helpful.
 
Mtns2Skies said:
I use a safety razor... the cost savings over my life will probably be in the 10's of AMU's over expensive replaceable razors.
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I’ve been using a safety razor since September, I think. I like the process better. I like the results better. And a $.09 razor blade lasts me five days. I don’t feel bad at all if I decide to retire one early. Before that I went from Mach3 to Dollar Shave Club, with a stop in between buying direct from Dorco (same cartridges).

The most surprising thing to me is that in nearly five months of using the dreaded deadly double edged blade, I haven’t yet fatally nicked myself. But oh, how I do love a nice thick mug of freshly whipped up, warm sandalwood shave cream.
 
I got rid of disposable razors altogether and have fully embraced my retirement beard. A few passes with an electric trimmer on the "3" setting once a week, and trim the neck line, and I'm good to go.

So liberating!
 
I shave every day without fail. Costco or Sam’s Club has the best price going for Gillette razors, down to almost $1-$2 each.
 
kep5niner said:
I shave every day without fail. Costco or Sam’s Club has the best price going for Gillette razors, down to almost $1-$2 each.
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I paid under $10 for enough blades to last me about a year and a half. :)
 
I despise anything that takes away my time against my will. The electric, automatic opening trashcan is a stupid thing that drives me insane. My parents and my MIL both have one.

The thing senses when you're standing at it to throw something away. It takes too dam long to open if you ask me, wasting seconds of my life. Those seconds add up to minutes, minutes to hours. All time spent standing in front a trashcan waiting for it to decide you're indeed about to throw something into it.
 
The Xzyliss hand held can opener. It works far better than any electric or hand held opener I've had so far.
 
AKBill said:
I had a science teacher who took a single edge razor used it for a long period of time. After he shaved he removed the blade, washed and dried it. It did not loose its edge.
Click to expand...

I use those cheap blue plastic razors from Walmart to trim around the beard. After use I put it in a little jar of baby oil. Each one last about a year before I toss it. (cheap pilot here...)
 
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I use a Mach III maybe once or twice a week, at the end of the week to clean up after daily use of the Panasonic foil shaver.
 
The only thing more useless than the "blue strip" on the razor is the battery operated shaker in the handle. Wow! We needed that.

Somewhere at the bottom of the stack is shaving cream. Hello... soap works fine.
 
SoonerAviator said:
I can certainly see that being the case, especially since it's not a lot of material thickness we're dealing with so a little bit of corrosion would quickly make it pitted/dull.
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Your facial hair is tougher than you think.


According to many sources, dry beard hair and copper wire are indeed of equal strength (when of similar diameter). Trying to imagine drawing a razor over a face of copper wire is just awful. For this reason, sort of, shaving experts recommend using hot water prior to shaving.

This has a twofold benefit: First, facial hair absorbs water, and it absorbs hot water significantly faster than cold water; and second, that water weakens the hair by as much as a third, making shaving so much easier, and the results, substantially better.

 
Ravioli said:
The only thing more useless than the "blue strip" on the razor is the battery operated shaker in the handle. Wow! We needed that.
Yup yup that's what she said
Somewhere at the bottom of the stack is shaving cream. Hello... soap works fine.
Click to expand...
 
3393RP said:
Your facial hair is tougher than you think.


According to many sources, dry beard hair and copper wire are indeed of equal strength (when of similar diameter). Trying to imagine drawing a razor over a face of copper wire is just awful. For this reason, sort of, shaving experts recommend using hot water prior to shaving.

This has a twofold benefit: First, facial hair absorbs water, and it absorbs hot water significantly faster than cold water; and second, that water weakens the hair by as much as a third, making shaving so much easier, and the results, substantially better.
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I don’t think anyone’s arguing that facial hair isn’t the primary cause of dulling a razor blade. I’m just saying that it wouldn’t surprise me if corrosion also accelerated the process. While not directly the same, my hair clippers (which I use every 2-3 weeks) can go years without needing to be sharpened. Different cutting method, but much higher volume of hair but never used with water.
 
Fiveslide said:
I despise anything that takes away my time against my will. The electric, automatic opening trashcan is a stupid thing that drives me insane. My parents and my MIL both have one.

The thing senses when you're standing at it to throw something away. It takes too dam long to open if you ask me, wasting seconds of my life. Those seconds add up to minutes, minutes to hours. All time spent standing in front a trashcan waiting for it to decide you're indeed about to throw something into it.
Click to expand...

The power sliding door on minivans falls into the same category. You want to grab it and fling it closed in one smooth motion, but the motor drive fights you...and robs you of that satisfying slamming sound!!!
 
Van Johnston said:
For introverts, two greatest inventions are pay at the pump and ATMs.
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This is why I had to buy a Diesel pickup. Can't pump your own gas in Oregon. But with Diesel and a cardlock account you can. (No personal cardlock accounts allowed for gasoline.)

On the shaving thing I've used an electric forever. According to my Amazon records I get a new cutter assembly about once a year for $20.
 
I'm kinda big on that toilet paper stuff. Could do without a lot of things, but toilet paper would be unpleasant.
 
SoonerAviator said:
Um, the curved shower rod is pretty common in most hotels and is actually functional since it gives just a bit more elbow room. On the razor, I thought people changed out razors when the blades started getting dull and pulling facial hair, not when a blue strip starts wearing?
Click to expand...

Several years ago when I lived in Charlotte I stayed in a hotel that had one. When I got home I bought one immediately for our shower.
 
BrianNC said:
Several years ago when I lived in Charlotte I stayed in a hotel that had one. When I got home I bought one immediately for our shower.
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When I bought my current house there was only one bathroom which had the tub/shower combo, and there was no curtain rod. I assume the previous owners must have been using one of the tension-style units and took it with them. I installed a brushed-nickel curved shower rod as a bonus for guests. I’ve never showered in it, so I can’t directly attest to its effectiveness, lol.
 
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