Visited a barber museum in Pennsylvania and saw a 1920s straight razor collection

I was in Pennsylvania for a wedding and stopped by this small barber museum near the venue. They had a whole wall of straight razors from the 1920s, maybe 50 of them all lined up. What got me was how different the handles were, some with bone, others with fancy metal designs. The guide said barbers back then often made their own handles to fit their grip. It made me think about how we all have our favorite clippers now, but the personal touch is kind of gone. Has anyone else seen old tools that changed how you think about your own gear?

2 comments

2 Comments

lee_barnes7025d agoTop Commenter

Remember, barbers often bought those fancy handles from traveling salesmen.

shane_anderson25d ago

Saw a similar display of old hand planes at a tool show. Makes my power tools feel pretty soulless.