Hi I’m Mark, also known as “Mantic59” on YouTube and a bunch of web forums.  You’re probably here because you are interested in getting a better shave, and better grooming over-all. I think I can help you with that.  This site began a supplement to my “how to shave” instructional videos found on YouTube.  With the help of some very web-savvy shaving converts who just happen to run a full service digital media company, Sharpologist was created as a community destination for shaving and grooming.

The main focus of Sharpologist is traditional wet shaving, but there will also be material on other aspects of grooming and style too.  The goal is to make Sharpologist super-useful to the man new to traditional shaving and grooming, and remain useful to the more experienced.  That means clear, well-written tutorials on grooming (particularly traditional wet shaving) and reviews of products you need to know about.  Plus there will also be the occasional off topic (“Diversion”) article just to keep things interesting.

And while I advocate certain products and techniques, I promise not to get too preachy. We’ll build a community based on mutual assistance, a sense of humor and rock-solid advice from people who know what they’re talking about.

Notice the menu next to the site name?

“BLOG CATEGORIES” will bring up all the options for that category (Shaving and Grooming), plus sub-categories.

“DISCUSSIONS” is a way to more easily see discussions going on around a lot of the shaving-related blogs and forums.  Click HERE for a more detailed explanation.

“SHAVE PROBLEM SOLVER” is Sharpologist’s new, automated, “question and answer” system for helping to address some of the annoyances of getting a good shave.

The Sharpologist Philosophy

We all seem to be…starved…for a connection.  That connection is your battlefield, and your prize.  How many of us remember standing at the feet of your father in the bathroom, watching him shave?  Or a leisurely chat at the barbershop with friends (or even strangers).  Or the desire to have had those memories if you didn’t get the opportunity.  The TV’s always on, the news a constant background of anxiety; the smartphone’s always on, competing for your attention with statuses, streams, and feeds.  And they win, every night.  And you’re starving, for a connection YOU want.  So you go to the bathroom.  And in your mind it’s bright, and clean, and there’s no telephone or TV (even if it’s not really like that).  There may be chaos at home or at work but there’s a way you can spend a little meditative time to yourself, concentrate on something that shuts out the world–albeit temporarily–with something that feels good, smells good, creates a mood, and leaves you looking and feeling better.

That’s the “zeitgeist” of traditional shaving for me; the Zen-like character of applying warm, fragrant lather with a brush and shaving with a single blade razor. Its a skill (yes, skill) largely lost in today’s society.

Disclaimers

I’m not a barber nor a “shaving professional.”  Any views, reviews and commentary on this site should be read with that in mind. I am fairly educated on the subject of traditional shaving but any advice or recommendations should not be considered to be carved in stone.
All reviews are written with the routines and preferences of the author in mind: what works for me or them may not work for you. As a result, I can’t take any responsibility for anything that may happen to your skin as a result of following any advice or recommendations contained within this blog.

I do not routinely accept sponsored posts – i.e. I am not normally paid by any of the companies you see featured here. Companies, brands and products are featured on this site entirely on their own merits (or lack thereof), and entirely at my discretion, for no other reason than I want to feature them.

I usually do not accept products for review: if a product appears on the market that generates enough interest I will usually just buy it if it is within my budget. However, acceptance of samples is not to be considered in any way a guarantee that a review will appear. I will always state if I have received a product free.