Shave #3: Hail Marius

I'm starting to enjoy the nuances of the Schick Quattro.  There's a little indent below the razor head on the top side where your index finger rests if you choke up on the handle.  Nice.

This experiment of using a cheap razor until it becomes unserviceable begs the question, however, of why I don't simply try to use one Mach3 cartridge until it stops working.  The short answer is that I have, and it has a shorter useful life than you might expect.

The blade on the cartridge holds an edge very well if you dry it off after use.  However, the razor head itself gives out.  The flange in the head that the tangs in the handle grab onto wear out.  So, after a month or so, the head falls off the razor every time I drag it across my face.

Which makes me wonder, does the Roman consul Gaius Marius hold the patent?

Marius never achieved the lasting infamy of someone like Julius Caesar or Marcus Aurelius, but without him, those two might have gone down in history as nameless Senators.  Marius's closest equivalent in American history lies in Andrew Jackson.  Both men escaped plebeian births by distinguishing themselves as generals and riding a populist wave.

Among other things, Marius invited the poorest of Roman citizenry to join the army.  Previously, the Roman army was a bring-your-own-spear affair.  The lowest classes simply couldn't afford to serve.  Marius won their loyalty by having the Republic provide them with weapons and army.

In addition, he also codified the position of the centurion, perhaps the world's first non-commissioned officer.  The centurions instilled discipline and professionalism into the legions that would soon dominate the Mediterranean basin.  Not coincidentally, the office of centurion provided something for aspirational poor in Rome to shoot for.  In concert, Marius's two major innovations turned the army into a force that smart politicians could use to overcome opposition both within and without Rome.

He also set the stage for disposable razors, I think.

Roman legionnaires typically carried two or three javelins that they hurled at the opposing army before closing the gap between them and attacking with a short sword.  The traditional Roman javelin had an iron point riveted to a wooden shaft.  While effective, the stout design allowed the enemy to pick up fallen javelins and throw them back.

Marius tweaked the old design by using a weaker rivet.  Marian javelins broke upon hitting the ground (or being pulled out of a target), rendering them useless.

So, perhaps we should refer to the Gilette model as the "javelin-and-spearhead" model instead of the "handle-and-cartridge" model.