Many people who are into real, traditional shaving own several razors. This is understandable, razors are like cars with each make and model having its own personality and characteristics. In fact there are several that are considered “must haves”, especially some of the vintage Gillette models such as the Tech, the Fat Boy and the Super Speed. Some people amass large collections, which is not a bad idea when you consider just how fast some of them are going up in value.

Once you have started accumulating a few razors you have the problem of storing them. The upsurge in real shaving is so recent that there is little out there in the way of ready made solutions. The need is for something that allows the razor to dry out after use, that makes them easily accessible, protects them and keeps them organised. Here are a few ideas:

Razor stands. These tend to be designed to hold just one razor, usually as a set with just one brush. The makers of these obviously haven’t seen my bathroom. The acrylic stands from Cutting Edge Razors in America are just about the best that I have seen.

Toothbrush stands. Some of these are designed to be used by the whole family with room for 4 toothbrushes/razors, so they can be a good solution when you are starting your collection. They tend to be chromed metal or ceramic so have more Mohs of hardness than many razors, so they could be less kind to your razor than you may like.

Test tube stands. This is currently my favoured solution, you can store a lot of razors in a small space, they are cheap, the wood is kind to the razors and they keep things organised. You can get a wide range of different sizes to match your bathroom and your razor collection. Some people paint or varnish their test tube stands so they look nicer. The only weakness is that some very long handled razors can end up not hanging.

Pipe racks. People have been smoking and collecting pipes for centuries so there is a well established industry out there supplying storage solutions, many of which are perfect for storing DE razors. Some are highly decorative and some can be valuable antiques in their own right. Type “pipe rack” into eBay and you will be amazed with the vast variety on offer, some are plainly unsuitable but most are.

Spoon racks. It appears that collecting spoons is yet another manifestation of OCD and they have the storage solutions to go with it, many of which are just perfect for a razor collection. Once again eBay comes up with a large and varied selection, some new and some vintage and some with space for as many as 100 razors.

With all these possible solutions take care to make sure that your razors actually fit.