"Manly" website starter pack

Why is an image of someone sharpening a kitchen knife called "obscure and outdated"? Is everyone out there just using shitty dull knives now? Lol
- I knew someone who would replace their knives every year or two after they were dangerously dull. He called me a sucker for buying a nicer set, and it never occurred to him that they could be sharpened and reused.
  It's getting bad out here.
  
  Every year or two??? That's just when a new knife is finally getting broken in lol I've got knives my parents bought before I was born that I still use!
  
  It's getting bad out here.
  You haven't seen anything yet. If you have teacher friends, ask them how the new generation is doing 💀 they haven't learned almost anything since COVID started and have virtually no social skills on top of it... I'm legit scared for the future.
  
  As the older "uncle" of the family, I get called to handle a lot of things, like unjamming a garbage disposal (you stick a broom handle in and push until it moves again) to changing a car tire (the instructions are LITERALLY printed on the body of the car) to very basic things like removing insects and spiders from the houses of adult families, to fixing electrical problems (breakers tripping.) And of course, fixing computers... miles and miles of fixing computers. Usually just installed programs that need to be removed or setup that needs to be completed, the age of viruses seem to be slowing but they still call at odd hours asking for help to remove a "virus" when it's just an app on borderless window mode.
  I never thought of any of this as "man skills" I always thought this was just shit you had to do as an adult. I was prepared for helping kids just getting started, not grown-ass men and women with arms and legs and presumably careers with responsibilities.
  I would say I'm surprised people can even wipe their own ass anymore but I have read some posts about people having to deal with boyfriends who think touching their own butt is "gay" so really I am not surprised by anything anymore. Is it any wonder why politics is so incredibly stupid? It's a reflection of larger society.
  
  For me, if it doesn't come with a sharpener build into the sheath, it's not good enough quality anyway (I do not generally buy expensive knives). I've moved a dozen times over a decade and lost pieces of so many silverware sets they're disposable to me. Never had a knife long enough to NEED to resharpen it. Got a few nicer ones now though so maybe that will change.
- I know people who just throw them out and buy new knives when they dull, so there's also that 😔
  
  Seriously? Just throwing out practically brand new knives is a thing now? Decent knives will last for decades if you sharpen them a few times a year lol
- ...maybe..
  
  Well, if you don't have time or don't want to learn about knife sharpening my advice is to get a cheap pull through sharpener for your kitchen knives. They're super easy to use and will add years to the usefulness of your knives. It doesn't work as well as doing a full sharpening, but it will get them cutting well again at least!
- I know, right? Sharpening things like knives and scissors is what I consider to be a basic maintenance skill. You don’t even need to go all out on it. Just owning a basic Spyderco Sharpmaker or WorkSharp Precision Adjust will let you sharpen a lot of things.
  It’s also a given that many knives that you buy simply aren’t as sharp from the factory as they can and SHOULD be. A little effort can get you a lot better cutting performance.
  I suppose the reason behind it is also that your average person thinks that ‘sharp knives are dangerous’ when in reality it’s dull knives that cause the most issues. When a supermarket chain here sold knives, people complained that the knives were too sharp! Can you imagine?
- I would just use dull knives if not for the people in my life who sharpen them. The sound of knife-sharpening burrows into my brain and shuts off all rational thought. It’s like tinfoil on teeth for me and I cannot deal with it.
  Luckily, my husband enjoys it, so he just does it when I’m not home.

Sharpening and caring for your knives is hardly an outdated skill you'll never use. If you're not regularly sharpening your knives, you're doing yourself a major disservice.
- My best friend buys a new chefs knife every month at the dollar store
  Ihe was throwing them away, but now he gives them to me. I’ve shown him how sharp I can get them and how long they last with the edge I put on them, but he does not want to learn or just give them to me to sharpen every few months.
  I now sell his sharpened throw aways to friends and family for 5 bucks a pop.

If y'all still out there shaving with cartridge razors you're wasting so much money on getting a shittier shave.
But, yeah, "Art of Manliness" and their ilk do try to capitalize on a call to return to old fashion things by selling jazzed up overpriced safety razors and brushes.
You don't need fancy shit to get a better cheaper shave.
- i still use the same no frills safety razor handle i got from target ~2015. and the 100 pack of astra blades i got for $10 lasted until just recently
  can't believe how much money i blew on bullshit gillette crap for so long
  
  Yup! Astra blades are less than 10¢ each if you buy a 100 pack
- Until the TSA lifts restrictions on blades, cartridge razors will continue to be a necessary evil in my kit. However, there are so many better options for your home, as you say. The shown safety razor style is perfectly fine, and so much less expensive, even if you don't go all in with a solid soap and brush, and just use a normal shave cream like Creamo.
  Its inclusion here is absurd. Cartridge shavers are shitty for the environment, and shitty for your wallet; they're not less manly, they're just a less smart choice.
  
  Wait, TSA throws a fit over razor blades in checked baggage? I can understand they deny it in carry-on but down in the hold?
  
  What about electric?
  
  Now that's interesting, I've gotten guff for flying with a safety razor but I've never had it confiscated or been denied entry to the flight.
- You can get really good vintage razors off eBay for next to nothing. If you don't wanna gamble on that, you can get a stainless steal 3 piece razor for a little over $15. Even the Wilkinson sword will save you money vs a cartridge razor while also being a shitty, not very durable, de razor
- Hi! I’m wondering what’s wrong with AoM? I always liked that they had really nice vintage (fucking love vintage stuff lol) looking skill booklets that I could use or learn from. I haven’t been there in a loooonnnng time though, so I’m curious if I’ve missed something?
  
  A lot of the shaving gear has a HUUUUGE markup for that vintage look. You can get it way cheaper direct from the manufacturer.
- I have a cheap safety razor I bought maybe 8 years ago. At the same time I spent $15 for a bunch of blades for it that I still haven't used up yet!
- Wicked edge if youre in the us

Can we start making websites/forums devoted to just regular individual wholesome dudes and characterize them as peak masculinity?
- peak masculinity /j
  
  chat, is this real?
- When I was a kid my dad would take his morning shit while the door was open and it stank up the hallway not to mention the visual image of it all prior to breakfast. So one day I closed the door from outside and he yelled at me full volume that he wanted the door open so I had to go back and reluctantly open it.
  That's peak masculinity
- Practically Ron Swanson?
  
  His masculinity is well documented in the Parks & Recreation documentary series.
- You may not like it, but this is what peak performance looks like

I need to sharpen my knives

Wetshaving seems fancy but honestly its the cheapest, fastest and best way to shave, that i have found.
- In my experience it's also the best way to show up at the office with a bloody neckline
  
  You just need to shave with the grains (this may vary a lot from face to face) and you should never slide the blade sideways
  
  i use safety razors bc they are very inexpensive. also less environmental impact.
  my neck has a sensitive spot where if I'm rushing, it will definitely bleed. but if I'm careful and use light pressure and don’t go against the grain it's fine.
  
  Everyone who shaves, regardless of gender and razor type, should have a styptic pencil. It stops bleeding like magic.
  Beyond that, shaving with a safety razor is different because you're never supposed to apply pressure - idk if that's something you were doing.
  
  It does take a little practice, like anything worth doing. You save a ton of money (disposable razor blades cost pennies) and you aren't throwing away all of that plastic.
  
  If you don't know how to shave properly sure

Rolex 🙄 no thanks. Not interested in overpriced, obsolete jewelry. Let’s just call it what it is 🤷🏼‍♀️ Casio digital, ftw 🙌🏼 bc I actually like to know what time it is.
Haven’t purchased cologne since I was probably like 20. Dudes really go ape shit over that creed stuff, ay?
- Casio sucks now, sadly. The bands especially are abysmal quality.
  
  Depends heavily on the sub-category of Casio. I have a Lineage (Wave Ceptor?), it's a great watch for pretty much every day.
- You can’t tell the time off a normal clock face, got it

Okay, but knife sharpening is not outdated since everyone that cooks needs sharp knives. Bad choice. Shoulda been something like starting fires with wood friction.
- Not everyone needs a progressively finer set of 18 whetstones so they can meditate for 2 hours every week as they sharpen. A honing steel and a basic pull through sharpener are adequate for home cooks.
  
  Well, since the meme doesn't mention anything about even multiple stones, much less 18, that's just you being weird.
  Also, yeah, you can use those two things. Wouldn't recommend either for a decent quality knife, but they'll keep things at a bare minimum of usability. Swap them for a ceramic rod and a single 1k whetstone, and you've got better results with less wear of the blade over time, just with an initial learning curve.
  The only problem with pull throughs is that they fuck up knives with repeated use, pulling off more metal than necessary. Well, that and you don't want to try any delicate work with a knife that's been sharpened that way, it just won't slice finely enough for fancy shit. You'll be able to get through damn near everything else in the kitchen though.
  Seriously, dude, if this is some kind of pet peeve of yours, be aware that nobody gives a shit when your comment is making a mountain out of a place where there wasn't even a molehill.
  And, frankly, you come off as being an absolute asshole in your comment, so there's that too.

Since when is sharpening kitchen knives obscure? Have you guys never used a sharp knife before? Are you cutting food with dangerous and dull knives??
I recently got a set of knives that are sharper than I have ever seen, though one is kinda dull. I plan on sharpening it soon, just waiting on getting my wetstones in the mail.
- Are you cutting food with dangerous and dull knives??
  Probably yes because:
  It was sharp at some point in the past, so I "bookmarked" it in my mind as a "sharp" object, but I always fail to update my "bookmarks".
  I'm lazy.
  
  I might be lazy, but I’ve only cut myself on dull knives. The stress of using a dull knife when doing prep drives me insane and motivates me to sharpen them

And above all, everything is brown for some reason.

So many people are freaking out over the knife sharpening. A) you're in this picture and you don't like it B) hand sharpening on a whetstone isn't necessary for home cooks. Other tools will get you to adequate with a lot less effort, both in learning and using the tools.
It's ok to not optimize everything in your life. It's ok to put your knives in the dishwasher. It's ok to shave with an electric. It's ok to not look like or dress like how these sites say you should.
Edit: jeeze, apparently it's not ok so much so that it's ok to imply violence is acceptable against people who put their knives in the dishwasher. I'm pretty grossed out by this interaction and at the people that insist their way of doing something is better, easier, whatever, when I've already said no thanks. Ew.
- Whetstones require less effort than most commercial sharpening systems, and provide a better edge and more flexibility. But the point isn't that you need to use a whetstone, it's that you should be sharpening your knives.
  It's ok to put your knives in the dishwasher.
  Oh good lord! Somebody hold me back!
  
  Caught one! Lol.

With the exception to the rolex and “10 things she wants to see you wear”, I like the things here.
- Yea. I like Casio or Timex, cigars, and the lack of men's perfume.