Keep a stock message on your phone to cut and paste whenever an iPhone user sends you a potato-quality video. This is mine:

Please don’t send video to me via iMessage from your iPhone. In fact, you really shouldn’t send video via iMessage at all. Video sent by Apple looks terrible on non-iOS phones. This is not a shortcoming of other phones, this is entirely Apple’s fault and is their explicit intention. If you want to send a video from your iPhone, you can open the Photos app, tap the share button, and select “share as an iCloud link”. That will enable All users to view your glorious video of your cat/kids/dinner/vacation/rant/whatever in the high resolution that your overpriced phone is capable of. Another option is to send the video using a messaging app such as Signal or WhatsApp. Alternate messaging apps are what most of the world use in lieu of sms/mms text messaging.

This is a form letter response and you will get it every time you send me video from your iPhone via iMessage.

P.S. I love you

I couldn’t resist. I went ahead and bought that AL13 aggressive after reading and watching a bunch of reviews. It’s great. It holds the blade more firmly than the Merkur and shaves really smoothly without pulling. I would like it if it were a bit heavier, but it still feels good in my hand. Thank you for the recommendation.

My Merkur 23C has served me well for 13 years. Recently the threaded screw broke off and I had to get a replacement head. But it was very reasonable. I have been curious about the Hensons, but have tended to stick with the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” philosophy. People really seem to like them though. Do you have the light, medium, or aggressive?

Nah. It takes a little more awareness while you’re shaving for sure, but you’re rarely if ever going to cut yourself once you get your gear and technique dialed in. For me, I had to find the right blade. I found Feather brand blades, which a lot of people recommend, didn’t work well with my skin, but Astra blades are great for me. Everyone’s a little different.

I got a can of chicken broth, knocked a slot into the top with a flathead screwdriver and a hammer, poured out the stock and rinsed and dried the can. It lives in the cabinet beneath my sink and I drop my blades in it when I’m done with them. That was about 10 years ago. The thing is maybe a third full.