A Brief History
Razors have been around since prehistoric times, and continue to be perhaps the single most common item owned by North American males - at least those of European descent. Probably 80% of all adult males shave at least once a day, for a total of some 15,000 shaves in an average lifetime.
Steel straight razors were produced in Sheffield, England in the 18th and 19th century, and remained the standard style until the mid-1800s, when the first 'safety' razors appeared, featuring a guard along one edge of the blade. The common form of the safety razor - with a double edged replacable blade, was introduced by King Camp Gillette in the U.S. around the turn of the century, which was later modified by the introduction of long-lasting stainless steel blades around 1960. Later developments include the cheaper injector-style cartridges and the latest fully disposable items.
For many men, the introduction of Jacob Schick's patented electric model in 1931 has provided the first real alternative to the open blade. Like the manual styles, electric shavers have undergone a number of technological and stylistic variations over the years, although the essential design elements remain virtually unchanged.
From a functional perspective - as opposed to a formal, or design-based typology - there are only two major classes of razor - the manual and the electric - comprising a total of 7 major sub-classes. Within these subclasses there exists a definite, but fairly small series of identifiable unique styles. As a starting point for research, an initial typology, including a gallery of illustrative examples can be found in the next section.
Last updated: 29 December 1977
