Classification: Safety Razors - reusable blades

The earliest safety razors were developed specifically to address the problem of the wickedly exposed blade which featured so prominently in the traditional straight razor. In order to accomplish this, a wire guard was placed around the blade, leaving just enough clearance to permit a full shave while reducing the potential for a deep slice. With the guard in place, however, it became impossible to hone or strop the blade in the traditional way: the blade had to be made removable in order to sharpen it, and new mechanisms designed to perform the sharpening action. The removable blade was thus a necessary design criteria for safety razors from the beginning, although it was clearly not the intention at this stage to make the blades disposable in the modern sense.
These dual requirements of a removable blade and some kind of sharpening mechanism produced several fascinating styles, of which one of the most elaborate was the "Rolls Razor", shown here. The razor with its screw-off handle is of fairly standard appearance: the casing, however, is altogether remarkable, although its features are not visible in this picture. It is made of solid brass, often nickle-plated as here, and has removable top and bottom lids. The lids are lined with a hone and a strop respectively, and in the centre of the case is a rolling handle fixed with gears into a track on each side. The razor blade is attached to this handle and, by rolling it back and forth on its tracks, can be stropped or honed depending on which platen is in place. It is altogether an elaborate and complex system which, when combined with the materials, packaging and decorative elements, suggests it is intended for a decidedly up-scale market.