The Safety Razor came about through a series of inventions that led to the current form. The modern double edged safety razor form was patented by King Camp Gillette in 1904.

Before cheap disposable stamped blades, razors were maintained by stropping and honing, so Gillette made the lack of stropping a selling point, as in this 1905 ad.

Gillette ad

1904 patent by King Camp Gillette.

Safety razor patent

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[–] 18 points 1 month ago* (2 children)

I've been shaving with a safety razor for a few years. It's not only cheaper, but its better BECAUSE its cheaper--there's absolutely no reason not to change the blade because they're so damn cheap.

Safety razors might not work for all beard types, but the razor market is a perfect example of how we are being robbed by oligopolic retail. Walmart sells safety blades, but they are boutique-priced; they know they're going to make way better margins hooking you on patented razors. Multiply that by everything you buy, and you start to see the scale of the dilemna we are in as a society.

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  • [–] 5 points 1 month ago*

    I'd personally say it's better because it's just better. It being cheaper (and also way more environmentally friendly) is just a bonus

    I get a much better shave with a single blade safety razor than any of the multi-blade plastic disposable head razors I've used over the years.

    I'm currently using a Mühle and it's the best razor situation I've ever had

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  • [–] 5 points 1 month ago
    [–] 4 points 1 month ago

    This is a low average of the number of shaves that can be seucred with a Gillette Safety Razor

    121 years ago people were already refusing to proof read even the first damned sentence of a statement.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 month ago

    Gotta plug Rockwell Razors here

    The 6c model is adjustable with 6 different options for how aggressive you want to shave, and a 1 year no questions asked return policy.

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