The History of Straight Razors Uncovered

Photo by everett225 on Depositphotos

By comparison to the ancient tools, the modern straight razor looks like a sophisticated piece of technology. The earliest iteration of the straight razor likely emerged in the late 1600s and has been used for traditional manual shaving for over two centuries. Since then, it has experienced ebbs and flows in its popularity, and in recent years has become trendy again—as part of the movement against environmentally destructive and expensive plastic cartridge razors.

Early razors were basically any sharp thing anyone could get their hands on. Evidenced by cave drawings from the Stone Age and ancient archaeological digs that unearthed artifacts from the Middle Ages and prehistoric times, the first shaving methods began with tools such as clam shells, shark's teeth, or pumice stones to scrape off facial hair. Later, in ancient Egypt, copper razors were uncovered in ancient tombs.

It's unclear whether they cut their facial hair for aesthetic or pragmatic reasons; some sources suggest it was mostly to address vermin that would nest in their facial hair and cause a terrible itch and rash.

Centuries later, in ancient Rome, the early versions of the straight razor were also simple tools. They used a device called the Novacila, made from a block of iron with finger holes and a blade that resembled brass knuckles.

Of the various types of razors, straight razors have probably undergone the least change in appearance since their inception.

Part of its current appeal with wet shaving aficionados is the nostalgia of a simpler time, shaving with traditional products, its simplicity, and the ritual—interestingly enough, it's the lack of innovation that really drives the allure of the modern straight razor.

• Is the Modern Straight Edge Razor Making a Comeback?
• What is a Straight Razor?
• When was the Earliest Straight Razor Made?
• Why Did We Stop Using Straight Razors?
• Are There Different Types of Blades?
• The Basic Anatomy of a Modern Razor
• The Process of Making a Straight Razor
• So, are Straight Razors Really Better?

Is the Modern Straight Edge Razor Making a Comeback?

Moneypenny used a Dovo straight razor to give James Bond a traditional wet shave.
Photo by Dovo

According to a 2016 essay in Outside Magazine¹, the straight razor scene in the 2012 James Bond movie, Skyfall, led to a sudden and dramatic increase in straight razor sales worldwide.

The essay cites a Dovo Solingen executive who stated in the early 2000s that the company sold fewer than 8,000 straight razors per year, yet by 2016, they had received over 100,000 orders.

The straight razor is making a comeback, and it's likely to remain popular; an increasing number of men are interested in traditional wet shaving, and many are becoming straight razor users to achieve this.

What is a Straight Razor?

A straight razor features a long, exposed blade that folds into the handle—an enduring symbol of traditional shaving.
Photo by Thiers Issard

Modern straight razors, also known as open razors, straight edge razors, or cut-throat razors, are characterized by their long, exposed single blades that can be folded back into their handles.

For a long time, it was a service performed usually by a skilled barber, one of the oldest skilled trades. They were also called "Barbers Surgeons." The local Barber Surgeon was an integral part of the community, responsible for men's grooming, styling, and dressing, as well as performing surgery and dentistry. Because of their steady hands and experience, offering a shave with a razor was just evolutionarily intuitive.

Today, the use of straight razors at home has experienced a massive resurgence in wet shaving routines. Alone, in front of the mirror, for many men, the morning shave has recently become a sacred part of their daily routine, albeit a ritual, and the barbershop shave has evolved into a luxurious, premium treatment, akin to a day at the spa.

Why is It Called a Straight Razor?

The name is fitting: the blade is a single, long, straight edge, and it's the defining feature of the razor. It's the longest and most exposed blade available for shaving.

The Early Versions were a Status Symbol

In the late 1600s, during the early days of the modern straight razor, they were a luxury item and were seen as a status symbol.

The silver steel gloss was a monumental aesthetic update, and around the same time, manufacturers began making the handles out of nicer materials—ivory and tortoiseshell among them.

In some cases, small illustrations were etched into the blade, and it was even more common for a man's initials to be engraved into the blade.

When was the Earliest Straight Razor Made?

The Vintage Pre-war ERN Solingen 2300 Straight Razor was likely made between the late 1920s and early 1930s, prior to World War II.

Let us start with a brief history. In 1680, a British man named John Spencer was behind an operation producing "Sheffield wares" in Sheffield, England. He was an industrialist, and his company manufactured a variety of steel products, including clocks, cutlery, and an early form of the straight razor.

As the straight razor evolved, the original Sheffield steel, with its characteristic deep gloss finish also known as "Sheffield silver steel", remained the most sought after material for a blade and still is in use today by such manufacturers as Thiers Issard, a luxury straight razor brand known for its custom scales and blades.

Generations later, Sheffield steel is still considered to be of superior quality and the absolute best material for making blades due to its durability and resistance to rust. The downside is that, because of its hardness, it can be challenging to sharpen with a hone and strop.

If you are on the lookout for a vintage or antique razor, the old wedge blades made of Sheffield steel were marked with the words "cast steel" or "warranted." If you ever come across any antique straight razors and find those markings, then that razor was made in the late 1700s or early 1800s in England.

More Straight Razor History

Benjamin Huntsman Tribute by Malcolm Campbell, licensed under CC BY‑SA 2.0.
Source: Wikimedia Commons. Resize by Naked Armor

In 1740, another British man, Benjamin Huntsman, was making straight razors complete with decorated handles (scales). His blades were made from highly polished steel with a hollow grind, and he also made other steel products. Hunstman was an innovator who developed this process of manufacturing on his own. He poured molten steel into molds he'd made and then shaped the metalware, sometimes even including intricate decorative handles inlaid with precious metals such as silver, other precious stones, and horn.

His process also allowed him to make blades with a hollow ground blade profile, which basically is just a thinner edge of the blade than the earlier wedge blades, which could be crude.

The French quickly adopted Huntsman's process and became the dominant mode of production.

In the late 19th century, the production of straight razors shifted from manual to industrial, and straight razor manufacturers began to mass-produce them for the first time.

Why Did We Stop Using Straight Razors?

Vintage Kampfe Bros. Star Single Edge Safety Razor by Joe Haupt, licensed under CC BY‑SA 2.0.
Source: Wikimedia Commons

In the late 1800s, the Kampfe brothers had made headway on their new safety razor, which proposed an alternative to the straight razor. Their product would decrease the risk of cutting yourself without compromising the quality of the shave.

In 1904, King Camp Gillette patented the double-edged safety razor. He took the Kampfe brothers' basic design and made some changes, and his new product was revolutionary for two reasons. First, like the Kampfe product, men could shave at home without fear of cutting themselves. Additionally, the blades were disposable, which meant the user would never have to see a professional to have their blade stropped and honed.

With these new safety razors or the double-edge razor, you could do everything by yourself. Its rapid increase in popularity coincided with the decline in popularity of the straight razor.

The U.S. military even issued double-edged safety razors and disposable blades to its soldiers during the First World War, which was essentially the nail in the coffin for the straight razor. Shaving was actually very important for the soldiers because they needed a clean-shaven face for their gas masks to be completely effective.

After the war, many American men had a safety razor of their own and would only have to buy the replaceable blades.

Safety razors became the dominant shaving method of the twentieth century. Safety razors basically killed straight razors.

Electric razors were introduced to the market in 1930, and Bic introduced disposable razors in 1974. Convenience was becoming an American cultural priority, and in the following decades, straight razors eventually fell completely out of fashion.

Isn't it unsafe?

Jean-Jacques Perret invented a blade guard for the straight razor in 1762, and that kickstarted the transition away from relying exclusively on professional barbers for a shave, although men were still largely unconfident in their personal shaving expertise.

Perret's original blade guard was a wooden sleeve that slid over the majority of the blade, leaving only the sharp edge exposed. His design made it impossible to slice off your entire ear, but didn't prevent the routine nicks and cuts that only come with expertise and experience.

Are There Different Types of Blades?

A trio of craftsmanship—carbon, stainless, and Damascus steel blades, each with its own edge in performance and style.

Cutthroat razors, or the straight razor, are made of three different types of steel:

• Carbon steel
• Stainless steel
• Damascus steel

Compared to other metals available, a stainless steel blade is the best and most economical choice for a straight razor because it remains sharper and rust-free for a longer period. High-carbon steel is a great choice for beginners because it retains a sharper edge longer and is easy to strop. For a more luxurious option, the original Sheffield silver steel—famous for its durability and resistance to rust—is considered to be superior quality steel, and that's why the material is still used today, even after so many years.

What are the Handles "Scales" Made Of?

Most decorated handles today are made of durable woods, such as poplar, orange beechwood, French oak, and sometimes other more exotic woods. There are many variations, including high-grade resins. Traditionally, the handles of open razors were made from a variety of fascinating materials, including bone, elephant ivory, tortoiseshell, a mollusk shell known as "Mother of Pearl," and buffalo horn, among others.

In the late 21st century, poaching elephants for their ivory became illegal and closely monitored for reasons of animal cruelty. Many elephant species were becoming endangered. Today, it's illegal to kill an elephant for its ivory virtually everywhere, but it's not illegal to sell or buy an ivory-handled straight razor that was made before 1989.

For many reasons, those natural materials have become antiquated. However, the aesthetics have persisted, and today, cut-throat razors are made with faux or synthetic materials, such as high-grade resins—for example, high-grade ivory resin, faux tortoiseshell, and imitation pearl handles.

The Basic Anatomy of a Modern Razor

The two main parts of a straight razor are the blade and the handle. The end of the blade that connects to the handle is called the tang, and a pivot pin connects it.

When not in use, the blade folds back into the handle.

The "tang" is a metal extension of the blade that bridges the blade and the handle, and you grip it while shaving.

The tang is the closest part of the razor to the blade that isn't the blade itself, so holding the razor here while shaving allows for more precise control during shaving.

Sometimes the tang has some little horizontal divots and ridges for increased texture, so the razor doesn't slip in your fingers when it's wet. The divots and ridges are called the "jimps."

Many brands manufacture straight razors, and the product has a long history; therefore, variations are to be expected. However, both the tang and the jimps are consistent characteristics across brands and time.

The Process of Making a Straight Razor

A straight razor is forged, hardened, ground, finished, and sharpened into a precise shaving tool.
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels

Step 1: Forging

The steel is melted and shaped into the shape of a blade, and before the metal has hardened, they drill a hole toward the end of the blade (the tang of the pivot point, if we're getting technical) where the blade will connect to the handle.

Step 2: Hardening and tempering

Depending on the specific steel or type of metal, the blade is heated to a particular temperature, then cooled, to achieve the optimum hardness. The tempering phase is essentially the fine-tuning process; the blade is placed in hot oil to make it slightly less hard, and this process can be extended to make the blade even softer. Blades are usually categorized as hard-tempered, medium-tempered, or soft-tempered.

Step 3: Grinding

The manufacturer uses a grinding wheel to sharpen the blade. There are multiple types of approaches to grinding, which means the edge of the blade comes in different shapes. Early straight razors had wedge-shaped blades, which could be crude, but the dominant shape has evolved into hollow grinding. Hollow ground blades are just a thinner razor edge. Hollow ground blades are sharper than the wedge and allow for a closer and more specific shave.

Step 4: Finishing

The manufacturer applies a gloss, which enhances both durability and aesthetics. Some glosses are more expensive and higher quality than others; the most expensive one is the mirror gloss. The Sheffield blades were renowned for their highly polished steel, featuring a deep gloss finish. In some cases, the blades' appearance is even further enhanced by processes like a gold wash, which gives the blade a glossy finish of solid gold. Other metal plating is sometimes done as well, using nickel or copper, but this process is outdated due to its low quality; those metals erode quickly.

Step 5: Sharpening

Sharpening happens periodically. In contrast to safety razors, which have disposable blades that are easily replaced, straight razors are purchased once and then require ongoing maintenance. Sharpening is primarily a professional service. The blade is honed against the flat side of rotating round stones, and then it has to be finished with a strop. It's a whole process, which is an important part of why the straight razor lapsed in popularity; it's a hassle and requires extra steps that other razors don't. But some people still do it all themselves at home anyway.

So, are Straight Razors Really Better?

Yes.

The quality of the shave is higher, and the shave is extremely close. Because the blade is so exposed, you have full control over your shave. You can find the angle that works best for you and get as close or as far as you want to your face.

Men who use straight razors say the shave is closer and smoother than electric or cartridge systems, and is better for their skin. The multi-blade cartridge razors interact with your skin more aggressively and can leave razor bumps, but that's not an issue with the straight razor.

Straight razors also cover more ground in a single stroke because the cutting edge is so much longer than the cartridge razor, for example, which generally has three or four blades packed into a cartridge—all very short in length.

You don't have to rinse the straight razor from shaving soap as often during a shave. The shaving cream or shaving soap tends to accumulate on the blade; simply wipe and move on.

Straight razors, although a more expensive initial purchase, are actually a more economical option than most other razors because you never have to buy replacements or worry about how often you should change blades. There are, of course, other products that you have to buy with straight razors, depending on how involved of a process you want your shave to be. Straight razors also have to be stropped and honed, which comes with a price.

A nice straight razor can last decades. Of course, it must be maintained, but if you find a straight razor you like, you can keep it for life. Around the time of its inception, straight razors were commonly family heirlooms, passed from father to son as a coming-of-age gift when the time for a boy to shave finally arrived.

Another important modern implication: By using straight razors, you avoid the ethical and aesthetic nightmare associated with disposability. Landfills everywhere must be filled with countless disposable razors, all different colors, some sharp, some dull. It's a terrible image.

What Shaving Products are Essential for Straight Razor Shaving?

If you want to strop and hone your straight razor yourself. You should start with the basic supplies:

• Shaving cream or shaving soap
• A high-quality shaving brush
• A styptic pencil for nicks and cuts
• A moisturizer for the after-shave routine
• A strop or sharpening stone
• Sharpening paste or honing oil

Can I Get a Straight Razor Shave From a Barber Today?

The answer is maybe. Many states across the U.S. have actually made it illegal for barbers to shave their clients with straight razors.

They cite health concerns associated with reusing the same blade repeatedly and consequently require a razor with a disposable blade.

In Pennsylvania and Texas, though, straight razors in barbershops are legal, and tradition has been preserved. The practice is also legal in all of Turkey, Australia, and New Zealand.

More Straight Razor Articles

Straight Razor Shaving Guide: Get the Closest, Smoothest Shave in 2025
Shaving with a Straight Razor - Why You Should Use a Straight Razor?
The Anatomy of a Straight Razor

References

1. Jancer, M. (2016, September 29). The Straight-Razor Start-Up Package. Outside. https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-gear/tools/straight-razor-start-package