Straight razor

Solid gold and copper razors were also found in Ancient Egyptian tombs dating back to the 4th millennium BC.

By 1740, Benjamin Huntsman was making straight razors complete with decorated handles and hollow-ground blades made from cast steel, using a process he invented.

In England, razor manufacturers were even more reluctant than the French to adopt Huntsman's steel-making process and only did so after they saw its success in France.

After their introduction in 1680, straight razors became the principal method of manual shaving for more than two hundred years, and remained in common use until the mid-20th century.

[9] Sales started increasing since the product was featured in the 2012 James Bond film Skyfall and have remained high since.

Excavations in Egypt have unearthed solid gold and copper razors in tombs dating back to the 4th millennium BC.

The Roman historian Livy reported that the razor was introduced in ancient Rome in the 6th century BC by legendary king Lucius Tarquinius Priscus.

[18] By 1740, Benjamin Huntsman was making straight razors complete with decorated handles and hollow-ground blades made from cast steel, using a process he invented.

[19] After their introduction in 1680, straight razors became the principal method of manual shaving for more than two hundred years, and remained in common use until the mid-20th century.

As the grind gets more hollowed, the blade becomes more flexible and the edge more delicate, making it shave closer but require more skill in sharpening and use, and reducing its suitability for heavy beards.

A thick strip of metal running transversely at the junction where the main blade attaches to the shank is called the stabiliser.

The first stabiliser is usually very narrow and thicker and runs at the shank-to-blade junction, covering the shank and just spilling over to the shoulder.

[32] A proper amount of tension should be present, for safety reasons, to ensure that the blade does not spin freely when opening or closing.

[36] Following the processes of hardening and tempering, the blanks are ground, according to the two fundamental blade cross sectional area profiles.

[13][22] Nickel-plated blades are very difficult to hone repeatedly and are made for mainly aesthetic reasons though lacking functionality.

[37] Handle scales are made of various materials, including mother-of-pearl, Bakelite, celluloid, bone, plastic, wood, horn, acrylic, ivory and tortoise shell.

[38] Resin impregnated wooden handles are water resistant, do not deform and their weight complements the blade's to provide good overall balance for the razor.

The wider the blade, the greater the thermal deformation that can occur due to changing temperatures, a fact that can lead to loss of edge sharpness.

[49] The degree of hollowness and thus the cross sectional area (thickness) of the blade vary depending on the grinding method used.

[38] In addition to the transverse stabiliser, a longitudinal stabiliser is sometimes created in the form of a ridge parallel to the cutting edge and the blade is ground in two areas or bevels, each with different degrees of hollowness or curvature; the area between the back of the blade and the ridge is typically less hollow featuring a larger radius of curvature, also called the "belly",[47] and the area between the ridge and the cutting edge which is more hollow i.e. with a smaller radius of curvature.

These two beveled areas have different curvatures and in a well-made razor they transition seamlessly in the ridge (belly) and the cutting edge respectively.

Full hollow indicates that the stabilizing ridge is very close to the midsection of the blade and the farthest from the cutting edge compared to the other grades.

[38] A partially hollow blade (1⁄2 or 1⁄4 for example) cannot sustain the same degree of sharpness for as long, because as the cutting edge erodes it can eventually reach the stabilising ridge faster where there is more material and thus the cutting-edge bevel cannot be maintained without excessive honing of the stabilising ridge to remove the additional material, which could also destabilise the rest of the blade.

The blade is moved in a slightly diagonal direction so to give every point of the edge a chance to touch the strop, without applying too much pressure.

[54][55] Strops prepared with pastes containing fine grit are also used for honing but are not recommended for the inexperienced user, as they can easily rake off the edge if they apply the wrong amount or exert too much pressure.

[30][64] Straight razors are also much easier to clean and can handle tougher shaving tasks, such as longer facial hair, than modern multi-blade razors, which tend to trap shaving debris between their tightly packed blades and are easily clogged, even with relatively short stubble.

Owing to health concerns, some areas require barbers who provide straight-razor shaving to use a version that employs a disposable or changeable blade system.

Various jurisdictions in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Turkey and the United States, however, permit the professional use of straight razors.

[73] Online straight razor retailers have reported increased sales ranging from 50% to over 400% due to the exposure generated by the film.

[73] The phenomenon seems to be driven by renewed nostalgia for things retro such as the straight razor which evokes simpler notions of the past such as the "macho" image associated with its use and also the skill required to shave with it which can be a source of pride.