Dovo razors strops and accessories - get your Dovo razor here!
King Camp Gillette. A remarkable name and certainly a remarkable man, Gillette lived
for many years in the shadow of his parents, who were by all accounts talented inventors.
Shown right is the original patent application for Gillette’s new razor (note the
category headings!). Born in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, Gillette reputedly got the idea
for his razor from the owner of the company he then worked for - the Crown Cork &
Seal Co. - when told to invent something that people would use then throw away. The
patent was granted in 1901. The razors began selling in 1903, when Gillette was
48. The rest is history.
On the face of it, safety razors were a great idea. Easy to use, no tiresome stropping
needed, they quickly caught on and from there it seemed that the straight razor was
doomed. The safety razor carried all the hallmarks of consumerism - and indeed, Gillette’s
ploy of selling the razor cheaply and the blades less so (against all advice from
his associates) was a marketing masterstroke, so often copied and still a valid sales
mechanism today (do you have a modern safety razor? How much are the blades?). And
yet - from the ashes rises the phoenix. Whilst modern disposable razors offer men
the quick fix, the easy smoothness of face that we’re told is de rigueur , it would
seem that not all men want this - hence the recent resurgence in the use of straight
razors. No bits of plastic and teflon-coated steel to chuck in a landfill. No easy
fix for that infernal stubble. Just a partner for life. Take your choice!
That’s not to say that all safety razors are dismal hunks of plastic. Take a look
at some of the models below . Well-engineered tools, quite beautifully made in a
blend of brass, steel and (okay) plastic. These old safety razors were often a design
statement in their own right!
Not that we don’t appreciate these razors. The models below are certainly not ‘throw-aways’
- only the blades were at this time disposable. And they’re just as usable now as
on the day they were made, hence their enduring popularity and collectability.
In order to comply with current requirements, products on this page are not for sale
to anyone under the age of eighteen. Please also note that we neither warrant nor
imply that any of these products are fit for their original purpose and they are
therefore sold purely as collector’s pieces.
Single-edged razor from Ever Ready in red/black Bakelite case -
Ever Ready single-edged razor with original blades.
Myatt Minor - the ‘Hygienic Safety Razor’.
The Souplex razor - Morecambe’s finest!
Beautiful Wilkinson Sword single-edged razor with Tom Beasley blade - arguably the
World’s Finest!
