Thread: Straight Razor use as a weapon?

Hey guys, I know this is a sticky subject, but I've heard some stories of England and the old American South about there being "razor gangs" and such and people hacking each other to pieces with these things. But I've also heard that straights don't make good weapons as they don't lock and are brittle. Now I'm unsure of who to believe, but because of terms of the " Glasgow Grin" and "The Chelsea Smile," I'm inclined to believe these stories and no doubt, when looking at the blade of the straight, I can't help but get a little jittery if someone ill-intentioned was holding one of these things. What do you guys think? Are these stories overworked fairy tales of the straight's heyday? Or are they truly representative of the classic gang weapon we use to shave our faces with? I'll leave it to the expertise and generosity of this forum to answer my question . Thanks.

I reckon if you had someone from behind you could really do some damage to the front of their neck , and if you were being attacked it could prove handy although it wouldn't be a weapon of choice.

Not really a weapon of mass destruction.

Wouldn't want to shave with it after either, I think it would take more than a couple of strokes on the Norton to get it back into shape.

Personally I think a straight would make a very poor weapon in a knife fight. Not that I get myself into knife fights nor really know what I'm talking about. This is all theory.

A straight razor cuts so cleanly that your opponent would hardly feel it. He'd just keep comming until he gets to you (and I'd hate to think what might happen then) or perhaps bleeds out (which would likely take a few minutes anyway) if you manage to achieve any critical wounds. I don't even know what the chances are of that since we're dealing with a very short blade with an even shorter handle (the shank) and no point for impaling. Like drsch says, you'd also ruin the edge and that's blasphemy.

Now for the sheer terror it might inflict in someone it could operate as an effective deterent to an attacker perhaps making them think twice. If you're really really good with one (is that possible?) it might become a deterent as your oponent watches pieces of himself fall away.

A hundred years ago it's the sort of thing that might not be regarded instantly as a weapon by the police, but a tool that everybody used. It's a bit under the radar that way, but I also suspect any reasonable detective would be wise to it.

I also agree with drsch that the other thing it would be good for is taking people unawares, but then only if you're an assassin and there's any number of other blades which would work equally well if not better.

All in all, I'd say that although it's probably happened sometime, it's the stuff of macabre, fanciful stories. Just as we see the straight razor ill presented in the movies time and again, so before the picture shows came along there were word of mouth tales to the same effect. 99.9% of the time a razor was only ever used for shaving.

X

I already mentioned that razors make very shitty weapons.
There are some awfully skilled knife fighters, and I am sure that they could use a razor to slice you in ribbons faster than you can say Aaaargh...gargle..sigh...

But for the less skilled, a razor is as dangerous to the attacker as to the victim.

Of course, they could always beat someone up first, and then use the razor afterwards.

They were used to disfigure members of opposing gangs in Chelsea, Glasgow and I'm sure quite a few other places by giving them permanent smiles, but that occurred only when they had the poor bastard under control. Yes, it can be used as a weapon in a fight (almost anything can) but due to the delicate edge, zero stabbing ability and 270 degree swivel, it wouldn't bee too practical.

I have heard repeatedly they were carried by many inner city gangs to dispatch their enemies, but as already posted they are pretty useless until the opponant is under control.

I think in general knives are weapons of last choice because you have to be so close to the person you're attacking ---it can easily be turned against you. Add to this the skill needed with a razor, it doesn't seem like a very good weapon --maybe a weapon for pure self defense to allow yourself to get away but not as an attack weapon. After the fight and the adrenaline has gotten back to normal, you might realize that you have done as much damage to yourself. I think these "grins" and "smiles" we're talking about were done after the guy was dead ---kind of like a "we were here" type of thing.

in my opinion the razor would make a poor weapon unless of course as someone mentioned coming from behind and going from west to east on their main vein.

you'd be amazed how much damage a comb will do....figure hooking the facial skin and tearing away = more damage than slicing.

looking at my face when i first used a straight, i'd be more worried if it WASN'T shave ready!!

I carried one when I was a teenager and worked and hung around with friends on Grimsby Docks ( it was damn rough and violent place in a fishing town), It isn't something I'm proud of 30 years on; So this post is merely to show how dangerous it can be.

I was a 'pretty boy' back then which casued problems for me in the bars and after being involved in a few fights with drunk fisherman and dockers, when I 'd had knives and saps used against me, I decided to I needed something as a last ditch weapon for self defence, an older 'teddy boy' suggested and showed different ways of useing the straight razor - so I started carrrieing it in 2 small elastic loops stitched under the collar of my jacket .

It could be reached really quickly, deployed by a spin of my wrist and a forward flip brought it against my opponents body. I practiced the move hundreds of times and used it twice.
both situations stopped me being killed; once where a fisherman had me against a wall, with a filleting knife to my face and me gripping his knife wrist, the razor went through his jacket and jumper and into his forearm to the bone, he let go and I ran to get away from him leaving the razor wedged in his arm and the second time was when a drunk docker tried to drown me and got a slashed open wrist for his troubles .