what course is this for? I write mostly for History and a little for Anthropology and English; the styles can vary considerably. If you aren't used to writing 3000 word essays you might think you'll need to fill it in with extra background information. The history of production, though interesting, doesn't sound like it lends to your argument although it certainly is needed to set it up. The transition in production from straights to double-edges, to disposables and multiple strip blades took place first through the industrial revolution and then in the modern Time-is-Money mentality. This shift was driven by profitablilty and marketability which left the product as, what we here believe to be, inferior but convenient. I wouldn't give a section like this more than 400 words but it would set up how the product became inferior, all you would have to do then is prove that it is; and oh the reasons are vast!
Maybe your reader might benefit from an objective test; try shaving with different razors (a straight, a double, a disposable, a "premium" cartridge) and rate the closeness, comfort, and general excellence of each. One of the key pleasures I read about in the straight and DE world is the end of razor burn, but is this really blade related or is it a product of the wet soap? Canned shaving creams contain a bunch of crap which has always bothered my skin.
Anyway I found a source for the environmental aspect here: How to Use a Straight Razor I found this link through Wikipedia Edit: this links to an article from 1972 reposted there, might not be a good source.
I also thought I would mention that if you switch to using Google's chrome browser or Firefox they have built in spell checkers, this is what I do instead of composing messages in Word first.
Good work on getting a jump on your research, I usually leave it with only a couple weeks to go. Right now I'm writing a paper due on Monday regarding the failure of Jacobite forces, in 1745, of overthrowing King George the Deuce.
