Thread: If you were going to make a production razor...

Originally Posted by MattCB

Do you think that a razor aimed at the "starter" crowd could demand a better price and still sell well? I don't own any new straight razors and usually get price shy at about $60 to $70 (but I'm cheap )

I think it would be better to keep it lower, greatly more difficult, but would probably convince more gifts and men to start. Something in the range of 2-3 packs of carts would make cheapskates like you and I jump over more easily.

Originally Posted by MattCB

I think it's possible. China can turn out quality merchandise... you just have to be willing to pay for it. I think the hardest part (And what makes all of the Gold Dollars and others such a crap shoot) is the quality control in the heat treatment and grinding.

I saw a video of the Dovo factory that showed how they stamp thier blanks. I assume that the initial up front cost of such a machine would make it unattainable for most people/companies.

Stamping is expensive because of the machine and the molds. Purchasing a machine that can produces tons of force (literally) is close to top tier in price. It would be cheap in the long run, but there's a reason why it is common in cutlery and automotive manufacturers. Not sure that level of scale would be feasible...

Actually, to keep costs down, stamping IS the most affordable way to go in a mass production plan. Heat treating in large amount of "batches". The only part by hand would be very minor finishing, assembly, and honing. Making a razor below $100 US would be a almost magical feat.

Grinding would have to be kept a minimum, any grinding is typically the most expensive operation. Grinding time can be reduced with some dedicated fixturing to simplify manual grinding and/or CNC grinding. Products my company makes are ground +/- 0.01mm over 500mm, so accurate machine grinding is feasible but all those parts are flat surfaces.

- Based on this, would you shoot for offering a 1/4 grind razor, or even a "near" wedge? Less grinding would be required. I know quite a few custom/small batch makers are make 1/4 ground razors (PRC comes to mind).


Water-jet is not always the cheapest solution, usually used for accuracy and good finishes or companies that want to be fancy with buzzwords for the sale/marketing department. Initial material removal for grinding operation may also be possible. One would have to do cost analysis of laser/plasma cutting and the time required to clean the blank versus water-jet. It would probably be smart to look at making a 2.5" edge for cost savings instead of the more common ~3". This will be even more important in economies of scale, since we're talking a mass produced razor. I'm emphasizing cost in this argument, not time. You could easily purchase thousands a day from a company that does this operations full-time and even though this is hypothetically for mass production, time would only truly be a factor if we were to have the actual machine and running at full capacity. Even if that was the case, honing would still be the greatest bottleneck IMO.

- Would plasma cutting have any effect on the heat treatment / carbon issues on the edge of the blade? Maybe a secondary procedure to remove 1/16 of an inch (if it is an issue). Hypothetically, I could see a shop contracting this step out for time and monetary savings, at least at first.

Heat treatment could be batch done, best to do in house for consistency and control.

- Makes sense

CAD design would be exorbitantly easy, would take me a couple days with revisions and aesthetic changes.

- Agreed

I think the nail/pin idea for the scales is a good idea as well as plastic injection molding for scales. The mold is the most expensive part by far. If a company is found to already have a mold, prices would be dramatically lowered. CNC or 3d printed scales would be more expensive.

- From what I have read, the mold would be a one time cost to have made. So once up and running it would be pretty cheap per scale.

Honing is something that I am not sure about. It could be possible to create a fixture for a machine that does flat grinding to get the bevel set or close enough to make manual honing faster. I feel like improvements to this process would be a make/or break area.

- Off hand I feel this could possibly be the most time intensive area for a production line set up. I think some kind of flat grinding would greatly help reduce the time needed. I think larger "bench" sized hones and bench strops (or maybe a belt run strop) would help with this as well.

Sorry for engineering out on you boys

- This was a GREAT answer, thanks for moving the conversation forward

Originally Posted by ScottGoodman

Actually, to keep costs down, stamping IS the most affordable way to go in a mass production plan. Heat treating in large amount of "batches". The only part by hand would be very minor finishing, assembly, and honing. Making a razor below $100 US would be a almost magical feat.

- I THINK it's possible, but I don't know if it's FEASIBLE with the quantity you would need to be able to turn out. At least not for someone starting out. I think any major cutlery company could do it.

What would you all think would be the easiest/most repeatable grind to produce? How about shoulder style?

My opinion(s)
1) Grind: To keep it simple I would offer a 1/4 hollow grind (maybe expand to a near wedge soon after) to minimize the amount of time needed to remove metal.
2) Shoulder: I think having a shoulderless grind would be simpler and all that is needed for a 1/4 hollow or a near wedge.

Originally Posted by RezDog

Well I think marketing is a big part also. There are tons of inexpensive vintage razors out there all cleaned up and shave ready.

I agree about the vintage razors being available. The difference like you said is the marketing. Having a single name on identical razors that will be the exact same level of quality no matter where you purchase it is what make the sales. While most of us who frequent this forum can evaluate vintage razors and tell a winner from a dud, most folks new to the hobby don't have any idea.

[QUOTE=MattCB;1628737]

- Based on this, would you shoot for offering a 1/4 grind razor, or even a "near" wedge? Less grinding would be required. I know quite a few custom/small batch makers are make 1/4 ground razors (PRC comes to mind).
I think that this would be ideal.

- Would plasma cutting have any effect on the heat treatment / carbon issues on the edge of the blade? Maybe a secondary procedure to remove 1/16 of an inch (if it is an issue). Hypothetically, I could see a shop contracting this step out for time and monetary savings, at least at first.
Plasma and laser cutting will put heat into the material. ~1/16th to 1/8th of material would be discolored, based on A36 steel that I have had cut with those methods. The depth of heat and it's issue with heat treating the steel is not something I am capable of answering. Those methods melt the material, so it is generating alot of heat. Probably removing the material would be best. This might be a pro for stamping or water-jet, depending on the cost savings of removing the heated material versus high initial cost and higher cost process.

- From what I have read, the mold would be a one time cost to have made. So once up and running it would be pretty cheap per scale.
True, but sourcing a current manufacturer with the mold would avoid this cost altogether. I had a manager that works in the plastic injection industry and a quick quote for a plas-inj mold is $500k to $1mil. Plus trouble shooting the heating/cooling of the plastic entering said mold. It is a simple design, so it shouldn't need to much trouble shooting.

- Off hand I feel this could possibly be the most time intensive area for a production line set up. I think some kind of flat grinding would greatly help reduce the time needed. I think larger "bench" sized hones and bench strops (or maybe a belt run strop) would help with this as well.
I agree completely.

Originally Posted by MattCB

What would you all think would be the easiest/most repeatable grind to produce? How about shoulder style?

My opinion(s)
1) Grind: To keep it simple I would offer a 1/4 hollow grind (maybe expand to a near wedge soon after) to minimize the amount of time needed to remove metal.
2) Shoulder: I think having a shoulderless grind would be simpler and all that is needed for a 1/4 hollow or a near wedge.

I agree with the grind.

Shoulderless would be simpler and one less things new honers have to worry about

Originally Posted by ScottGoodman

Actually, to keep costs down, stamping IS the most affordable way to go in a mass production plan. Heat treating in large amount of "batches". The only part by hand would be very minor finishing, assembly, and honing. Making a razor below $100 US would be a almost magical feat.

It would be a difficult task, but I think that in this thought experiment, a much larger volume could be sold by breaking that price point.

Stamping is an affordable process. However, cold-stamping would induce alot of stress that would have to be removed through additional heating or work the material hot which would require additional machinery and a "well-oiled" process.