Thread: Honing the barber's notch

I think the barbers notch harkens back to the days when barbers were also surgeons. The profile of the toe matches the profile of a scalpel. Looks just like the scalpel blades I used to geld boar pigs and bull calves. The Spanish point mimics the lancet or bleeding point. This may just be a romantic notion (classical allusion) but I kind of like the idea of the continuing blade shapes based on tradition.

Originally Posted by Kyguns

I think the barbers notch harkens back to the days when barbers were also surgeons. The profile of the toe matches the profile of a scalpel. Looks just like the scalpel blades I used to geld boar pigs and bull calves. The Spanish point mimics the lancet or bleeding point. This may just be a romantic notion (classical allusion) but I kind of like the idea of the continuing blade shapes based on tradition.

I really like this explanation, might keep it as my reason until further evidence of the origins of the blade shapes comes to light.

According to my 75 year old barber from Italy, he did use the barbers notch when trimming nostril hairs. (scary) So that is at least one of the purposes of it.