Thread: What's silver steel and what's it doing in my razor?

According to the link (The book “Michael Faraday” By Silvanus Phillips Thompson), Faraday would occasionally present to one of his friends a razor made from his own special steel, It may have been the Silver Steel he invented. There is no mention Silver Steel used in the production of razors; it would be too expensive with no better effect than other alloys.

If there were razors produced with “Silver Steel” there could not have been many (add to that the few Sterling Silver handled razors we see popping up on eBay), a negligible quantity compared to the other countless numbers made with more suitable alloys.

Neil, we are still friends… and I concede that "Silver Steel" does exist, but Silver is/was too expensive to be used in an everyday item such as a razor (remember back in those days a straight razor was as ubiquitous as a butcher knife).

My only point is… we all know human nature, Silver is Silver, it is valuable. Even the word “Silver” is valuable, and the shiny polished blade with “Silver Steel” in the description will conjure in the minds of the purchaser the idea of a “Higher Quality” item in which the best care, precision and materials was invested to producing it.

The word “Silver” adds value… that’s marketing.

Which one would you most likely buy?

PRESHARPENED DOVO Genuine Ebony & "Drill Rod Steel" 5/8 ($134.99)
or
PRESHARPENED DOVO Genuine Ebony & "Silver Steel" 5/8 ($134.99)