Thread: Why is a str8 razor called str8???

I'm guessing because long time ago, it consisted of just a piece of straight metal and nothing else.

I'm pretty sure they've only ever been referred to as "str8 razors" since the advent of Internet forums.

This one came up recently on another forum. Somebody wondered why the term "cut throat" never seems to crop up in serious discussions of razors, and the general feeling was that "straight" seems to be a comparatively recent usage. I don't mind what they're called particularly, but in all fairness, I haven't got one which is by any means straight in any direction, so the term is a little strange. "Cut throat" is what most non enthusiasts over here tend to call them, which I'd guess is fairly typical example of British humour dating back to the early 20th century when the need to differentiate an open razor from a safety razor first arose.

I think that back a couple centuries ago it was just 'razor' but took on the term 'straight razor' to differentiate itself from the safety razors that often times bent it's blade into a bow.

Safety razors bend their blades to achieve their angle, straight razors do not.

Sometimes I wonder in this day in age where so much knowledge has been lost and where we try to explain all things great and small,that maybe this might be a case of overthinking. Maybe there was just the one type of razor and someone just thought it sounded good as straight razor and nothing more complex than just that ?? Just sayin .

Although I cannot say when the term "straight razor" came into use, I do know that this form has also been referred to as a "folding razor" as well as an "open razor".

You must also bear in mind that when the term "safety razor" also used to refer to a regular straight razor having some sort of built in comb or guard to prevent the blade from accidentally biting deeply into the skin.

And to clarify the point. NO, razors have definitely not always been straight in form.

If you go back in history to the earliest forms of shaving, using sharp shells, or pieces of knapped flint or volcanic glass, then it will be obvious that these shaving devices were anything but straight.

Moving forward on the time line into the bronze age, we find razors used by the Egyptians which tended to be a cross between a lotus flower and an axe head. Razors in Ancient Egypt

The razors from the old Scandinavian cultures also tended to be curved.File:Bronze age Razor - Firse sten Passage grave Falköping Sweden.jpg - Wikimedia Commons

Witness the fan shape of the ancient Roman razor shown on this page: Antiquities

And I could go on...

Bear in mind that earlier civilizations were not so fixated on the idea of "straight line=good".

Many modern manufacturing methods make a straight edge seem like the best answer, but this is not necessarily so for all things.

My preference, in particular, is for a razor with a good bit of smile.

All hail the curve!

Can it be that the thing is called a straight razor, because the most of them have a straight edge, so "everyone" can hone the thing on a simple stone?

The framebacks I have are pretty difficult to get sharp because of the rounded edge.

I suggest to use the term straight razor for the one with the straight edge and frameback for the frameback and as a general term cutthroat or open razor (where is the irony-smily??) .

In response to ignatz......that was cool ! I checked out the roman razor and could see shaving with that in my mind. Is there no end to shaving obsession??.....Let's all hope not . Cheers,that was very enlightening.

I believe it went like this:

Originally there were "razors", that were what we know today as a straight razor.

Then the "hoe" style safety razor was invented. The razor had a 90 degree angle, or greater, so it can be used by the person shaving themselves easier. Naturally, the names "angled", or "bent", or "broken", or "obtuse", didn't make much sense. Since the blade was protected and since rust was easily preventable the name "safety" seems to have caught on pretty well.

So we have two razors, those that are "safety" razors, and those that were "straight".

This prevented the terms "unstraight" or "unsafety", which I'm sure we all appreciate.

Originally Posted by AFDavis11

This prevented the terms "unstraight" or "unsafety", which I'm sure we all appreciate.

Thanks, man! I love starting the day with a good laugh! Cheers!