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

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!