Thread: The Truth About The Barber's Notch

Wouldn't a panish point be even better for that kind of fine shaving work?

Originally Posted by Bruno

Wouldn't a panish point be even better for that kind of fine shaving work?

Panish point?

Just by looking at the older Sheffield styles, it seems like the notch and the spanish points may have separately evolved from points like these



Maybe with the advent of better hollowing technique using smaller wheels, the small wheels were naturally used to accent the razor design by creating smaller and differently sized notches in later years. This is all conjecture of course, just like everything else you've read regarding the supposedly original purpose of the barber's notches. But just like with the rest of the straight razor (no training wheels, you get full control), how you use it and how effective you want it to be is totally up to you

PS something else that is interesting to note is the comparative lives of barbers notches and the threads devoted to them. Just like the notches themselves, the threads have no apparent origin and cannot be definitively answered, yet they remain popular and are sure to keep popping up in the days, months, and years to come. Thank you Jimmy for creating another equally unique* entry in the neverending barber notch discussion book

For an explanation of the REAL real deal on the barber's notch go to this thread (just replace the word scuttle with barbers notch) here. The first person with a dozen threads dedicated to the barbers notch wins!




* the phrase "equally unique" is mine and mine alone. If you want a cool phrase too, you'll have to come up with something equally unique - er... hmm.

Can't we at least agree to call it by it's real name ??? and I think once we do, then we can simply ask the same question of all points..

What is the purpose of the
*Hollow Point aka Barber's Notch
Round point
Square point
Spike point
Spanish point
French/Oblique point
Dreadnought point
Etc: etc:

I tend to agree with the Hoglahoo if you start looking at the points on razors starting at 1800 you can kinda see a pattern there



*As of this point in time no one has ever found a pre-1970's factory or advertising reference to the name "Barber's Notch" in the old references they are called either Hollow Point or Hollow Notch razors...

Dutch point, aka Round point.

The point is ..... Glen's post listing the various styles illustrates ... the point .... that they were modified with a purpose in mind. IMO anyway. A Spanish or Oblique, a hollow, or a spike. The round is/was probably for safety and speed while a barber's notch ..... more correctly called a hollow for maneuvering around nostrils and a French or a Spanish for reaching difficult areas more efficiently. Just thinking these various points were motivated out of a utilitarian motive rather than style.

Is there a reason why a certain point has a geographical name attached to it?
I mean, it would be an interesting research line. Is the geographical attribution due to the place where it has been invented? Or to the place where it was, at a certain moment through history, a state of the art shape? Specialized producers? Some very old urban legend? Or what else?
Has anybody ever investigated on this?
It could be a lot of fun...

I'm flabbergasted that after all this time, when these threads come up, people still forget the Lou point! And I think therein lies the secret to the points. Lots of old 19th century dudes, sitting around over a quiet tankard or two in the local hostelry, trying to one-up each other over who can come up with the funniest razor nose. Parchment and charcoal are called for, and the rest, as they say, is history.

James.

It would be useful to extend and slightly spoon out the spine half of that hollow point, so it could have a scooping action.

Originally Posted by roughkype

It would be useful to extend and slightly spoon out the spine half of that hollow point, so it could have a scooping action.

I think I see where you're going with this. If we could also somehow incorporate a bell with which to ring the butler, it would be perfect

I eat pie with mine...I mean, wait, what are we talking about?


Still the best argument I've heard for the notch is NOT nose hair trimming. Noses vary too greatly, and a French/Spanish point razor would do as good or better a job. Not to mention that as long as there have been scissors, they've made small narrow pairs for trimming noses, pairs that work in small noses as well as bigguns! No, the best argument I've heard is that the notches were a development by post-war amputees for opening the razor; which is surprisingly hard to do one handed without a notch, particularly with a round pointed blade. The utility of said modification was not lost on manufacturers who then produced notch point razors. Eventually the more marketable segment for said razors was the barber, who still had use for such notched razors after King G's invention became the more logical choice for the shaving impaired. The result then was that the notch was associated with those who most commonly owned and used them: barbers.