Quote Originally Posted by fmlondon View Post
Thank you for that very comprehensive answer. I guess my primary question would be, when was the modern straight razor invented? Was it in the 17th century or the 18th century? From the little I read, Huntsman's steel was the first steel used, but it seems as though I am mistaken. When I said "modern steel," that is what I meant. Was that Dutch razor steel?

Thank you again!
I'm really happy to answer. It's, probably obviously, a question I've asked myself.

When was the recognizably modern razor invented? Before 1650 is the best answer I can give.

Was the Dutch razor made from steel? Almost certainly. Steel is far, far older.

King Porus gave Alexander the great 30 pounds of steel some time before 300 BC. It was produced in India, then. It's been in use since.

We can safely assume that steel wasn't as good, but a clue to understand your question is that the Sheffield guilds specifically had rules in place in the early 1700's that prohibited making items from iron that should be steel (like knives and razors). Steel has been used for a very, very long time.