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World’s first 20-bladed razor:

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Shaving technology | The cutting edge | Economist.com

IT TOOK a leisurely 70 years after King Gillette invented the safety razor for someone to come up with the idea that twin blades might be—or, at least sell—better. Since then, the pace of change has accelerated, as blade after blade has been added to razors in an attempt to tech-up the “shaving experience”.For the most cynical shavers, this evolution is mere marketing. Twin blades seemed plausible. Three were a bit unlikely. Four, ridiculous. And five seems beyond the pale. Few people, though, seem willing to bet that Gillette’s five-bladed Fusion is the end of the road for razor-blade escalation. More blades may seem impossible for the moment—though strictly speaking the Fusion has six, because it has a single blade on its flip-side for tricky areas—but anyone of a gambling persuasion might want to examine the relationship between how many blades a razor has, and the date each new design was introduced.

This relationship (see chart) suggests shavers are going to get more blades whether they need them or not. However, just like Moore’s law—the observation that computer chips double in power every 18 months or so—it seems that technology as well as marketing determines the rate at which new blades are introduced.

Of course, The Politburo Diktat is ahead of the curve on this.

Comments

  1. rbj wrote:

    Gosh, remember the old SNL skit where Dan Akroyd was selling a 3 bladed razor? And that was satire.

  2. Ken wrote:

    I just tried the new 5-bladed razor, and I have to admit it shaves very well. How much better than the old 4 bladed one? I don’t know, but does fell smoother.