Razor razors were the most common form of shaving before the 20th century and remained common in many countries until the 1950s. Barbers were specially trained to give customers a thorough and quick shave, and a collection of straight razors ready for use was a common sight in most barbershops. Barbers still have them, but they use them less often. Straight razors eventually fell out of fashion. Their first challenger was manufactured by King C. Gillette: a double-edged safety razor with replaceable blades. Gillette's idea was the use of the "loss leader" concept, in which the razors were sold at a
Razor whole straight-razor shaving kit can exceed the cost of even an expensive electric razor. Straight razors with open steel blades, also commonly known as cut-throats, were the most commonly used razors before the 20th century. Straight razors consist of a blade sharpened on one edge. The blade can be made of either high carbon steel, which is slower to hone and strop, and holds an edge longer, or stainless steel, which hones and strops quickly, but has a less durable edge. At present, stainless-steel razors are harder to find than carbon steel, but both remain in production. The blade rotates