Safety razor become locked into buying their proprietary cartridges, for as long as the manufacturer continues to make them. Subsequent to introducing the higher-priced Mach3 in 1998, Gillette's blade sales realized a 50% increase, and profits increased in an otherwise mature market. The marketing of increasing numbers of blades in a cartridge has been parodied since the 1970s. The debut episode of "Saturday Night Live" in 1975 included a parody advertisement for the Triple Trac Razor, shortly after the first two-blade cartridge for men's razors was advertised. "Mad" magazine announced the "Trac 76", arranged as a chain of cartridges with a handle
Razor blade steel Razor blade steel Razor blade steel, also known as razor steel, is special type of stainless steel designed specifically to be used as a razor blade. Its defining characteristics are its chemical composition and shape. Jindal Stainless is the world's largest producer of razor blade stainless steel. Razor blade steel is a martensitic stainless steel with a composition of chromium between 12 and 14.5%, a carbon content of approximately 0.6%, and the remainder iron and trace elements. The United States International Trade Commission defines that the shape of the material must be flat rolled coils that are not more than