Safety razor steel blades remain in limited production for lower income markets. Because Gillette held a patent on stainless blades but had not acted on it, the company was accused of exploiting customers by forcing them to buy the rust-prone blade. The risk of injury from handling razor blades was further reduced in 1970 when Wilkinson released its "Bonded Shaving System", which embedded a single blade in a disposable polymer plastic cartridge. A flurry of competing models soon followed with everything from one to six blades, with many cartridge blade razors also having disposable handles. Cartridge blade razors are sometimes considered to
Straight razor curved lower part of the main blade from the shank to the cutting edge is called the "shoulder". The point where the shoulder joins the cutting edge is called the "heel". The endpoint of the cutting edge at the front of the blade, opposite to the "heel", is called the "toe". A thick strip of metal running transversely at the junction where the main blade attaches to the shank is called the "stabiliser". The stabiliser can be double, single, or can be absent in some razor models. The first stabiliser is usually very narrow and thicker and runs at the