A better razor

Every morning millions of men try to remove the stubble on their chins by wet shaving with a tempered blade or by using an electric razor which shaves through a protective foil. Neither solution quite does the job. Wet shaving gives a close shave but it takes considerable time and effort, a sinkful of water and shaving foam, when you want to fly out the door to work. Also, many men simple cut themselves to shreds. The electric shaver is more convenient, it lets you shave quickly anywhere and can be more forgiving to the skin. But as designer Dick Powell remarks, "You don’t get so good a shave with an electric. It’s clear there’s a foil between the blade and the hair it is cutting." Powell and his partner Richard Seymour visit an expert barber for a really close shave. They are impressed with the way he wields his blade but admit that few people have 40 minutes a day to spend in a barber’s chair. "If only we could embody that skill in an object," observes Seymour, "that would be bloody brilliant." So the challenge is set: to design a new razor that gives a really smooth shave swiftly and easily without all the blood and fuss of wet shaving.