Any discerning gentleman knows that a decent shave can separate the men from the boys. Likewise, any cross-dresser will attest the same: stubble can be the telltale difference between a bloke in a dress and a ladyboy. While five o’clock shadow can be sexy after hours, at 8am it gives the impression that one hasn’t bothered, or worse—been to bed. No wonder some men take such care to look razor-sharp … but to this extreme? We’ve found the world’s three most extravagant razors for the man who has everything, or the barber who takes his job extremely seriously.
Hommage’s Damascene Razor
If you’re anything like Sweeney Todd and the cut of your clients is paramount, perhaps this razor is for you. Grooming atelier, Hommage has the Damascene razor—a limited-edition straight-edge razor. A work of art, it has comprises a handcrafted Damascus steel blade and a platinum-plated sheath. The blade is hand-forged in Germany with 128 layers of Damascene steel with a rose and torsion pattern, much like a sword for which the area is known. Said to be able to slice silk dropped upon it in half and cut through rock, you wouldn’t want to use the US$30,000 razor anywhere but your face.
Black Sheep & Prodigal Sons’ Mastodon Straight Razor
This razor from Black Sheep & Prodigal Sons might look fairly unassuming, but don’t be fooled by its innocuous appearance: the handle of this limited edition of 50 razor is carved from 10,000-year-old fossilised mastodon ivory—that’s right, a freaking mammoth tusk!
Just in case the thought of a Siberian wooly mammoth in your paws isn’t attractive enough, the blades used have been restored from obsolete models of straight razors of yore and have been lined and riveted with sterling silver. It doesn’t stop there—a 3mm Stanhope magnifying lens is embedded in the handle to view a customisable image of vintage erotica for a quick perv on the hop. At US$2,200, you’d be the hippest barber on the block.
Zafirro’s Iridium Razor
Nowadays, razor heads are locked away with the cigarettes at the front counters of supermarkets thanks to enterprising light-fingered junkies keen to make a quick buck. From $14 for a packet of five, depending on how hirsute your visage, you can prolong the life of your handheld razor from anywhere from a week to a month. Now you might never have to buy a refill again with the Zaffiro iridium razor.
With a handle made from one of the rarest metals on the planet—only three tons a year are produced—iridium, a dual sapphire blades with a ten-year guarantee (and complimentary sharpening at the ten-year mark), platinum screws, this puppy will set you back US$100,000. Not a bad investment if you grow hair like weeds.
Published on 29 June 2011 by Agony Uncle