STAHLY Live Blade SAFETY RAZOR

The Stahly "Live Blade" or "Stroke Saver" razor was invented by P.G. Stahly of South Bend, Indiana. Stahly, Inc. was located at 406 Columbia Street, South Bend, Indiana until ca. 1954, by which time the company was a division of Geuder, Paeschke & Frey Co. of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The company ceased operations in 1978. First use of the Live Blade trademark was in 1942, but the trademark was not applied for until 1964. The Stahly was among the first DE razors to vibrate the head, reducing the blade's tendency to catch on dry spots, and skin irregularities. The idea (then as now) was to reduce irritation and provide a smoother shave. The bottom of the razor contained a watch-type torsion spring that the user wound up immediately prior to shaving. The spring powered a small eccentric crankshaft that caused the head to vibrate. It would vibrate for about three minutes between windings at about 3000 oscillations ("sliding side-strokes") per minute (a 1954 advertisement claims 6,000 vibrations per minute, though it may be that instead of counting a single oscillation, advertising copywriters counted each movement of the head). All models take standard (modern) DE blades.* *Badger & Blade

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