page_title: Straight razor
section_title: Point types
hierarchical_section_title: Straight razor / Blade geometry and characteristics / Point types
caption_attribution_description: English: Razor points
context_page_description: A straight razor is a razor with a blade that can fold into its handle. They are also called open razors and cut-throat razors. The predecessors of the modern straight razors include bronze razors, with cutting edges and fixed handles, produced by craftsmen from Ancient Egypt during the New Kingdom. Solid gold and copper razors were also found in Ancient Egyptian tombs dating back to the 4th millennium BC.
  The first steel-edged cutthroat razors were manufactured in Sheffield in 1680. By the late 1680s, early 1690s, razors with silver-covered handles along with other Sheffield-made products known as "Sheffield wares" were being exported to ports in the Gulf of Finland, approximately 1200 miles from Sheffield. From there, these goods were probably sent to Finland and even Russia. By 1740, Benjamin Huntsman was making straight razors complete with decorated handles and hollow-ground blades made from cast steel, using a process he invented. Huntsman's process was adopted by the French sometime later, albeit reluctantly at first due to nationalist considerations.
context_section_description: Straight razors are, at first, categorised according to their blade profiles, from the head of the spine to the blade toe, based on their point, or nose, type. The following  are the main types of blade profiles called points, or nose shapes:
  Square, spike or sharp point, so-called because the blade profile is straight and terminates at a very sharp point at the toe, perpendicular to the cutting edge of the razor. This type of blade is used for precise shaving in small areas but, at the risk of pinching the skin, it requires some experience in handling. Spike point differs from square point as the angle at the edge of the blade is less than 90 degrees. resulting in a blade profile which appears slanted backwards at the toe. The spike end point of the profile at the toe may be ground by the user to make it rounder, but that may indicate a lack of skill in handling the razor.
  Barber's notch. The Barber's notch point features a large rounded tip at the toe of the blade followed by a short concave and rounded arch, while its upper edge at the head of the spine is rounded and smaller in size than the curve at the toe. The upper, rounded, edge of Barber's notch was designed to aid in pulling the blade from the scales. Barber's notch is essentially a round-nose blade profile with a concave arch (notch) on its upper part to aid in lifting the blade from the scales.
  Round point (or Dutch). As the name implies the point profile is symmetrically curved from head to toe in a circular arc shape and therefore it lacks any sharp end points. As such it is a more forgiving blade than the other types and, although lacking pinpoint accuracy at the blade toe, it is more forgiving, and is recommended for relatively inexperienced users. There are also secondary edge types that derive from a combination of round nose characteristics, such as half round point incorporating round edges joined by a linear segment.
  French (or oblique) point. Its point profile is asymetrically curved from head to toe, and resembles a quarter circle or ellipse, but with a sharper-angled curve near the head of the blade than the other points. The end line of the profile, at the toe of the blade, can vary between spike and curved. Compared to the rest of the points, the French point may help shave "difficult spots" such as under the nose, due to its sharply angular profile at the head which creates more clearance in tight areas.
  Spanish point. The profile of the Spanish point has a small, rounded tip at the head, followed by a long concave arch, ending in a small rounded edge at the toe. This point should be used with care when shaving or stropping, as it tends to "bite" due to its pronounced edges.
caption: Four of the main blade point (nose) profile shapes: Square, Barber's notch, Round, and French (with a round end point at the toe)[21]
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