Rolls Razor Blade

While the stropping and honing mechanism in the Rolls Razor case was more gimmicky than practical, the blade was a different story. Being a British company, they chose, of course, a very fine Sheffield blade maker to produce what amounts to a cross section of a straight razor’s blade. The steel is excellent, perhaps not the hardest to come from that vicinity, but very well done indeed. The grind is what I’d call a ½ hollow, and the width is about 6/8. The typical bevel angles are higher than desired though, probably to enhance edge retention. 

Above you see the blade’s spine, the 2 numbers to the right of the word ‘Razor’ indicate that the blade was an original issue, and the numbers call out the year of manufacture. In this example, the year is 1953. If a Rolls Razor blade has no numbers in that spot, then the blade is a replacement.  

 Here we see the blade off the handle, with its guard in place.   

This next shot shows the blade with its guard removed.  

Rolls Blade 1c.jpg

Last but not least, we see the blade in the handle, in profile. This view demonstrates what the guard is for; to protect the blade when you put it down while shaving, and while it is in the case.  


© Keith V Johnson 2014 - 2024