subject: Just Vacuumed Up My Cutting Blades While Trying To Service My Shaver! [print this page] An accident like this will inevitably lead the ambitious DIYer to an internet search for electric shaver spares. Such a search, like any, will return a seemingly infinite amount of options. To find the right electric shaver spares, one will of course need to know the specific brand and model number of their electric shaver, but regardless of these specifics most electric shavers operate using the same basic principles. To the mechanically inclined, these principles and all the little parts that comprise a shaver can be pretty interesting, as theres quite a bit behind this everyday appliance.
The very first electric shavers came on the scene sometime between the late 1920s and the early 1930s. Jacob Schick, an American inventor and Colonel, is usually the man credited with inventing the first marketable electric shaver, and most men are still familiar with the Schick name today. It took quite some time for Schick to perfect his model, but what eventually emerged and what is available for purchase today are two distinct forms of shaver. These models are known as the triple headed rotary shaver and the straight foil shaver.
A rotary razor is by far the more complex device of the two, and finding electric shaver spares for this model can prove difficult. On a rotary razor, three circular foil blades are suspended by tensioned springs. These springs allow the blades to adjust to the contour of a users face, and theyre setting is usually a factory set specification that is difficult and sometimes impossible to adjust. This means that if something goes wrong with a rotary shavers springs, the shaver almost always has to be replaced. If however, only the foil blades need replacement, users are luck. These days, most rotary razor heads are designed to be replaceable, as its much cheaper to throw them out and buy new ones once theyve dulled than it is to have them sharpened.
Straight electric razors, on the other hand, operate with a single banded foil blade and are manufactured to shave with much closer precision. As a result, straight razors are much more expensive and usually make use of high quality metals, like stainless steel or even platinum. This means that replacement blades are significantly more expensive, but the trade off is that the shave is closer and the operation much simpler. Straight electric razors have less moving parts than rotaries and are thus easier to repair. Some argue, however, that a straight razors rigidity sacrifices sensitivity, as the blade foil is immobile and does not contour to fit a users facial features.
These are of course just the basics. To truly understand how a shaver works, one must spend some time tinkering with it and taking it apart. This is the case with any mechanical technology. It is rare, in this day and age, for anyone to have such inclinations, but its important to remember that the complexity of almost all of the everyday objects in this modern world is something that most people take for granted. A broken electric razor may seem like an inconvenience, but it can actually be an illuminating and educational experience.
