For me, shaving is a therapeutic relaxing escape. That’s how it should be! However, shaving wasn’t always an indulgence. For a long time, it was a tedious chore. Then I discovered shaving using safety razors; complemented by occasional hot-towel straight razor shaves from a Master Barber.

During my quest for amazing shaves, I tried countless razors. As an engineer, I'm wired to experiment and optimize. I was especially drawn to the Vintage Toggle Razor. I was mesmerized by its eccentric mechanisms, the timeless elegance in the honest 50s design, and the means to adjust razor blade exposure to personalize the shave.

Even though I enjoyed using the iconic Vintage Toggle Razor, I always fantasized about a modern refresh with the pesky bits fixed and the best bits refined. What is possible with fresh perspectives, premium materials and advancements in 3D CAD and Manufacturing? The only way to find out was to do it!

Until the Janus Razor, which has 36 components in its assembly, the Vintage Toggle Razor was the most complicated safety razor ever created.

This project is an opportunity for me to add delight to a daily experience for some. I’m a maker, a designer, and an engineer who is very passionate about and deeply understands the shaving experience. As a bald guy who must shave daily, shaving is an experience that is near and dear to me. After all, grooming is a celebration of oneself, and shaving is central to my grooming ritual.

The Janus Razor is a brilliant and serious upgrade to your shaving routine.

Customize your shave at the turn of a dial, effortlessly rinse during a shave, and instantly open to load or remove the blade.

The thin flexible razor blade is loaded flat, and gradually bends after the doors make contact and continue to lower. Eventually, the razor blade is clamped between the stationary bedplate and the doors. This is the shaving position.

The Janus Razor uses readily available and affordable double-edge blades. On Amazon, these blades cost $10 for a pack of 100.

Indexed rotation of the dial knob moves the safety guard up or down. These precise up or down movements change the Blade Angle and Blade Gap to ultimately vary Blade Exposure – how close the blade edge gets to your skin.

The razor blade exposure of the Janus Razor on setting #1

The razor blade exposure of the Janus Razor on setting #9

The safety guard acts like a bumper that prevents the razor blade from having free access to your skin. The safety guard is the reason why these razors are referred to as safety razors.

Without the safety guard, these razor would be akin to straight razors that require considerable skill

Each selected setting, locked in place by a mechanical detent, has a specific Blade Exposure.

There are 9 settings to choose from; to accommodate uniqueness in skin sensitivity, hair coarseness, shaving skill, stubble length, and amount of time available to shave. Odds are high you will find a setting or settings that work for you!

If you are new to safety razors or have sensitive skin, first experiment with Settings 1-3. These settings, with low blade exposure, are perfect for exploring and discovering because they offer the most nicking forgiveness.

This is how close the razor blade edge gets to your skin when the Janus Razor is on setting #1

A happy compromise between shaving closeness and nicking forgiveness. This is my sweet spot! This is home!

This is how close the razor blade edge gets to your skin when the Janus Razor is on setting #5

These are the pro’s settings. Or the pro’s pro! Only venture here if your shaving game is on point for the closest shave using the fewest strokes!

This is how close the razor blade edge gets to your skin when the Janus Razor is on setting #9

Technique is equally important as the tool. Hold the Janus Razor at an angle of ~33°-39° to the skin when shaving. After ~5 shaves, this angle will become intuitive.

Rinsing the Janus Razor during shaving is breeze! The rinsing position is activated by flicking the toggle knob half-way; the doors will lift slightly so that the blade is loosely held for rinsing without removal.

In the rinsing position, the razor blade floats freely between the bedplate and the doors

The Janus Razor opens and closes quickly. Flicking the toggle knob fully activates the open position; the doors will swing open for blade loading or removal.

Flicking the toggle knob to axial alignment with the handle closes the razor to activate the shaving position.

All the 36 components in the Janus Razor are made of 316 stainless steel - a premium material with outstanding corrosion resistance.

The doors of the Janus Razor during prototyping - 1

The doors of the Janus Razor during prototyping - 2

With the right care and attention, the Janus Razor is designed for a lifetime of delightful intuitive use and proud ownership.

Modern exacting manufacturing yield tight tolerances to give symmetrical blade exposure and precise increments at the turn of the dial.

The razor blade loads snug and remains centered because of the tight toleranced bridge in a custom gage (instead of cheaper standard gage sheet metal that would give a sloppy fit).

Simply put, both sides of the razor head shave the same at each setting!

The low-profile doors entirely cover the razor blade end tabs for nicking safety in an aesthetically pleasing package.

This is a feature even the pros will appreciate because it offers nicking safety especially when shaving around the mouth, nose and ears.

The Janus Razors will be available in 4 PVD coated options - CrN (“White Gold”), Accented CrN ("White Gold”) Accented TiN ("Yellow Gold”) & Accented TiAlN ("Black Gold”). PVD coatings are a staple in machining tools because they offer micro-hardness for abrasion resistance and lower friction co-efficient during metal cutting.

On the Janus Razors, the PVD coatings offer enhanced aesthetics, improved scratch resistance and outstanding corrosion resistance to the premium base (316 Stainless Steel).

The settings on the Janus Razors are laser marked in custom typeface with a vintage vibe for a lifetime of crisp legibility. Each Janus Razor will be individually serialized.

Inspecting the laser marking on the safety guard prototypes

The Janus Razor has 5 ergonomic improvements that will enhance your shaving technique!

The Janus Razor is longer + heavier than the Vintage Toggle razor. A heavier razor steadies the hand. Tools with longer handles are generally easier to use.

The center of mass is biased to the top (2/3 up); the Janus Razor is top heavy so that you don’t have to press hard for amazing results.

The Handle and Dial OD is bigger, and both have a machined texture pattern inspired by the Grand Tapisserie pattern of a watch dial for a sure grip in the wet.

The Janus Razor has tight-toleranced components interacting with each other to enable the different mechanisms. Periodic lubrication, like once or twice a year, through the lubrication port will help you keep your Janus Razor in tiptop shape.

The dial adjustment and toggling mechanisms are crispier, snappier, more audible and more tactile; to confirm actions you take like moving the one setting to another to increase blade exposure or activating the rinsing position from the closed shaving position.

There will be an opportunity to personalize your Janus Razor by laser marking (using the custom typeface) a personal message on the inside of the doors. The inspiration? Back in the day, the inside of watch case backs was usually engraved with special messages for loved ones; out of sight but present for only those in the know!

More specifics to follow closer to the shipping date.

The Janus Razors will be available in 4 PVD coated options - CrN (“White Gold”), Accented CrN ("White Gold”) Accented TiN ("Yellow Gold”) & Accented TiAlN ("Black Gold”).

Here is a candid dive into cost, and consequently, price.

It adds up quick – a premium material, premium ground bar stock to run on the Swiss CNC, manufacturing small volumes in the US means no economies of scale, the design calls for lots of operations/touches requiring disparate capabilities that are hard to find under one roof, and the Janus Razor is an assembly intensive design.

This well thought-out and realistic project plan gives the skilled manufacturing partners adequate time to produce great work. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me (eric@janusrazors.com).

Janus Razors will issue concise and transparent updates at the last day of the month. Here are some examples of Janus Razors updates during the Design Process – October 2018 Newsletter, January 2019 Newsletter and February 2019 Newsletter.

Janus Razors ships to countries that USPS ships to.

You are responsible for duties, fees and taxes applicable to your region. This additional cost typically ranges from 0% - 20% but can be as high as 200% for some countries.

It has been a fun and interesting two years researching the shaving science, designing, prototyping, shaving and sorting out manufacturing to find local skilled partners who are as passionate about the project as I am. I’m immensely proud of the manufacturing ready design of the Janus Razor.

Janus Razors needs your support to overcome the minimum order quantity hurdle set by the manufacturing partners, and to procure tooling. 5 out of the 36 components in the Janus Razor are tooled.

When the set-up costs are high, like for the tooled components in the Janus Razor, most manufacturers won’t fire up the presses if the minimum order quantity (MOQ) hasn’t been met. Even the raw materials (RMs) suppliers impose MOQs. With a good read on volume to produce, the manufacturer can schedule production knowing which machines to use, how long machines will be tied up, how much RMs to order, which operators will run which jobs and so forth.

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The best way to get your questions answered or concerns addressed is to send Janus Razors an email (eric@janusrazors.com)

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Janus Razors is a Minnesota Design shop that is passionate about designing and manufacturing accessories for the modern discerning gent.

Expect what Janus Razors builds to be thoughtful expressions of classic men’s gear; blending old school simplicity, retro good looks and modern performance wrapped in premium materials.

For Janus Razors, success is crafting delightful experiences for novices and pros alike - tools that are a joy to own, built to last, and most importantly fun to use. Janus Razors will only create for experiences we are passionate about. Why? Passion is the foundation for excellence.

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I’m a maker, designer and licensed professional engineer in Minnesota.

So, why a shaving razor? This project is an opportunity for me to add delight to a daily experience for some. Shaving is an experience I deeply understand and I’m very passionate about. As a bald guy who must shave often, shaving is an experience that is near and dear to me. Grooming is a celebration of oneself, and shaving is central to my grooming ritual.

I have a Bachelor of Materials Science and Engineering, a Master of Manufacturing Systems Engineering and over 10 years of engineering experience.

Cheers,

Eric

Founder/Engineer/Designer, Janus Razors LLC.