History of Edwin Jagger: Razors

Edwin Jagger the manufacturing company may be less than forty years old, but our story has been centuries in the making. Made in Sheffield, England, Edwin Jagger razors are the result of the expert craftsmanship and traditional metalworking skills that were honed for generations by the artisan craftsmen in England’s ‘Steel City’. Sheffield’s steel industry may have suffered a decline towards the end of the 20th century, but from the ashes emerged a shining example of the high-quality and high-tech manufacturing the city is famous for. Never losing sight of our manufacturing heritage, all our razors are still handmade or hand assembled here in Sheffield, although the designs, concepts and styles have certainly evolved over the years. We have spent the last thirty years being more daring with our razors, creating increasingly more eye-catching, practical and sustainable handles with popular razor blade mechanisms.  Now in 2022, we have seven unique ranges of double edge safety razors as well as an extensive collection of specially designed Premium and Diffusion razors all fitted with genuine Gillette® razor blade mechanisms and blades. We like to celebrate our history so join us as we take a look back at how our diverse line of razors came to be, starting with the very first prototype and charting the emergence of our most iconic designs.

 

1988 – From Pleasure to Business

You’re probably now wondering what inspired the very first Edwin Jagger razor. The lightbulb moment happened when founder and MD Neil Jagger purchased a new razor that looked incredible but turned out to be poorly engineered and was unable to deliver a good wet shave. With a passion for traditional wet shaving and a background working with silver at one of world’s most prestigious cutlery companies, he decided to challenge himself and design his own razor that was superior to the one he had just bought. Working from his cellar at home, he produced a razor that was made from brass and designed to fit a Gillette® G11 blade. It wasn’t until a few friends really liked the design and people started placing orders that he realised this fun project could be a viable business and he could help many other disgruntled wet shavers achieve a closer shave.

Sadly, no pictures of this original prototype exist but its design went on to inspire a long line of high-quality razors with a beautifully designed handle and a head purposely constructed to fit the most popular Gillette® blades. Case in point, this exquisite Chatsworth Lined Fusion razor, which flawlessly combines the top-quality finish and design of a metallic Chatsworth handle and the familiar Fusion ProGlide blade system.

Edwin Jagger Chatsworth Lined Fusion Razor

 

1996 – A Razor Fit for a Duke

Edwin Jagger has launched a select number of premium collections, but none more popular than the Chatsworth range. This is also our longest-running range, first launched over 25 years ago. The original concept had a complex flowing design profile and needed to be hand drawn and manually converted into ‘free-hand’ engineering production programs due to limitations with computer-based design programs at the time. Inspired by the design of 1930s safety razors, the Chatsworth razor incorporates classic lines with more complicated steps and curves commonly found in Georgian architecture to create a handle that epitomises timeless British style and presentation. The name of the range is taken from the famous and historic Chatsworth House, located just south of Sheffield. We now offer 17 handmade Chatsworth razor options, making this premium range one of our biggest sellers. The first creations were the stunning Imitation Ivory and Imitation Ebony Chatsworth razors, which are still available for purchase today, although with the latest head designs.

Edwin Jagger Chatsworth Imitation Ebony Closed Comb DE Safety Razor

 

1998 – From Classic to Modern

Propelled by the success of the premium Chatsworth range, the contemporary Bulbous range was launched in 1998. The arrival of new CNC computer-controlled turning machines allowed the Edwin Jagger production team to design and produce much more complicated and exciting razors with unique shapes. These razors have a sleeker modern design and are now available in a range of bright and stylish colours to contrast the more classic Chatsworth finishes. This Bulbous Red razor fitted with a Gillette® Mach3 blade system) is just one of the many popular Edwin Jagger contemporary design razors perfect for the modern wet shaver who wants to add a splash of colour to his shaving routine.

Edwin Jagger Bulbous Red Mach3 Razor

 

2002 – La Dolce Vita

As CNC technology continued to develop in the new millennium, so did the designs of our razors. The Plaza range was born from a desire to smooth out some of the rounder and fuller shapes of earlier razors and create an ergonomically shape handle that fits perfectly in the hand. It all came together when Neil Jagger visited a tradeshow in Bologna, Italy, and the elegant flowing lines of a Ferrari caught his eye. Seeing the beautiful black car on a street off one of the city’s main plazas, the name of the new range came to him instantly. Plaza is now our most recognised razor from the premium range, with nine different razors combining colour and razor blade mechanism options. The unique black marble polyester CNC-turned handle of this Double Edge Safety Razor really emphasises the balance of the perfectly proportioned design and showcases the expert craftsmanship that optimises this range.

Edwin Jagger Plaza Imitation Black Marble DE Razor

 

2008 – Seeing Double

Edwin Jagger is now famous for its range of cleverly re-designed Double Edge Safety Razors. Although this type of safety razor has been available since 1904, it was not until 2008 when the company design team launched an Edwin Jagger razor with a single blade. Every Edwin Jagger Double Edge Safety Razor has DE8 in its name to commemorate the release of the double edge range in 2008. The two-part die cast razor heads have undergone two modifications since then, first in 2009 and again in 2014, resulting in the iconic DE single blade head system we have today. The first modifications focused on streamlining the head shape and profile, and the second improved the efficiency of the screw thread and the two posts. But the original angle that determined the effectiveness of the cutting angle (mild to very slightly aggressive) always remained the same. The second and third editions also improved appearance and made the Edwin Jagger range of double edge safety razors incredibly easy to use and maintain. These upgrades are perhaps why the DE89 Knurled razor is now our best-selling razor, proving particularly popular with first-time shavers looking for the smoothest and closest wet shaving results.

Edwin Jagger DE89 Chrome Knurled Closed Comb DE Safety Razor

 

2017 – The Best A Razor Can Get

Since that original prototype was made, Edwin Jagger razors have always been designed to work with the very best blades, most notably the revolutionary Gillette® blade systems. It was therefore an immense honour when Edwin Jagger was appointed a “Gillette® Trusted Partner” in 2017, certifying that the Gillette® Mach3® and Gillette® Fusion® razors we manufacture feature genuine Gillette Parts ™. As one of only three Gillette® Trusted Partners in the world, we are exceptionally proud of the many unique razors born out of our partnership with Gillette®. All of the three previously mentioned premium collection ranges are available with Mach3® and Fusion® blade systems as well as more moderately priced designs such as this understated Light Blue Mach3 razor.

Edwin Jagger Light Blue Mach3 Razor