Whenever I see a patent with a particularly odd name, like “disposable cylindrical razor apparatus”, I wonder if Leonardo da Quirm¹ was involved somehow.

So what is a disposable cylindrical razor apparatus? When all is said and done, it is a disposable razor in an odd format. Disposable razors is nothing new, and I’ve covered a few over the years – some in weird shapes. But what makes this one stick out is that it comes with four cutting surfaces, and looks to be meant to be used as a shavette.

The inventor also makes it sounds more complicated than it is. To quote the patent text:

The present invention relates to an improved razor apparatus in which the blade is of cylindrical construction having a plurality of razor blade cutting surfaces, and has particular reference to an improved disposable cylindrical razor apparatus in which there are provided many safety features as well as a plurality of sharpened cutting surfaces that are of the double edged character.

From US patent 3,299,507

It’s a tube. With a slot cut out. And a cylindrical blade assembly on the inside. And there is several cutting edges in the cylinder.

As can be seen from figure 3, the handle portion of the tube could double as a protective cover. The business end of the tube had a slit, which meant that it could compress and hold the blade securely when the handle was tightened. The cylindrical blade had four double edges, evenly spaced around the circumference.

As for potential drawbacks, I can see this being difficult to rinse out. If the bottom of the handle had been open, you could simply have run water through it to rinse away soap and stubble, but since it is closed it would require more work.

And why is the disposable cylindrical razor apparatus disposable? Since it is set up so you can rotate the blade to get fresh edges, I can see simply replacing the cylindrical blade with a fresh one.

I can see this razor apparatus being handy as a travel razor. It would pack into a small space, keep the edges safe, and probably okay to bring as a carry-on while flying. If you rally wanted, you could also store a small shavestick or tube of shaving cream in the hollow razor.

You can read the full patent for the disposable cylindrical razor apparatus on Google Patents.

Footnotes:

1. The greatest inventor on the Disc², although his genius did not extend to naming³ his inventions.
2. GNU Pterry 🙁
3. For instance, his machine capable of travelling submersed in a marine environment was named the “Going-Under-The-Water-Safely Device”…