Remember a few years ago when Gillette and the other big multinationals came out with vibrating, plasticy, multiblade horrors cartridge razors? Turns out the idea wasn’t new. Fernan Conill, a Cuban living in New York, patented an electric vibrating horror safety razor back in 1916.

The modern vibrating razors are horrors because they are plasticy, multiblade cartridge razor. Fernan’s electric vibrating razor was a horror because it was (likely) connected to the grid.

Wet face. Metallic razor. Early 20th century engineering and mindset on electrical safety.

It could be a positively shocking shave.

But before we look at the other reasons why I find Fernan’s eclectic vibrating safety razor is not a good idea, let us look at what Fernan was attempting to do. To quote the patent text:

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in razors, and the principal object of the invention is to provide a razor in which the blade is given a rapid transverse movement in order that the edge of the blade will have a sawing action when the razor is in use.

In other words, Fernan believed in the idea that moving the blade back and forth would somehow make it cut better. Even though it is – and was – a fact that a razor is not a saw.

In order to make the blade move, he mounted a small electric motor on the side of the handle of an otherwise ordinary safety razor. The motor drove a small shaft, at the end of which was a small eccentric. But unlike many other razors, it was not there to make the razor shake, rattle, and roll. It engaged the blade directly in an elongated hole – and the motion made the blade move from side to side. The drawing is fairly easy to understand.

So not only did Fernan come up with a razor based on the false idea that a razor is a saw. Not only did he come up with a way to do it that could give you an electric shock. But he also made a very lopsided and unbalanced razor.

Fernan’s razor seems to have sunk without a trace. And that is perhaps for the best.

But you can still read the full text of his patent for an electric vibrating safety razor at Google Patents.