What is behind the Merkur design?

[Teddyboy]

Can anyone explain why the majority of Merkur's razors have saw-like or tooth-like edges? I know that several of these models of razors are popular at B&B but they look a bit odd. As a kid growing up in the early 60s in NYC I became well-acquainted with the multitude of double-edged safety razors available at the time [i.e., Gillette, Schick, Wilkinson, Personna, etc].But I never saw that style of razor. They look like they may have originated during the Spanish Inquisition.

Explanations welcome.

Thanks.

[scoopster]

I've thought about this myself and have come up with two possibilities:

• Purely aesthetics - something that makes Merkur's design unique
• It's an attempt to get a compromise between a full safety bar and an open comb design. The sawtooth will allow longer hairs to stand up and won't swipe so much cream away.

[fritz]

I've thought about this myself and have come up with two possibilities:

• Purely aesthetics - something that makes Merkur's design unique
• It's an attempt to get a compromise between a full safety bar and an open comb design. The sawtooth will allow longer hairs to stand up and won't swipe so much cream away.

I think he actually means the open comb ("tooth-like"). If so, he's not quite right about the "majority". Most Merkurs have corresponding open comb and safety bar models, but the Vision, Futur, Progress, and the Slant do not come in open comb. (We won't even count all the Trac II and Mach III versions here.)
And the reason they do that is the usual: enough people like them that way they want to sell them one. I prefer open comb razors myself.