We have all seen Eclipse red ring razors, right?
Ever wondered why they ceased production? Today I was reading https://books.google.com/books?id=LVoK6-EkjRcC&pg=PA201 and found a clue:
I believe the company continues to make hacksaw blades and other tools. The rest of the link is good reading too, if you are interested in the history of the British blade industry ca. 1930-50. The authors of the case study wrote in 1960, probably just months before Wilkinson-Sword would disrupt the blade industry with coated stainless and start a new round of blade wars.
Ever wondered why they ceased production? Today I was reading https://books.google.com/books?id=LVoK6-EkjRcC&pg=PA201 and found a clue:
During World War II, the number of manufacturing concerns was further reduced by the concentration scheme which was applied to the industry in order to release labour and raw materials for other work. Many of the smaller firms which stopped making razor blades did not reenter the trade after the War because of the continued shortage of steel, their lack of trained staff, their selling difficulties or the greater profitability of their new lines of production. One well-known firm, James Neil and Company, makers of the 'Eclipse' blade, lost all their machinery in an air raid, and though for a time they continued to market a blade produced by another manufacturer, they eventually decided to concentrate on other products and finally left the trade.
I believe the company continues to make hacksaw blades and other tools. The rest of the link is good reading too, if you are interested in the history of the British blade industry ca. 1930-50. The authors of the case study wrote in 1960, probably just months before Wilkinson-Sword would disrupt the blade industry with coated stainless and start a new round of blade wars.
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