Old Man Blade: A Tribute to Simplicity

“Excuse me, uncle. Do you sell safety razor blades?”

The provision store owner turns and leans in with his ear. “Ha?”

“Safety razors for shaving?”, I repeat. “This one, ah?”, he guesses as he points to Gillette razor Mach 2 blade refills.

“No. It’s the old fashion one.”, I try to explain.

“Or you want this one?”, he guesses again this time pointing to a 5-pack of Bic disposable plastic razors.

“Uh, no. Rectangle... blade... shaver?”, I struggle as I mimic its size and shape with my fingers.

“Orh…”, the uncle pauses with understanding, “‘Old man blade’ is it?”

Now, I’m confused, “A what?”

The uncle reaches to the shelf behind him, drops a pack of safety razor blades on the counter and assertively declares, “This one ‘old man blade’!”

“Oh! Yes! This is it! I’ll take five.”, I blurt, happy we’re past our communication barrier.

He snaps up the pack of razor blades from the counter and tosses it in a small plastic bag and throws in four more, clearly annoyed there was a communication barrier in the first place. As he rings me up, the uncle chides me in the annoyance of this overly complex transaction. “Aiyoh,... how you say, ah? Rectangle… safety… no one understand! So cheem! This one ‘old man blade’! You don’t know! Next time you want what, ah? You say ‘old man blade’! Everyone know this one ‘old man blade’! Ah!”

“Thank you, uncle! I’ll remember next time!”

“Orh. You want ‘old man blade’ handle?”

An ‘old man blade’ display in a provision store in Teban Gardens.

I had to preface this post with this story because that’s exactly how I wanted to collectively refer to safety razor blades and handles from then on!

Any razor promises a clean shave but the old man blade’s design appears to have tactically considered its value to its target user, superseding its primary function.

• A single blade edge offers precision and control and each blade’s double-edged design offers a quick, mid-shave switch to a clean blade.

• Compact packaging keeps the razors clean and safely storable and portable for convenience.

• Each blade’s paper wrapper not only keeps new blades clean but also allows old blades to be disposed of safely.

• Replaceable blades ensure the one you use is always sharp and the cost is not an issue over hygiene when changing blades (less than $2 for a pack of 5).

• The wide range of blade handles caters for near any taste and budget.

• Blade handles, including its uncomplicated blade housing mechanism, are generally easy to manage and clean.

• There is minimal use (if any) of plastic in the blades and handles, and therefore minimal to no waste.

The old man blade’s stark form and function suggest palatable lessons in relation to design and value appreciation. Consider the above from aspects such as intuitive (subjective) usability, commitment to purpose, cost/price, effect/benefit, sustainability and influence on behaviour. To aid this analysis, we might compare the old man blade with the technological advancements featured by its mainstream alternatives, such as multiple spring-loaded blades, a ridged rubber strip, a soap strip and an end-of-use indicator strip, click-mounted razor ‘heads’ on a flexible ‘neck’ on a textured, silicone grip handle.

We start to contemplate the value of these additions. What problem(s) do these additions solve? Are they necessary? At what cost? In other words, are these over-complicated solutions for an over-complicated problem? For the sake of argument, is the old man blade design approach too simple to be just as valuable?

Simplicity, if overlooked, implies an inferior product. We tend to think that a design can’t be that good if it’s that plain or affordable, not branded, or not heavily marketed. However, if we’re to learn from the old man blade, perhaps the best designs don’t need as much flash or fanfare. Great design is, after all, invisible; they remain quietly confident in their value.

Curators side note: The invisibility of great design is its own curse: it tends to be overlooked. You’re probably not going to see it unless you’re looking for it. However, sometimes, it helps to directly point to a great design. This is not to draw the eye to a product but to draw the mind to why a design is great. Conversely, bad design is very visible: it’s noticed as an eyesore, a mistake more often than not, and perhaps becomes a stereotype for design in general.