Men with beards have invented a razor which shaves with a laser.
Californian startup Skarp is the brainchild of follicle boffin Morgan Gustavsson, who has worked on medical devices for hair removal.
Skarp Technologies says its razor is powered by a small laser, which cuts through hair for a shave which is closer than using a blade and doesn’t suffer from irritation, razor burn, cuts or ingrown hairs. The AAA battery should last about a month and the device about 50,000 hours. It’s waterproof and can be used in the shower, but it does not require a lather.
Quote:
Founder Morgan invented IPL (Intense Pulsed Light) in 1989, which is a preferred method of hair removal and dermatology treatments to this day.
A major challenge was finding a laser frequency which could cut any colour of hair, a requirement which makes the device quite expensive. The mass market for cheap lasers comes from Blu-ray players and needing a special frequency reduces the availability. After years of research and development, they discovered a chromophore in the hair which can be cut when hit with a particular light wavelength.
Chromophores are particles that absorb certain wavelengths (colours) of light. The chromophore they identified is shared by every human, regardless of age, gender or race.
Skarp claims it’s safe: “The wavelength we're using doesn't emit UV. The power of the laser is too low to cause damage. But more importantly, the laser doesn't enter the skin, it only enters the hair. So there is absolutely no risk of developing any complications or damage.”
The name Skarp comes from the Swedish word for “sharp”, as Gustavsso was brought up in Sweden.
The razor is currently the subject of a Kickstarter project, which has monstered through its goal. There are no pictures of a working prototype, but Kickstarter’s terms and conditions require that prototypes do exist. ®
Neat idea, but I'll believe it when I see it in action. Dollars to donuts says Gillette has already set the wheels in motion to silence these fellows, be it by legal or "other" means. After all, razors, shaving creme, after-shave is where they make all of their money. None of that would be needed any longer if this were a reality, and that just cannot stand in the greedy eyes of capitalism.
I can never be free, because the shackles I wear can't be touched or be seen.
i9-9900k, MSI MPG-Z390 Gaming Pro Carbon, 32GB DDR4 @ 3000, eVGA GTX 1080 DT, Samsung 970 EVO Plus nVME 1TB
It's gonna take an eternity to shave with that thing.
Also I read now the laser beam goes through a fiber optic.
That filament will break, this is a scam.
Personally I just let my beard hairs grow, and then every couple of weeks I just cut them off with clippers.
Shaving with knives has become too expensive. I mean that Gillette stuff, mach something...
Beards, beards everywhere, every kid at work (those 18- late 20's) has a beard if they can grow one, why? Did one chap decide to grow a nasty, then put it on Sad book? Be unique, shave... Don't be a sheep.
@Reg67:
Yeah, yeah, but hairs on my face, everywhere.
Oh I try to pull them out in places I don't need.
Laugh all you want, but I cut them like weed.
I am a man, about my facial hair, I do not care.
If it works like they claim it will, it will disintegrate hair immediately on contact, so speed shouldn't be a problem - of course, we know what happens with Kickstarter and promises...
Playing Valheim every weekday at 10pm GMT - twitch.tv/kaltern
Follow me on Twitter if you feel like it... @kaltern
I must confess that it does sound really neat, though my constant fear for the unknown doesn't make me feel too excited. I'll wait for you guys to be the guinea pigs
(my hair is already taking the toll with the receding 'feature', I cannot afford losing my flamboyant beard too xD)
Personally I just let my beard hairs grow, and then every couple of weeks I just cut them off with clippers.
Shaving with knives has become too expensive. I mean that Gillette stuff, mach something...
You are right. I'm going on a march... To protest ofc.
Ryzen 5 5600, ASUS ROG STRIX B550-F GAMING WIFI II, Corsair Vengeance RGB RT 32GB 3600MHz C16, MSI RTX 5070 Ti Ventus 3X OC , Corsair RMx Series RM750x. AOC AGON AG324UX - 4K 144Hz 1ms
Beards, beards everywhere, every kid at work (those 18- late 20's) has a beard if they can grow one, why? Did one chap decide to grow a nasty, then put it on Sad book? Be unique, shave... Don't be a sheep.
A beard is a necessity for hipsters. I read an article a month ago about hipsters in their 20'ies that had problems growing a beard using hair transplant technology. Since they must take existing follicles it means they probably take them from the dick area. In other words there are young hipsters with dick-hair on their faces.
shaving is for pussys! and as a matter of fact those fucking idiot hipsters should shave, cause they are pussys
i have a beard since over ten years, sometimes longer, sometimes more shaved. atm i havent shaved (havent even trimmed) it since weeks (maybe two months). as long as you clean and brush it right and often (cleaning every day, brushing several times a day. reminds me i need to get a new gf, my old one like to do this while chilling on the couch ) .just once a week little tuning with a scissor. havent shaved it wet completely since ~15 years, i really hate it. only thing i might do if i wear it shorter is shaving the edges wet (bought a 20 pack of gilette blades 2 years ago on amazon christmas sale or whatever it was, still 17 left )
Personally I just let my beard hairs grow, and then every couple of weeks I just cut them off with clippers.
Shaving with knives has become too expensive. I mean that Gillette stuff, mach something...
You are right. I'm going on a march... To protest ofc.
If I would not shave until March then I will have a Chinese goatee.
KickStarter has suspended funding for the Skarp Laser Razor, a crowdfunded effort to replace conventional razors with a laser-powered shaving implement.
Reg readers have shared a KickStarter communique in which the crowdfunding platform says “we’ve concluded that it is in violation of our rule requiring working prototypes of physical products that are offered as rewards.”
In other words, the Skarp crew doesn't have a working prototype. This video from the project's KickStarter page suggests there is a prototype in existence, but not a very effective one: the device does knock off a few hairs, but is a long way short of the experience of pulling a conventional razor down one's skin and having the majority of hairs beneath the blade cleft.
KickStarter's email says “Suspensions cannot be undone,” so it looks like Skarp's crowdfunding efforts will have to move elsewhere. The project smashed its US$160,000 funding target, securing pledges of over $4m. With that level of interest, Skarp looks a decent chance of drumming up the cash on another crowdfunding platform, if any will have it.
Playing Valheim every weekday at 10pm GMT - twitch.tv/kaltern
Follow me on Twitter if you feel like it... @kaltern
Signature/Avatar nuking: none (can be changed in your profile)
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum
