Razors and toothbrushes see more than their fair share of spurious product revolutions by manufacturers keen to keep consumers buying. However, Cork entrepreneur Barry Sheehan might have created something genuinely useful. With Bladesaver, Sheehan has brought to market an easy-to-use blade sharpener that can work on any make or model of razorblade.

Inspired by traditional leather stropping methods of sharpening blades, Sheehan’s product buffs used razorblades to a high shine and an acute edge, meaning that pricey blades can be reused many times more than usual. An oscillating leather head on the hand-held sharpener works on the blades in their plastic covering, so the process is quick.

Sheehan (pictured) is keen to point out the money-saving potential of the device, which is currently on sale through the company’s website for €15, or from 22 retail outlets around Cork city. “One blade can cost up to €4 and if you get ten shaves out of it this converts to 40 cent per shave. The average cost of shaving can be up to €300 per year for some people,” he says.

Made In China

Assembled in China, the Bladesaver has been on sale from the company website since December 2012, though Sheehan admits that marketing the product is costly and still very much work in progress.

Thus far, Sheehan – who runs a small exercise equipment hiring business in Cork – has been using mentoring services from the local enterprise board to assist him with his new venture, but it’s an area that he thinks needs more investment.

In Association with

“People want to help you but more industry-specific mentoring is needed to best help people like me. Some of the mentors that I was working with said stuff to me like, ‘If I could bottle your enthusiasm, I’d make a fortune off of it’. That’s no good to me; I need practical advice and guidance.”

Sheehan is currently seeking to raise $4,000 on Kickstarter. “We've made a significant improvement to the leather grade and quality of construction used in the spinning leather head of the Bladesaver and we are raising funds for the new tooling, materials and manufacturing.

“The new and improved head sharpens better and will last up to two years but in order to make it affordable for everyone, a large amount of material has to be purchased, and a minimum production run has to be made to justify the hourly shop time of the factory.”