Autostrop

Autostrop was a brand of safety razors and razor blades, most notably the Autostrop Safety Razor. Developed by the AutoStrop Safety Razor Company, its key innovation was a stropping mechanism integrated into the razor itself. This allowed users to quickly hone the blade against a leather strop without removing it from the razor head. This feature was marketed as a way to maintain the sharpness of the blade between shaves, potentially extending its lifespan and improving the shaving experience.

The Autostrop razor typically featured a distinctive design where the blade was held in place and could be swung out to engage with the built-in strop. The stropping action was usually achieved by moving the razor back and forth along the strop, which was often a part of the razor's casing or a separate accessory. The company advertised the convenience and cost-effectiveness of its system, emphasizing that users could achieve a sharp edge more easily than with traditional methods.

While popular in its time, the Autostrop system faced increasing competition from other safety razor designs, particularly those that favored disposable blades that did not require stropping. The rise of the double-edged safety razor and later the cartridge razor eventually led to a decline in the popularity of stropping razors like the Autostrop. The AutoStrop Safety Razor Company was eventually acquired by Gillette.