[Avodah] More on Is It Forbidden to Use an Electric Shaver?

[Prof. Levine]

>From 
<http://www.star-k.com/kashrus/kk-mitzvos-shavers.htm>http://www.star-k.com/kashrus/kk-mitzvos-shavers.htm 


How would the electric shaver fare in the kosher shaving arena?  The 
electric shaver is a relatively recent introduction to the shaving 
scene.  Prior to the shaver, the only practical method of kosher 
beard removal was the use of shaving powder.  The powder was mixed 
with water and made a very offensive smelling paste that was spread 
on one's face and ate away the person's facial hair. One had to be 
careful to remove the paste in haste so that only facial hair, and 
not facial skin, would be removed.

The electric shaver seemed to be a welcome technical halachic 
introduction, although shaving in general has not been without 
controversy.  However, those halachic authorities that permitted 
shaving with electric shavers did so because it seemed to fulfill all 
halachic requirements.  The shaver was made up of a vibrating head 
and screen, with the beard hair passed between the cutting edges of 
the screen and the vibrating head; the hair is cut off in a 
scissor-like cutting fashion between head and screen.  The shave was 
closer than manual scissors, since the shaver cut the beard close to 
the skin, yet it never effectively gave a smooth shave because they 
were not as powerful as they are today.

As shavers became more sophisticated, they also became more 
halachically challenging.  With some models, the stronger motors made 
the head vibrate faster and cut the beard closer.  The lift and cut 
shaving systems that evolved from the older Norelco Triplehead system 
claimed that they could shave as close as a razor. As the skin was 
held taut, the shaver alleged to cut the beard below the skin like a 
razor.  Although shaving professionals will admit that the closeness 
of one's shave depends upon a person's beard conditions and texture, 
realistically, the system works better in theory than in practice.

<Snip>

Hagaon R' Moshe Feinstein, ZT"L , who permitted the use of electric 
shavers used a criteria similar to the shochet who would demonstrate 
how sharp his (shechita knife) was.  To show the sharp edge of his 
knife, a shochet would take a hair from his beard, and holding the 
hair in one hand the shochet would see whether the cut the dangling 
hair.  If the hair was severed, the shochet's steel passed the test.

So too, in a similar manner, R' Moshe would often test the sharpness 
of an electric shaver's blades.  He would take a beard hair and test 
the blades!  The shaver would be acceptable if the hair was held taut 
and was not split in half.

The only practical suggestion that can be given to one whose shaver 
failed this test is to dull the blades.   This can be done by taking 
a key or some other hard, flat instrument and running it along the 
sharp edge of the blade.  Obviously, this shaver will not work as 
well; nevertheless, it is still effective and will transform a 
previously questionable shaver into one that is acceptable by the 
Poskim who permit the use of shavers.

See the above URL for more. YL




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