Shaving my face like its the Year 3000

Quick Overview

The creator successfully built a functional replica of the infamous Skarp Laser Razor, demonstrating its ability to cut hair using a 5-watt laser beam, despite the original Kickstarter project being suspended for failing to work and being deemed an unrealistic technology.

Key Points: The creator built a functional replica of the Skarp Laser Razor, which originally failed its Kickstarter campaign due to not working. The homemade laser razor uses a 5-watt laser diode powered by supercapacitors, allowing it to fire the beam for about 30 seconds. Testing on a sweet potato showed the laser successfully vaporized the purple feather 'hair' but only managed to burn the skin about 1/4 inch deep. The creator also tested the device by using it to trim a few small hairs on his neck, which resulted in burning but not actual shaving. The replica's design closely copies the original Skarp design, including a system of mirrors to direct the beam onto the blade area. The video includes a safety warning due to the use of a high-powered laser, with participants wearing safety goggles during testing.

Context: This video documents the process of recreating the Skarp Laser Razor, a crowdfunding project that raised over $4 million on Kickstarter before being suspended because the promised laser technology did not function as advertised. The creator, inspired by the failure, built a prototype using a powerful 5W laser diode and supercapacitors to see if the concept could be made to work, testing it first on a sweet potato and then on a volunteer's leg and neck hair.

Detailed Analysis

The video details the construction and testing of a homemade laser razor, designed as a functional parody or recreation of the failed Skarp Laser Razor Kickstarter project. The creator first shows the defunct Kickstarter page, noting the $4 million raised and the subsequent suspension due to the technology being unrealistic. He then demonstrates his attempt to build a working version, which involves mounting a 5-watt laser diode (powered by supercapacitors for a 30-second burst) onto a modified Gillette razor handle using 3D-printed parts and mirrors to guide the beam. Initial tests on a hot dog covered in purple feathers successfully burned the feather strands, though the laser was not powerful enough to cut through deeply. The creator then tests the device on his own leg hair (08:51), noting the laser beam is visible through his protective goggles and that it burns the hair rather than cleanly shaving it. A final test involves attempting to shave a few hairs on his neck (10:39), which results in burning rather than cutting. The creator concludes that while the concept is flawed, his recreation works as a demonstration, proving the original Skarp technology likely never could have worked as promised.