The razor measures 6" when folded. The blade is in nickel-plated stainless steel, the handle is a two-part construction, made of cheerful greenish Bakelite.

The razor comes with its original dark-green packaging box, made of cardboard wrapped in oilcloth, marked with the trademark of the Moscow Trud Vacha Factory, and, on the left side, the item's name, the RSFSR manufacturing standard number and the year of manufacture, 1956. Don't let the bluish tint of our photos depicting the lettering on the box confuse you; we had to resort to "black light" to bring it out. The blade bears a separate manufacturer's mark, the Moscow Metalworks Factory, and the year of manufacture, also 1956.

In very good condition. The blade shows mild to moderate wear to the nickel plating and traces of honing it on a stropping belt. The Bakelite handle shows no significant wear or damage, just a few minuscule scuffs and scratches. The rivets holding the two halves of the handle together are strong and tight.

The box shows moderate wear, mostly to the corners. An old separation at the side of the smaller part has been repaired with glue and is holding strong. The lid of the box is tight and holds in place well.

The Trud Vacha Factory is a famous brand of a metalworks factory located in the village of Vacha, Nizhniy Novgorod Region, that was founded in 1830, and since then has continued to make bladed utility tools, utensils, and a wide assortment of other metal items for home, hospitality industry, gardening, etc. The mark on the blade of the razor is different, so we feel obliged to point out that either the packaging box is not original for this razor, or that in the year 1956, the Trud Vacha Factory used Moscow-made blades in manufacturing these razors.

Straight razors remained very popular among the male population of the USSR long after the safety razors became available, mostly due to atrocious quality of Soviet-made razor blades manufactured for safety razors. Needless to say, the Iron Curtain kept the good Western-made blades absolutely unavailable for an ordinary Soviet male.