Skarp Technologies’ unicorn that is the Laser Razor was supposed to be delivered to Indiegogo backers in March, with the device promising a laser shave that will not irritate the skin. Unfortunately, that deadline has passed, and without a peep from the company, some have wondered whether the razor even exists. Reaching out to the firm, CNET reports that, apparently, the laser razor is alive and kicking.
According to Skarp chief marketing officer and adviser Will King, the Laser Razor is on track for an initial release by year’s end, with 5,000 prototype units hopefully reaching backers by then. However, King warned that even that late 2016 initial release window could be pushed to next year, with King also regretting having the company set an initial March release.
“Perhaps it should have gone out more as a ‘We need some help developing the technology to see if it works’ instead of hard dates to ship the product,” said King.
As far as the Laser Razor itself is concerned, King said the prototype unit should be fully functional and should not require medical certification, since Skarp believes the razor will be treated more like a laser pointer. The main reason behind the delay, said King, was to develop a new custom laser diode that would do a better job at cutting hair.
Furthermore, Skarp still faces several obstacles with the Laser Razor, including testing and picking the final optical fiber and laser diode, meshing those parts together, and getting the razor certified for shipment.
More controversially is what King had to say about the Laser Razor’s Indiegogo campaign. According to King, Skarp did delete some comments, though King said they only deleted “unnecessarily offensive” comments. Secondly, Skarp will not promise regular updates on the Laser Razor, with King assuring that the company is hard at work on the razor and will not run away with the backers’ money.
Finally, whenever backers finally get their hands on the laser razor, there will be no refunds. “We expect to deliver the Lazer Razor as promised, be it with the delays put in our way,” said King.
Until people see a finished product, however, they will likely begin, or continue, to see the Laser Razor as a scam. Kickstarter suspended the razor’s campaign back in October, which is what led to Skarp to jump ship to Indiegogo. Such a move only augmented people’s belief that the razor is not legitimate, and the lack of transparency on the company’s part has only made things worse.
