Arthur E. Jensen- The Shavemaster
If you are familiar with our story, you know that our beloved father and grandfather, Arthur E. Jensen was the brilliant inventor of the Thunderbird wheel line irrigation system, the product that changed agriculture forever and of which is our namesake. But did you know that he had many other successful inventions? Such as his first patented and well-known creation- the Sunbeam Shavemaster.
A Mechanical Genius
Arthur E. Jensen was born in 1907 to Danish immigrant parents in Blackfoot, Idaho. He grew up as a bright farm boy that discovered a knack and passion for intricate mechanics. This led to him pursuing his higher education at Idaho State University, majoring in mechanical engineering. Meanwhile, he made a living by fixing items like clocks, watches, and typewriters. It didn’t take long for one of his professors to notice his gifts. This professor encouraged him to head out to Illinois to continue his education in the field of Horology- the science of measuring time and the design and construction of measuring devices. Not only did Jensen graduate university with honors, he also finished the 3 year course in less than a year! After graduation, he worked as a watchmaker and etch artist for a time, before moving to southern California to open a jewelry shop. It was during this period and place that the conception of the Sunbeam Shavemaster happened.
The brilliant design of Jensen's electric razor was inspired by sheep-shearing equipment. The world of agriculture heavily influenced many of his inventions, because of his farming background. The idea for the razor was that it would provide as close a shave as a blade would. His razor received patents in the 1930’s and he sold those patents to The Sunbeam Corporation. His invention, given the name “Shavemaster,” was the company’s first electric razor. He did receive royalties on his product, about 5 cents a piece, until 1941, but with the start of WWII, the United States government needed Sunbeam and Jensen’s engineering talents to be deterred for the war efforts.
A WWII Influence
During the war, Jensen worked on several projects for the government with a company called Western Electric. In particular, he created complex parts to add on to the famous Light Valve machine- the machine that was originally used to add sound to motion picture films. These additions converted the Light Valve into a more complex device that could be used on the vibrations of a war airplane. Another WWII invention of Jensen’s was his biometric flare fuse. The idea for his flare fuse came about when a US colonel came to Jensen saying that the army was having issues with lighting up the field at night. Apparently, their flares wouldn’t go off at the right altitude or right accuracy. So, Jensen invented a detonator made with a copper diaphragm (aneroid) that worked off of the air pressure to attain accuracy. Jensen did not serve as a soldier in the war, but he contributed by continually making the copper diaphragms for the fuse. A fun fact, he made these diaphragms out of his grandmother's garage.
The war changed things for Arthur Jensen. He had more mechanical experience under his belt, his royalties for the Sunbeam Shavemaster picked back up, and after an impressionable trip to Europe, he made the decision to leave California and buy some ground back to Idaho. In Idaho, he dived back into the farming world and he went on to create more contraptions for the agriculture industry, like one of the first chicken de-beakers and the ingenious Thunderbird irrigation system we cherish. Arthur E. Jensen’s Shavemaster electric razor was made and distributed until about 1980. In fact, if you do some digging, you can still find the Shavemaster exhibited in museums, sold online, and find some fun 1970s Shavemaster commercials!