Barbed wire includes a long history with the first patents being granted in 1867 in the U.S. – but it was only 7 years later that Joseph Glidden of De Kalb, Illinois invented the machine that could produce the material in big amounts that its use became widespread. It was only some years just before the vast open prairies of the United States had become pastureland sectioned off by a large number of miles of barbed wire.
Today barbed wire remains in widespread use, nevertheless, the design has been refined into other sorts of fencing materials such as razor wire. However, the design of these two kinds of wire differs, along with their use. Let’s take a closer look.
Barbed Wire
Barbed wire is constructed from two wires the central wire and the smaller gauge wire that may be wrapped across the centerline. It is the points of the smaller gauge wire that form the barbs. Barbed wire remains mainly used in the same manner which was within the late 18th century – it keeps animals from wandering off property and supplies the lowest-cost solution made to deter people from entering the home. However, barbed wire is today also to simply secure a non-agricultural property or by safety and security forces for crowd control.
Razor Wire
Razor wire was developed in the mid-20th century and is seen by many as preferable over barbed wire. Steel tape with fine, razor edges was produced. The razor edges can seriously injure those attempting to cross a section of razor wire – and because those ‘razors’ are spaced closer together compared to the barbs on the traditional barbed wire they are extremely difficult in order to avoid.
However, we have seen further refinements created for razor wire. From the 1980s manufacturers took a look back on the original barbed wire and found that the same manufacturing process with significant improvements could offer a razor wire that was far better compared to the original as well as cheaper to generate. this new kind of razor wire did not use steel tape for the entire wire. Instead, the steel tape was shaped into stand-alone ‘razors’ and crimped around a steel wire core.
The effect was really a wire that was considerably more durable than the original design – and yes it became increasingly popular. It really is today primarily useful for securing industrial and corporate sites, however, it still finds favor with farmers who are faced with particularly determined livestock.
However, it is actually worth noting that for a lot of agricultural concerns the first design of barbed wire continues to be preferred. There are two primary causes of this. the first is cost – it remains the lowest-cost solution to keeping livestock within certain boundaries. the second is the fact what could be seen as a weakness is (in particular circumstances) a strength. barbed wire will not do the maximum amount of physical harm as razor wire. This will help guard the farmer’s investment. An injured animal costs money to treat and therefore it offers a top-notch return on your investment.
Whatever your fencing needs, if security or livestock control is priorities, barbed or razor wire delivers a time-proven solution.