Linkage mechanism producing a virtual pivot axis for a razor

A razor blade assembly connected to a handle via a linkage mechanism providing a cartridge that rotates about a virtual pivot axis, the cartridge comprising a front edge, a rear edge and a midpoint between the front edge and the rear edge;

• a guard member near the front edge and a cap member near the rear edge;
• at least one blade between the guard member and the cap member;
• and a cutting plane tangent to the guard member and the cap member, wherein the linkage mechanism is suspended from the handle for rotating the cartridge about the virtual pivot axis, wherein the virtual pivot axis is positioned in a virtual pivot axis region located forward of the cartridge midpoint toward the front edge of the cartridge and into the skin, the virtual pivot axis region is defined by a first boundary and a second boundary, the first and second boundaries lie on X and Y axes having an origin located on the cutting plane at the cartridge midpoint wherein the X axis extends forward toward the front edge of the cartridge in a +X direction parallel to the cutting plane and the Y axis extends away from the skin in a +Y direction perpendicular to the cutting plane wherein the first boundary extends from the cartridge midpoint, perpendicular to the cutting plane in a −Y direction along a line defined by X=0 and the second boundary extends from the cartridge midpoint in a +X direction along a line defined by Y=0.