Adams Vintage Tech Ball End?

[s2s]

NEW (1) Adams Vintage Gillette Tech Ball end Adams Safety Razor Made in England | eBay
This seller has tons of NOS Adams razors for sale, price is so low its tempting but I don't know much about them. I know that Merkur made a lot of the Adams stuff, but all the Merkur/Adams razors I ever saw were open comb or TTO and had the logo on the handle.
Anyone have experience with a ball end Adams?
Is it a Merkur made?
Any idea what years these would be from?
Box says made in Germany, baseplate is stamped made in England, lol
Looks a lot like a Gillette Tech, as mild?
Posting says stainless steel head with an aluminum handle, anyone know if that is true?

 

[nemo]

Not sure what's happened there, I'm scratching my head.
I have two Adams razors, both open comb and stamped "Germany" and brass.
Lots of mismatched stuff it seems. Big doubts on stainless, that's incorrect.
Probably from some medical supply house for surgical prep (like Grafco).

Mine look like this

 

[s2s]

Not sure what's happened there, I'm scratching my head.
I have two Adams razors, both open comb and stamped "Germany" and brass.
Lots of mismatched stuff it seems. Big doubts on stainless, that's incorrect.
Probably from some medical supply house for surgical prep (like Grafco).

Mine look like this

Thanks for the response!
Yeah that is my concern. I mean if it were legit could be a good deal and the price is low, but I'm skeptical of the listing. I mean Adams vintage stainless steel? Just too much doesn't seem right to me.

 

[AshleyC]

Eh, I just ordered one. What the heck. I'll get it sometime between Friday and Monday.

Because if there's anything I really, really need...it's a fifth Tech...

 

[AshleyC]

Here's what I gather from this. The box says "Clay Adams" on it, which apparently was a medical supply company.

Clay-Adams Company, Inc. | People | The Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments

"The company may was run from 1916 to 1935 by Robert Louis Toplitz (c. 1851-1935). In 1964 Clay-Adams became a division of Becton, Dickinson and Company, the medical technology company. Clay-Adams relocated to Parsippany, New Jersey around 1969-1970."

The eBay listing has a picture of the cardboard insert you remove and replace with a blade. It says in small print the razor head was made in England (back when people referred to it as "England", so that's vintage) and the razor assembled in Boston by Gillette. This suggests the handles are American. At least to me it does. And no date codes on the base plate.

The "Made in Germany" printed on the box is simply baffling. Maybe the handles were made in Germany after all? And it was all shipped to Boston so some guy could screw the handles into the heads and box them up?

 

[nemo]

Good research, Ashley. I still maintain the box does not match the razor, first the made in Germany and also "comb edge" along with some of them having portions blacked out. Maybe they had a bunch of their Clay-Adams boxes and bulk razors (from England instead of Germany) with which to fill them. Who knows?

 

[romsitsa]

Hello,

it’s a Gillette Tech in an Adams box, razor is aluminum/zamak (could be called stainless), made most likely after 1970. These Techs (part British, part US) often pop up in US military carboard boxes.
The Adams was made by Merkur.

Most likely Doug nailed what could have happened (surplus boxes with new razors) The seller has another listing showing three shippers, one has the company info blanked out with a sharpie.

Adam

 

[s2s]

Thanks everyone!
That handle does look like an English Gillette Tech handle. Maybe I will get one after all, I mean with the free shipping and the price, whether its made by Gillette or Mekur its a good price for either.

 

[ajkel64]

It certainly does look like a Gillette Tech. Let us know what you think if you finish up with one.

 

[BigJ]

Here's what I gather from this. The box says "Clay Adams" on it, which apparently was a medical supply company.

Clay-Adams Company, Inc. | People | The Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments

"The company may was run from 1916 to 1935 by Robert Louis Toplitz (c. 1851-1935). In 1964 Clay-Adams became a division of Becton, Dickinson and Company, the medical technology company. Clay-Adams relocated to Parsippany, New Jersey around 1969-1970."

The eBay listing has a picture of the cardboard insert you remove and replace with a blade. It says in small print the razor head was made in England (back when people referred to it as "England", so that's vintage) and the razor assembled in Boston by Gillette. This suggests the handles are American. At least to me it does. And no date codes on the base plate.

The "Made in Germany" printed on the box is simply baffling. Maybe the handles were made in Germany after all? And it was all shipped to Boston so some guy could screw the handles into the heads and box them up?

Great research!! Thanks.

 

[AshleyC]

Well, mine came in the mail today...and I just so happened to be ready for a shave this evening. I also got a 3-pack of Aqua Lavanda Puig bath/body soap today too. Yes, the "Frank Sinatra" soap.

So my prep was a shower with the Aqua Lavanda Puig.

The razor and box is as pictured in the eBay listing. And it comes with a single Gillette Platinum Plus blade in a tuck. Yes...a one blade tuck.

I have no reason to doubt this is a British-made Tech with aluminum handle. The base plate definitly reacts to a magnet. Jumps right up to a refrigerator magnet. Perhaps this is a plated piece of stamped sheet steel? The top cap barely reacts to the magnet. It does react, but just barely. The top cap is obviously zamak, and my magnet is reacting to the nickel-plating only.

I loaded in the Gillette blade, used a bit of Shave Secret as a pre-shave, and applied Proraso green shave cream.

I got a close shave. Easily as good as I ever got with any Tech. And that Gillette blade was darn good. Easily within the "Feather" range of sharpness and quality.

Is the head "stainless", as advertised in the eBay listing? Well...yeah. Because of that nickel plate. It sure ain't stainless steel though!

Has the "Made in Germany" text on the box been explained? No, I don't think so. The razor isn't German. It's just a version of the Tech you may not have yet. Ebay gave me a $5 off coupon, I guess as an incentive because I haven't ordered from eBay in a coon's age, so this was for me a $10 vintage, new old stock (NOS) Gillette Tech.

 

[ras61]

I got mine today, bought two for $24 (the more you buy the cheaper they are per razor). Haven't used it yet but my initial impression is "meh", nothing great. Very light, partially due to the alum handle, but the cap and base plate also seem light to me. Also don't think the head is stainless, and whatever coating it has seems very thin. I like Tech's, but wouldn't buy again, I prefer my older vintage ones much more.

 

[nemo]

Oddly, the Zamak top cap does not have the usual Gillette embossing.

 

[ras61]

Oddly, the Zamak top cap does not have the usual Gillette embossing.

Could this be cobbled Frankenrazor - English baseplate, ? handle, Chinese(?) cap, all in an old Adams box?

 

[nemo]

Could this be cobbled Frankenrazor - English baseplate, ? handle, Chinese(?) cap, all in an old Adams box?

I doubt it, except for the leftover box, it was probably all made by Gillette UK for a second source and they requested no name.

 

[HatMagnet]

For those of you who bought one, What length is the handle please.

 

[nemo]

For those of you who bought one, What length is the handle please.

Looks to be the standard 3 inch handle.

 

[s2s]

I doubt it, except for the leftover box, it was probably all made by Gillette UK for a second source and they requested no name.

+1 Looks to be 100% English Gillette. Thanks everyone!

 

[ras61]

Looks to be the standard 3 inch handle.

Yes, 3"

 

[ras61]

I was at Mr Razor and found an identical match except for being made in the USA - 1979 Tech "Z4", ball end alum handle with same knurl pattern, no logo on cap, and one Platinum Plus blade. Interestingly, the rest of the alum handle English Techs with this knurling pattern don't have a ball end