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Gillette Rocket

R

romsitsa

Hello,

HD and paperclip are later nicknames (guess to diferentiate different models) Rockets were called simpl Rockets.
There is an all brass version, an all aluminum version (except for doors and T bar), an aluminum handle/knob version and an aluminum handle version.

Adam
 
Mr-Razor also has a rather extensive web-page in which he provides details about many, and perhaps all of the Rockets Gillette made. The link is below and if you use ctl+f and type in Rocket, your web browser will take you to one after the other. I didn't realize that there was a gold Rocket.

mr-razor solid guard bar
 
The rocket HD is a great razor. They appear to have been built to closer tolerances than their American cousins. The extra weight and the silky smooth TTO mechanism just exudes quality.
 
I recently got an English Rocket Gold in a PIF, and it's extremely well built. Does anyone know what the difference between it and the HD is? Is the head the same? I know the handle is slightly different, but I'm curious if they shave the same.
 
Mr-Razor also has a rather extensive web-page in which he provides details about many, and perhaps all of the Rockets Gillette made.
Hi, I"ve been doing a lot of reading on the HD vs the HD 500, and I haven't found much that's conclusive about the difference between the two, other than mr-razor's photo that the 500 was for the French market.

On mr-razor's site, the only HD 500 I see is for the french market. But I see many threads on this forum where people are tacking on the "500" all the time.

  • Does his site not feature the non-French 500 that so many are referring to?
  • Do so many have the French model (seems unlikely)?
  • Or are so many tacking on the "500" when they shouldn't be?
 

nemo

Lunatic Fringe
Staff member
HD is not a Gillette designation, more a collector nickname. Maybe collectors like @mr-razor use the HD to differentiate from the lighter non-brass paperclip or "LD" models. The 500 came from the razor costing 500 French francs.

HD and HD500 are used interchangeably I think @sugardaddy and I'm guilty of tacking on the 500 occasionally.

Should I just call it a Rocket?
 
I have one which I neglected several months. And I decided to take along with me to travel. I also pick various blades. It works perfectly with all different sharpness of blades. The aggressiveness is very well set which is not irritatting nor too mild.

parat1.jpeg

parat2.jpeg
 
Hi, I"ve been doing a lot of reading on the HD vs the HD 500, and I haven't found much that's conclusive about the difference between the two, other than mr-razor's photo that the 500 was for the French market.

On mr-razor's site, the only HD 500 I see is for the french market. But I see many threads on this forum where people are tacking on the "500" all the time.

  • Does his site not feature the non-French 500 that so many are referring to?
  • Do so many have the French model (seems unlikely)?
  • Or are so many tacking on the "500" when they shouldn't be?
I have two with different gaps. The first one (bigger gap+exposure) came from France. They were sold there as Gillette '500', not Rockets. Hence I call it a Gillette '500'. The other one looks the same, but has "II" on the bottom plate and has the medium gap and exposure, came from Spain. I don't know how they were sold there. I don't call these razors HDs, because they were never sold as such.
 
I have one which I neglected several months. And I decided to take along with me to travel. I also pick various blades. It works perfectly with all different sharpness of blades. The aggressiveness is very well set which is not irritatting nor too mild.

View attachment 1334299
View attachment 1334300
Isn't that a Parat? Can't see very well on the photo if there is a difference in the width of the knob and the handle.
 
R

romsitsa

Rocket is a set name. The wide handle razor (aluminum, part aluminum or brass) in the blue case is a Rocket (or Anniversary set). HD is the same as 500, LD is the all aluminum version. The wider knob, thin handle is an Aristocrat Jr., the thin handle thin knob in a red case is a Parat, but in a blue case a Rocket (set).
 
R

romsitsa

Open the TTO fully. If the knob is exactly the same width as the handle, it is a Parat, if the knob is very very slightly wider than the handle, it's a Rocket.

If the knob is wider, it's a Junior, if the same width, it's a Parat or Rocket set.
 
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