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Ben Hur, the Apollo for France

Once the French Apollo company was purchase by a German company & moved to Germany, the design changed dramatically. (German engineering developed the BMWs and Mercedes Benzs. French are responsible for the Citroen and Peugeot.) Among other design improvements was making a razor that used standard DE blades. One flaw (ATMO) was using zamak (pot metal) as the base, instead of brass. And one other change was using the name "Ben Hur" for the export to France market. In other words, many of the same razors that were sold in Germany under the Apollo brand name were sold in the French market as Ben Hur razors. Including this beauty.
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The little bullet shaped device contains an unused styptic pencil. The blades are obviously German made. And you can just make out the "Made in Germany" area stamped on the head liner of the case.
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The case and presentation is one I've never seen before. The case seems like shagreen. Does anyone know if shagreen was ever dyed? It feels a little like leather, but isn't.
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You can see "Ben Hur" embossed on the base plate.
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And you can also see how the plating is uneven, even on an unused razor. Nonetheless, I love the heft and feel of the razor. And it shaves very effectively. Just requires taking the blade out between shaves, and drying off the razor after using.
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So pristine. Must be from the late 1930s and must have remained in some French gentleman's drawer for the last 70+ years until it showed up on Ebay. Glad to have this classy set.
 
Jake,

I've also got a Ben Hur head, made in Germany. It's in the style of an Old Style with 3 round holes. On the bottom it says "Original Ben Hur" around the left hole, No. 2 Above the right hole and M.i.Germany below the right hole. I haven't shaved with it yet, and it's certainly nothing close to what you have pictured. Thanks for sharing.
 
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That's a beauty Jake.For those wondering I have this exact same razor and it's one smooth shave. But this particular razor has the added benefit of being easily a travel razor much like a Tuckaway. A very nice set.
Thanks for sharing Jake.
 
Beautiful razor. Love the head design. The way the baseplate curls up reminds me a little of the Punktal OC/SB razor design.
 
That's a beauty Jake.For those wondering I have this exact same razor and it's one smooth shave. But this particular razor has the added benefit of being easily a travel razor much like a Tuckaway. A very nice set.
Thanks for sharing Jake.

Do you have the same set? Or just the razor itself? I'd never seen this whole set before. The case is fantastic. IMHO.
 
The German patent number (D.R.G.M. 1284320) on the Apollo is the same one that appears on one of the Apollo slants. I read the patent dates from the 1930s. I haven't seen anything that specifically states what is in the patent, but I imagine it might be some sort of a utility patent on some minor feature, such as the raised teeth projecting up from the guard.
 
Well I shaved with this Apollo today and it is a marvellous thing!
It’s one of the smoothest DEs I’ve ever used, perhaps even more so than the Eclipse Red Ring, and very aggressive perhaps just slightly less than a FaTip.
Absolutely brilliant - I’d intended to sell this set on but on the strength of today’s shave I’ve decided to keep the Apollo :)
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I had acquired two Apollo propeller bakelite base plates a while back and been fooling around with different top caps. The thinner top caps made the shave more aggressive, but also more efficient. The thicker top caps made the shave smoother. I recently acquired a Ben Hur slant which immediately overtook my Merkur 39c as my favorite slant. I got an Apollo similar to the one shown heading my way, and am anxious to try it out. Will report back when I get it.
 
Jake,

I have the identical razor, except mine is a made-in-Germany Apollo, and the lower knob has two channels of knurling instead of one. Everything else (head and handle) is the same. Are you sure about the date? I always thought mine dated from the 1950's. How did you arrive at the 1930's date?

Mine has no patent numbers. Patent expired and not renewed? It says made in Germany (not west Germany).

BTW it's an outstanding shaver on my tough beard!

Uh-oh. I just noticed this thread started in 2014. Is Jake still blogging? I'm not sure. Come in, brother Jake if you're still out there.
 
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I'm still here. Not blogging but posting to these threads now & then. I think the dating logic I used may have been flawed, but there's no easy way to be precise with these dates - except to know that the manufacturer discontinued making razors by the mid-1960s. You may be right about this razor being made in the 1950s. My memory of how I arrived at an earlier date is quite hazy now.

Nonetheless, the razors are excellent -- and when the finish is intact -- they're beauties. And rarely seen.
 
Well I shaved with this Apollo today and it is a marvellous thing!
It’s one of the smoothest DEs I’ve ever used, perhaps even more so than the Eclipse Red Ring, and very aggressive perhaps just slightly less than a FaTip.
Absolutely brilliant - I’d intended to sell this set on but on the strength of today’s shave I’ve decided to keep the Apollo :)
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Great looking set there and sounds like a really good shaver. I've got a Apollo mint backlite handle in Ivory and I've been looking for a head to put on it. I love the way Apollo Ben Hurs look but only got the adjustable.
Nice find and enjoy!
 
Are you sure about the date? I always thought mine dated from the 1950's. How did you arrive at the 1930's date?

...there's no easy way to be precise with these dates - except to know that the manufacturer discontinued making razors by the mid-1960s. You may be right about this razor being made in the 1950s.
Mine has “DRGM” on the baseplate so it’s definitely pre-1952.
Interestingly one side of the OEM tag is in English so presumably that means this is either pre-1939 or 1945-52.
It would be helpful to find an Apollo catalogue or advertising eh?
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