School me on the Valet Auto-Strop

[Highspeedlane]

Great info above gents.

Took possession today of what I believe might be a great looking VC-1. I'll have pics up sometime this weekend when I get good light.

 

[Highspeedlane]

So far I've managed to accumulate 5 Auto Strop's! So much for keeping my RAD in check But they can be had for super cheap money, even cased with instructions. Out of the lot I have one strop, which could eventually be used in with a carbon steel Gem blade.

This is the group that came after my first acquisition (which was a late model Gillette made Auto Strop):

You can see there's quite a bit of difference on the blade positioning dimples between these two particular models:

My favorite (looking) of the bunch so far is the nickel plated VC-1 (?) on the bottom of the pic:

The plan is to pick one of these for a shave this weekend. I have my FHS-10's in hand! I have never used one so I suspect it will be my choice coupled with one of the VC-1's.

Comments from the experts welcome!

 

[spidey9]

A nickel plated VC1 is a great razor for regular use or even as a daily driver. It can be used with de-spined Gem blades in addition to the Feather FHS blades. It's moderately aggressive, less so than the VB's but more so than later models.

Just be aware that the hook type blade stops are very fragile. When you press the lever to lock the blade into shaving position try not to press any harder than necessary in order to push the blade against the stops.

On the later models there are hundreds of possible locations for the pins and tabs in the "VALET." That was the whole idea in order to prevent use of after-market blades. Pretty clever of Feather to come up with an abstract cutout that will fit 99% of the razors without infringing on the "VALET" trademark.

--Bob

 

[Highspeedlane]

Great advice and info Bob, thanks!

 

[rudyt]

A nickel plated VC1 is a great razor for regular use or even as a daily driver.

I'm so confused. Doesn't the razor pictured have a roller, making it a VB1?

 

[spidey9]

VB1 is on the left, VC! on the right.

The rollers we are talking about are the strop guides. Note the roller to the left of the blade on the VB1. There is also a roller directly under the blade on the VB1. Note that the VC1 has neither of these, just rails to guide the strop.

Also note that the VB1 is more heavily constructed in general.

--Bob

 

[rudyt]

The rollers we are talking about are the strop guides. Note the roller to the left of the blade on the VB1. There is also a roller directly under the blade on the VB1. Note that the VC1 has neither of these, just rails to guide the strop.

That's PERFECTLY clear. Now I need to get a VC1 too. I'm interested to see how mild it is.

My three AutoStrops are all straight, yet all have different levels of aggression. The Canadian B1 is harsh (like a MMOC), the US B1 is moderate (like a 1914), and the Canadian VB1 is smooth as glass (like an early Damaskeene). Looking forward to see where the VC1 fits. I love the fact that they're so cheap to buy.

 

[jmudrick]

View attachment 711184

VB1 is on the left, VC! on the right.

The rollers we are talking about are the strop guides. Note the roller to the left of the blade on the VB1. There is also a roller directly under the blade on the VB1. Note that the VC1 has neither of these, just rails to guide the strop.

Also note that the VB1 is more heavily constructed in general.

--Bob

Gonna have to get me one of them there VBs to keep the VC company.

 

[Highspeedlane]

I picked a gold plated VC-1 to shave with this morning using a Feather FHS-10 blade. Good grief this was a close shave. I had a few weepers that quickly disappeared with cold water and Fine L'Orange After Shave splash but overall I was amazed! We're talking close! An amazingly close shave.

 

[rudyt]

I picked a gold plated VC-1 to shave with this morning using a Feather FHS-10 blade. Good grief this was a close shave.

Good news that you're liking the AutoStrop.

I don't know if you know my story, but the AutoStrop is the only razor that I could not get used to when I first got it. Every 6 months I would try again and fail. I gave up on it probably 3 times. Then one day, BAM! it gave me my best SE shave ever, and I've been hooked ever since.

All mine are B1 or VB1 so I need a VC1. I also need a British one and a ball-end handled one. I have no interest in the ones that can't take a standard SE blade though. Enjoy them.

 

[Highspeedlane]

Good news that you're liking the AutoStrop.

I don't know if you know my story, but the AutoStrop is the only razor that I could not get used to when I first got it. Every 6 months I would try again and fail. I gave up on it probably 3 times. Then one day, BAM! it gave me my best SE shave ever, and I've been hooked ever since.

All mine are B1 or VB1 so I need a VC1. I also need a British one and a ball-end handled one. I have no interest in the ones that can't take a standard SE blade though. Enjoy them.

Thank you, and hope you score your desired models.

This is my first journey down this rabbit hole, including the use of the FHS-10. It is not going to knock my ball end Old Type off its throne for daily work shaves but it is a great SE experience nonetheless.

 

[Salty O'Rourke]

So I was doing more research on this razor and low and behold, it's made by Gillette! This was obviously during the time frame (I believe) Gillette had bought them out but continued to make them (an odd period for sure). Now when discussing vintage Gillette's I can offer up my "Gillette Auto Strop" as part of the conversation

Actually, the Valet/Gillette history is very interesting. Auto Strop was founded by inventor Henry Jacques Gaisman in the early 1900s. By the 1920s Gaisman was designing a DE system that involved a razor blade that would fit his new Probak razor as well as Gillette razors, but the Gillette blades wouldn't be compatible with the Probak - pretty slick. He patented the designs and when Gillette reacted with their own updated designs, Auto Strop filed suit for patent infringement. Gillette agreed to a merger rather than fight it out in court. Now comes the really interesting part. Gaisman joined the Board of Directors at Gillette and discovered financial irregularities; when King Gillette died in 1932 the board turned to Gaisman to run the company, which he did until he retired in 1938 at age 69 having amassed a 25M fortune. He lived another 35 years and died at age 104 in 1971. Fascinating guy, held patents in fields other than razors/blades.

 

[Highspeedlane]

Actually, the Valet/Gillette history is very interesting. Auto Strop was founded by inventor Henry Jacques Gaisman in the early 1900s. By the 1920s Gaisman was designing a DE system that involved a razor blade that would fit his new Probak razor as well as Gillette razors, but the Gillette blades wouldn't be compatible with the Probak - pretty slick. He patented the designs and when Gillette reacted with their own updated designs, Auto Strop filed suit for patent infringement. Gillette agreed to a merger rather than fight it out in court. Now comes the really interesting part. Gaisman joined the Board of Directors at Gillette and discovered financial irregularities; when King Gillette died in 1932 the board turned to Gaisman to run the company, which he did until he retired in 1938 at age 69 having amassed a 25M fortune. He lived another 35 years and died at age 104 in 1971. Fascinating guy, held patents in fields other than razors/blades.

Wow, very interesting historical info. Thanks for sharing!

 

[mycarver]

This has been interesting! I have a few and picked them up because they fascinated me and yes,,, they're cheap. Here are mine along with a tube of dressing. The one in the wall case hasn't been opened as well as the one in the dark blue case with full pack of blades hasnt been used as far as I can tell.

 

[mycarver]

oops,,, nearly forgot this Army version .

 

[Salty O'Rourke]

More on the interesting AutoStrop story and why Feather makes a blade for an obsolete shaving system: http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showth...er-why-Feather-SE-blades-fit-those-old-Valets

Unfortunately the video referenced in the post is long gone. It's my theory, and it's just a theory, that Gillette/AutoStrop had either licensed the razor to a Japanese concern before the war or else they sold the tooling and patents after the war. US production of the Valet ended in the mid-late 40s I think. It would be interesting to know how long the razor was produced in Japan, or if it is still in production there. There must be a domestic market for the blades and it's hard to believe that there are that many men shaving with an long-out-of-production system requiring a proprietary blade.

 

[Komboloi]

More on the interesting AutoStrop story and why Feather makes a blade for an obsolete shaving system: http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showth...er-why-Feather-SE-blades-fit-those-old-Valets

Unfortunately the video referenced in the post is long gone. It's my theory, and it's just a theory, that Gillette/AutoStrop had either licensed the razor to a Japanese concern before the war or else they sold the tooling and patents after the war. US production of the Valet ended in the mid-late 40s I think. It would be interesting to know how long the razor was produced in Japan, or if it is still in production there. There must be a domestic market for the blades and it's hard to believe that there are that many men shaving with an long-out-of-production system requiring a proprietary blade.

That's fascinating. Thanks for the link. It's too bad the photos and video from that old Ebay listing are no longer live. I'd love to see what those Japanese Valets look like. Maybe someone else has a photo? Or maybe even one of the razors?

 

[spidey9]

Sadly, I found these online somewhere - this razor is not part of my collection. It is my understanding that they were never made for export and discontinued several years ago.

It looks sort of like a VC2 with a VC4 safety bar.

--Bob

 

[deoxy4]

This thread prompted me to pull out my VC1. I have shaved with it maybe a dozen times over a year or so, so it is not in my normal rotation and a new like a brand new experience every time I use it. I rinsed the razor under the faucet and placed it on a face towel to dry it off. I was admiring the close shave it gave in the mirror and must have released the blade lock when drying it off in the towel. The blade flipped out and I cut a very symmetrical 1/2" C flap fairly deep just under my knuckle on my index finger. Just something to be aware of if you are an infrequent user. Loading and unloading blades is another procedure that requires your full attention.

 

[Salty O'Rourke]

The VC1 is my favorite Valet - a fully adjustable open comb single edge razor with gears that accepts a Gem blade; what's not to love about that?