Gilette HD Rocket

I wish these were as plentiful as the techs that are all over the place. Still, I was able pick one up in excellent condition for around $30 shipped. The razor has heft which lends to a better balance for me. It's the notched bar, which I find inferior to the earlier un-notched super-speeds, but there were no alignment issues. A superior razor overall, for a closed comb TTO.

The Gillette Rocket HD is a very fine razor. Mine is user grade, with some slight plating loss, but that does not detract from the shave quality at all.

It's a very user friendly razor, with great ergonomics. My only complaint is that, now and then,I somewhat loosen the TTO knob when I repeatedly push against it with my pink. The TTO mechanism should be near the head, like later Gillette razors had. It does not happen often, but the awareness of the possibility detracts from the shave slightly.

The grip itself is great, due to the hefty handle and the nice knurling. Changing the blade is a breeze as well, as with all TTO razors.

It's not very agressive, but very effective. You can really let the weight do all the work, and have a great shave in two passes.

Adjustability is none, since it is not an adjustable razor. But the balance while shaving is great, with the remark that the knob sometimes is in the way of my pink finger.

It's a classic!

The Gillette Rocket which I've got is a Gillette Apparat Nr. 52 made in Germany. It's identical to a Gillette Rocket apart from its name.

[imga=left]http://badgerandblade.com/gallery/displayimage.php?imageid=21079[/imga]This particular razor came from the bay for 5 €. It required a thorough cleaning session with polishing some rust spots out of it.

The performance can be compared to a black handle Super Speed. I dare to say it is better. The razor is a bit heavier and in my opinion sturdier. The weight makes for a better balance and shave. You can just let the razor glide i.e. it's easier to just use the weight of the razor and not to or only slightly to press down. While a Super Speed isn't bad this thing is really good. There's more metal and though it's preference I think it's less rattling.
I went with an Asian Gillette Super Thin blade. The resulting shaves were all good. Good as in smooth and clean.

Now the looks. The handle is textured which also helps while doing different shaving techniques. Though it didn't respond to polishing as well as the non textured head (second picture). The knob on the bottom is securely fixed when silo doors are shut. Overall a NOS can be placed on the shelf.

Shaving with it is a joy. I rate it second only to a Gillette NEW.

I didn't rate the razor on price and adjustability because it is no longer made and comparing an adjustable to a non-adjustable is like comparing apples and oranges.

Believe me.......I found my HD Rocket among a pile of old,dirty and useless lot of razors being sold by a scrapman in a weekly shanty in my city. Picked it up for Rs.20.00 (0.35 cents) after a lot of hesitation,going by the condition it was in. A thorough cleaning job brought it back to its near original glory.

HD Rocket is a strong and sturdy razor and will last a lifetime.The quality is first class.
This well balanced razor has everything going for it albeit the handle which could have been a bit longer for that complete grip.
She glides well, shaves very well and behaves good with the right blade say a Gillitte thin or a the good old Wilkinson sword or a Derby.
But what this razor stands above all is the number of shaves it allows the blade to give.I always manage to get a comfortable 16 to20 shaves each blade(my other superspeeds manage much lesser).And so it is very user friendly
The grip is Good but a longer handle would have made this the best on the gripping scene
Loading the bade is as easy as saying ''123 here i go''
Not very agressive but certainly not the smoothest you can find.It is easy on the skin depending on the angle of the strokes
Overall a well balanced,well made and a very good razor.It should score an aesy 8 out of ten on the scale

The morning dew sits heavy on the lawn. In the next room I hear the slow rasp of my sleeping brood. The steam from my shower still licks at the cold mirror. I smile, as I know my lather is perfect. If my whiskers could move on their own, they would quiver at the thought of the fate that is about to befall them. Scream, my pretties, for I slice you with nothing less than joy. King Gillette, you made this razor just for me, didn't you? Its 96 grams sits heavy in my hand, yet it moves like a ballerina dancing Swan Lake. Do I put a Feather in its maw? No, my friends, this razor must be matched with a kind mate. Another Gillette must sit upon the King's throne. I choose a 7 O' Clock sharp edge. Dare I match a Russian yellow with this British tool? Will the Romanov dance with the Windsor? Yes, of course, Gillette has brought East and West together for one more peaceful waltz. When I have the rocket in my grasp, I no longer simply shave. I am the King of shaving.

The HD Rocket was produced by Gillette in England when they were at the very top of their game.
If it wasn't that Gillette produced even higher quality razors with a similar design, the #66 Aristocrat, the #58, then on quality of manufacturing the HD Rocket would rate a 10.
It's a little heftier than a standard superspeed but the weight is well balanced and it gives a very fine easy shave.
I have four HD Rockets and their blade exposure and level of aggression vary a little as does the experience of the shave and the blade I prefer in each of them. Oddly the one with the largest blade gap gives the smoothest shave.
My most well used Rocket is still a fine shaver, but with very long use the sharpness of the knurling on the handle decreases and with it the grip.
A true classic.

Just got one from a car boot sale £1. Quite suprised it's 50+ years old, doesn't look it.
I usually use a straight and never used DE technology so I'm no expert on the things.
Anyway, I cleaned it in some boiling water,washing-up liquid and nail brush.
I bought a pack of 5 Wilkinson Sword blades (79p in the local Chemists)lathered up and shaved away. Quite a good shave.
I like the little doors that open as you turn the handle, very nifty.
M


ps What does the HD stand for?

I got this from the BST for $95- you can decide if that was a good price or not. In the Vtge market there's always tension between buyers & sellers trying to get the best deal for themselves and I've known some guitarists looking for/buying vintage instruments to switch their position 180 degrees when they change their role, without batting an eye.
I think the overall quality of the "real" Gillettes is well-known, though I'm sure there've been fluctuations over time which I'll learn about as I go. Certainly this particular model is in good condition and seems well-made. The silo-doors operate smoothly and secure in place very well. This is not as heavy as either my 11c or Slant, which took me by surprise, nor is the handle quite as thick. The colour of the piece is distinctly different too from any modern chroming I've seen and I don't know if this is the natural aging process or an aspect of '50s alloy choice.
You can't really get any more user friendly than this, can you?
Grip is fine.
Ease of blade-replacement: see above
This seems to have that un-losable sweet-spot that the HD has...it just turns around itself without you even thinking about it and suddenly your on your second pass. As to agression, I think this is a not-very-precise way of quantifying the most ephemeral aspect of DEs- the interaction between skin, blade and arm. Obviously something like a slant is blatantly agressive, but as you get into the middle of the range, I think lots of other things must affect it, including your soap/cream-choice and how twitchy your arm is that morning. I used to think more agression was better, but now I'm realising this is not the case. For me, the Rocket was quite forgiving but very effective and I'm definitely glad I've finally got a good Vtge G in my collection!