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1930s Gillette Common Bar handle diameter?

Marco

B&B's Man in Italy
My friends, the 1930s Gillette Common Bar is one of my all time favourite handles. Recently, Joe at RazoRock came out with two modern reproductions, inspired to this beautiful design: The Vintage Thick Bar and The Vintage Thin Bar (pic attached).

razorock-vintage-razor-handle-comparison_53fb7b9e-94de-4775-8223-83a29f788f88_large.jpg


The Vintage Thick Bar is 76 mm long. The diameter of the handle is 13 mm in the middle.

The Vintage Thin Bar is is 76 mm long. The diameter of the handle is 10 mm in the middle.

So, my question for you is: what is the exact diameter of the Original 1930s Gillette Common Bar handle? For those who own it, could I have a precise measurement taken with a digital caliper? Basically, I desire to know which one between Thick Bar and Thin Bar reproductions are closer to the Original.

Thank you kindly!

P.S. To my eyes the Thick Bar definitely looks better because it's heavier and appears more substantial. But I also must confess that I'm partial to "fat designs", it's not a case that the Simpson Chubby Series is my #1 pick among brushes!
 

Marco

B&B's Man in Italy
The original is approx. 11,2 mm. The 13 mm is massive.

Thank you very much, Sir. This probably explains why the RazoRock reproduction bars have been so called: at 10 mm the Thin Bar is 1,2 mm thinner than the Original, while at 13 mm the Thick Bar is 1,8 mm thicker.

Between the two I still prefer the look of the stubby Thick Bar.
 
Thank you very much, Sir. This probably explains why the RazoRock reproduction bars have been so called: at 10 mm the Thin Bar is 1,2 mm thinner than the Original, while at 13 mm the Thick Bar is 1,8 mm thicker.

Between the two I still prefer the look of the stubby Thick Bar.
There is quite a difference in weight between the solid stainless Razorock handles and the hollow vintage ones. I think the vintage handles were in the 25g range, the thick RR handle is 72g and the thin is 46g. The thick RR handle alone weighs more than an entire vintage Gillette razor or the current Gillette Heritage razor.
 

Marco

B&B's Man in Italy
There is quite a difference in weight between the solid stainless Razorock handles and the hollow vintage ones. I think the vintage handles were in the 25g range, the thick RR handle is 72g and the thin is 46g. The thick RR handle alone weighs more than an entire vintage Gillette razor or the current Gillette Heritage razor.

Sure, my friend. The manufacturer here does not have any intention of recreating an exact copy of the Original. These two RazoRock bars only pay homage to a glorious design and take inspiration from it. I am perfectly aware of this and like them for what they are.

Here is a brief passage from Italian Barber: "Many customers requested a handle that paid tribute to the Old Gillette Common BAR HANDLE of the past and we did our best to come up with a modern version of this handle and made it available in thinner and thicker options".
 
R

romsitsa

There is quite a difference in weight between the solid stainless Razorock handles and the hollow vintage ones. I think the vintage handles were in the 25g range, the thick RR handle is 72g and the thin is 46g. The thick RR handle alone weighs more than an entire vintage Gillette razor or the current Gillette Heritage razor.

The SC actually benefits from a heavier handle, this is a 70 g two piece design of mine.

DD514AC4-0718-40C6-82D5-58D317F79F21.jpeg
 
Sure, my friend. The manufacturer here does not have any intention of recreating an exact copy of the Original. These two RazoRock bars only pay homage to a glorious design and take inspiration from it. I am perfectly aware of this and like them for what they are.

Here is a brief passage from Italian Barber: "Many customers requested a handle that paid tribute to the Old Gillette Common BAR HANDLE of the past and we did our best to come up with a modern version of this handle and made it available in thinner and thicker options".

It's up to you, of course. There are some vintage replicas that weigh about the same as the original for those that want that. For instance, these are USA made, around $25 and 28 grams...

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It's just that I've been favoring the lighter handles more recently. I've still got a "Thor's Hammer" model at 110 grams, though (when only total stubble annihilation will do).

:laugh:
 
I've just measured the Common Bar handle off my NEW SC:

Diameter: 11.5mm
Length: 76mm
Weight: 20g
The SC actually benefits from a heavier handle, this is a 70 g two piece design of mine.

DD514AC4-0718-40C6-82D5-58D317F79F21.jpeg
We'll have to agree to differ there Adam. :wink2:

Being an LHF (Lightweight Handle Fanboy), here's my NEW SC on my favorite GT handle (for superior maneuverability) although it looks better on its original handle:
NEW-SC-GT+ Original-Handle_2022-01-21.jpg

My magical GT handle (made by my good friend Doug (@Rosseforp)) measures up thus:

Diameter: 14mm
Length: 75mm
Weight: 14g
 
My friends, the 1930s Gillette Common Bar is one of my all time favourite handles. Recently, Joe at RazoRock came out with two modern reproductions, inspired to this beautiful design: The Vintage Thick Bar and The Vintage Thin Bar (pic attached).

View attachment 1357381

The Vintage Thick Bar is 76 mm long. The diameter of the handle is 13 mm in the middle.

The Vintage Thin Bar is is 76 mm long. The diameter of the handle is 10 mm in the middle.

So, my question for you is: what is the exact diameter of the Original 1930s Gillette Common Bar handle? For those who own it, could I have a precise measurement taken with a digital caliper? Basically, I desire to know which one between Thick Bar and Thin Bar reproductions are closer to the Original.

Thank you kindly!

P.S. To my eyes the Thick Bar definitely looks better because it's heavier and appears more substantial. But I also must confess that I'm partial to "fat designs", it's not a case that the Simpson Chubby Series is my #1 pick among brushes!
You can let Joe know that you sold two more THICK bars for him Marco 👍. I am very happy with the balance these handle provide and I think they look great on these Gillette new heads.
8559D757-0C2A-4859-A87B-805A5109E70B.jpeg
 
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