7 O'Clock razor

[wulfgar1976]

I finally 'won' one of these on Ebay:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=190472841419

According to Waites' compendium, the company was owned by Gillette at the time of manufacture. For some reason, 7 O'Clock razors always seem to go for more than their Gillette counterparts, despite being more common.

 

[BBrad]

The brand is still used by Gillette for some of their Russian and Indian blades and razors.

Having never seen one, or had the opportunity to purchase a vintage one, I can't agree that the 7 O'clock razor is more common than a Gillette . . . at least not here in the States, anyway!

Was this a small company that Gillette purchased, or was it a brand name that they started in order to market against low-priced competition? (Like Rubie was.)

 

[wulfgar1976]

The brand is still used by Gillette for some of their Russian and Indian blades and razors.

Having never seen one, or had the opportunity to purchase a vintage one, I can't agree that the 7 O'clock razor is more common than a Gillette . . . at least not here in the States, anyway!

Was this a small company that Gillette purchased, or was it a brand name that they started in order to market against low-priced competition? (Like Rubie was.)

It was a common brand in England. I think they were known for auto-strop style razors and I believe Gillette used the brand to separate their lower-priced razors from their premium ones. They're much more common on Ebay here than the Gillette models so I can only assume that they sold more at the time.

Another brand name Gillette has used (and possibly still does) is Minora. I have a Minora branded razor that has a head that is almost identical to one of the NEW heads that was unique to England, the only difference being that the baseplate is slightly thicker on the Gillette. The writing stamped on the baseplate saying 'MADE IN ENGLAND' is identical on both razors so I'm wondering if the Minora was made in the same factory and produced by Gillette. Waites' compendium only mentions that Minora made a Gillette clone.