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Advice on vintage HD Rockets much appreciated.

Hi,I'm looking into getting a HD Rocket and would like some more imformation.I nearly bought a German rocket(more likely than not)which was advertised as a 57 British made one.There's one a few years earlier German made which is the same that some knowledgeable person on here pointed out.First thing i'd like to know is what's the difference between a HD500 rocket and an ordinary one or is it the same thing?I set my mind on an English one because my other vintage gillettes are English except for my fatboy and slim.I'm also English so thought i may as well collect English Gillettes.I'm going to take my time and gather as much info as i can.Is there a particular English Rocket that's considered better and why?Any imformation would be greatfully appreciated because apparently i don't know my arse from my elbow.Cheers.
 
R

romsitsa

Hello, technically those razors are not Rockets. The No 54 and later No 54a sets were Rocket sets, the razors didn't have a specific name, like Aristocrats.
The German Nr. 57 set contained a razor called Parat (short for Rasierapparat), the same razor can be found in British No 54a sets.
The all brass version of the thick handle "Rocket" is called HD500 by collectors, this was sold in No 54 (Rocket set) and No 59 sets. HD stands for heavy duty, as far as I know, 500 was the price on the French market.

The thick handle razor was introduced as the No 52a Anniversary set in 1952. These were all aluminum, called "paperclip" or "LD" by collectors.
Then there were mixed material versions (bras head, aluminum handle, brass knob).
And there also was a gold plated HD500, set number/name is also unknown.

These are Rocket sets


Same razors, not Rocket sets





 
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R

romsitsa

TTO production in Berlin is highly unlikely during the 50ies-60ies. Lack of a made in stamp can be found on Canadian, French and German Gillette TTO-s, but it doesn't mean that these razor were local manufactures.
England produced enough TTO-s for the former empire, Europe an parts of South America, Berlin was producing Rotbarts.
 
Hello, technically those razors are not Rockets. The No 54 and later No 54a sets were Rocket sets, the razors didn't have a specific name, like Aristocrats.
The German Nr. 57 set contained a razor called Parat (short for Rasierapparat), the same razor can be found in British No 54a sets.
The all brass version of the thick handle "Rocket" is called HD500 by collectors, this was sold in No 54 (Rocket set) and No 59 sets. HD stands for heavy duty, as far as I know, 500 was the price on the French market.

The thick handle razor was introduced as the No 52a Anniversary set in 1952. These were all aluminum, called "paperclip" or "LD" by collectors.
Then there were mixed material versions (bras head, aluminum handle, brass knob).
And there also was a gold plated HD500, set number/name is also unknown.

These are Rocket sets


Same razors, not Rocket sets






Great summary!! Thanks! :thumbup: :thumbup:
 
Hello, technically those razors are not Rockets. The No 54 and later No 54a sets were Rocket sets, the razors didn't have a specific name, like Aristocrats.
The German Nr. 57 set contained a razor called Parat (short for Rasierapparat), the same razor can be found in British No 54a sets.
The all brass version of the thick handle "Rocket" is called HD500 by collectors, this was sold in No 54 (Rocket set) and No 59 sets. HD stands for heavy duty, as far as I know, 500 was the price on the French market.

The thick handle razor was introduced as the No 52a Anniversary set in 1952. These were all aluminum, called "paperclip" or "LD" by collectors.
Then there were mixed material versions (bras head, aluminum handle, brass knob).
And there also was a gold plated HD500, set number/name is also unknown.

These are Rocket sets


Same razors, not Rocket sets





Thank you so much for all that imformation it's exactly what i needed.Cheers bud.
 
Rocket HD`s are superb. I have read lots people saying they are too mild, and I think this is because they give a very very smooth shave, not the slightest of blade feel ... but it gives an understated close shave.
Not all of them are too mild. It depends. I have two HDs that look the same with only one difference. One has the "II" on the bottom plate and is mild. The other doesn't have "II" and has more gap and exposure. Very good blade feel, and I prefer it.
 
ivan_101 ... thats interesting. I have two HD rockets and whilst one seems to be a bit slightly less efficient, neither have slightest blade feel or `11` on the bottom of them. maybe the `11` was added to later ones??
 
ivan_101 ... thats interesting. I have two HD rockets and whilst one seems to be a bit slightly less efficient, neither have slightest blade feel or `11` on the bottom of them. maybe the `11` was added to later ones??
Pretty sure those marks are I and II and that they denote mild vs. not so mild?
 
Neither of mine have I or II on them. I have seen these marks on my superspeeds (Red tip and standard).

I have had quite a few HD rockets; maybe 5-6 others in addition to the two I have kept, and none have ever had slightest blade feel. But all of them have given a good shave.
Part of the reason I used to pass them on was the fact they felt so ... uninteresting to use. They were all so smooth they feel as if a chimpanzee with a serious hand tremor could give you a dry shave without so much as a nic or trace of skin irritation afterwards.

It has only been since building my collection up, and been able to use different razors, that I have been able to appreciate and love the HD rockets. The name suggests some thing crude and aggressive - but they are not in the slightest.

Hence why there are two in the collection; the thought of damaging one and missing out is not worth the worry.
 
They were all so smooth they feel as if a chimpanzee with a serious hand tremor could give you a dry shave without so much as a nic or trace of skin irritation afterwards.
The only negative I see there is the chimp.
image9.jpeg
 

Ron R

I survived a lathey foreman
I have 2 British Gillette rockets made in the 1950's NDcodes, they are really a nice razor with a standard blade but on the milder mid range side IMO. They also have a Gold wash variant but it will fade over time it seems. I recently have been using a Kai SS blade in mine and it bumps it up a notch IMO because it is a little wider than a standard Gillette blade by .009 thousands of a inch or .0045" per side for a little more blade feel and it is more to my liking.KAI SS DE Blade.jpg
Gillette British 1950's Rockets (2).jpg

Have some great shaves! Stay and think safe in these times!
 
I suspect your are hearing about what many refer to as the HD 500 which is all Brass at around 70 grams. As indicated above the 52A sets look similar but are Aluminum or a mix. I like the all Brass. Note the HD case below which is different that the two 52A sets - (1) Aluminum and (2) Gold colored one which is anodized Aluminum.
53HD5001.JPG
.
52A.JPG
 
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ivan_101 ... thats interesting. I have two HD rockets and whilst one seems to be a bit slightly less efficient, neither have slightest blade feel or `11` on the bottom of them. maybe the `11` was added to later ones??
You can see my two Rockets here Safety Razor Acquisition Thread. - https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/threads/safety-razor-acquisition-thread.365061/post-11148690
It is not "11", it is the Roman numeral II (two). These were used on European razors (not all) to denote mildness (or aggression if you like). "I" is mild - you can see it on some blue tip rockets (not all). "II" is medium, "III" is aggressive (for instance, Red tip rocket). I must stress, not all razors have these markings.
 
That II is very confusing. I've seen it on some Parats and British Aristocrats as well, but none of my Gillette razors has one.
This is a 4th generation British Aristocrat:

s-l1600.jpg
 
R

romsitsa

I-II-III was introduced to distinguish between red-blue-nickle flare tips and after this all British TTO-s used the same medium head, so all are marked II.
For a real confusing thing, that Gen 4 has the small wings on the bottom of the T-bar, which was used to secure the center rod once the bottom screw/ring is removed. But these British TTO-s can't be disassembled, so the wings make no sense.
 
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