Aluminum #66 Aristocrat, what to do?

[Joezamboni]

Recently I purchased a #66 Aristocrat off fleabay for $97 total See here

It's a little worse than the images made it out to be, but I was surprised by the weight though. It's no where near my Slim and less than my fat handle tech. I was somewhat disappointed to find out it's an aluminum/rhodium plated #66.

It's definitely no where near being the near mint "maybe unused" condition described by the seller in his ad. Definitely used and in great shape for being 60 years old aside from minor plate problems.

I guess my biggest disappointment is the weight (my fault for not researching and clarifying). I can live with small plating flaws aside, I just can't bring myself to even try shaving with it yet though because of how odd it feels to me. I've handled it a little and I might get used to it, but it's odd and I'd rather have something heavy.

I'd have to pay to send it back to South America from the US, so that makes a return somewhat difficult, I could try to trade it here on BST for a heavy #66/#22 (anyone interested?), or sell it on Ebay knowing that they are somewhat rare, or shave with it (I probably will for a while, lol) and see what happens.

What would Badger and Blade do?

Pics of course, a slightly larger fleabite on the underside of the baseplate, a tiny chip in the handle, some light chrome bubbling in the neck are shown.

 

[rxonmymind]

Sorry to hear of your disappointment. I've learned early on that light weight razors don't do it for me. What you have is the #66 Coronation razor which I touched on here.
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/360757-58-Non-coronation-razor?highlight=
The good news is the heavy version shows up fairly frequently on the bay so your search shouldn't be too hard or long. Perhaps someone on the bst forum would be willing to trade you now that your over 50 post. Good luck!

 

[77TransAm]

I've had my fair share of flea bay mishaps. I've asked people specifically if it has a cracked handle and I usually get "Nope, no cracks in the handle." Sure enough, as soon as I open it up there's a crack in the handle.

At least it doesn't look like it's in too bad of shape. You might be able to trade it on B/S/T, but If I were you, I'd put it in a nice display case or a collection. It still looks good to the eye, whether is shaves well or not.

 

[Bostrin]

I see from the Mr. Razor site that this one weights 37 g. This version of the 66/22 must be more uncommon, whether it is desirable among collectors, I cannot say. I see you bought it uncased. A cased set would be worth more. Perhaps you could trade it to someone for a regular weight 66/22 (with a case); or consider a 16 (uncased or cased user grade), even heavier with a machined base plate.

The seller has offered some amazing collectible Gillette razors; but I do have a quibble with his listing, as you imply from your post. The term "near mint" should denote something above "excellent." "Mint" would mean unused. Excellent would be used with no noticeable flaws. Your description on this site has a much more in depth description of the flaws than the original seller's description. Accordingly, you could return it based upon the item's failure to conform to the description. Returning can be problematic, as it takes time to repack and post the item. But, that would be reasonable under the circumstances.

Good luck with the razor.

 

[Joezamboni]

USPS lists a flat rate envelope or small box as being $24

I think I'll avoid the international eBay seller game for a while. I'm supposed to be able to pick up my Kaiser Short tomorrow and have a #15 in the mail from a good seller on here that took the time to take good photos so I'll be held over.

 

[taco8slo]

USPS lists a flat rate envelope or small box as being $24.

Flate rate boxes/envelopes work really well for mailing heavy items, in your case, it would be much cheaper to find a little box/envelope and pay the postage by weight.

 

[TacticalPanda]

Take the opportunity to trade that in on a #16, an even heavier razor than the #66. I love the flat baseplates on the British Aristocrats.

 

[Zeppelinkarte]

The aluminum 66 is much rarer than a 66 or a 16. Try shaving with it....a very nice shave even if the razor is on the light side. What you paid for it is a fantastic price, actually. I would keep it and buy a 16 next.

 

[bythbook]

OP, you might want to try a shave or two with your aluminum 66 - I like the aluminum British Gillettes quite a lot (I prefer the aluminum #66 to the steel one, actually)... I have a nice run of them (aluminum #58, "paperclip" and hybrid Rockets - still looking for an aluminum Aristo Jr, though). I really like the way they shave.

In my pursuit of lightweights I ask the sellers for the weight of the razors - probably a good idea when looking for the heavyweights, too.

 

[celestino]

Joe, I would reiterate what some other members have said and try it out. I have a friend who really loves the shaves with it. Good luck.

 

[Henrik]

Take the opportunity to trade that in on a #16, an even heavier razor than the #66. I love the flat baseplates on the British Aristocrats.

Well said! To the very very last sentence. GREAT, GREAT find!!

 

[Henrik]

..If I´d kept my cased 66 I would have love to have it swopped for yours uncased one.

 

[Joezamboni]

Shaved with it this morning!

Wow, in terms of aggressiveness it's right in between a red tip and my flair tip. Smooth shaver, and very easy to adjust to the unusual weight.

However, I received a package in the mail that may have sealed it's fate today. I just received my UFO Kaiser short, pictures taken with Rhodium prewar Tech and LC new heads (yes, I used white epoxy on the brushes, lol).