I recently picked up an interesting OC razor.
A British Army issue razor, dated 1945. They often come up as unissued surplus here in the UK, and tend to retail at anything from £30 to £70-100, based on the date as I understand. A 1940-44 razor would command a higher price, especially if issued.
I got lucky and picked one up for £17 shipped.
It is a three piece OC, with similarities to the 7 O'clock and some English Gillette variants (more on that downthread)
My example weighs in at 36 gms, and is made of some kind of alloy. The mold marks, and lack of interest in creating a cosmetically perfect razor is very evident. Production may have been in the low millions mark, which makes it a notable razor in that regard.
Despite its minor superficial imperfections, the tolerances where it matters, in terms of equal blade exposure and clamping and fitting, is excellent.
From my understanding, the type was first issued in 1937 as part of a revolutionary overhaul of army equipment, which saw the army receiving entirely new uniform patterns (the modern combat trouser evolved from the 37' 'battledress' uniform) to automatic weapons (the Bren gun) and doctrine. A new and modern DE razor was a small part of that overhaul.
There appear to be two main types of razor. This version, (sometimes rarely seen with a ball end handle) and a version which appears to be similar to the OC Souplex razor, except that the handle is a solid undecorated aluminium piece. I believe Richard @EclipseRedRing has an example.
The markings are as follows.
The MM&S razor has the date of manufacture on the top cap underneath with the War Office broad arrow stamp in the centre. This was the central identification of all British Government property from at least the late 18th Century to almost the present day. To the right is two letters, C C or W C, although there may be others. Underneath is a four letter code, in this case 1087.
The other manufacturers' mark is for the AS&CO razor. This is a simpler designation, with AS&CO, the broad arrow and the date of manufacture.
Apart from markings the razors are identical. The meaning of the markings I'm finding hard to research, although I have seen some suggestions on line. I can only speculate that these were combines of existing British razor manufacturers' and the marking identify them. They were apparently coerced by the Ministry of Supply to concentrate on a uniform design. This and the Souplex are the only variations I have seen. The letters C C and W C have been speculated to be Western Command or Central Command, though this is conjecture. The four digit code meaning is presently unknown.
It appears that Gillette sold for private purchase an identical razor, as one of the 'Sevice Sets'. This appears to be better finished, with some attempt at plating. It is also heavier at 48 gms. It may be of partial or complete brass construction.
It is a fantastic shaver. I gave mine a run last night and it provided a highly efficient and somewhat aggressive shave, although without in any way being unpleasant or uncomfortable. An excellent BBS resulted and it really is a one-two pass razor for a BBS, although I did my habitual OCD fuelled three. Lovely manoverable and nippy razor, great fun to use.
If you see one in the wild and if any have made their way over to the US, I would recommend you pick one up. A fun and characterful little piece of history, and a great shaver.
A British Army issue razor, dated 1945. They often come up as unissued surplus here in the UK, and tend to retail at anything from £30 to £70-100, based on the date as I understand. A 1940-44 razor would command a higher price, especially if issued.
I got lucky and picked one up for £17 shipped.
It is a three piece OC, with similarities to the 7 O'clock and some English Gillette variants (more on that downthread)
My example weighs in at 36 gms, and is made of some kind of alloy. The mold marks, and lack of interest in creating a cosmetically perfect razor is very evident. Production may have been in the low millions mark, which makes it a notable razor in that regard.
Despite its minor superficial imperfections, the tolerances where it matters, in terms of equal blade exposure and clamping and fitting, is excellent.
From my understanding, the type was first issued in 1937 as part of a revolutionary overhaul of army equipment, which saw the army receiving entirely new uniform patterns (the modern combat trouser evolved from the 37' 'battledress' uniform) to automatic weapons (the Bren gun) and doctrine. A new and modern DE razor was a small part of that overhaul.
There appear to be two main types of razor. This version, (sometimes rarely seen with a ball end handle) and a version which appears to be similar to the OC Souplex razor, except that the handle is a solid undecorated aluminium piece. I believe Richard @EclipseRedRing has an example.
The markings are as follows.
The MM&S razor has the date of manufacture on the top cap underneath with the War Office broad arrow stamp in the centre. This was the central identification of all British Government property from at least the late 18th Century to almost the present day. To the right is two letters, C C or W C, although there may be others. Underneath is a four letter code, in this case 1087.
The other manufacturers' mark is for the AS&CO razor. This is a simpler designation, with AS&CO, the broad arrow and the date of manufacture.
Apart from markings the razors are identical. The meaning of the markings I'm finding hard to research, although I have seen some suggestions on line. I can only speculate that these were combines of existing British razor manufacturers' and the marking identify them. They were apparently coerced by the Ministry of Supply to concentrate on a uniform design. This and the Souplex are the only variations I have seen. The letters C C and W C have been speculated to be Western Command or Central Command, though this is conjecture. The four digit code meaning is presently unknown.
It appears that Gillette sold for private purchase an identical razor, as one of the 'Sevice Sets'. This appears to be better finished, with some attempt at plating. It is also heavier at 48 gms. It may be of partial or complete brass construction.
It is a fantastic shaver. I gave mine a run last night and it provided a highly efficient and somewhat aggressive shave, although without in any way being unpleasant or uncomfortable. An excellent BBS resulted and it really is a one-two pass razor for a BBS, although I did my habitual OCD fuelled three. Lovely manoverable and nippy razor, great fun to use.
If you see one in the wild and if any have made their way over to the US, I would recommend you pick one up. A fun and characterful little piece of history, and a great shaver.
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