Fans Of the Ranger Tech- FORT

[Gifford]

Friends,
I need some expert opinions.
My daily shave has been - for years - what I believe to be a Ranger Tech (i.e. 1941). It shaves wonderfully - for me at least. After reading many posts I want to confirm that it IS a Ranger Tech.
1. It HAS a smooth collar above the knob "Pat. Nos. on Package"
2. No crease in baseplate
3. No words stamped on upper surface of base plate.
4. No end caps.

What bothers me somewhat is that while the handle is nickel the head itself is "goldish." It appears from the postings that Ranger Techs were nickel. Or, were some - like mine - a gold plate?
I'm a history guy and I'd like to nail down that this actually IS a 1941 piece and therefore likely was used throughout the War.
Thanks for any help, advice or suggestions.

 

[Dirty Harry]

Well as far as I'm concerned you definitely describe a 1941 Ranger Tech razor.
I also have a 1941 Milord that is identical but gold plated.
You may have a nickel RT but the plating on the head is thin exposing the brass.
We would love to see some pics.

Welcome to the FORT!

Dirty

 

[Gifford]

Well as far as I'm concerned you definitely describe a 1941 Ranger Tech razor.
I also have a 1941 Milord that is identical but gold plated.
You may have a nickel RT but the plating on the head is thin exposing the brass.
We would love to see some pics.

Welcome to the FORT!

Dirty

Dirty Harry,
I think you've nailed it. The nickel is entirely gone as the head is everywhere brass. It is so "perfect" I thought it was a plating but now I believe that somehow (I don't know how nickel can be removed) the nickel has been removed entirely and so it has a brass head.
I'm not much with computers and will have to figure out how to post photos. In this case I'm entirely confident that you've solved the problem. Thank you! Now,...I'm going to shave. It's my favorite razor.
Gifford

 

[Dirty Harry]

Gifford,
Are you saying that the doors and baseplate are brass and the handle is nickel?

If there is a knock on some vintage Gillettes it would be the plating. I'm assuming that the baseplate was fastened to the handle and was plated as a unit. The doors and misc would be plated seperately prior to assembly. I'm not a plating expert but it seems it would be done this way.
Gillettes seem to have issues with the plating or gold wash (not sure of the difference) wears off on the heads quickly compered to the handle. Did the doors get less prep? I know they shot a little lacquer on the razors for some purpose.

I'm glad you are using one of these historic pieces. The world and Gillette was changing when it was made. 1940 seemed to be the end of the open comb razors and new TTO's were being developed. A few attempts were made in the 1940-41 period and then WWII changed everything. 1946 came and the Ranger Tech was still there. In 1947 more changes were made and the rest is history.

My first RT had some manufacturing "defects" that I got sorted. It seems to be a "talkative" razor that gives a lot of audio feedback. I think that is a good thing. I'm amazed how good these shave.

Tell us what you like about the RT. Where did you get it? What blade do you prefer?

Dirty

 

[Gifford]

Dirty,
Yes. The entire head is brass. Every "inch" of it is brass including the nooks and crannies of the mechanism. Absolutely no evidence of plating anywhere. It seems that it either was never plated or somehow the plating was removed. The handle is nickel plated except the uppermost tapered section which attaches to the head which is brass.

I got it from Etsy dealer "One Stop Shave Shop" several years ago. His description includes "This earliest version is held in high esteem by many wet shavers, myself included. This razor is from a series of Rangers from this period that featured a nickel plated handle and brass head." That seems to indicate that some of the Rangers came from the factory with entirely brass heads. I don't know where he got the documentation of that.

It's a fine shaver. I've used nothing else for a couple of years. It shaves much like a Super Speed although perhaps a bit more aggressively. It's got a Wilkinson Sword blade currently although I've used several brands and they all seem to be the same. Maybe I'm just not sensitive enough to judge any difference.

I like to think that the guy who had this razor participated in WWII - and, that he came home safe.

Gifford

 

[Dirty Harry]

Thanks,
I'd be interested in what others say about the partial plating.

Does anyone else have experience with this?

I remain,
Dirty

 

[Gifford]

I too would be very interested in the un-plated, bald brass, head on the Ranger Tech.
Thanks to all!

 

[Joezamboni]

I too would be very interested in the un-plated, bald brass, head on the Ranger Tech.
Thanks to all!

The most accepted rumor is that during wartime bare brass heads were just thrown on nickel plated handles.

I personally think the gold plate was rubbish and they didn’t nickel plate the head prior to the gold.
This is a very early Milord. No patent info on the base of the head, however, right above the band at the base of the handle knurling a tad bit of gold hangs on for dear life. Sort of a missing link confirming the gold plate just wasn’t that good.

Another where the gold is non-existent

A Milady that shares the same head from the same era displaying similar plating issues. Gold on the head being non-existent.

Another auction lot image to a different Milady I won. This you can see some gold on the head but the doors and safety bar were pretty bare.

I like the thrown together in the haste of war explanation better for the idea of the brass head, but the evidence suggests it was just poor plating quality.

 

[MikeyTX]

Here's my new to me Ranger. It was represented as a 41 for what seemed like a fair price (not sure we're allowed to say):

Blades I'm using:

Trying to use the best bang-for-the-buck non Russian made blades I can find. If these aren't it, I'm open to suggestions.

I bought this at the same time I bought what I think is a No 53 Aristocrat Jr, and have shaved with both once. The Ranger went first, and it was pretty eye-opening. I went into it thinking it was going to be a little less mild than a late 60s tto, and boy was I wrong. I got the closest shave I have ever gotten from a vintage Gillette, but also got a nick and two weepers. My point of reference for technique is my Post-war Tech, so I tried to shave at a shallow-ish angle. For todays shave I'll try riding the cap more.

 

[Alum Ladd]

Here's my new to me Ranger. It was represented as a 41 for what seemed like a fair price (not sure we're allowed to say):

View attachment 1920772

View attachment 1920773

View attachment 1920774

View attachment 1920775

Blades I'm using:
View attachment 1920776

Trying to use the best bang-for-the-buck non Russian made blades I can find. If these aren't it, I'm open to suggestions.

I bought this at the same time I bought what I think is a No 53 Aristocrat Jr, and have shaved with both once. The Ranger went first, and it was pretty eye-opening. I went into it thinking it was going to be a little less mild than a late 60s tto, and boy was I wrong. I got the closest shave I have ever gotten from a vintage Gillette, but also got a nick and two weepers. My point of reference for technique is my Post-war Tech, so I tried to shave at a shallow-ish angle. For todays shave I'll try riding the cap more.

That's the Ranger Tech!

Only made for a short while, I believe the last half of 1941, before production was halted in line with war restrictions. I've always found it a poignant vintage. I was lucky enough to pick up an uncased example in good shape for a fair price. Very rare in the UK.

There is plate loss on about 30% of one of the safety bars. That's pretty much the extent of wear.

There is a lot more blade feel and somewhat more aggression than my 1948 Super Speed. The Ranger Tech looks to have narrower safety bars and the safety bar geometry in relation to the head looks different. The gap looks wider too, although that's just by 'eyeballing'.

Great razor with a different shave feel to the Super.

 

[Joezamboni]

Here's my new to me Ranger. It was represented as a 41 for what seemed like a fair price (not sure we're allowed to say):

View attachment 1920772

View attachment 1920773

View attachment 1920774

View attachment 1920775

Blades I'm using:
View attachment 1920776

Trying to use the best bang-for-the-buck non Russian made blades I can find. If these aren't it, I'm open to suggestions.

I bought this at the same time I bought what I think is a No 53 Aristocrat Jr, and have shaved with both once. The Ranger went first, and it was pretty eye-opening. I went into it thinking it was going to be a little less mild than a late 60s tto, and boy was I wrong. I got the closest shave I have ever gotten from a vintage Gillette, but also got a nick and two weepers. My point of reference for technique is my Post-war Tech, so I tried to shave at a shallow-ish angle. For todays shave I'll try riding the cap more.

Non-Russian made blades are going to be difficult unless you’re open to Chinese.

I really like the Russian Gillette Platinum “Swede” remake, however I believe they’re made in China now but from what I’ve read the difference isn’t much. A little more forgiving then the Personnas are for me.

 

[DrStrange]

Non-Russian made blades are going to be difficult unless you’re open to Chinese.

I really like the Russian Gillette Platinum “Swede” remake, however I believe they’re made in China now but from what I’ve read the difference isn’t much. A little more forgiving then the Personnas are for me.

Lord makes blades in Egypt.
Not hard to find.

Lord Razor Blade Company blades experts!

I think Lord may be even more confusing than Personna when it comes to their blades. Lord has a lot of brands, so my question is: Can it be verified that there are the same blade in different wrappers?

www.badgerandblade.com

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