Found my uncle's Gillette razor in a drawer, can someone help me ID it?

[Kitsunekuma]

Hi guys, I moved in my uncle's apartment a few years ago and I just found out that back then when I took out his old stuff, I actually saved in a drawer what looks like a vintage Gillette razor. I just forgot I put it away somewhere (back then I only used cartridges and thought is was just old junk).
But now I am so happy I found this little dude waiting for me patiently!

It also has some rust I am not sure how to take care of:

It is still loaded with some Gillette Silver Platinum blade

The box says made in England but the razor says made in France, I live in France so my uncle certainly bought it here in France too.

I hope some guys here can help me indentify this razor and let me know what is the best way to take the rust of it!

 

[Multum in parvo]

It is a Gillette Ball-end Tech. It is made from brass so the spots of rust shouldn’t be from the razor. Soak the individual pieces for at least 15 minutes in hot water and dish soap and then use an old toothbrush to get rid of the grime. If something remains do a second cycle. It should then look much better. Should there be some stubborn spots you can also try a wooden toothpick for the nooks and crannies.

 

[Dyllern]

Hello,

From the pictures it looks like your uncle may have lost the original razor. You see, the razor is one of the most mass produced mellow razors ever made by Gillette called a 'Tech Ball-End', but the case is from a high class razor called a 'British Aristocrat'. A 4th gen. which was sold as a part of the #66 set to be more specific. Here is a couple of pictures that shows you what two razors from Gillette at totally different price points looked like at the time:






What you found in that drawer is a mismatch of two razors that most likely were bought quite some years apart...

 

[Kitsunekuma]

It is a Gillette Ball-end Tech. It is made from brass so the spots of rust shouldn’t be from the razor. Soak the individual pieces for at least 15 minutes in hot water and dish soap and then use an old toothbrush to get rid of the grime. If something remains do a second cycle. It should then look much better. Should there be some stubborn spots you can also try a wooden toothpick for the nooks and crannies.

thanks for the infos, yeah looks totally like a Gillette Ball-end Tech, good that it's made from brass so I can just clean it fine!

 

[Kitsunekuma]

Hello,

From the pictures it looks like your uncle may have lost the original razor. You see, the razor is one of the most mass produced mellow razors ever made by Gillette called a 'Tech Ball-End', but the case is from a high class razor called a 'British Aristocrat'. A 4th gen. which was sold as a part of the #66 set to be more specific. Here is a couple of pictures that shows you what two razors from Gillette at totally different price points looked like at the time:

View attachment 1367541

View attachment 1367542


What you found in that drawer is a mismatch of two razors that most likely were bought quite some years apart...

Thanks a lot for the info, I am now thinking that there might have been another razor with the one I found but maybe I did not care to save it, can't tell really but it's too bad that I couldn't find the matching razor...
Anyway I will clean that Tech razor and try it today!

Will tell you guys later what I think of it!

 

[BigJ]

Congratulations! That heirloom should clean up well and it is a great shaver!!

 

[Kitsunekuma]

Congratulations! That heirloom should clean up well and it is a great shaver!!

I just shaved with it and it's fantastic! I had an Muehle R41 and a Fatip piccolo, this Gillette is the best shaver I have, BBS in 2 pass without even feeling a thing and zero irritation on a week worth of growth, this is awesome!

 

[Multum in parvo]

I just shaved with it and it's fantastic! I had an Muehle R41 and a Fatip piccolo, this Gillette is the best shaver I have, BBS in 2 pass without even feeling a thing and zero irritation on a week worth of growth, this is awesome!

They say it's mild but it IS a fine and efficient shaver!

 

[Kitsunekuma]

They say it's mild but it IS a fine and efficient shaver!

yeah for sure it's maybe mild to the touch but I can tell you it went through a good length without much trouble, had to do a little buffing but it did not get clogged or anything, it just felt like nothing was in the way and super comfortable, I could go against the grain so easily it was like night and day compared to the Fatip Piccolo.

I used it with a Gillette 7 O' clock super stainless blade, some TOBS Coconut cream and it was perfect!

Might be that the blade sits pretty flat but has a lot of exposure from what I saw. Looks like blade alignement is also great with the system they use to keep the blade in position. I was about to order a Rockwell 6s but might just stay with this Gillette now, so awesome!

Also all the rust is gone with just some hand soap and an old toothbrush as advised!

 

[Multum in parvo]

yeah for sure it's maybe mild to the touch but I can tell you it went through a good length without much trouble, had to do a little buffing but it did not get clogged or anything, it just felt like nothing was in the way and super comfortable, I could go against the grain so easily it was like night and day compared to the Fatip Piccolo.

I used it with a Gillette 7 O' clock super stainless blade, some TOBS Coconut cream and it was perfect!

Might be that the blade sits pretty flat but has a lot of exposure from what I saw. Looks like blade alignement is also great with the system they use to keep the blade in position. I was about to order a Rockwell 6s but might just stay with this Gillette now, so awesome!

Also all the rust is gone with just some hand soap and an old toothbrush as advised!

View attachment 1367730View attachment 1367731View attachment 1367732

Looks like new
The Piccolo is more like the Old Type maybe more bladefeel but still efficient with the right blade. I’m happy that the Tech works for you. There are lots of different variants to look out for

 

[Kitsunekuma]

Just a little update, had my 6th shave with the Gillette Tech and I did not touch my other razors again since I tried it!

It just gives me great shaves irritation free and almost Zero feedback on the alun stone, such a big improvement compared to the other razors I have!

I think it is a super light razor but riding the cap it can mow through 4 days of growth easily even when I shave my head. I think the lightweight also helps when using it ATG.

I tried it with a Gillette Platinum and it was a bit aggressive at first but then felt better with a few shaves. Just tried an Astra SP in it yesterday and it kinda made me like that blade again ( it was not really good with my other razors) so I might finally be able to go through my 100 pack of Astras I had sitting in a closet.

So far it was best for me with the Gillette 7 O' clock though.

It also kinda feels good to put this razor to good use after all this time, knowing it served my uncle well and it's still doing a fantastic job in my hands!

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Very nice family and Tech stories. Plus great advice on the razor and its cleanup.

It sure cleaned up good.

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[emwolf]

I have a 57 Tech from when my dad was stationed in the Philippines. There's a reason why the Tech was manufactured for so long, it's a fantastic razor and they're always better when they're an heirloom.

 

[Northstonehill]

Sincere congrats. Techs are some of my favorite go-to razors, because they are so mild yet efficient. Just trouble-free.

But try it with a Feather blade - that is the perfect combo

#TechsRUs