Gillette 1930's "New" identification please!

[Cornishman]

Hi All!
Bought from Ebay UK a Gillette "New" from the 1930's.
The top plate locating pins (whatever they're called) are off set, as indicated by the red arrows.
The closest razor that I can find is the "Jewelry Set" as shown on Mr Razors web site. But according to his site the razor should weight 47g, but mine weighs only 45g?
The razors has some slight brassing on the head, but to me, looking at the color of the razor, it might be silver plated instead of nickel.
I don't think the case that I bought with the razor is the original, one reason being that without the bit of cardboard that the handle is sitting in, the handle just slides around and isn't a good fit.
I've also put in a photo with my bulldog handle, and with this it is a great shaver!
Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

 

[TheEye]

isnt it the expensive 130pounds auction? there are different studs versions. nice razor, enjoy the shaves

 

[Luc]

The British made razors were a bit different and I had some of those in the past with a different handle. They shave well IMO. What they are or which year, I can't help sorry.

 

[alex2363]

I thought it was a #81,. Let me look it up in archives.

 

[MacDaddy]

What you've got there is a No. 25 set. See the bottom right corner of the price sheet that Achim's got below.

I wouldn't be overly concerned with minor weight variations, and as The Eye already mentioned they made versions of the NEW head with narrow and wide blade positioning fins in various locations. I believe that was to make it harder for other makers' blades to reliably fit their razors without directly copying Gillette's patent-protected blade design.

 

[alex2363]

What you've got there is a No. 25 set. See the bottom right corner of the price sheet that Achim's got below.

I wouldn't be overly concerned with minor weight variations, and as The Eye already mentioned they made versions of the NEW head with narrow and wide blade positioning fins in various locations. I believe that was to make it harder for other makers' blades to reliably fit their razors without directly copying Gillette's patent-protected blade design.

Great work as always Mac.

 

[DrAwkward]

I thought it was a #81,. Let me look it up in archives.

Alex:
Are those your #81s? They are beautiful!

 

[DrAwkward]

I think I just bought the Gillette 7 O'Clock version of the #25.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/221247545179?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

My understanding is that 7 O'Clock was bought by Gillette and then turned into a budget brand in UK.

 

[Cornishman]

I don't think it's a #25 look at position of the studs

 

[MacDaddy]

I think I just bought the Gillette 7 O'Clock version of the #25.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/221247545179?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

That's the same razor, yes, but there actually were bakelite cased 7 O'Clock branded sets that were exactly like the Gillette No. 25. Here's an example from this thread:

My understanding is that 7 O'Clock was bought by Gillette and then turned into a budget brand in UK.

I believe that the 7 O'Clock brand was previously part of Auto-Strop, and came into Gillette with that merger. Here's an ad for an older single-edge 7 O'Clock razor that had an Auto-Strop like mechanism in the head:

 

[MacDaddy]

I don't think it's a #25 look at position of the studs

They made those in multiple variations, but that didn't make it a different razor. The No. 25 also came with different razors over time -- later sets used thin-handled, Bakelite, and I think even ball-end Techs, too.

 

[mjclark]

They made those in multiple variations, but that didn't make it a different razor. The No. 25 also came with different razors over time -- later sets used thin-handled, Bakelite, and I think even ball-end Techs, too.

Just like this one, a 1940 7 O'Clock set identical to the bakelite #25.
A beautiful bit of kit and my first DE score ever:

 

[xillion]

As Porter said, the British Gillette top caps came with a variety of pin configurations.

Here are a few examples I own.

One not shown in my image is the capital I shaped pins. Image by Mr. Razor.


Images by Mistercitizen.
View attachment 350835

View attachment 350836

View attachment 350837

 

[mblakele]

I suppose this is another #25, but with symmetrical center studs. As with the OP razor, the cap lacks the typical NEW-style corner studs. That old German ad says "vernickelt", which agrees with my observations. Anyway it is a favorite of mine, especially with a heavier BRW Bull Mastiff handle.

 

[alex2363]

Alex:
Are those your #81s? They are beautiful!

No, but i have tried them and sold them since i was not impressed with the shave result.

 

[DrAwkward]

No, but i have tried them and sold them since i was not impressed with the shave result.

For me the # 77 / 88 / 81 head is right in the sweet spot on the mild to aggressive spectrum. I know you prefer aggressive razors with some heft. As they say, YMMV ...