Gillette Flare Tip Rocket

[Captain Peacock]

Hi guys

I'm new to this forum and very, very new to collecting and using safety razors, in fact I have only 5 so far. A nice Ever-Ready 1912, a couple of ball end Techs (one with a brass handle (a franken Tech?), an aluminium handle Tech and this Flare Tip Rocket.

The Rocket came into my possession in a very manky condition inside an equally manky and incomplete leather grooming kit for which I paid £10 +PP.

It has ‘ll’ stamped on the base plate and is a great shaver.

Can anybody date it for me please?

Cheers

Dave

 

[mr-razor]

hard to say. I would say late 50s.

 

[Northstonehill]

I agree, late 50s, I don’t think it is possible to date more precisely - from what I’ve read here and there.

I recently also joined the Rocket crowd with an HD and a Flare Tip, the latter through a fine trade with a fellow B&B’er. I must say that the Flare Tip is fantastic, very efficient, sufficiently mild, and built like a tank. Wonderful mechanics, like all Rockets, and the plating is awesome. This has immediately joined my small, regular rotation (Slim, Eclipse RR, ‘58 Tech and now Rocket FT).

The HD is an equally fine shaver, even more efficient, but to me it has a slightly poorer grip than the Flare Tip.

Happy shaves.

 

[Captain Peacock]

Thanks guys.

 

[Captain Peacock]

mr-razor
Is this is similar to your 53 Rocket HD? It has an aluminium handle, has Patent Pending and wieghs about 58 garams.

 

[BigJ]

Nice razor!

 

[elswood]

I found the identical Rocket in an antique shop this past summer here in Ontario, Canada. It was in great shape and I only paid $10CAD. I'm not a collector but I think I got a bargain. It's a wonderful mild shaver and is part of my regular rotation. The feedback I got was that it was from the late 50s as well.

 

[mr-razor]

mr-razor
Is this is similar to your 53 Rocket HD? It has an aluminium handle, has Patent Pending and wieghs about 58 garams.
View attachment 834698 View attachment 834699 View attachment 834700

here is an older thread about 9 different Rocket (HD´s):

found 9 different Rocket HD´s

 

[Captain Peacock]

Yeah this is the one I meant.....looks the same but how do date it to 1953?

 

[Rusty Shaver]

I believe that the 'Patent Pending' in the blade tray signifies that the razor was produced between 1946 and 1954, and then with the 'Patent 694093' inside the blade tray being produced between 1955 and 1959. Those dates could be a bit incorrect but you get the idea.

The only way to tell the correct exact date of an English razor is to find the original blades that came with it, they usually have a date code like the American razors.

 

[Captain Peacock]

I see, there’s a lot to this old razor collecting malarkey!

 

[Captain Peacock]

Could my Rocket HD be an aristocrat?

 

[Esox]

British Flare Tip Rocket.

I learned to shave with my fathers that he bought new around 1957 I think. Fantastic razor. Try a Polsilver in it. You're welcome

 

[Haiku]

I found the identical Rocket in an antique shop this past summer here in Ontario, Canada. It was in great shape and I only paid $10CAD. I'm not a collector but I think I got a bargain. It's a wonderful mild shaver and is part of my regular rotation. The feedback I got was that it was from the late 50s as well.

Yes you got a bargain. More than a bargain in fact. Given that you paid about $8 in US money, you really got lucky with that purchase. Congrats!