I have been a fan of the Goodwill for a long time, the Importe D'Angleterre Goodwill was the first razor that gave me great shave, really close, long lasting and no irritation, I was hooked . The variety , style and beauty of these razors has always appealed to me and their quirky history drawing from so many styles and brands added to their allure. I started to collect the different types and soon came to realize that there was also something new to discover. The Goodwill utilized the Old, New long comb, New short comb and the New Brit Flat bottom base plates. The handles used were from the Old style ball end, the New ball end , New Common Bar handle, the Probak and the Tech . Factories in Canada , the US, Britain, Argentina and Brazil all made the Goodwill . Gillette was not lacking in imagination or extra parts during the Goodwill era and a wide variety in the models were produced . I have 16 variations so far and their uniqueness may be up for discussion but I believe them all to be variations on a theme and sometimes the differences are minor . As for the shave, the Importe is still my favorite and in an old Goodwill post by Jeff it was referred to as the "Angel razor" and I concur. There are lots of great threads on the Goodwill so this one is more show and tell then informative .
Here are my Goodwills based on the Old style base plate
Top left: Red circle box #164 reverse stud, Made in the USA ,with a cut out in the base plate on either side of the center hole aligns with the two square " pins " on the bottom of the top cap .
Top right: Red circle box #162 reverse stud , Made in the USA ,this model has the corner cutouts on the base plate and the crimped corners to help with alignment but the top cap still has a lot of play until the blade is loaded then it aligns surprisingly easily
Bottom Left: old style base plate with alignment pins common to the old type ,the corner cutouts and crimped top cap corners don't allow for the use of the old three hole blades .This one has the Probak handle and is Made in Canada .Haven't seen one of these made in the USA
Bottom Centre : Canadian reverse stud #162 ,this one does not have crimped corners on the top cap but does have the base plate corner cut outs. Only in Canada eh?
Bottom right : Canadian made old style base plate with corner cutouts and crimped corner cap along with the alignment pins . This one has an old style ball end handle , not sure if it is original due to the age of the handle but not impossible with Gillette Canada.
Unsure if the old style base plate were the first Goodwills or how long they were in production. But it must have been for a while to encompass the old ball handle and the Probak handle. Either that our they kept using whatever parts they found laying around the warehouse or left overs from other factories.
Here are the Brit Goodwills
Top : black leather cased British Goodwill nickle plated with ball end handle.Base plate based on New long comb
Bottom Left: The Importe D'Angleterre made for the French market , it looks like it's English cousin and is based on New long comb , I think it is a superior shaver, probably all in my head YMMV.
Bottom right: The silver plated Brit flat bottom New long comb take on the Goodwill in an alligator case . This is uncommon razor and looks unused.
The South American Goodwill
Left: The only Safety bar Goodwill to my knowledge , this one is based on the New short comb and comes with a Tech handle . Brazilian made , the South American factories may have made the last Goodwills based on the Tech handle.
Right : the Argentine short comb New with a common bar handle .The neck where it screws into the base plate is very thin compared to my other New bar handles
Goodwills based on the Long Comb New
Top Left: Canadian 175 in a yellow circle box , on the Mr Razor site the cardboard Goodwill boxes have a red or yellow circle on the left side .This razor also has the alignment cut out like the 162 but has an alignment bar instead of two square pins on the bottom of the top cap.
Top Center: the bakelite case here is the star , the razor is the common #160 . Uncommon to see these bakelite boxes without damage
Top left : Canadian #160 in gold with a Probak handle in a Red and Black case .
Bottom left : A made in the USA #170 apparently these where only made in small #s in 1931,The studs on this one are L shaped
Bottom right : Two variations of the Goodwill Special 175 , one gold and one in chrome , the chrome one doesn't look like a replate, I wasn't aware that the US factory made chrome Goodwills . I have seen two other chrome 175 specials on the popular auction site so I'm unsure if it they are original , if not I have a replated Goodwill.
Glenn
Here are my Goodwills based on the Old style base plate
Top left: Red circle box #164 reverse stud, Made in the USA ,with a cut out in the base plate on either side of the center hole aligns with the two square " pins " on the bottom of the top cap .
Top right: Red circle box #162 reverse stud , Made in the USA ,this model has the corner cutouts on the base plate and the crimped corners to help with alignment but the top cap still has a lot of play until the blade is loaded then it aligns surprisingly easily
Bottom Left: old style base plate with alignment pins common to the old type ,the corner cutouts and crimped top cap corners don't allow for the use of the old three hole blades .This one has the Probak handle and is Made in Canada .Haven't seen one of these made in the USA
Bottom Centre : Canadian reverse stud #162 ,this one does not have crimped corners on the top cap but does have the base plate corner cut outs. Only in Canada eh?
Bottom right : Canadian made old style base plate with corner cutouts and crimped corner cap along with the alignment pins . This one has an old style ball end handle , not sure if it is original due to the age of the handle but not impossible with Gillette Canada.
Unsure if the old style base plate were the first Goodwills or how long they were in production. But it must have been for a while to encompass the old ball handle and the Probak handle. Either that our they kept using whatever parts they found laying around the warehouse or left overs from other factories.
Here are the Brit Goodwills
Top : black leather cased British Goodwill nickle plated with ball end handle.Base plate based on New long comb
Bottom Left: The Importe D'Angleterre made for the French market , it looks like it's English cousin and is based on New long comb , I think it is a superior shaver, probably all in my head YMMV.
Bottom right: The silver plated Brit flat bottom New long comb take on the Goodwill in an alligator case . This is uncommon razor and looks unused.
The South American Goodwill
Left: The only Safety bar Goodwill to my knowledge , this one is based on the New short comb and comes with a Tech handle . Brazilian made , the South American factories may have made the last Goodwills based on the Tech handle.
Right : the Argentine short comb New with a common bar handle .The neck where it screws into the base plate is very thin compared to my other New bar handles
Goodwills based on the Long Comb New
Top Left: Canadian 175 in a yellow circle box , on the Mr Razor site the cardboard Goodwill boxes have a red or yellow circle on the left side .This razor also has the alignment cut out like the 162 but has an alignment bar instead of two square pins on the bottom of the top cap.
Top Center: the bakelite case here is the star , the razor is the common #160 . Uncommon to see these bakelite boxes without damage
Top left : Canadian #160 in gold with a Probak handle in a Red and Black case .
Bottom left : A made in the USA #170 apparently these where only made in small #s in 1931,The studs on this one are L shaped
Bottom right : Two variations of the Goodwill Special 175 , one gold and one in chrome , the chrome one doesn't look like a replate, I wasn't aware that the US factory made chrome Goodwills . I have seen two other chrome 175 specials on the popular auction site so I'm unsure if it they are original , if not I have a replated Goodwill.
Glenn
