Help Identify New Purchase/Correct?

[Ohio]

I just bought this.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=290327711021

I *think* it is a New Improved head FrankenRazor with a NEW Bar handle installed.

Am I close? The price was awful low for a New Improved, I hope I didn't mis-interpret the pictures.

Anybody?

 

[pablo_h]

Yeah it's a common bar NEW handle. Looks to have a NEW Improved blade guard, and I could be wrong, but maybe it has an OLD blade cap as it doesnt seem to sit right on the blade guard. OLD caps were very curved, NEW improved were flatter, and there looks to be a large gap between the cap and the guard.
Guido will know.

edit: Maybe they are supposed to look like that, I just saw a nice "NEW standard" with exactly the same curve cap and huge gap on the bay. My only reference to how a NEW Improved is supposed to look are the british ones, which has a flatter cap and closer to the NEW.

 

[PaulX608]

I was going to bid on that one, but I bought a different New Improved the other day. It looks to me to be a New Improved head with a common bar handle like you see on New razors. I'm sure it will be a great shaver. Let us know!

 

[ari95]

How does the New Improved head compare to the standard New? It looks much more substantial to the New.

 

[Ohio]

How does the New Improved head compare to the standard New? It looks much more substantial to the New.

The New Standard is a variant of the New Improved.
At least that's my understanding.

Don't think of "Standard" meaning "normal" so that improved would be better; think of Gillette as saying it is "The New Standard against which all are judged"; the one that sets the bar fo all razors.

I am sure Guido or Mr. Razor could tell us, but they haven't deigned to grace my thread with their appearance as yet.

 

[ari95]

The New Improved was first I think. The New standard was the variant for mass production, correct me if I am wrong.

 

[Ohio]

I was going to bid on that one, but I bought a different New Improved the other day.

Got any pics?
I haven't shaved with a NI yet, but I have high hopes.
My favorite DE used to be the long-comb NEW, until I got my Goodwill in. That thing is the smoothest shaver ever!

Larry

 

[Ohio]

The New Improved was first I think. The New standard was the variant for mass production, correct me if I am wrong.

That's pretty much what I said.
There were many variants of the New Improved; to help sell more razors. It had a lot of snob appeal!

If you haven't been here yet, you ought:
http://www.j-duwe.de/Rasierer/New%20Improved/New%20Improved.htm

A wonderful web site by a member here.

 

[mr-razor]

The New Standard is a variant of the New Improved.
At least that's my understanding.

Don't think of "Standard" meaning "normal" so that improved would be better; think of Gillette as saying it is "The New Standard against which all are judged"; the one that sets the bar fo all razors.

I am sure Guido or Mr. Razor could tell us, but they haven't deigned to grace my thread with their appearance as yet.

all answers are given

Yes, New Standard is only the name of a set with a New Improved razor. This razor comes in different cases with different names: New Standard, Bostonian, Richwood, Traveler.

Your (Franken) razor has a New Improved head with a common bar NEW handle.

Yeah it's a common bar NEW handle. Looks to have a NEW Improved blade guard, and I could be wrong, but maybe it has an OLD blade cap as it doesnt seem to sit right on the blade guard. OLD caps were very curved, NEW improved were flatter, and there looks to be a large gap between the cap and the guard.
Guido will know.

I think the Old Type cap (after 1921) and the New Improved cap are the same. The left one is from a New Improved and the right one from a Old Type:

 

[AsylumGuido]

all answers are given

Yes, New Standard is only the name of a set with a New Improved razor. This razor comes in different cases with different names: New Standard, Bostonian, Richwood, Traveler.

Your (Franken) razor has a New Improved head with a common bar NEW handle.



I think the Old Type cap (after 1921) and the New Improved cap are the same. The left one is from a New Improved and the right one from a Old Type:

The New Standard was a set with included a New Improved razor. All New Standards are New Improved, but not all New Improved are New Standard.

 

[ari95]

Thanks for the explaination. I think I was confusing myself by saying "standard" when I just meant the common bar New.

 

[AsylumGuido]

Thanks for the explaination. I think I was confusing myself by saying "standard" when I just meant the common bar New.

Actually, the common bar handle was also known as the standard bar handle.

 

[Ohio]

So, consensus is "smoking deal on a stealth 'New Improved' with the wrong handle", correct?

ETA:
I have a couple of NEWs with ball-end handles; I can easily swap one over for the bar handle and then both will at least look right.
Is there a difference between early NEW ball-ends and what the New Improved would come with? Did they overlap?

 

[Ohio]

Actually, the common bar handle was also known as the standard bar handle.

So did Gillette purposely go out of their way to re-use terms and confuse the issue?

 

[blackfoot]

So did Gillette purposely go out of their way to re-use terms and confuse the issue?

I hope so because I am confused.

 

[AsylumGuido]

So, consensus is "smoking deal on a stealth 'New Improved' with the wrong handle", correct?

ETA:
I have a couple of NEWs with ball-end handles; I can easily swap one over for the bar handle and then both will at least look right.
Is there a difference between early NEW ball-ends and what the New Improved would come with? Did they overlap?

The New Improved razors never came with the ball end handle. They were the high end razor from 1921-1929. Only the cheaper razors (Old Type, Goodwill and NEW) came with the crack-prone ball end handle.

 

[Ohio]

The New Improved razors never came with the ball end handle. They were the high end razor from 1921-1929. Only the cheaper razors (Old Type, Goodwill and NEW) came with the crack-prone ball end handle.

So what is the right handle for the base model New Imp?
I will try to find a replacement, maybe I'll run across one that the head was ruined for cheap some day (yeah, right).

Is there a "base model New Improved"? There isn't a whole lot of info out there on them, not compared to the other models of Gillettes.

The Aristocrats and New Standards had that funky long handle/stem setup, so that can't be what this one used to be, right?

 

[pablo_h]

Have a look here http://mr-razor.com/Rasierer/New%20Improved/New Improved.htm for new improved photos. New improved were all fancy pants handles.
Navigate through the site for any other gillette photos to learn what you want/have/what you are bidding on. It's an invaluable resource, thanks achim.

edit some, like the OLDS had the razor guard attached to the handle, so you'll have to find the ones that weren't attached to fit your head.

 

[AsylumGuido]

Have a look here http://mr-razor.com/Rasierer/New Improved/New Improved.htm for new improved photos. New improved were all fancy pants handles.
Navigate through the site for any other gillette photos to learn what you want/have/what you are bidding on. It's an invaluable resource, thanks achim.

edit some, like the OLDS had the razor guard attached to the handle, so you'll have to find the ones that weren't attached to fit your head.

Yup. All fancy pants ones. My guess is that the original owner got that head on a Tuckaway razor which has a short handle. He probably replaced the short Tuckaway handle with the NEW for ease of use.

 

[Ohio]

Yup. All fancy pants ones. My guess is that the original owner got that head on a Tuckaway razor which has a short handle. He probably replaced the short Tuckaway handle with the NEW for ease of use.

I wondered if that might be the case, but thought there might be a full-size with that handle. Knowing there isn't means Tuckaway.

Thanks a lot; this is a very good, informative site.