I was very recently asked if I could post a pictorial of the differences between the Gillette three piece razors. Well, Achim has an excellent resource already on his site. Of course, it is in German. 
History of Gillette Safety Razors
But, I'll include a few of his pictures here with some brief notes.
The original Gillette three piece was the standard Old Types. These came in the Double Ring (1903-1905) and Single Ring (starting in 1906) versions. They are characterized by the presence of positioning pins in the head and a curved guard plate which fits flush against the cap. They also have a log post cap with the guard plate incorporated onto the outer barrel handle. The inner barrel and knob assembly finish out the three pieces. The Double and Single Ring naming refers to the protruding rings on the handle's neck.
Here is an example of the disassembled 1904 Double Ring Old Type.
The ABC (American Button Company) and Gillette Pocket Editions were three piece versions of the Old Type head with the handle separated from the head.
In 1921 the New Improved was introduced. These were characterized by a head which still had positioning pins, but has design improvements which included a thicker, flat guard plate and heavier duty teeth. This desgn lifts the blade off the surface of the comb.
The New Improved also came in a pocket type version known as the Tuckaway.
In 1929 the Gillette NEW was introduced in a basic pocket style. The NEW differed from earlier Gillette with the introduction of the positioning bar, replacing the pins, which required the NEW Blades also introduced at that time. This marked the beginning of the modern DE blade design. They retained the open comb design from all earlier models.
The NEW DeLuxe was the high end version of the NEW.
In 1931, Gillette began releasing a very inexpensive set made from leftover Old Type parts mixed with retooled NEW parts. This three piece was known as the Goodwill. There were several different guard and cap combinations made.
In 1938, Gillette introduced the first safety bar razor in a three piece. It became the longest running Gillette model and was known as the Tech. It had the same positioning bar design of the NEW model, but the safety bar design was lower in manufacturing costs and was less susceptible to damage when dropped.
There were many other minor variations to these major designs, but the main characteristics remained the same amongst each of these models.
Once again, I would like to thank Achim for the use of his excellent pictures as well as welcoming him back from his brief "vacation".
You were very much missed by one and all!
History of Gillette Safety Razors
But, I'll include a few of his pictures here with some brief notes.
The original Gillette three piece was the standard Old Types. These came in the Double Ring (1903-1905) and Single Ring (starting in 1906) versions. They are characterized by the presence of positioning pins in the head and a curved guard plate which fits flush against the cap. They also have a log post cap with the guard plate incorporated onto the outer barrel handle. The inner barrel and knob assembly finish out the three pieces. The Double and Single Ring naming refers to the protruding rings on the handle's neck.
Here is an example of the disassembled 1904 Double Ring Old Type.
The ABC (American Button Company) and Gillette Pocket Editions were three piece versions of the Old Type head with the handle separated from the head.
In 1921 the New Improved was introduced. These were characterized by a head which still had positioning pins, but has design improvements which included a thicker, flat guard plate and heavier duty teeth. This desgn lifts the blade off the surface of the comb.
The New Improved also came in a pocket type version known as the Tuckaway.
In 1929 the Gillette NEW was introduced in a basic pocket style. The NEW differed from earlier Gillette with the introduction of the positioning bar, replacing the pins, which required the NEW Blades also introduced at that time. This marked the beginning of the modern DE blade design. They retained the open comb design from all earlier models.
The NEW DeLuxe was the high end version of the NEW.
In 1931, Gillette began releasing a very inexpensive set made from leftover Old Type parts mixed with retooled NEW parts. This three piece was known as the Goodwill. There were several different guard and cap combinations made.
In 1938, Gillette introduced the first safety bar razor in a three piece. It became the longest running Gillette model and was known as the Tech. It had the same positioning bar design of the NEW model, but the safety bar design was lower in manufacturing costs and was less susceptible to damage when dropped.
There were many other minor variations to these major designs, but the main characteristics remained the same amongst each of these models.
Once again, I would like to thank Achim for the use of his excellent pictures as well as welcoming him back from his brief "vacation".
You were very much missed by one and all!
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