My nomination for best ever Gillette Open Comb: British NEW Richwood

[DrAwkward]

OK, so this claim might be a tad over the top, especially since I have never shaved with one. However, I snagged one on the Bay and I'm expecting it any day. Here is the picture:

My understanding is that the head is the same as the British NEW #77 / #88, but with a heavier handle. I also believe the NEW Richwood to be quite rare. Porter (aka MacDaddy) reportedly has two! I assume that Mark1966 and Mr. Razor and the other usual suspects all have at least one. For us ordinary plebs, they are very hard to find - this is the only one I have ever seen on the Bay (since I know someone will ask, I paid a bit more than $100).
Much more common are the 1920s New Improved Richwoods made in the USA. I assume that the Brits had some extra boxes lying around in the 1930s and thought, "we should make something to put in these."
Anyway, as an obsessed NEW aficionado, I'm looking forward to getting my new razor & mowing down some stubble.

 

[Haggises]

Porter mentioned one of those the other day when I asked about the pinnacle of Gillette design. I'm VERY jealous!
Congrats.

 

[ironfist]

Great find! Classy case

 

[taco8slo]

Good stuff, is it a 3-piece or a 2-piece, they look fantastic indeed?

 

[elmerwood]

How did you win that? I wasn't allowed to bid because it said I was in the US. Sucks for me and good for you my snipe was set considerably higher. Very nice piece sir, enjoy that thing it looks awesome!

 

[DrAwkward]

How did you win that? I wasn't allowed to bid because it said I was in the US. Sucks for me and good for you my snipe was set considerably higher. Very nice piece sir, enjoy that thing it looks awesome!

I'm bilingual (I speak both Yankee and Anglo), a skill which I used to good effect. I am reluctant to reveal my secret, but it is fair to say that I really, really wanted to buy this razor!

 

[DrAwkward]

Good stuff, is it a 3-piece or a 2-piece, they look fantastic indeed?

It is a 2 piece. Very much like a British NEW #88 on steroids.

 

[MacDaddy]

I assume that the Brits had some extra boxes lying around in the 1930s and thought, "we should make something to put in these."

Very nice! I was wondering who won that one. This is my assumption, too, though I don't have any information to back that up. It seems a little odd for them to have designed a different razor solely to use up a reserve of cases, but it's the most logical explanation I can come up with.

We've seen at least one example of the carton that they came in here, which also tells us that the set (at least the gold version) was the No. 81.

Here are some shots I took a while back of my gold one. My silver one is in my regular rotation.

Good stuff, is it a 3-piece or a 2-piece, they look fantastic indeed?

Nearly all the ones I've seen are three-piece razors, but Berkin had this one (on the right below) that was a two-piece, so it seems that there may have been both versions.

 

[taco8slo]

Thanks for the info, it is unclear if Dr. Awkward's razor is 2- or 3-piece based on the one picture provided, I suppose time will tell.

 

[DrAwkward]

Thanks for the info, it is unclear if Dr. Awkward's razor is 2- or 3-piece based on the one picture provided, I suppose time will tell.

I'll let you know as soon as I can. I guess my grail is a Gillette #81.

 

[Mark1966]

Congrats!

I was wonder who got it.

A thread on the one I picked up here.

I didn't realise that I didn't have the case. Otherwise you would have been in trouble

 

[cernel_joson]

Looks like a 2 piece to me. You can see the crimp that keeps the knob from slipping down the handle. Looking forward to some closeup photographs.

 

[DrAwkward]

It's here.



I shaved with it and was very impressed. I went for CCS and easily got DFS+. I desperately want to be able to use this thing as part of my rotation.

BTW, it is indeed a two piece. Cernel Joson was right.

I cleaned it with very hot water (not quite boiling) and dish soap and a tooth brush.

However, now I'm worried that I somehow damaged the lacquer. The handle, which had been, brown, turned gold, and then white streaks appeared.

What did I do?

 

[DrAwkward]

BTW, here is a pic of the case, which is in great shape.


and one more of the razor.

 

[cernel_joson]

It's hard to tell what's going on with the knurling. I'm guessing the darker areas are where the lacquer is intact. As it ages it often turns a dark orange. I wouldn't do anything radical to clean it up or clear out the remaining lacquer though, especially considering the rarity of the razor and the general weakness of gold plating. Regular use and regular cleaning should even it all out. Enjoy that beauty.

 

[taco8slo]

Looks great, congratulations!

 

[MacDaddy]

Yeah... you totally ruined it there. As an officer of Razor Protective Services I'm going to have to take custody of poor little Richwood to prevent further harm.

But seriously, I'm with CJ there. I can't quite tell what's going on there from just that photo, so I'd be hesitant to give you any advice on that basis. It's possible that the darker areas are old lacquer. It's also possible, I suppose, that the lighter areas are hard water build-up, though your description of things makes me lean away from that idea.

I wouldn't worry about it overly. It's going to do what it's going to do. Just stick with normal, gentle cleaning routines and enjoy using it.

 

[LAM&P]

Fine looking razor, grats

 

[tri33]

Thanks for sharing everyone, that is an awesome razor! I never knew a New Richwood existed!

 

[DrAwkward]

My pictures are not very good, but the plating is 100% intact.
I'm going to follow the advice of CJ and Porter and calm down about the strange white streaks on the knurling. I hate to use a razor that is in such good shape (most of my razors are user-grade), but I just can't help myself. I like collecting, but I like shaving even more.
Thanks, guys!