"New" Trac II cart: 7 O'Clock PII

[Jerry-built Hustler]

I was doing some poking around online, and was surprised to find Gillette has resumed making Trac II cartridges for the American market without a lube strip, only they are now calling them 7 O'Clock PII cartridges, rather than Trac II. Apparently they are intended for online sale only, and so likely will not be found on store shelves. They can be purchased either through US Razors or Razors Direct for reasonable prices. Has anybody tried these? I'll probably be ordering some soon, but am curious to know if anybody else has any feedback. (BTW, sorry if these have been discussed already; I did a search and could not find anything on them.)

Wikipedia has this to say about them:

"As of 2012 the Gillette Plant in St. Petersberg, Russia began producing and marketing an American English packaged Trac II/7 0'Clock P-II razor and blades intended for the American market due to increased American consumer interest and demand for vintage style shaving razors with consistent quality that are less expensive. They are available through aftermarket sources like Amazon.com, USRazor.com and Razors Direct; all online only sources. No mention of these Gillette made razors are found on the official Gillette site; however they are manufactured by Gillette for the U.S. market."

 

[Eeyore]

That's interesting! Since the Trac II is among my favorite razors, I can only applaud that move by Gillette. We're talking about real Trac carts, without a lubrication strip?

Edit: shipping from USRazor to Europe is $45

 

[mblakele]

At http://www.razorsdirect.com/catalog/item/3262654/9341302.htm these are priced at $16 for 10 - plus shipping. Looking at various USA retail sites via google shopping, it is pretty easy to find Trac II carts a bit cheaper. Various non-Gillette clones are available for even less.

 

[Jerry-built Hustler]

That's interesting! Since the Trac II is among my favorite razors, I can only applaud that move by Gillette. We're talking about real Trac carts, without a lubrication strip?

Yes, and for a better price than what you'd pay for Trac II Plus carts in a grocery store (which are now over $2 per cart). As I said, they're not actually called Trac II, but regardless of the name, that's what they are, and they are made by Gillette. The one thing I want to know is if the cartridge structure is identical to the existing Trac II Plus carts, which have a vent between the blades to prevent clogging. The off-brand Trac II carts I have used (e.g., Personna) have no venting, and tend to clog easily.

Like you, I think this is a great move. It's the first time Gillette has shown an inclination to go "backwards" in the American market, reintroducing a formerly discontinued product. Might we hope that they finally are waking up to the fact that not everybody likes or is willing to pay for their multi-blade monstrosities?

Here's a link to the product on US Razor - not to promote the vendor, but online vendors are the only place to even see them, since Gillette doesn't actually acknowledge their existence on their own website. Razors Direct also carries them. I've asked both vendors about the blade venting, but if I don't get an answer, I'll probably take one for the team and buy them, in which case I'll be reporting back.

https://www.usrazor.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=59_61&product_id=275

 

[Jerry-built Hustler]

Various non-Gillette clones are available for even less.

I haven't found a non-Gillette version I like as well, since none I have found are properly vented between the blades. Also, none of the cut as well, at least per my own preferences. (Admittedly, I've only tried Personna and Merkur, but that was enough to put me off trying more.) And this is the first time I've seen Gillette-made Trac II carts without the lube strip. Are the other Trac IIs you're seeing online with or without strips?

 

[Eeyore]

Yes, and for a better price than what you'd pay for Trac II Plus carts in a grocery store (which are now over $2 per cart).

3rd party GII compatible carts are 50cts per cart here. But you are right about the venting.

That is why I like my NOS "Made in England" Wilkinson cartridges so much; they do have the original venting to prevent the clogging (and it works!)

 

[Eeyore]

The real question of course, is (provided that the cartridges are the real ones, without a lubrastrip, and with the proper venting) whether wet shavers will be buying them. Sometimes I feel that the "traditionalists" shun all cartridges for being a cartridge, without recognizing that the vintage ones are entirely different from the modern ones they probably came from.

I think a GII / Trac II is one step too far for many of them, even as a travel razor (some probably prefer their multi-blade monsters for that purpose).

Personally, I think the real GII was an excellent razor, just like the real Contour / Atra. After that, things went downhill, with spring mounted (thin!) blades and lubrication strips.

 

[Jerry-built Hustler]

3rd party GII compatible carts are 50cts per cart here. But you are right about the venting.

That is why I like my NOS "Made in England" Wilkinson cartridges so much; they do have the original venting to prevent the clogging (and it works!)

Sorry...didn't see you were in the Netherlands when I responded earlier. Yeah, the shipping hits you hard - bummer.

 

[mblakele]

And this is the first time I've seen Gillette-made Trac II carts without the lube strip. Are the other Trac IIs you're seeing online with or without strips?

The ones I was looking at had a lube strip. That does not much bother me, perhaps because I started out with Sensor cartridges. Anyway that US Razor PII price beats both Razors Direct and any of the credible Trac II prices that I found. So as long as the shipping costs are not too bad, it looks like a good deal.

 

[Jerry-built Hustler]

The real question of course, is (provided that the cartridges are the real ones, without a lubrastrip, and with the proper venting) whether wet shavers will be buying them. Sometimes I feel that the "traditionalists" shun all cartridges for being a cartridge, without recognizing that the vintage ones are entirely different from the modern ones they probably came from.

I too notice a pretty heavy bias against cartridges of any kind among the "traditional" crowd. That said, if the Wikipedia article is to be believed, the reason Gillette resumed making these blades in the first place is due to consumer demand, so someone must be buying them, or at least asking for them.

Personally, I think the real GII was an excellent razor, just like the real Contour / Atra. After that, things went downhill, with spring mounted (thin!) blades and lubrication strips.

Agreed. I get very good shaves with a Trac II, find it easy to use, and appreciate the greater control of no pivot and no spring-mounted blades. The originals, without the strips, are as gimmick free as a cartridge gets. I also like the fact that a well-made Trac II handle (like the single piece, all-stainless Merkur) will last forever, since it's got no moving parts to wear out. Handles for the Atra and later models will all die eventually, due to the springs in the heads to provide the pivoting action.

 

[Jerry-built Hustler]

The ones I was looking at had a lube strip. That does not much bother me, perhaps because I started out with Sensor cartridges.

Same here. I've been using the ones with lube strips just fine, but given the choice, I'd prefer carts without them, since I do find they get a bit gummy. When they're new, the strips actually form "strings" that hang onto my face when I pull the head away.

Anyway that US Razor PII price beats both Razors Direct and any of the credible Trac II prices that I found. So as long as the shipping costs are not too bad, it looks like a good deal.

Shipping within the US is free with both US Razor and Razors Direct.

 

[Jopo]

The Wiki information is false, the PII is neither new nor made for the American market. The PII twin blades have been made in India for 20+ years. Those two companies are importing the blades, just like many US vendors import the 7Oclock DE blades. Gillette also still makes the Trac II blades in Europe without lubestrip (GII)

 

[Jerry-built Hustler]

The Wiki information is false, the PII is neither new nor made for the American market. The PII twin blades have been made in India for 20+ years. Those two companies are importing the blades, just like many US vendors import the 7Oclock DE blades. Gillette also still makes the Trac II blades in Europe without lubestrip (GII)

Thanks for the info. Looking again at the Wikipedia entry, I see there is no citation for the information provided. Figures. Perhaps this was much ado about nothing. Regardless of where they're made, or why, I still am glad lube-free Trac II carts are available stateside for a reasonable price. I was just at Target today, and they were selling a 10-pack of Trac II Plus carts for over $20.

In looking at the zoom picture of the product on US Razor, I can see the venting between the blades, which answers that question. I'm not sure how I missed that before.

 

[The Dean]

Is US Razor a known legit site? Just curious. Their prices are all over the place. Some great deals and some way out of whack--at least at first glance.

And on the Trac II topic, did you get a load of this thing?

https://www.usrazor.com/metal-razor-trac-II-blades-double-edge

 

[Jerry-built Hustler]

Is US Razor a known legit site? Just curious. Their prices are all over the place. Some great deals and some way out of whack--at least at first glance.

Well, I just pulled the trigger on a 10-pack of the 7 O'Clock PII's, so I'll let you know. I thought I was being charitable overlooking the broken English. We'll see if I was just being naive. Actually, if they aren't legit, they're going to great lengths to make it look like they are, including detailed confirmation e-mails for orders and registering with their site.

And on the Trac II topic, did you get a load of this thing?

How in the world does that thing even work?

Edit: Nevermind. I really should read the description before asking questions like this.

 

[smalltank]

This site also sells on "the bay"

 

[Eeyore]

The Wiki information is false, the PII is neither new nor made for the American market. The PII twin blades have been made in India for 20+ years. Those two companies are importing the blades, just like many US vendors import the 7Oclock DE blades. Gillette also still makes the Trac II blades in Europe without lubestrip (GII)

They are still sold (at a high price, around 1 euro per cartridge!) indeed, but I don't know if shops are still selling from their stock, or if Gillette actually makes them.

 

[Jerry-built Hustler]

Rumors about the Trac II carts being discontinued have been bandied about for years, and yet so far, they are still available through mainstream sources. I went to two different stores today and saw plenty of them, along with Atra and Sensors as well. Whether that applies to the PII carts, I don't know, but if there's enough of a market in the US to keep Gillette producing Trac IIs, I can't imagine Gillette would discontinue production for marketing them in regions like India and eastern Europe.

 

[Jerry-built Hustler]

The PII twin blades have been made in India for 20+ years. [snip] Gillette also still makes the Trac II blades in Europe without lubestrip (GII)

I just re-read this. The Wikipedia entry said the St. Petersberg, Russia, factory started producing the PII blades in 2012, specifically for the US market. As such, these wouldn't be the PII carts made in India, nor, apparently, the European-made GII. Is Wikipedia just flat-out wrong about this, or is it possible the Russian-made PII carts are a recent addition to Gillette's supply chain?

 

[OkieStubble]

Where are the Gillette Trac II / Atra carts they sell in Walmart manufactured?