Psycho Razor Owners Club

[Dave in KY]

I like this idea. When I get mine back from plating I'll do a writeup on all the visible differences and also note any weight/dimensional differences as well. This should help some folks make informed decisions when trying to buy OEM keys. I'll try to document in pictures as well, but we'll see how that goes!

So was my observation accurate or just how appears because of photo angles? You may not know if not in your possession but may know from memory......

 

[Butzy]

based on the pics, yes. but I won't be able to know for sure until i have it in hand. updates to come!

 

[Dave in KY]

based on the pics, yes. but I won't be able to know for sure until i have it in hand. updates to come!

Thanks, look forward to them.

 

[Bobbers]

Here are my 2 different models of Grafco made in Germany Psycho razors. The one is an open comb and other is a straight bar. They have 2 different styles of keys and the 2 keys are inter changeable. The knurl on the bottom of the both razors can also be pulled out.

This shows the straight bar and the key. This is a mild shave I like the heft of this razor for shaving better then the Gillette Psycho.

This is the open comb model. The photo on the right shows the razor with the key inserted. This model the key has a friction fit and does not fall out you have to pull it out. With the key in it has a better balance and feel. I have 2 of these the one on the right has a cracked tube and is missing the key. You can see the inner working of the locking mechanism.

 

[Butzy]

Thanks for documenting this Robert!
it's not easy to find information on "Correctional Razors" out there so this is really great stuff.

 

[DCRIII]

@Bobbers those Grafcos are really nice looking, thanks for sharing!

 

[Dave in KY]

@Robert Nice info and pictures. I appreciate you getting this info posted here that can be here on into the future as people research these things.

 

[Dave in KY]

Bump !! Looking forward to @Butzy to do a comparison of original and reproduction key fro RE when he gets his back from plating. Was able to track down an original for my Psycho.

 

[Butzy]

Nice razor!
I have not forgotten. Due to some shipping mishaps (entirely my fault) it may be a couple weeks before I get my plated razor back. I will update upon receipt and analysis

 

[Bobbers]

Did ever try the prison issued DE blades? If so, were they any good?

I just got around to trying them I load up the Grafco straight bar Psycho razor, because what other type of razor would you use. I do a 4 pass shave and touch up if needed, I used the setup for 3 shaves. Like I said before the razor is mild but delivers a good shave. The blades do a good job I was pleasant surprised. I would even use them again. I know nothing about the history of the blades. They are Sheffield stainless steel blades.

 

[Dave in KY]

I just got around to trying them I load up the Grafco straight bar Psycho razor, because what other type of razor would you use. I do a 4 pass shave and touch up if needed, I used the setup for 3 shaves. Like I said before the razor is mild but delivers a good shave. The blades do a good job I was pleasant surprised. I would even use them again. I know nothing about the history of the blades. They are Sheffield stainless steel blades.
View attachment 855786

Cool !! Thanks for sharing Bob !!

 

[DCRIII]

Bump !! Looking forward to @Butzy to do a comparison of original and reproduction key fro RE when he gets his back from plating. Was able to track down an original for my Psycho.
View attachment 855730 View attachment 855731

Very nice!

 

[DCRIII]

I just got around to trying them I load up the Grafco straight bar Psycho razor, because what other type of razor would you use. I do a 4 pass shave and touch up if needed, I used the setup for 3 shaves. Like I said before the razor is mild but delivers a good shave. The blades do a good job I was pleasant surprised. I would even use them again. I know nothing about the history of the blades. They are Sheffield stainless steel blades.
View attachment 855786

Cool !! Thanks for sharing Bob !!

+2

 

[Butzy]

Since Razor Emporium put out a reproduction key for the Gillette Psycho that is indistinguishable from an original OEM key without looking very closely, I thought I would do a little write-up about the specific differences between the original and reproduction.
My hope is that this will provide you, the readers, with enough information about the physical differences between the two keys to help you feel confident in knowing what you are purchasing when collecting Gillette Psycho keys.

After putting a couple of my known original keys next to one of RE's that I had plated, here are the observable differences in the reproduction key compared to original Gillette Psycho keys:

1. The jump ring on the RE reproduction key is cut cleanly and the ends are flush against one another making the jump ring itself look almost like there is no break.
   The original keys' jump rings are not as cleanly cut and are generally broken at a slight angle. The ends of the ring are relatively close to one another and in some cases are touching but not flush like the RE reproduction
2. The end of the ball-chain that attaches the chain to the jump ring on the RE reproduction is noticeably different than the original key in that attachment on the RE reproduction is more angular than the original. The original has a bit of a radius or shoulder in the transition from face to side and side to back, whereas the RE reproduction has a much more angular transition from face to side, etc.
3. Similar to #2, there is a noticeable difference in the transition from the shaft of the key to what I will call they key's "grip" in the RE reproduction compared to the original. The reproduction has a more angular transition between the shaft and the grip making the two parts appear more like two distinct pieces rather than the more rounded transition between those two parts of the key in the original keys.
4. The profile of the tip of the RE reproduction key vs the OEM original key is perhaps the surest way to determine what key you are looking at in the wild.
   The RE reproduction key's tip is mostly flat at the end with an angular transition to the hexagonal opening. The original key is significantly different from this as it is much more rounded at the tip with almost no flat surface and the transition to the hexagonal opening on the original key is more concave than the stark 90 degree angle of the RE reproduction.

Take a look at the photographs to complement the above descriptions. The gold key is the RE reproduction that I had plated. The two nickel-finished keys are OEM original keys from different decades but are identical other than general wear and tear of the "used" one. You will also see from the pictures that there are perhaps more differences than just the 4 I listed above. Things like machining marks are more prevalent on the original keys and certain parts are very slightly larger/smaller or thicker/thinner. If there is interest I can break out the calipers and do a deeper dive into the actual dimensional differences, but this doesn't really help when trying to identify an individual key in the "wild" which is the purpose of this post.

 

[Dave in KY]

Nice observations. Thanks for posting this. Will certainly help in distinguishing the 2 in the future as more reproductions start to turn up second hand. Thanks @Butzy

 

[Butzy]

The profile of the tip of the RE reproduction key vs the OEM original key is perhaps the surest way to determine what key you are looking at in the wild

EDIT/CORRECTION: After looking at all of my psycho keys closely rather than just the two in that picture I did notice that there was one key in my collection which has a flat tip similar to that of the RE Reproduction with some differences still. All of the other differences (#1-#3) apply to this other OEM Original key as well.
Moral of the story here is to examine thoroughly and check three or four of the main differences and not just one before coming to a conclusion. These razors were created over multiple decades and manufactured in 3 different continents over that time. There is some manufacturing and design variance to be expected.

 

[DCRIII]

Since Razor Emporium put out a reproduction key for the Gillette Psycho that is indistinguishable from an original OEM key without looking very closely, I thought I would do a little write-up about the specific differences between the original and reproduction.
My hope is that this will provide you, the readers, with enough information about the physical differences between the two keys to help you feel confident in knowing what you are purchasing when collecting Gillette Psycho keys.

After putting a couple of my known original keys next to one of RE's that I had plated, here are the observable differences in the reproduction key compared to original Gillette Psycho keys:

1. The jump ring on the RE reproduction key is cut cleanly and the ends are flush against one another making the jump ring itself look almost like there is no break.
   The original keys' jump rings are not as cleanly cut and are generally broken at a slight angle. The ends of the ring are relatively close to one another and in some cases are touching but not flush like the RE reproduction
2. The end of the ball-chain that attaches the chain to the jump ring on the RE reproduction is noticeably different than the original key in that attachment on the RE reproduction is more angular than the original. The original has a bit of a radius or shoulder in the transition from face to side and side to back, whereas the RE reproduction has a much more angular transition from face to side, etc.
3. Similar to #2, there is a noticeable difference in the transition from the shaft of the key to what I will call they key's "grip" in the RE reproduction compared to the original. The reproduction has a more angular transition between the shaft and the grip making the two parts appear more like two distinct pieces rather than the more rounded transition between those two parts of the key in the original keys.
4. The profile of the tip of the RE reproduction key vs the OEM original key is perhaps the surest way to determine what key you are looking at in the wild.
   The RE reproduction key's tip is mostly flat at the end with an angular transition to the hexagonal opening. The original key is significantly different from this as it is much more rounded at the tip with almost no flat surface and the transition to the hexagonal opening on the original key is more concave than the stark 90 degree angle of the RE reproduction.

Take a look at the photographs to complement the above descriptions. The gold key is the RE reproduction that I had plated. The two nickel-finished keys are OEM original keys from different decades but are identical other than general wear and tear of the "used" one. You will also see from the pictures that there are perhaps more differences than just the 4 I listed above. Things like machining marks are more prevalent on the original keys and certain parts are very slightly larger/smaller or thicker/thinner. If there is interest I can break out the calipers and do a deeper dive into the actual dimensional differences, but this doesn't really help when trying to identify an individual key in the "wild" which is the purpose of this post.

Thank you for sharing this information.

 

[Bobbers]

I know this is splitting hairs, I have a question about the hex end of the key. When I was having the reproduction keys made the hardest and most complicated part to machine would have been the hex end that is why I went with a hex head screw instead. With the original key it looks like Gillette drilled the end and then forced, pressed or rammed a hex in to the end to form the hex. When I look down in to the hex end I can see irregular metal in the bottom of the hole. Can you tell if the Razor Emporium Reproduction key was milled on the cnc machine or if was forced, pressed or rammed? Thank you.

 

[Butzy]

I know this is splitting hairs, I have a question about the hex end of the key. When I was having the reproduction keys made the hardest and most complicated part to machine would have been the hex end that is why I went with a hex head screw instead. With the original key it looks like Gillette drilled the end and then forced, pressed or rammed a hex in to the end to form the hex. When I look down in to the hex end I can see irregular metal in the bottom of the hole. Can you tell if the Razor Emporium Reproduction key was milled on the cnc machine or if was forced, pressed or rammed? Thank you.

That’s a good question. The original keys’ hexagonal openings appear to be made one of two ways. One way looks to be opening up a hole and then drifting in the 6 sides using some serious force. The second way (and I only have one of these) looks like they drilled in that original hole and then 6 tiny holes where the corners of the opening would be and then filed or shaved down the area between the tiny holes creating the hexagonal opening.

Now, I would have assumed that the RE Reproduction key would be milled, but upon inspection it also has that irregular material at the bottom of the hole similar to the original keys.
Based on that I would assume they drifted in that opening cold or some other brute force process. Interesting stuff

 

[Dave in KY]

Was feeling a little CRAZY today.

Soap:Chiseled Face Ghost Town Barber
Brush: Rubberset 400 w/Maggards Tuxedo Synthetic
Razor: Gillette Psycho
Blade: Gillette Nacet
Aftershave: Chiseled Face Ghost Town Barber