Hi, I'm still new to the wet shave world and very new to the DE world. I bought this razor on ebay, the seller had it listed as a Gillette Ranger Tech. Does this look like the real deal?
Thanks,
Thanks,
Ranger Tech?
- Thread starter laughlinwe
- Start date
Yep, looks nice too.
Indeed it does; see http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/Ranger_Tech. Since it doesn't look like it has end caps, it's probably a 1941.
I have a couple of the 1941 RTs and I can also confirm it is a 1941.
From Achim's site (mr-razor.com)
1941 RT
1946 RT
They handle differently than the Super Speeds because the handle is a carry over from the 1930s Sheraton and Senator handles.
In 1947 the first Super Speeds with the new handles came on line.
This is an excellent razor in my opinion.
Enjoy!
From Achim's site (mr-razor.com)
1941 RT
1946 RT
They handle differently than the Super Speeds because the handle is a carry over from the 1930s Sheraton and Senator handles.
In 1947 the first Super Speeds with the new handles came on line.
This is an excellent razor in my opinion.
Enjoy!
Nice score !
The 1940-1941 Milord Tech was the first production solid bar one piece safety razor and the Ranger Tech followed in 1941 as I understand it. The Milord Tech was plated in 24 carat gold and the Ranger Tech in nickel plating ( I believe it was).
Both are scarce due to America's involvement in Word War II and civilian production was ceased as a result. When they came back in 1946, I believe it was, both were produced with end caps.
Both are considered scarce in sets.
HTH
The 1940-1941 Milord Tech was the first production solid bar one piece safety razor and the Ranger Tech followed in 1941 as I understand it. The Milord Tech was plated in 24 carat gold and the Ranger Tech in nickel plating ( I believe it was).
Both are scarce due to America's involvement in Word War II and civilian production was ceased as a result. When they came back in 1946, I believe it was, both were produced with end caps.
Both are considered scarce in sets.
HTH
Don't forget the Regent and Aristocrat, also from that same pre-war period and also guard-bar razors without endcaps.
I just looked it up in the "Complete Gillette Collector's Handbook" for my own knowledge.
And Krumholz, states - quote:
" The Milord went into limited test market in 1940 and was introduced nationally during Christmas of 1941."
and
"The interesting feature of the Milord (sometimes misspelled Mi-Lord) is that this razor featured for the first time the new "solid guard bar" rather than the comb guard. "So if Krumholz is correct, which I believe he is. That would make the 1940-41 Milord Tech the first "solid guard bar" razor that Gillette produced and should be very desirable, especially with WWII ending its short production life ?
Same with its sister in nickel the 1941 Ranger Tech.
Also,
Krumholz quotes about the Regent Tech :
"The Regent Tech was brought out for the Christmas Season of 1940........and was the last nationally introduced One Piece razor with a comb guard" and "It's production was of short duration due to the beginning of World War II, and examples are quite scarce."
So, due to WWII all three are scarce, according to Krumholz's findings.
The OP made a dang good find, especially if he got it at a decent price. I would recommend to the OP to keep his eyes open for a nice proper case and really increase its value...its a dang good shaver too...kind of set the pace for the 1940's super speed style, as I recall.
HTH
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Krumholz did have a lot of errors in his book. The Regent Tech is a solid guard bar razor.
Hey there laughinwe -
Welcome to B&B!
You got yourself one of the most effective TTO razors ever made, in my view. Ranger Tech and Milord had the same head, and the little "wings" projecting at right angles to the center bar lock the blade in with unfailing precision. Or so I imagine!
The 1947 Super Speed had the same wings but the base of the head baseplate contours changed slightly. I have several 1947 SS's, but one has the RT head on a SS handle, probably using up leftover parts.
Later, Gillette went to the notched center bar, messing with a great design for the sake of a blade dispenser gimmick - but all the 1940s SS's were still very good. The only TTOs I like equally well (different but not altogether better) are the 1930s Aristocrat and the Senator, both open comb models.
Whenever I need to shave quickly and want optimal results with minimal time and risk, I reach for the Milord, usually loaded with Feather or Personna Israeli blue wrapper. But it adapts well to any blade. The head cap design works well with low-angle shaving, which is what I do. Later SS models don't quite as well.
Welcome to B&B!
You got yourself one of the most effective TTO razors ever made, in my view. Ranger Tech and Milord had the same head, and the little "wings" projecting at right angles to the center bar lock the blade in with unfailing precision. Or so I imagine!
The 1947 Super Speed had the same wings but the base of the head baseplate contours changed slightly. I have several 1947 SS's, but one has the RT head on a SS handle, probably using up leftover parts.
Later, Gillette went to the notched center bar, messing with a great design for the sake of a blade dispenser gimmick - but all the 1940s SS's were still very good. The only TTOs I like equally well (different but not altogether better) are the 1930s Aristocrat and the Senator, both open comb models.
Whenever I need to shave quickly and want optimal results with minimal time and risk, I reach for the Milord, usually loaded with Feather or Personna Israeli blue wrapper. But it adapts well to any blade. The head cap design works well with low-angle shaving, which is what I do. Later SS models don't quite as well.
Yep, I saw a "1940 ?" set at Achim's.
Do you know for sure which was the first One Piece razor with the "solid guard bar" ?
Kind of strange discussing these razors now during Christmas when Dec 7, 1941, ( today is Dec 07, too) essentially ended their production !
Happy Holidays !
Nice Find, Those are Sweet, now all u need is the the sealed 5 pack Razor blades it came with and the case, and your set is complete Happy Hunting 
)
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Yes, Krumholz made more than a couple of errors back when he originally wrote his book. IIRC, he actually pictures a Sheraton in a Regent's case. The one Achim's got is correct. I've got one as well, and they're identical to the later Aristocrat with the exception that the later Aristocrat has "PAT. NOS. ON PACKAGE" stamped inside the head on the top of the guard plate.
As for which was the first, I'm not so sure. On the one hand, you've got Christmas ads like this one from 1940 that show the Milord and Milady Techs, but not the Regent Tech, when what would have been basically the same ad from the previous Christmas season includes the Aristocrat in a couple of different offerings. For that matter, I've never been able to find any ads at all anywhere that mention the Regent Tech at all.
I've heard that the 1946 Ranger Tech models are rarer--probably because the reconversion to civilian production was not immediate after the war ended.
Great find and enjoy the razor!
And dont forget the errors on Waits, Many times Porter and many others have pointed it out too.
All of the reference materials (Waits, Krumholz, et. al.) provide good information, however, it is the responsibility of the members of the Traditional Shaving community to locate and provide more accurate information as it becomes known.
Considering that most of the companies no longer exist and their records were not retained, it is amazing the amount of information that is available.
Old advertisements, references in other books, and the hardware itself provides clues to the mysteries.
To the hunt!
Considering that most of the companies no longer exist and their records were not retained, it is amazing the amount of information that is available.
Old advertisements, references in other books, and the hardware itself provides clues to the mysteries.
To the hunt!
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You are a gentleman and a scholar.All of the reference materials (Waits, Krumholz, et. al.) provide good information, however, it is the responsibility of the members of the Traditional Shaving community to locate and provide more accurate information as it becomes known.
Considering that most of the companies no longer exist and their records were not retained, it is amazing the amount of information that is available.
Old advertisements, references in other books, and the hardware itself provides clues to the mysteries.
To the hunt!
- Thread starter
- #19
Actually, it came with these... Case shows some ware, but i really wont know how bad it is until it comes in the mail.
Thanks for all the info and input guys!
True, a '46 Ranger is harder to come by, but I think there may have been other factors in play as well. Given the greater number of '46 Milords that can be found, I wonder if there may have been a wish celebrate the end of the war with a bit of gold in the product line.
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