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Schick Band Razor

I remember them from my teen years, but I don’t remember them fondly. I can’t say why anymore, but I distinctly remember disliking them. I don’t know if I had a Schlick or Gillette.
 
An interesting little thing is how schick really screwed gillette on the techmatic as you can seethe advancement dial is on the cartridge with the schick but on the gillette its on the razor itself so you can use schick cartridges on the gillette but if you try to use a gillette cartridge on a schick you'll have no way to advance the band
Poor, poor, King Gillette. His Royalness was out manoeuvred.
 
Theodore,
According to what I have heard. when King Gillette started making and selling his razor and blades business was very slow. It occurred to him that selling a razor was a one time affair but selling the blades happened many hundreds of times for each razor. So he started selling his razors at very low prices. Often at a loss. But his blade sales skyrocketed him into a millionaire. Most razor/blade makers followed his wise move. And many continue that practice today.
The Band blades were so good that Schick was losing money. He already had plenty of money making blades and the life expectancy of the Band blades was so extraordinary that it would kill the sales of all his other blades. Hence the premature death of the Band Razor and blades.
The Band was silenced. Last post was played.
Mickey
The Band played its glorious music from 1966 to 1971.
It is one of the very best razors in my collection and is used weekly.

 
I remember them from my teen years, but I don’t remember them fondly. I can’t say why anymore, but I distinctly remember disliking them. I don’t know if I had a Schlick or Gillette.

Before my time but IIRC the Gillette design wasn't well engineered and didn't always hold the blade taut, so it was very bitey. Probably damaged the entire market for band razors, even if the Schick was better.
 
Story was the Apollo crew took along Gillette Techmatics. Through a misinterpretation of the manifesto I believe they were to take ALL of the Techmatics to the Moon.........................and leave them. :D ;)
 
Just sayin’, I started with a Gillette Techmatic in 1970. Quickly moved on to a Schick injector because the Schick was a much better shaver - didn’t bite at all, more maneuverable, lower cost/shave. If I hadn’t been given my granddad’s Old Type I would possibly still be using an injector. I can’t even work up any nostalgia for the Techmatic.
 

ajkel64

Check Out Chick
Staff member
I have a Techmatic that I am very hesitant to use. I even bought a NOS blade spool to try in it but it sits unloved with some other razors in my storage boxes.
 
I bought one of the 'Adjustable' band razors, way back in the 80s. I recall not really liking it, and the cartridge, if you call it that, was expensive at the time. I think I just tossed it, once the band or two it came with were done, and ended up possibly buying as Astra, but not sure if that was before or after the Gillette Micro-Trac....for those that remember them.
 

Ad Astra

The Instigator
I have a Techmatic and new band ready to roll for my July 16-20 shaves. Even some 1969 aftershave.

50th anniversary … good enough for NASA; I'll give it a try!


AA
 

Ad Astra

The Instigator
We eagerly await July! And the live 50th anniversary shave TV coverage. :detective:



@ajkel64 is (possibly) still thinking about it. Not the spirit that put a razor on the moon! :001_302:

Wow, thanks!

Everyone has seen the photos of Michael Collins shaving onboard Apollo 11 with the Techmatic ... and Old Spice nonlathering tube of goo. But! Get this:

I have been reading Gene Cernan's bio, "Last Man on the Moon," and he casually mentions he was first to shave in space, with an unspecified safety razor! Never has history been so frustrated! If only I'd have asked him, "WHICH safety razor?" ...


AA
 
According to this interesting little piece on the history of shaving in space, Cernan used a Gillette Techmatic on Apollo 10. Photo:

167AD795-BBE9-4168-AA48-263DFB0AE8EF.png
 
Techmatics definitely make sense in space - imagine a DE blade slipping out of your fingers and going spinning through the cabin...
 
Techmatics definitely make sense in space - imagine a DE blade slipping out of your fingers and going spinning through the cabin...

That's very true, and it had already occurred to me. But that's not a reason to be concerned here on earth. That's probably why they were not popular here.
 
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