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Schick Krona Questions

Hit the antique shop in town on a whim even though most times they've either got bupkis or have been just cleaned out.
Today they actually had something,an extremely grungy Schick Krona for a five spot during their 50% off sale so I figured it was worth 2.50 to try a Krona but I've now got a few questions.

1 It's currently going through a thorough cleaning and the metal TTO knob has gunk in the ribs on the knob,while a lot of the gunk has come out there is still some gunk really holding on and almost looks like it could be remnants of black paint.
Did the metal knob Krona's have paint in the ribs or is that just really stubborn grunge?

2 I know that the letters and numbers stamped on the underside of the head are some sort of Schick mystery code and have no connection to dating the razor.
From my searching most of the Schick sites are a wealth of info on narrowing down the date or at least era of your Schick injector but squat on spotting features of the Krona eras.
Does anyone have a few spotting features to narrow the date on my Krona?
Photos to follow but mine is the standard plastic handle,metal head and ribbed metal TTO knob possibly with black paint in said ribs.
 
It seems to be difficult to establish any sort of dating for those Kronas. Some folks say that the metal knob was typical of early Kronas, and that they were heavier. This old post puts it well:

Well from what I can gather there are at least two variations of Krona razor. The first is weight; Earlier versions (I believe) of the Krona had a metal TTO knob (2 different styles) and a slightly shorter profile TTO mechanism under the head, and weigh between 50 and 60 g. Most of these have no imprint on the silo doors, which are brushed metal, tho I have seen at least one of this style that had "Krona" imprinted on it. I'm pretty certain the metal knob versions came first, but I'm still working on dating the samples I have, so don't quote me. Most of these had a sticker that was glued to the bottom of the TTO knob.

The other versions have a plastic TTO knob and weight slightly less, generally 40g or so, and have different styles of silo door imprinting as well as finish. I have samples of these that have blank brushed metal silo doors, some that are smooth chrome with the Schick label, and others have Schick Krona imprinted on brushed metal silo doors.

I don't have any dating info on when they changed the silo door lettering, and am beginning to think that silo door styles are not necessarily progressive--they may have used all 3 concurrently, in different markets.

There is also at least one variation of the Krona made by Eversharp that has 'Eversharp' imprinted on the bottom of the TTO knob, from what I gather these are a bit rare. And I believe that Schick made at least one gold plated model as well.

As far as the actual shave, It is my opinion that all the different models shave pretty much the same. Some have claimed that the heavier models shave better, but I notice no difference, and don't feel a 10g difference makes any appreciable change in shave quality. So any Krona should give an excellent shave, as most of what makes the Krona such a great razor for many is the design of the head (as well as the handle design).

Do you mind a little diversion? Looking at Schick_Krona on the wiki, I wonder if we have a problem with the production dates. The wiki shows 1959-1975 - but was Schick really making the Krona that early? At http://books.google.com/books?id=KlQEAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PA1&pg=PA23#v=onepage&q&f=false I found an issue of LIFE from 1968-10-18 with an ad for the "new Schick Krona". That might just be marketing, but FWIW the illustration shows a metal (or silvertone) knob and the TTO doors are embossed with SCHICK and KRONA. At http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/350753 one gent suggested that Schick continued to make the Krona past the year 2000.

The wiki has an image of a ca. 1975 NOS Krona (with black knob) and a reference to three patents. I think the first patent US3376637 most clearly shows the Krona razor design, and it was not filed until 1967-02-27. The central feature of the patent is that the center bar is a single piece of metal. Typically Gillette TTOs used two pieces of metal folded together, at least in the USA. So if you can establish that your Krona has that design, then it is almost certainly 1967 or later. Quite possibly the wiki is wrong, and there was no Krona production until 1967 or 1968.



There are two other Krona patents from that ca. 1975 package, which might help.

  • US3377701, filed 1967-03-09, issued 1968-04-16, covering the Krona knob design.
  • US3378921, filed 1967-03-09, issued 1968-04-23, covering the center bar and stem.

Based on this information I tend to think that the wiki is wrong, and the earliest production was 1967-68. The last production may have been well after 1975, too. But I look forward to more discussion.
 
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Thanks for the info it seems I've got one of the earlier Krona's as it has no door lettering and has the metal TTO knob with the Schick triangle on the bottom.

BTW in better light the "paint" was green so it was just more gunk in the ribs.
 
I have a Schick Krona razor with the black plastic handle and the black plastic TTO end. I believe these razors were made in 1959-1965. On one of the silo doors is printed "Schick."

My personal notes on this razor say the following: Well balanced DE razor with a very comfortable somewhat long TTO hollow handle. Aggressiveness is low. Use an aggressive blade, such as a Feather blade. An underrated razor from yesteryear that gives smooth shaves.
 
The more I look at this, the less I believe the 1959 date. It looks to me like the oft-quoted 1959 date might have been the start of internal development of the Krona injector blade, which was probably first sold during the 1960 Christmas season. It appears the Krona DE blade came out in 1963, and the Krona razor in 1967-68. Here is a a rough timeline, with links to sources.

1960: Schick introduces the Krona injector blade.

1963: Schick begins use of the Krona brand for DE blades

1967-68: Schick introduces the Krona razor and Krona-Chrome blades.
  • Krona Comfort first use 1967-04-10 http://www.trademarkia.com/krona-comfort-72270029.html
  • Krona-Chrome first use 1967-12-19: http://www.trademarkia.com/krona-chrome-72288909.html
  • http://www.google.com/patents/US3203829 filed 1967-11-06: apparatus to apply chromium coatings. This patent appeared on Schick Platinum Plus packaging, and probably applied to the Krona-Chrome as well.
  • US3376637, filed 1967-02-27, issued 1968-04-09, covering the Krona center bar design. This patent appeared on Krona razor packages ca. 1975.
  • US3377701, filed 1967-03-09, issued 1968-04-16, covering the Krona knob design. This patent appeared on Krona razor packages ca. 1975.
  • US3378921, filed 1967-03-09, issued 1968-04-23, covering the Krona center bar and stem designs. This patent appeared on Krona razor packages ca. 1975.
  • LIFE 1968-10-18 advertises the "new Schick Krona", offering a free razor with purchase of "new Krona-Chrome blades". The illustration features metallic and black knob styles, with SCHICK-KRONA on doors. The ad also pictures a Gillette Knack.

After that the available advertising record dwindles, but it would be nice to know when Schick actually discontinued the various Krona blades and the razor. Still, it seems clear that there was no Krona DE razor until 1967-68.

If anyone has evidence that the Krona DE razor existed before 1967-68, please post it here. Otherwise I plan to modify the production dates on the wiki page.
 
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I have 3 Krona with different markings: 1 2 6 M or 1 6 2 M , 2 2 5 M or 2 5 2 M, 2 3 1 M or 2 1 3 M
It probably refer to day and the month it has be produced.
 
I have 3 Krona with different markings: 1 2 6 M or 1 6 2 M , 2 2 5 M or 2 5 2 M, 2 3 1 M or 2 1 3 M
It probably refer to day and the month it has be produced.

Is one of those your NOS Krona from the http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/350753 discussion? Which one?

If folks are interested, we could catalog some markings here. I can move the data into the wiki later on, if it turns out to be useful.

My only Krona has a 3-3 top row and the bottom reads 9-M (left to right for both). Or I suppose the bottom row could be "W - 6" if I turn it over, but "9-M" looks more plausible.

I am not sure how to turn that into days and months: 33rd of September? 39th of March? What if the 9 is for 1969 or 1979, and the 3-3 indicates the 33rd week of the year? Mine came with one of those thin yellow plastic cases, as pictured on the Schick_Krona wiki page, so either year seems plausible. If they wrapped the year digit, then 6M might possibly be early production in 1966 or more likely 1976; 1M=1971, 2M=1972, 5M=1975.

If the is right, the top row would range from week '0-1' to '5-2', or possibly '0-0' to '5-1'. The bottom row might do stranger things: possibly "M" has some meaning too? Milford CT, where the plant was located? The decade, in which case it probably means 1970s?

We need more data: Krona owners, please post markings and other details.

Member!!Brand!!Knob!!Doors!!Baseplate!!Code – Top Row (Left-to-Right)!!Code - Bottom Row (Left-to-Right)!!Weight (g)!!Case/Packaging/Notes
|Schick||black, raised triangle logo||Schick - Schick||SCHICK - MADE IN U.S.A.||3-3||9-M||38||Yellow plastic case. "O" under center bar.
|Schick||black||Schick - (blank)||PATENTS PENDING||4-2||3-M||?||
|Schick||metallic, painted/printed triangle logo||(blank)||Triangle logo on right, MADE/IN/U.S.A. on left||3-2||6-M||50||"A" under center bar.
|Schick||black||Schick - Schick||SCHICK - MADE IN U.S.A.||2-2||5-M||?||NOS in package: bar code, yellow plastic case, and Plus Platinum blades.
|Schick||black||SCHICK - KRONA||SCHICK - MADE IN U.S.A. / PATENTS PENDING||2-3||1-M||38||
|Schick||metallic||(blank)||SCHICK - MADE IN U.S.A.||1-2||6-M||52||
|Schick||metallic||?||?||1-2||M-5||?||Opposite order for "M-5". Packaging copyright 1965.
 
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I would love it if someone could crack the mysterious Schick razor manufacturing codes for the DE and injector razors. But I fear that information has been lost to the ages.

I have read in numerous posts that the numbers on Schick razors have zero to do with the date of manufacture; rather, they have to do with machines on the manufacturing line.

For the record, however, my Schick DE that I described earlier has these numbers: 4-2 and 3-M. It also says "patents pending," which would suggest an early model, perhaps within the first three years of manufacture. It also says "schick made in usa."

The letter always seems to be an M. If it means the locataion of the plant, why would that be relevant if they only had one plant, and it was located in Milford, CT?
 
Member: CGW409
Brand : Schick
Knob : Metal/nickle with Schick triangle logo printed/painted on solid bottom
Doors : Plain nickle no stamping
Baseplate: Right side Schick triangle logo stamped, left side MADE over IN over USA
Code Top Row: 3-2
Code Bottom Row:6-M
Weight: 50g
Case: N/A unless you count the 40 or so years of crud as a case :biggrin1:
Possible additional markings I've found,if you read the markings under the head and the rotate the razor til it's"upside down" open it then look inside the razor I have a capital A stamped into the right side of the inside under the center bar.
Nothing else just the A
 
Is one of those your NOS Krona from the http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/350753 discussion? Which one?
Yes it is.

MemberBrandKnobDoorsBaseplateCode – Top Row (Left-to-Right)Code - Bottom Row (Left-to-Right)Weight (g)Case/Packaging
Maxime D.Schick
Schick
Schick
Black
Black
Metal
Schick - Schick
SCHICK
- KRONA
Plain doors
SCHICK - MADE IN U.S.A
SCHICK - MADE IN U.S.A PATENT PENDING
SCHICK - MADE IN U.S.A
2-2
2-3
1-2
5-M
1-M
6-M
? Nos in PKG
37.6
51.6
Yellow plastic case.
?
?
 
Thanks, gents! Please double-check my edits to the table above. I plan to keep appending to it until we run out of data - or if I lose the ability to edit it, I will copy it into a new post.

The letter under the center bar is a good addition: thanks for that idea.

So far it looks unlikely that the bottom row (x-M) is a year code: we have two with patents pending, each with a different number in that position. I would expect the "patents pending" to mean a manufacturing date in 1967 or first half of 1968. Just possibly they were stockpiling razors as far back as 1966, but it seems unlikely with the Christmas 1967 introduction of the Krona-Chrome blades.
 
$Schick Krona 1966.jpg

1966 Schick Ad Shows the Razor along with the blades.
 
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View attachment 362353

1966 Schick Ad Shows the Razor along with the blades.

Good, thanks. I found another ad for the Krona Comfort Edge DE blades - and razor - in the April 1966 issue of Ebony, p87.

That appears to be dated correctly, and there more ads in Ebony later in the year. I also found a mention in 1965, but it is in snippet view so harder to verify and I cannot tell if it includes a razor: http://books.google.com/books?ei=nncaUtTkDqLTiwKh6YEw&id=BPMSAQAAMAAJ. But the "Krona Comfort Edge" trademark lists first use as 1967-04-10: http://www.trademarkia.com/krona-comfort-72270029.html. Odd. Zooming in on the 1966-04 Ebony ad, I think I see the same logo as in the trademark application.

proxy.php


Ah - trademarkia did not have the earliest version: http://trade.mar.cx/DE862992/ shows a 1966-04-30 filing in Germany. There may well have been an even earlier one in the USA.
But there are no "TM" marks in the ad as far as I can see, so perhaps it did not matter to Schick.

So, the Krona had a metal knob at least until 1966, according to this ad.

The 1968 LIFE ad showed both styles: http://books.google.com/books?id=KlQEAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PA23&pg=PA23#v=onepage&q&f=false.

Another oddity is that the key patents for the Krona were not filed until March-April of 1967. That does matter: it would be illegal to label a razor "Patent Pending" when no patents have been filed: nowadays the fine could be up to $500 per razor. Maybe the ads were front-running actual availability of the razors? Or did Schick only decide to pursue patents later on, perhaps after threats from Gillette?

Here is a March 1963 issue of Ebony with an early ad for Schick Krona Edge DE blades: http://books.google.com/books?id=u4...SiAKe_IHgDQ&ved=0CDsQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&f=false . There is a razor present, but it is not a Krona. It looks rather like a UK Aristrocrat. I think it is safe to say that Schick was not selling a DE razor at that time.
 
My Metal Knob Krona is marked as follows:

Top Row L-R

1-2

Bottom Row L-R

M-5

The case states the following:

Schick Safety Razor Company
Division of Eversharp, Inc.
Milford, Conn. ©1965

Instruction Sheet reveals no year of manufacture or printing.
 
My Metal Knob Krona is marked as follows:

Top Row L-R

1-2

Bottom Row L-R

M-5

The case states the following:

Schick Safety Razor Company
Division of Eversharp, Inc.
Milford, Conn. ©1965

Instruction Sheet reveals no year of manufacture or printing.

Thanks. Is that M-5 or 5-M? I added it as 5-M, left to right, but please correct me if that is wrong.

Interesting to know that they had the package ready to go in 1965. I wish I could see the full version of that 1965 ad in Ebony, to see if it showed the razor or not.

The package with UPC code from http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/350753-Informations-required-about-Schick-Krona does not seem to have any copyright information, and shows Warner-Lambert in Morris Plains, NJ. It also shows the patent numbers - and the illustration on the back shows the metallic knob, even though the razor in the package has a black knob.

There might have been several packages: one for the introduction ca. 1965+, another when the patents were granted in 1968, one for Warner-Lambert ca. 1970, and another to add the bar codes ca. 1975.
 
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Thanks. Is that M-5 or 5-M? I added it as 5-M, left to right, but please correct me if that is wrong.

Interesting to know that they had the package ready to go in 1965. I wish I could see the full version of that 1965 ad in Ebony, to see if it showed the razor or not.

The package with UPC code from http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/350753-Informations-required-about-Schick-Krona does not seem to have any copyright information, and shows Warner-Lambert in Morris Plains, NJ. It also shows the patent numbers - and the illustration on the back shows the metallic knob, even though the razor in the package has a black knob.

There might have been several packages: one for the introduction ca. 1965+, another when the patents were granted in 1968, one for Warner-Lambert ca. 1970, and another to add the bar codes ca. 1975.

The only way I can read the numbers right side up is 1-2 M-5 with the Schick Triangle and Made In USA designator upside down.

It is a little fuzzy but here is what I see on the back plate.

proxy.php

 
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The only way I can read the numbers right side up is 1-2 M-5 with the Schick Triangle and Made In USA designator upside down.

It is a little fuzzy but here is what I see on the back plate.

Fixed in the table - thanks for the photo. With that and the copyright date it seems likely that it was an early change from the M-5 style to 5-M. Or a mis-strike.

I had another look for patents, and came up with two that were filed in 1965, both by a Clarence Schrader. Odd that the inventor lived in California, instead of somewhere close to Milford, CT. Neither of these seem to have been used for the Krona, but the diagrams clearly show a Krona-like handle.

  • US3302284: filed 1965-04-14, issued 1967-02-07. Bottom-dial adjuster, not used for the Krona.
  • US3293745: filed 1965-07-21, issued 1966-12-27. Adjustment mechanism using TTO knob, not used for the Krona.



A Krona bottom-dial would have been interesting. Perhaps Schick considered making an adjustable, but decided against it? The three-month difference in filing dates might reflect a push for a cheaper design, until they ultimately gave up on the idea.

Hard to say if that helps us with dates: it seems unlikely that these patents ever appeared on a production razor or packaging, and I doubt that they were the PATENTS PENDING referenced on some Kronas. But it shows that Schick was working on double-edge razor designs in 1965. Maybe Schick gave up on patenting any novel features in late 1965, and any 1966 Krona razors were more or less copies of the Super Speed. We could verify that idea if we could find a Krona with a double-ply center bar, rather than the single-ply design from the 1967-68 patents.

The Gillette-like double-ply design is visible in the 1965 patents, and the single-ply in the 1967-68 patents. Anyone have a double-ply Krona?

 
An adjustable Krona ? That would have been awesome. This thread is by far the most interesting I've read about Schick Krona :D
 
Fixed in the table - thanks for the photo. With that and the copyright date it seems likely that it was an early change from the M-5 style to 5-M. Or a mis-strike.

I had another look for patents, and came up with two that were filed in 1965, both by a Clarence Schrader. Odd that the inventor lived in California, instead of somewhere close to Milford, CT. Neither of these seem to have been used for the Krona, but the diagrams clearly show a Krona-like handle.

  • US3302284: filed 1965-04-14, issued 1967-02-07. Bottom-dial adjuster, not used for the Krona.
  • US3293745: filed 1965-07-21, issued 1966-12-27. Adjustment mechanism using TTO knob, not used for the Krona.



A Krona bottom-dial would have been interesting. Perhaps Schick considered making an adjustable, but decided against it? The three-month difference in filing dates might reflect a push for a cheaper design, until they ultimately gave up on the idea.

Hard to say if that helps us with dates: it seems unlikely that these patents ever appeared on a production razor or packaging, and I doubt that they were the PATENTS PENDING referenced on some Kronas. But it shows that Schick was working on double-edge razor designs in 1965. Maybe Schick gave up on patenting any novel features in late 1965, and any 1966 Krona razors were more or less copies of the Super Speed. We could verify that idea if we could find a Krona with a double-ply center bar, rather than the single-ply design from the 1967-68 patents.

The Gillette-like double-ply design is visible in the 1965 patents, and the single-ply in the 1967-68 patents. Anyone have a double-ply Krona?


This thread is of interest. I forgot about it until now.

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/235254-This-is-not-a-Krona
 
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