Super Speed Razors: The Post World War II Shaving Culture in America to 1955

[mgbbrown]

Many early post-war shaving brush handle styles continued to carry Art Deco design cues; but rounded, more ergonomic shapes were also available from makers such as Ever-Ready, Mohawk, Rubberset, and Klenzo to mention only a few makers. Early period handle materials were generally Catalin, a phenol formaldehyde resin often mistaken for Bakelite, that could be colored or even marbled, as Fuller often sold brushes of all types in marbled Catalin. Clear Lucite was also popular as a brush handle material, as was celluloid and later styrene. Many shavers preferred colorful variants, or could afford more expensive brushes than the ones available to the general public.

Antique hunting with my wife in South Boston, Virginia, yielded what has become my first attempt at restoring a vintage shaving brush- an Art Deco period Ever-Ready 250- tailor-made to compliment my small collection of early Gillette Super Speed razors. The handle was blemish free, save a razor cut, which can be seen along the edge of the handle's base. The nick was removed by subtracting material uniformly around the circumference of the base with 1000 grit 3M wet or dry sandpaper, then buffing along the sanded edge and the rest of the beehive shaped handle with Mothers Polish to achieve the same degree of luster as when new. The handle was then soaked in three, twenty-minute duration, immersions in bleach, to remove any discolorations, particularly between the concentric circles which gradually taper to the 22 mm brush opening at the top of the handle. All of the lettering on the side of the handle and on the foot were painted with a Number 2 brush, allowed to dry, then airbrush paint thinner applied to the edge of a piece of card stock and rubbed over any paint excess. Testors 1144 Gold Enamel and Testors black enamel was used to duplicate the original paint. Final polishing of the handle was done using Novus Number 2, applied with a cotton Q-Tip applicator.

The styling cues designed by Ever-Ready are classic Art Deco Style, which was transitioned during the early 1950's into the more modern era of suburbanism, Sputnik, and automobile fins. Not knowing the exact date of it's manufacture does not allow one to make some generalizations, as this era in United States history spanned the Depression as well as the vast industrial mobilization that occurred during World War II. Badger hair was both scarce and expensive, with imports from Manchurian China cut-off during the Japanese invasion that preceded our involvement following Pearl Harbor, as well as during the War Years themselves as discussed previously. As exports from China resumed following hostilities, badger hair became a more available commodity, and still enjoyed its status as the premium brush hair. This particular shaving brush features a banded badger hair knot, which was comprised of softer badger hair along the circumference, with stiffer boar hair filling the center. The exact duplicate knot was taken from a current production Omega 11047 Mighty Midget shaving brush. As design preferences and tastes changed, Ever-Ready ceased production, so the general availability of this brush was relatively short-lived. The handle is made of polished and turned Catlin- and is hard as nails. The valleys within the lathed concentric circles along the body of the handle are ragged, and quite a testimony to just how hard and dense this material actually is. Ever-Ready used a numeric system to designate pricing, with the higher quality brushes correspondingly having a higher model number. God Bless! Tony Brown RN mgbbrown

 

[mgbbrown]

I choose to use various current production razor blades that are now vastly improved from their vintage counterparts due to blade honing and coating technologies. Solingen, south of the German industrialized Ruhr Valley, was an excellent source of pre-war razors and blades. Combined allied bombing raids in November of 1944 completely destroyed the city and its ability to produce fine double edged blades in pre-war import quantities. Further, there was an understandable stigma in purchasing German made goods following the war, so razor blades were obtained from American sources, available in packs, cases, and dispensers, due largely in part to previous wartime mobilization. Brand names common in the period included Gillette, Personna, Pal, Gem, Burma-Shave, Clix, and Star, with any number of lesser brands available. God Bless! Tony Brown RN mgbbrown

 

[mgbbrown]

Shaving during the early post-war Gillette Super Speed period also included times spent vacationing and travel. I managed to acquire a leather cased Fuller men’s travel kit with a styrene tooth brush holder, soap holder, and shaving mirror to mention a few of the toiletry items inside. The Fuller soap container could easily house a Gillette super Speed razor, as it fits under a leather retaining strap that keeps it closed. It also included an empty, un-marked glass screw-top container for aftershave lotion or cologne. New old stock, cellophane wrapped and boxed Fuller nylon tooth brushes were sourced to fill the toothbrush holder. This example will remain unused and carefully stored. God Bless! Tony Brown RN mgbrown

 

[mgbbrown]

A leather clasped Dopp style, green oiled canvastoiletries bag that was a gift from a family member, will instead be used, but also filled with more modern consumables that duplicate those used in period. Inside,one could likely find a tube of Burma-Shave brushless shaving cream, or a Gillette blade bank with a match striker cast into the bottom of the case, a part of perhaps an earlier razor presentation box. Interestingly, the one I have found appears unused, and has a factory applied, clear plastic sheath surrounding the outside, except for the bottom match striker. The inside of the blade bank is also covered with this material, perhaps as a deterrent to brass oxidation from razor blades that were discarded wet. The cover detaches from the base by pressing on the sides, which in turn disengages two D-shaped keepers, allowing the lid to be lifted off of the base and the spent blades inserted. Graphics on the top of the lid read GILLETTE BLADES in a block print common to the period. Gillette and other razor blade manufacturers sold double edged razor blades that were both boxed and individually wrapped, and many offered new blades in dispensers with or without underside blade banks. God Bless! Tony Brown RN mgbbrown

 

[mgbbrown]

I was able to source a matching soap container and razor case in a much thicker burgundy styrene. The soap container is complete with soap and appears unused, as both containers were part of a fitted toiletries kit in which the lids were secured with a leather strap in the same manner as the one offered by Fuller. The razor case houses a 1952 Gillette Tech razor, date coded X3, with a light-weight plastic handle, and will be used for storage when not travelling. Unfortunately, these cases have no other provision for remaining closed, apart from their respective leather holding straps found within an earlier and quite common toiletries kit. God Bless! Tony Brown RN mgbbrown

 

[mgbbrown]

Dopp kits were less organized in general, with contents not particularly tailored to fit inside, as is the case with the Fuller men’s toiletries kit. A Dopp kit is a small toiletry bag made of leather, naugahide, or cloth that is used for storing men's grooming essentials for travel. Common items kept in a Dopp kit included deodorant, a razor in a case, a tube of shaving cream, a comb, nail clippers, a tube of toothpaste, and a toothbrush in a travel case, as well as a bottle of aftershave lotion. The name Dopp derives from the early 20th century leather craftsman Charles Doppelt, who patented his toiletry case in 1919. A small hair and shoe polishing brush could often be kept inside, but the overall list of contents was based on individual need or preference. By the early 1950’s, travel sized items were widely available to accommodate limited toiletries space. Toothpaste was available in two ounce tubes, and aftershave lotion bottles were available from both Stanley Home Products and Fuller door-to-door salesmen as samples. Deodorant at the time could be purchased in small cream jars or powder tins at the drug or grocery store, and were Dopp kit necessities. Dopp kits became widely known during World War II as service issue, and replaced the more tailored versions as popularity grew during the middle 1950’s. Soap containers of Kordite were often used to hold double edged razors, as were screw-capped bottles purposed from a wife’scollection of cosmetics.This type of container was available through the mid 1960’s, with the appearance of a post July 1963 Zip Code indicative of later production, either on a paper label or molded into the plastic. A tan, celluloid soap container was sourced to hold a couple of vintage hotel sized, 1950’s Holiday Inn bars with intact wrappers. Wrapper graphics, size of the soap bar, and the presence of zip codes on the wrapper can be a good indication of the age of a travel soap bar. Brands such as Dial, Dove, Lifebuoy, and Ivory were popular in the 1950’s. Medicine was often kept in its prescription vile, which were made of thick glass and not subject to breakage. Over the counter tins were also used, with available brands including Bayer Aspirin. God Bless! Tony Brown RN mgbbrown

 

[mgbbrown]

A continued posting of period Dopp Kit items common to the time relative to early Super Speed razors. God Bless! Tony Brown RN mgbbrown

 

[mgbbrown]

More 1950's items that could be found in a vintage Dopp style travel kit. God Bless! Tony Brown RN mgbbrown

 

[mgbbrown]

Stanley and Fuller, marketing their lines of household wares by using an independent, door-to-door sales force, represented a part of the American culture that was vibrant during this post-war period of economic expansion, and one which made available items not readily found in retail stores. After World War II, Fuller items were sold exclusively house-to-house by a sales force of women, known as"Fullerettes.” Stanley Beveridge, who had left his position as Fuller's sales vice president in 1929, had by 1949, employed women as"dealers" to grow sales at his own company, Stanley Home Products. Both firms gained widespread popularity, with Fuller’s sales force inspiring two comedy films, THE FULLER BRUSH MAN, a 1948 movie starring Red Skelton and Janet Blair, and THE FULLER BRUSH GIRL, a 1950 movie starring Lucille Ball and Eddie Albert. God Bless! Tony Brown RN mgbbrown

 

[mgbbrown]

A period, unused J.C. Higgins leather Dopp Bag, dating to the mid 1950’s surfaced-still in its original box, and has become a more practical alternative to the older, oiled canvas kit that I was planning to use for my vintage Super Speed traveling and vacation needs. From 1908 until 1962, Sears, Roebuck and Company sold a wide variety of goods under the brand name “J.C. Higgins.” John Higgins was a Sears employee who immigrated from Ireland to the United States in his late teens and began working for Sears in 1898. He spent his entire working career with them, and rose to become Vice President of the company. The interior of the bag is lined with lightweight vinyl, and closes with a Talon zipper. God Bless! Tony Brown RN mgbbrown

 

[KeenDogg]

I believe at one point I had a lighter in a blue velvet case that was a JC Higgins. It was one of those lighters with the cloth like wick.

 

[mgbbrown]

Ted Williams was Sears' sports related brand throughout the 1960's, and that is what I certainly remember the store by. For me-Sears was all about Craftsman and Craftsman tools, as they had a lifetime guarantee and the name stood for quality. Sears had quite a presence in the 1960's, so that overall quality was available to most people. Now, as with most production, a goodly amount is outsourced, and Sears no longer has such a broad market presence. I am sure that J.C. Higgins lighters were of the same overall quality then as were those made by Zippo- chromed over brass and built for your lifetime. God Bless! Tony Brown RN mgbbrown

 

[mgbbrown]

Shaving as my father once did using Gillette Super Speed razors has provided both satisfaction as well as a respite from an otherwise hectic life- I am sure that a measure of relaxation and time alone was certainly important to him as well. I use my vintage shaving gear daily with some modifications to the more traditional, mid-century shaving routine. I rotate razors every nine days, an opulent contrast to the one razor used for the majority of shavers in period. Shaving with these razors has been relegated to after the evening shower, as this is more leisurely and aides in softening the beard. I was using the currently available Williams mug soap nightly, loading the soap from the 1950 Sterling restaurant ware mug, then swirling this in the World War II Navy watch cup or a Roseville Pottery drip glazed bowl (that was found on the same antiquing trip to South Boston, Virginia- in a shop across the street from the one in which the Ever-Ready 250 shaving brush was found) vigorously to build lather, then applying the lather to my face with the brush. The key to using Williams soap is to use plenty of water to produce a thick lather, but also just as important- is how well it is rinsed from your face following a shave. I found it to burn my face initially, but soon learned that a good soaking alleviated this for the most part. God Bless! Tony Brown RN mgbbrown

 

[mgbbrown]

As for the shaving characteristics of the nine Super Speed razors- I particularly enjoy the precision and control I have with my 1955 A1 FlareTip Super Speed, and although I admire the heft and build quality of the 1955 A2 Red Tip- it opened the door to acquiring the full range of general production Super Speeds from 1947 through 1955. Of the latter early Super Speed razors, the 1955 A1 Flare Tip offers excellent control and heft, and is my favorite of the bunch overall. I find the larger diameter handle with its pronounced knurled surface to be secure in the hand and easily maneuvered. No wonder it is regarded as the workhorse of Gillette's early Super Speed lineup. Undoubtedly, the Red Tip is the best looker of the bunch in my opinion- nostalgia undoubtedly plays a part here, as this razor was the choice of my late father, and offers something material to remember him by. The 1954 Z1 Flare Tip razor has become my dedicated travel and vacation razor, along with the 1952 X3 date coded Gillette Tech. God Bless! Tony Brown RN mgbbrown

 

[mgbbrown]

The urge to try a shaving cream that was currently available and could be purchased at the local pharmacy or grocery store as it was done then- resulted in trying Cremo, Neutrogena for Sensitive Skin, and Nivea for Sensitive Skin shave creams, all in tubes, with Nivea Shave Cream for Sensitive Skin not carried but in one large grocery store in our area. Using shaving cream, of course, eliminates the use of mug soaps and shaving brushes altogether, but was no time saver otherwise. The hope was to discover a more streamlined way to use a double edged razor in the early morning that did not impede my leaving on time for the hospital. Shaving well before daylight will still be relegated to a first year of production Gillette Atra, date coded X4 for the fourth production quarter of 1977, along with the more traditional Barbasol aerosol shaving cream. I was taught to shave by my father in 1971, and he give my twin brother and I each a newly introduced Gillette Trac II razor, a package of five double blade cartridges, and a can of Gillette Foamy to get us started. At that time, Gillette would mail to those who registered for the draft, a Gillette Trac II razor as a gesture of thanks- we never got ours when we registered in 1973. With a Selective Service number of 17, we packed away pretty much all of our belongings, but kept the razor handy for that sure-to-happen trip to Vietnam. God Bless! Tony Brown RN mgbbrown

 

[tankerjohn]

I'm impressed you still have that Trac II. My first razor was a Gillette Sensor and I'm pretty sure it's sitting at the bottom of a landfill somewhere in San Diego County right now.

Tony, you haven't mentioned Techs much at all and I'm curious how Gillette's lower end razors fit into the shaving culture of the time. Were Techs mainly considered kids' razors and give-aways? Or did they have a genuine following amoung men who preferred the simpler three piece design?

 

[mgbbrown]

John; Those Trac II bits just recently fell into my lap- mine too may be dump fodder in Raleigh's old landfill. My hopes are that it will surface at the house we grew up in- my mother held on to EVERYTHING that we had packed up in anticipation of our one way, all expenses paid-in-full trip to southeast Asia. I have looked for my original Trac II as thoroughly as I could, as she still lives in that house. My father passed away two weeks before I gave the commencement address at nursing school, so out of respect to her, I have not torn the place apart. He would have loved to see that razor again, and would have given his blessing to the great razor manhunt I believe. It was with much diplomacy that she has continued to search for his World War II photographs, and the picture of the USS Veritas bow, outside of US Achieves, may be the only photograph of his ship that has survived. I remain hopeful that my first razor will surface, perhaps along with my Sanderson High School class ring. Somehow I have managed to hold onto my UNC signet ring!

John; your question on Gillette Tech razors is an important one. For the interests of this topic on early Super Speeds, I have chosen to not include Tech razors in the discussion, only to mention that for me as a vintage Super Speed razor user, my choice was to use one that was a contemporary of the razors I have for travel, as it indeed is small and compact. Many users at the time did just that, but could also have chosen one with a metal handle as an upgrade. I am thinking that the market segment for a plastic Tech razor was for someone wanting an inexpensive razor such as a student, needed an inexpensive razor as a temporary replacement, or wanted something that was inexpensive in case his personal belongings were stolen as another example.

However, the preference of using a Gillette Tech razor, like many other aspects of choosing shaving gear at that time, was traditional in the sense that it had worked before-like a veteran's Contract Tech proven on the front lines; or it was the razor that their father used and that the son was taught to shave with and had become accustomed to. Single piece razors with twist-to-open blade silo doors were relatively new then, and a large part of the razor using public had not tried one. Gillette certainly chose to influence the marketplace into at least trying the new Super Speed- and their record sales of this new razor show that that is indeed what happened. It is the same phenomena that we experienced in 1971-should we learn on a traditional safety razor, or perhaps try the new kid on the block. Should I continue using Barbasol in a tube that worked all across France in World War II, or try their new aerosol? I'm sure many '50's shavers had that very decision to make, and that is indeed just what happened. Shaving history bears that out as true, and this certainly affected the shaving brush market. As Gillette's double edged razor sales grew, the traditional Gillette Tech razor market declined, eventually to be replaced. This Tuesday, in honor of my sixtieth birthday- I am planning to shave with that time-proven Trac II once again before heading out to work at o-dark-thirty, the very wee hours of the morning. May fond memories come flooding back-I sure hope so, as that is a very real part of this vintage shaving thing for many. God Bless! Tony Brown RN mgbbrown

 

[KeenDogg]

I like to think about a simpler tie in America when I shave with one of my tv specials. The times when life was not so busy and family was more important than posession.

 

[mgbbrown]

It is the same with me Keen Dogg; a wonderful time of reflection. The era of the early Super Speed razor in America was certainly one of transition, but also a time for hope, the coming back together of families torn apart by a second world war, and a time of yet another bitter conflict on the far side of the world in Korea- the scene of some of the fiercest fighting our troops abroad have ever seen and at first ill prepared to face. The economy was thriving, and America was still innocent for the most part, anticipating a Friday nice cruise or a night at the game. God, family, and country meant something, and it was OK to stand up to what was right. A hard day's work was a reward in and of itself. The worst that could happen to a kid was detention hall, or getting sick at school from smoking your first cigarette outside of the gym, or maybe the chop on that '32's roof wasn't as low as you wanted, but at least you did it yourself. That is why I have concentrated my shaving efforts on those times-it was good enough for them, and good enough to hold on too... God Bless! Tony Brown RN mgbbrown

 

[tankerjohn]

Tony, Happy Birthday! I hope your Trac II shave was a good one.

Thank you for indulging me. I guess I forgot that you had, in fact, titled this thread "Super Speed Razors". Anyway, I do appreciate your response. You are very informed sir. I read a lot of posts from guys that prefer 3-piece razors over TTO's for one reason or another and I had to wonder if any that sentiment was shared by the old timers.

I was chatting with my dad a couple weeks ago and sharing with him my new-found love of vintage razors, which he found most amusing. A few years ago, he dabbled in straights, but he prefers "the modern way" these days. He thought he still had his old Super Speed kicking around the house somewhere, which sounds like a 60's Flair Tip from his description of it. I asked him to send it to me if he finds it.