I have this identical razor, sold in Canada as a Rocket, in a red and clear Rocket case that says razor made in England, but the case also says Gillette Canada, Montreal. Original instructions and a beige pack of 10 (?) Blue Blades included. Very nice razor and great shaver.
Superspeed or Aristocrat Junior?
- Thread starter HazMat Shaver
- Start date
In the meantime I have acquired a Rocket HD500 myself. The Rocket has an extra ring just below the head that a regular Super Speed doesn’t have. If it says patent pending it’s a Rocket HD. If it had a patent number it’s the HD500. And the bottom knob is slightly rounded rather than straight.
Per Mr Razor’s website:
versus
The head is slimmer than that of my Aristocrat.
Per Mr Razor’s website:
versus
The head is slimmer than that of my Aristocrat.
There is a superb and almost definitive thread on the Rocket family on another forum, which I cannot link to I believe for obvious reasons.Indeed. I'm no expert by any means but the minute differences are confusing.
I wonder if @Alum Ladd (whom I have nicknamed The Wizard) can chime in?
An interesting aside on the increasingly divergent design trajectories of Gillette Boston and Gillette England.
In the mid 1930's Bertram Collins who was a very talented designer and owner of the Collins razor company (I believe based in Philidelphia) was recruited by Gillette to head up the Gillette England division. He was in that post from the late 1930's to around 1950.
I strongly suspect that Collins, who was a businessman and by all accounts an excellent innovative designer in his own regard was responsible for some of the unique design quirks and features that Gillette England began to produce in that period.
The English Rockets, FBT and other unique designs I believe were at least partially developed or encouraged by him.
Just a theory thus far.
If we could locate and study the records of Gillette England in this period (if they still exist, who has them?) many enigmas would be definitively answered and solved.
The 430 030 British patent number I believe was the UK equivalent patent which covered the centre bar and TTO design of the late 1930's TTO US designs especially the centre bar and door design, although not the Rocket style handle closure mechanism. All 'Patent Pending' English TTO models were covering the new usage of the notched centre bar design of the 1948 and subsequent US TTO's that were meant to be used in conjunction with the 'Speed Pak' type blade despenser. The Patent Pending UK razors have the notch. Gillette England managed to cover this until late 1954 when the 694 093 British patent number was finally issued to address that design change.
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As per usual, The Wizard adds his own unique and fascinating perspective ... 
Well if you did not over pay for your Razor, and it shaves well be happy.
