Well, the much anticipated package containing the mysterious razor discussed in this thread (http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/438859-Did-you-see-this) arrived on Thursday afternoon. It goes without saying I was very happy to get it. And I'd like to mention that the seller did a terrific job packing, shipping, insuring, and tracking.
Right out of the box, I saw the uniqueness of this razor. Nothing matched up with what I've come to know and understand about vintage Gillettes. The knurling said, "Aristocrat"; the handle length and width said, "Sheraton"; and the head said, "Regent Tech." But the three lather holes said nothing like I've ever seen before.
And speaking of nothing...I'm not even sure what to call this razor. So, in the absence of any official name, or a name given by the B&B community, I'm just going to call it "Razor X." That - of course - is immensely satisfying to my Inner 6-year old, as I'm still an unapologetic Speed Racer fan.
Before I get into impressions and speculations, here are some measurements and descriptions:
Measurements -
Weight: 54 grams
Total Height: 83.5mm
TTO Knob Height: 13.5mm
Lower Smooth Band: 7.5mm
Knurling: 35mm
Upper Smooth Band: 8mm
Neck: 14mm
TTO Knob Diameter: 10.5mm
Handle Diameter: 10mm
Head Length: 43mm
Head Width at Doors: 19mm
Head Width at Safety Bars: 24.5mm
Head Height: 9mm
Notes:
- Head dimensions are the same as found on the 1940 Gillette Regent Tech (the first TTO with the safety bar) EXCEPT the head height. "Razor X" is 9mm and Regent Tech is 12mm.
- I only have a 1936 Aristocrat DeLuxe in my collection and it's head height is 12mm. I do not (yet) have a 1934 Aristocrat, but the first post in this thread (http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/372501-2-variations-of-Aristocrat-1934-I-m-confused) seems to show a 1934 Aristocrat with a visibly shorter head height than the 1936 Aristocrat DeLuxe. Does anyone know the height of the '34's head?
- Sequencing and lengths of the handle's knurling and banding are the same as the 1937 Gillette Sheraton and 1938 Senator.
- 1934/1936 Aristocrat - 70 grams; 1939[ed.] Sheraton - 52 grams; 1938 Senator - 53 grams; 1940 Regent Tech - 67 grams.
- 1936 Aristocrat, 1939[ed.] Sheraton, and 1938 Senator are all 83mm in total height.
Markings and Patents:
Handle Upper Smooth Band - Line 1: "PAT NO. 195617"; Line 2: "REISSUE PAT. NO. 18955"
Handle Lower Smooth Band - Line 1: "PAT NOS. 1912961 1918227"; Line 2: "1919794 1922072"
Under Head Upper Left: "REG. U.S."
Under Head Lower Left: Gillette Diamond Logo
Under Head Upper Right: "PAT. OFF."
Under Head Lower Right: "MADE IN USA"
Note: These are the same markings and patents found on the 1936 Gillette Aristocrat.
Knurling Type:
Handle - Indented Barber Pole Spiral
TTO Knob - Indented Barber Pole Spiral, in thirds, separated with two recessed rings
Neck - None; smooth
Note: This is the same knurling pattern found on the 1934/1936 Gillette Aristocrat.
Head Type: Butterfly/Silo doors which meet when closed and cover the center bar (same as 1934/1936 Aristocrat, 1939[ed.]Sheraton, and 1938 Senator); exposed flush pivot pins externally connected to traverse arms (same as 1934 Aristocrat i.e. non-dimpled); safety bar with 3 lather holes. There are no markings in the carriage well under the center bar (same as the 1936 Aristocrat, 1939[ed.] Sheraton, 1938 Senator, and 1940 Regent Tech).
Shoulder Type: Narrow (same as 1937 Sheraton and 1938 Senator)
Plating: None. Head and TTO knob appear to be brass; handle appears to be copper.
TTO Knob Turns from Full Closed to Full Open: 1.3 turns. 1936 Aristocrat - 3.2 turns; 1939[ed.] Sheraton - 3.4 turns; 1938 Senator - 3.4 turns; 1940 Regent Tech - 3.1 turns.
Impressions: This is, without a doubt, a Gillette prototype (the question of "A prototype of what?" I'll address later). There's not a hint of plating of any kind. This is also a very well-made razor. Construction is solid, connections are tight, mechanics are smooth, and tolerances (such as where the doors meet) are the same as found on production TTOs. All parts work in unison, without exception. When loaded, the blade exposure is vertically even above the safety bar and horizontally even in relation to the door edge along the safety bar on both sides. The lather holes actually work quite well to move lather away from under the exposed blade, which surprised me as I thought they would be too small for this purpose. The handle and TTO knob knurling is detailed with barber pole spiral indents uniform along the stripes without "shallow" or "faded" areas. All stamping is crisp, completely legible, and respectively centered. This is especially evident on the lower smooth band where the two lines listing the five patents are fully justified. The balance point is at the upper band, just like the 1937 Sheraton and 1938 Senator.
Have I shaved with it? Oh, yes! 2-pass WTG/XTG with touch-up on a day-and-a-half growth with Proraso White Pre, TOBS St. James, and a fresh Personna Blue (I used a mild blade...just in case). Razor X was not aggressive, but not mild. Shaved more like the 1936 Aristocrat than the 1939[ed.] Sheraton. Balance in hand was quite good. The 9mm head actually made getting up under the nose a little easier. Interestingly, cutting seemed to start at a bit shallower angle than the 12mm heads of the Aristocrat, Sheraton, Senator, and Regent Tech. Can I prove that? No, but that's the impression I got from the slightly higher position my hand was at when cutting started. All and all, it was an enjoyable, efficient, and fun(!) DFS+ shave.
Speculations:
I'm obviously asking myself two questions: "What is it?" and "When was it made?" I'll start with the when, which I think will naturally lead to the what...
This razor was made under Patent 1956175, which was filed on August 2, 1933 and granted on April 24, 1934. It's the same patent the 1934 and 1936 Aristocrats were made under. I will assume then that 1934 is the earliest it would have been made [Edit - My original speculation of 1933 was wrong. As Porter points out below, affixing the patent number could not have occured until granted in April 1934]. As for the "right side" of the date window, I look to the three-hole safety bar. The Tech was test marketed in 1938 and released in 1939 and had a safety bar which used two triangular lather holes. If three holes was the better design, either for performance or manufacturing reasons, I assume the Tech would have been made that way. So I put the latest date for Razor X - for now - as 1938.
I then move to the exposed pivot holes and transverse bars for actuation of the doors. I believe this feature is the most telling of all. This exposed mechanism is present on the 1934 Aristocrat (flush) and on the 1936 Aristocrat (recessed). Patent 1956175 shows flush pivot pins, so the earliest date of 1934 does not change; however, the 1936 Aristocrat DeLuxe featured exposed transverse bars with a recessed pivot pin hole, so I think this brings the latest date back to 1937. As well, the 1937 Sheraton (released for Christmas) featured external transverse bar and pivot pin connections. [Edit - I've changed this last sentance to reflect what Porter pointed out as the difference between a '37 and '39 Sheraton] As the pivot pins on Razor X are flush and the connection to the transverse bars are external, I believe this moves the latest date of manufacture to before the Christmas release of the 1937 Sheraton. So now we're between, I believe, 1934 and 1937.
And that's where I run out of physical features to solidly base a judgement upon. Everything from this point on is pure conjecture on my part. So stay with me for another couple minutes and get ready to debate!
What about the handle, you ask? I don't think it helps conclusively, but I do think it helps a lot for conjecture and it's based on the handle that I make my final assumption about the date range and move to answer the "What is it?" question.
The 10mm size of the handle and safety bar certainly could have been contemplated for the 1934 Aristocrat, so 1934[ed.] is technically still in the running, but I don't think so. I think the 10mm handle size and the barber pole knurling moves us past the 1934 Aristocrat release date.
This is where, I believe, manufacture cost comes into play. As the Aristocrat was priced at $4.00 and Gillette was looking for a lower cost razor to market, the 10mm handle featured prominently on the Christmas-released, 98 cent, 1937 Sheraton (Krumholtz, pg. 243). What about the 1936 Aristocrat's dimpled pivot pin connection to the transverse bars? I think that's an extra - and unnecessary - costly step that this prototype sought to eliminate, so they moved back to flush. But an external connection makes Razor X look "old". Gillette needed something new and so I think (without a shred of proof) they moved to the internal connection of the pivot pins to the transverse arms to give the Sheraton a new look. The barber pole knurling? Again, this may have been costlier to manufacture than the plainer knurling of the Sheraton, so it was probably excluded in the final design.
What about the safety bar, which is probably the most interesting feature of this prototype? I simply can't answer that, other than to offer that perhaps Gillette wanted to save the introduction of this new feature for the 1939 release of the 49 cent Tech (keep in mind, they tested the Tech in 1938).
And so, I think - but am VERY happy to be convinced otherwise - that this prototype was made between 1936 and 1937 as a design consideration for the 1937 Sheraton.
I hope a lively debate ensues!
Thanks, Everyone. [Edit - Thank you, Porter, for pointing out my mistake about the Sheraton. Very helpful.]
All the best,
Rick
Right out of the box, I saw the uniqueness of this razor. Nothing matched up with what I've come to know and understand about vintage Gillettes. The knurling said, "Aristocrat"; the handle length and width said, "Sheraton"; and the head said, "Regent Tech." But the three lather holes said nothing like I've ever seen before.
And speaking of nothing...I'm not even sure what to call this razor. So, in the absence of any official name, or a name given by the B&B community, I'm just going to call it "Razor X." That - of course - is immensely satisfying to my Inner 6-year old, as I'm still an unapologetic Speed Racer fan.
Before I get into impressions and speculations, here are some measurements and descriptions:
Measurements -
Weight: 54 grams
Total Height: 83.5mm
TTO Knob Height: 13.5mm
Lower Smooth Band: 7.5mm
Knurling: 35mm
Upper Smooth Band: 8mm
Neck: 14mm
TTO Knob Diameter: 10.5mm
Handle Diameter: 10mm
Head Length: 43mm
Head Width at Doors: 19mm
Head Width at Safety Bars: 24.5mm
Head Height: 9mm
Notes:
- Head dimensions are the same as found on the 1940 Gillette Regent Tech (the first TTO with the safety bar) EXCEPT the head height. "Razor X" is 9mm and Regent Tech is 12mm.
- I only have a 1936 Aristocrat DeLuxe in my collection and it's head height is 12mm. I do not (yet) have a 1934 Aristocrat, but the first post in this thread (http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/372501-2-variations-of-Aristocrat-1934-I-m-confused) seems to show a 1934 Aristocrat with a visibly shorter head height than the 1936 Aristocrat DeLuxe. Does anyone know the height of the '34's head?
- Sequencing and lengths of the handle's knurling and banding are the same as the 1937 Gillette Sheraton and 1938 Senator.
- 1934/1936 Aristocrat - 70 grams; 1939[ed.] Sheraton - 52 grams; 1938 Senator - 53 grams; 1940 Regent Tech - 67 grams.
- 1936 Aristocrat, 1939[ed.] Sheraton, and 1938 Senator are all 83mm in total height.
Markings and Patents:
Handle Upper Smooth Band - Line 1: "PAT NO. 195617"; Line 2: "REISSUE PAT. NO. 18955"
Handle Lower Smooth Band - Line 1: "PAT NOS. 1912961 1918227"; Line 2: "1919794 1922072"
Under Head Upper Left: "REG. U.S."
Under Head Lower Left: Gillette Diamond Logo
Under Head Upper Right: "PAT. OFF."
Under Head Lower Right: "MADE IN USA"
Note: These are the same markings and patents found on the 1936 Gillette Aristocrat.
Knurling Type:
Handle - Indented Barber Pole Spiral
TTO Knob - Indented Barber Pole Spiral, in thirds, separated with two recessed rings
Neck - None; smooth
Note: This is the same knurling pattern found on the 1934/1936 Gillette Aristocrat.
Head Type: Butterfly/Silo doors which meet when closed and cover the center bar (same as 1934/1936 Aristocrat, 1939[ed.]Sheraton, and 1938 Senator); exposed flush pivot pins externally connected to traverse arms (same as 1934 Aristocrat i.e. non-dimpled); safety bar with 3 lather holes. There are no markings in the carriage well under the center bar (same as the 1936 Aristocrat, 1939[ed.] Sheraton, 1938 Senator, and 1940 Regent Tech).
Shoulder Type: Narrow (same as 1937 Sheraton and 1938 Senator)
Plating: None. Head and TTO knob appear to be brass; handle appears to be copper.
TTO Knob Turns from Full Closed to Full Open: 1.3 turns. 1936 Aristocrat - 3.2 turns; 1939[ed.] Sheraton - 3.4 turns; 1938 Senator - 3.4 turns; 1940 Regent Tech - 3.1 turns.
Impressions: This is, without a doubt, a Gillette prototype (the question of "A prototype of what?" I'll address later). There's not a hint of plating of any kind. This is also a very well-made razor. Construction is solid, connections are tight, mechanics are smooth, and tolerances (such as where the doors meet) are the same as found on production TTOs. All parts work in unison, without exception. When loaded, the blade exposure is vertically even above the safety bar and horizontally even in relation to the door edge along the safety bar on both sides. The lather holes actually work quite well to move lather away from under the exposed blade, which surprised me as I thought they would be too small for this purpose. The handle and TTO knob knurling is detailed with barber pole spiral indents uniform along the stripes without "shallow" or "faded" areas. All stamping is crisp, completely legible, and respectively centered. This is especially evident on the lower smooth band where the two lines listing the five patents are fully justified. The balance point is at the upper band, just like the 1937 Sheraton and 1938 Senator.
Have I shaved with it? Oh, yes! 2-pass WTG/XTG with touch-up on a day-and-a-half growth with Proraso White Pre, TOBS St. James, and a fresh Personna Blue (I used a mild blade...just in case). Razor X was not aggressive, but not mild. Shaved more like the 1936 Aristocrat than the 1939[ed.] Sheraton. Balance in hand was quite good. The 9mm head actually made getting up under the nose a little easier. Interestingly, cutting seemed to start at a bit shallower angle than the 12mm heads of the Aristocrat, Sheraton, Senator, and Regent Tech. Can I prove that? No, but that's the impression I got from the slightly higher position my hand was at when cutting started. All and all, it was an enjoyable, efficient, and fun(!) DFS+ shave.
Speculations:
I'm obviously asking myself two questions: "What is it?" and "When was it made?" I'll start with the when, which I think will naturally lead to the what...
This razor was made under Patent 1956175, which was filed on August 2, 1933 and granted on April 24, 1934. It's the same patent the 1934 and 1936 Aristocrats were made under. I will assume then that 1934 is the earliest it would have been made [Edit - My original speculation of 1933 was wrong. As Porter points out below, affixing the patent number could not have occured until granted in April 1934]. As for the "right side" of the date window, I look to the three-hole safety bar. The Tech was test marketed in 1938 and released in 1939 and had a safety bar which used two triangular lather holes. If three holes was the better design, either for performance or manufacturing reasons, I assume the Tech would have been made that way. So I put the latest date for Razor X - for now - as 1938.
I then move to the exposed pivot holes and transverse bars for actuation of the doors. I believe this feature is the most telling of all. This exposed mechanism is present on the 1934 Aristocrat (flush) and on the 1936 Aristocrat (recessed). Patent 1956175 shows flush pivot pins, so the earliest date of 1934 does not change; however, the 1936 Aristocrat DeLuxe featured exposed transverse bars with a recessed pivot pin hole, so I think this brings the latest date back to 1937. As well, the 1937 Sheraton (released for Christmas) featured external transverse bar and pivot pin connections. [Edit - I've changed this last sentance to reflect what Porter pointed out as the difference between a '37 and '39 Sheraton] As the pivot pins on Razor X are flush and the connection to the transverse bars are external, I believe this moves the latest date of manufacture to before the Christmas release of the 1937 Sheraton. So now we're between, I believe, 1934 and 1937.
And that's where I run out of physical features to solidly base a judgement upon. Everything from this point on is pure conjecture on my part. So stay with me for another couple minutes and get ready to debate!
What about the handle, you ask? I don't think it helps conclusively, but I do think it helps a lot for conjecture and it's based on the handle that I make my final assumption about the date range and move to answer the "What is it?" question.
The 10mm size of the handle and safety bar certainly could have been contemplated for the 1934 Aristocrat, so 1934[ed.] is technically still in the running, but I don't think so. I think the 10mm handle size and the barber pole knurling moves us past the 1934 Aristocrat release date.
This is where, I believe, manufacture cost comes into play. As the Aristocrat was priced at $4.00 and Gillette was looking for a lower cost razor to market, the 10mm handle featured prominently on the Christmas-released, 98 cent, 1937 Sheraton (Krumholtz, pg. 243). What about the 1936 Aristocrat's dimpled pivot pin connection to the transverse bars? I think that's an extra - and unnecessary - costly step that this prototype sought to eliminate, so they moved back to flush. But an external connection makes Razor X look "old". Gillette needed something new and so I think (without a shred of proof) they moved to the internal connection of the pivot pins to the transverse arms to give the Sheraton a new look. The barber pole knurling? Again, this may have been costlier to manufacture than the plainer knurling of the Sheraton, so it was probably excluded in the final design.
What about the safety bar, which is probably the most interesting feature of this prototype? I simply can't answer that, other than to offer that perhaps Gillette wanted to save the introduction of this new feature for the 1939 release of the 49 cent Tech (keep in mind, they tested the Tech in 1938).
And so, I think - but am VERY happy to be convinced otherwise - that this prototype was made between 1936 and 1937 as a design consideration for the 1937 Sheraton.
I hope a lively debate ensues!
Thanks, Everyone. [Edit - Thank you, Porter, for pointing out my mistake about the Sheraton. Very helpful.]
All the best,
Rick
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