I will try to take some pics tomorrow: the three colors were black, brown, and green, while the two configurations were flat (metal) spine and raised spine. The two flat spines had a slightly different patterns of etching on the metal spine.
Tom
Vintage Trac II handles? How are they?
- Thread starter Shavetheman01
- Start date
Tom
The Green one is the Lady TracII.
The Brown one should be a Deluxe.
I think I may have seen a thread referencing spine differences. It will be interesting to see.
Look a couple posts above. Posted a demonstrator Lady. No stainless spine on the demonstrator.
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Well that's what it is. So what year would you say?
Yes, the green one is the Lady Trac II (note raised metal spine):
The above pic is from eBay.
The following is a pic from Leo K to you on another site, note flat spine 2nd from left:
Brown was projected to be the original color of the handle per test groups, but G chose black and saved brown for the Deluxe:
Please forgive my earlier confusion.
Tom
Thanks! That is brilliant info.Yes, the green one is the Lady Trac II (note raised metal spine):
The above pic is from eBay.
The following is a pic from Leo K to you on another site, note flat spine 2nd from left:
Brown was projected to be the original color of the handle per test groups, but G chose black and saved brown for the Deluxe:
View attachment 993223 The two in the middle are flat spines and were the first production units of each model (base model and Deluxe). The top and the bottom are the raised spine versions of each model. My memory was faulty on the etching: it is simply wider on the flat spine version. The bottom is a very dark brown color and this particular casting led some collectors to believe that the black handle was marketed with a gold spine as well as the silver color spine.
Please forgive my earlier confusion.
Tom
Any idea when the Trac II/G II ceased production in US and Europe?
Great post, I do remember the previous post now.
I used this generic travel handle today.
As I’ve seen already in this thread, handles of this type are widespread and easily available and it’s a great design, very grippy with a good weight to it:
As I’ve seen already in this thread, handles of this type are widespread and easily available and it’s a great design, very grippy with a good weight to it:
Thanks for the great post Tom. Was there any weight differences between the older (flat spine) razors and the newer curved spine razors?Yes, the green one is the Lady Trac II (note raised metal spine):
The above pic is from eBay.
The following is a pic from Leo K to you on another site, note flat spine 2nd from left:
Brown was projected to be the original color of the handle per test groups, but G chose black and saved brown for the Deluxe:
View attachment 993223 The two in the middle are flat spines and were the first production units of each model (base model and Deluxe). The top and the bottom are the raised spine versions of each model. My memory was faulty on the etching: it is simply wider on the flat spine version. The bottom is a very dark brown color and this particular casting led some collectors to believe that the black handle was marketed with a gold spine as well as the silver color spine.
Please forgive my earlier confusion.
Tom
Also is the deluxe heavier than the regular Trac II?
Thanks
No, the earliest black handles were the heaviest in my small group, followed closely by the earliest Deluxes. The weights (without cartridges) of all seem to have decreased in 1973. I weighed that green one three times. I weighed seven more handles twice each to eliminate variability due to declining battery life or bad placement on the tray:
Two undated 4Q of '71 black, flat spines - 28 grams
Two '72 Deluxe brown flat spines - 26 and 27 gr
One '73 black raised spine - 22.5 gr
One '73 Deluxe dark brown raised spine - 22.5 gr
One '74 Green Lady raised spine - 21.5 gr
One '76 black raised spine - 22.5
Tom
Sorry. I don't know when production ceased anywhere, as I perceive them to still be produced as the Pii, in India, maybe? And my primary interest lay at the other end of the spectrum - the differences in the earliest production models.
Again, I apologize if I have misled you to believe I know anything other than the pitiable limit of what's in front of me.
Tom
Thanks Tom !!!
Thanks again for this very useful info about the early Trac IIs.
And you most certainly haven’t misled - what you know is 100% more than I do.
I don’t believe in putting anybody on a pedestal - these threads make a great knowledge base for us all to share what we know and learn from each other’s experiences and acquisitions
just bought a flat spine Trac II deluxe, I'm interested in seeing it side by side with my raised spine deluxe.
Hi Tom I just bought what I thought was a regular Trac II on the auction site. It was dirt cheap and came with a box and a set of 5 cartridges . What I realized when i received it was that even though it had a curve metal spine (regular silver color ) the plastic handle was actually a dark brown. It’s definitely not black and seems a bit darker than my deluxe (haven’t had a chance to put it next to my deluxe yet , it’s late right now )
Do you know of any trac II models that were brown handle and regular metal spine (curved). It’s a T 2 serial (1973 second quarter )
It’s in mint condition not a single scratch or dent and still has the blank cartridge on it .
Could it be a fake ? I don’t really care if it is since I didn’t pay much for it but never seen a brown handle with a non gold spine .
Hard to really see in pics with indoor lighting.
Thanks
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Uh, oh. People are asking me direct questions...I can't imagine that it's fake - in addition to the casting of the plastic the metal bits would have to be sourced from somewhere and fitted together with the casting. Yours looks more industrially professional than that. ROI would, otherwise, be negative. The case is appropriate for the early years.
On another note, look at those openings in the handle's head piece (cart clip); those big holes facilitated flow-thru (when used with appropriate carts). I love these handles.
Regarding color: years ago I read about sightings of black handles with gold spines/heads, and brown handles with silver spines/heads, but was never able to find one. The very dark brown Deluxe I showed earlier, I assumed to be the fabled "black with gold" but it really is just very dark brown. Yours is the first photographic evidence I have seen of the equally fabled "brown with silver" (although in this pic it does look black to me). Could it be fading? The "one blade better" insert doesn't look faded to me, though.
So, after all that, "I don't know." Could be brown with silver (if so, way cool!). I don't think it's a fake.
Sorry for the word salad.
Tom
Thanks for the reply. I will take a better pic in daylight this weekend. I will take it next to a black Trac II so that you can at least see contrast/color difference.
Sorry for the bad pic i only received it yesterday and i had to go out to dinner so didn't have time.
I agree it would seem uneconomical to make fakes of these. I know you said before that Gillette tested brown handles as being the main color but changed their minds so i thought it would be one of those but then its a T2 serial so 1973 so not that early.
This very nice Quorum handle arrived yesterday.
It weighs 80g and has the classic Paul Revere/ tableware look that we know and love.
It says 22ct on the head and in the photos it comes out gold but in natural light it looks nearly silver so is it actually 22ct plated and worn or faded?
In any case it’s a great handle although I did find it becoming slippy so a firm grip is required:
It weighs 80g and has the classic Paul Revere/ tableware look that we know and love.
It says 22ct on the head and in the photos it comes out gold but in natural light it looks nearly silver so is it actually 22ct plated and worn or faded?
In any case it’s a great handle although I did find it becoming slippy so a firm grip is required:
