When did the Trac II start out selling DE razors?

[Bertotrumpet]

I began shaving around 1970. My Grandfather gave me a 1940s superspeed. Great razor. Later, my uncle gave me a 1950s superspeed flair. And my dad gave me a slim adjustable then later a schick injector J type. I liked the 1940s SS and the J type injector the best. I dont remember when I started with the trac II and later the Atra. But it was I think around 1981. Actualy I think Schick stopped making injectors and went to the Super II twin. Which even today I still use. I like it better than the Gillettes.But I only use carts to shave my head or when I am in a hurry.

I mostly back to using DE again, I suppose because I am more skilled at using them these days than I was back then. Plus revisiting brush and soap I believe has revived the DE shaving craze.
But just as a side note. Back in the 70s DE bldes and soap and brush did fade out over time and not abruptly. And then not completley.

 

[Jimsr]

I have to chime in. I started shaving in 1960, using a Super Speed, but it was not on a regular basis. I started shaving regularly in 1963, again using the Super Speed. Around 1967, I switched to a Slim and kept using that through the end of college (68) and then into the military in 69, in basic and advanced training, which took all of 69. [All through this period I had two slims, one to actually use and another for display purposes and never ever used.] In 70 I spent the year in Vietnam with my trusty slim.
Returning to the States, in 1971 I was assigned to the Old Guard, the Army's ceremonial unit in D.C. This required that we be clean shaven at all times. At first I continued to use my trusty Slim. But sometime in 71, I think it was in the Summer, Gillette came out with the band razor. If I remember correctly, most of us tried it, used one or two "cartridges" and then quickly discarded it. It never gave a quality shave to pass inspection. I know because I was one of the inspectors and had to have a quality shave myself as an example. Guys went back to the DE for a while at least.
Later that year, Wilkinson came out with the bonded blade system. That gave real good militarily acceptable shaves. (I wish it was still available.) Then in late 71 the Trac II came out. From then on, in the barracks, at least, it was a mixed bag a few kept using the DE, a few the Bonded Blade, and more and more the Trac II.
If I recall the Bonded Blade disappeared, at least in the PX in 72. I know I switched to the Trac II when the Bonded Blade disappeared. It gave militarily acceptable shaves and could be done so quickly. By the time I left the Army in 73 just about everyone except for senior non-coms and field-grade and above officers was using the Trac II.
I made the progress through the Trac II, to the Astra, and then the Sensor in the late 70's and 80's. I briefly flirted with the 3-bladed Sensor and the Mach III before switching to an electric razor for about 15 years due to the increasing cost of cartridges.
Then in 2014 I moved back to single blade shaving because as my skin aged, my skin became increasingly sensitive, I got tired of having a perpetual red neck. At first I used DE's [RAD struck]. But about 2 years ago I discovered the injector razor. This cured my sensitive neck. and I'm a happy man.

 

[Bricksville]

Later that year, Wilkinson came out with the bonded blade system. That gave real good militarily acceptable shaves. (I wish it was still available.)

The razors themselves are readily available on the usual auction sites.

Here's a link to NOS bonded blades. https://www.amazon.com/Wilkinson-Sword-Bonded-Blades-Razor/dp/B017HKE8OE You can also find them on auction sites.

 

[Saltchuck]

Interestingly, the concept of the twin-blade razor was English. According to McCubbin, a Gillette researcher in the Reading laboratory, Dr. Norman Welsh, started playing with the concept in 1964 after discovering the "hysteresis effect": The blade of a razor pulls a whisker out of the follicle a bit, it cuts it off, and the whisker snaps back, partially submerging itself back into the follicle. So Welsh surmised that if they could get another blade to come along behind the first and make a cut before the whisker snapped back all the way, the shave would be closer. It took Gillette researchers and engineers 7 more years to figure out how to mass produce the concept.

So now we know who to blame for that dubious invention! The English!

 

[Saltchuck]

I'm a little older than some of you. I started shaving in 1961 with a Gillette Slim. Dad shaved with a Fat Boy, but there was a Schick injector and a Gem Micromatic in the bathroom drawer. I tried them both, and at some point the Schick injector became my everyday razor. Eventually I succumbed successively to the Techmatic, Trac II, Atra, Sensor, Sensor Excel, and Mach III. I think that the Atra was my favorite of the cartridge razors. Never did try a Fusion. In 2009 I came back into the DE fold with my original Slim. Been a DE shaver ever since.

 

[nvpliers]

I have to chime in. I started shaving in 1960, using a Super Speed, but it was not on a regular basis. I started shaving regularly in 1963, again using the Super Speed. Around 1967, I switched to a Slim and kept using that through the end of college (68) and then into the military in 69, in basic and advanced training, which took all of 69. [All through this period I had two slims, one to actually use and another for display purposes and never ever used.] In 70 I spent the year in Vietnam with my trusty slim.
Returning to the States, in 1971 I was assigned to the Old Guard, the Army's ceremonial unit in D.C. This required that we be clean shaven at all times. At first I continued to use my trusty Slim. But sometime in 71, I think it was in the Summer, Gillette came out with the band razor. If I remember correctly, most of us tried it, used one or two "cartridges" and then quickly discarded it. It never gave a quality shave to pass inspection. I know because I was one of the inspectors and had to have a quality shave myself as an example. Guys went back to the DE for a while at least.
Later that year, Wilkinson came out with the bonded blade system. That gave real good militarily acceptable shaves. (I wish it was still available.) Then in late 71 the Trac II came out. From then on, in the barracks, at least, it was a mixed bag a few kept using the DE, a few the Bonded Blade, and more and more the Trac II.
If I recall the Bonded Blade disappeared, at least in the PX in 72. I know I switched to the Trac II when the Bonded Blade disappeared. It gave militarily acceptable shaves and could be done so quickly. By the time I left the Army in 73 just about everyone except for senior non-coms and field-grade and above officers was using the Trac II.
I made the progress through the Trac II, to the Astra, and then the Sensor in the late 70's and 80's. I briefly flirted with the 3-bladed Sensor and the Mach III before switching to an electric razor for about 15 years due to the increasing cost of cartridges.
Then in 2014 I moved back to single blade shaving because as my skin aged, my skin became increasingly sensitive, I got tired of having a perpetual red neck. At first I used DE's [RAD struck]. But about 2 years ago I discovered the injector razor. This cured my sensitive neck. and I'm a happy man.

Great story! Thanks for sharing. Thanks for your service too!

 

[Storch4]

After the Techmatic flopped came the two bladed cart. By 1972-3 Sales of de blades started a downward spiral coupled with aggressive advertising touting the two blades are better than one spiel. Now it's 10 blades are better than 9 and not better for the wallet.

 

[Storch4]

Money is made with patent products. By 1970 the patents on DE blades expired thus new coatings to salvage some proprietary dollars from old designs until newer ones appeared. Like trac II etc.

 

[psfred]

Gillette advertized the dual blade cartridge very heavily, and it was the age of disposable. I started shaving with an injector (still have it) in the early 70's and experimented with cartridges, returning to the injector because I got better shaves under my chin. Had a beard from 1977 to about 2003, so only shaved my neck and under the chin for that time.

A few of the guys in college used a DE, but the vast majority used the Track II, later Atra. I have all of those, but strongly prefer a DE these days. Vastly less expensive, and better shaves to boot.

 

[Storch4]

When I went to college, you got a goody box with a Atra razor, Edge gel goop, some condoms and deodorant. I was the freak using my black handle SS getting looks like how do you shave like that? Simply answered " with my hands like I always do".

 

[macduff67]

When I went to college, you got a goody box with a Atra razor, Edge gel goop, some condoms and deodorant. I was the freak using my black handle SS getting looks like how do you shave like that? Simply answered " with my hands like I always do".

When I was in high school, you got a can of Edge in PE class. I got gypped on the condoms, deodorant, and razor, though.

In the mid-80s, the bookstore at my college always had DE blades. They disappeared around 1990 from most stores, though. I think the last Gillette DE razors were made in 1988 or so.