Why did they even bother with gold plating?

[maxman]

I know it looks nice and classy, but the plating is so thin it doesn't stand up to the test of time. I recently acquired a gold rocket and while it is in great shape, there is a little pitting/plate loss on the doors and plate loss on the safety bars.

So as a collectors piece it's has limited appeal. I don't want to replate it so where does that leave me? Using them I guess. The same is true of my Executive and a few assorted techs that I have.

I don't like gold plating.

 

[DE Shaver]

I know it looks nice and classy, but the plating is so thin it doesn't stand up to the test of time. I recently acquired a gold rocket and while it is in great shape, there is a little pitting/plate loss on the doors and plate loss on the safety bars.

So as a collectors piece it's has limited appeal. I don't want to replate it so where does that leave me? Using them I guess. The same is true of my Executive and a few assorted techs that I have.

I don't like gold plating.

I agree in some respects. I've always felt gold plating was ornamental in nature while other platings, such as nickel, more functional.

 

[Monkeydad]

To sell at a higher price to wealthier customers at the time.

Considerations for plating lasting 100 years were likely not a factor. Besides, SOME of the gold razors have survived and even those that have not, the razor is still functional and can be re-plated.

I agree with DE Shaver's thoughts.

 

[gaseousclay]

I don't use my gold techs precisely because i'm afraid the plating will come off. i've got a couple that are in mint condition with no brassing at all and one ball-handle tech that has lots of plate loss - I use that one in my rotation. like DE Shaver said, it's ornamental

 

[johnmrson]

I think you're being a little hard on them. When the razors were designed I think that no one gave any thought to what shavers might think of the plating 40 years / 50 years / 60 years in the future. They were probably designed with an expected life of 5 years to 10 years so I think it's remarkable how many are still in as good a condition as they are.

 

[Topgumby]

Board meeting, the Gillette Safety Razor company, 1929....

"OK, this Great Depression isn't making it easier to sell new razors and blades. Any thoughts? Yes, Smith?"

"Well, we are working on a new blade design to introduce with a new razor...if only we could come up with a new name for this new product... something new..."

"Keeping working on that new name, Smith, It'll come to you. Jonesy, what have you got?"

"Well, the rich are still going to be rich, and we think we should expand our line of top end, high dollar gold plated prestige sets aimed at that market segment...er, what is it, Smithers?"

"We must either increase the thickness of the gold plating or abandon it alltogether! I see a day in the future, perhaps almost a century from now, when a small group of shaving enthusiasts band together, perhaps connected by a great network of instant communication, and they reject the current technology and turn to the razors we are making today! They will surely curse us if we fail to make our product able to withstand the rolling passage of the decades! Yes, it may make the razors so expensive that no one can buy them now, but the future enthusiast will thank us!"

"Smithers, clean out your desk, your fired! Walking down the halls mumbling about multibladed razors was crazy enough, but this is too much..."

 

[nEver-Ready]

Board meeting, the Gillette Safety Razor company, 1929....

"OK, this Great Depression isn't making it easier to sell new razors and blades. Any thoughts? Yes, Smith?"

"Well, we are working on a new blade design to introduce with a new razor...if only we could come up with a new name for this new product... something new..."

"Keeping working on that new name, Smith, It'll come to you. Jonesy, what have you got?"

"Well, the rich are still going to be rich, and we think we should expand our line of top end, high dollar gold plated prestige sets aimed at that market segment...er, what is it, Smithers?"

"We must either increase the thickness of the gold plating or abandon it alltogether! I see a day in the future, perhaps almost a century from now, when a small group of shaving enthusiasts band together, perhaps connected by a great network of instant communication, and they reject the current technology and turn to the razors we are making today! They will surely curse us if we fail to make our product able to withstand the rolling passage of the decades! Yes, it may make the razors so expensive that no one can buy them now, but the future enthusiast will thank us!"

"Smithers, clean out your desk, your fired! Walking down the halls mumbling about multibladed razors was crazy enough, but this is too much..."

Fantastic! You should get a job writing script for Superbowl commercials!

 

[Go West Young Man]

I know it looks nice and classy, but the plating is so thin it doesn't stand up to the test of time.

Yah, it sucks that they barely lasted SIXTY YEARS before starting to show some wear. That's some cheap-*** manufacturing right there.

 

[GreekGuy]

I have to agree with whats been said. Sure, the gold is starting to fade. But some of these razors are 50, 60, 70 years old. Name anything, literally any manufactured item, that was produced that long ago and still in use today, even considering "they made things better back then." I can't think of anything. Maybe a hammer, but those are usually rusty and aren't any better than what we have today

Also, how much gold is really necessary? They could have made them out of solid gold. Sure, but then they would be ridiculously heavy and outrageously expensive. Oh, and if you dropped it on accident it would bend to be unusable. The gold is decorative, it adds no function whatsoever to the razor.

 

[bradyarz]

i read a post a while back that was trying to say that a gold plated razor will glide better across your face than a nickel one. i made the jump to straights, so i can't say for sure from a personal standpoint.

 

[The Last Chimney]

Gold...

- is the most malleable metal in existence.

- is immune to air or water damage and is extremely difficult to corrode.

- has no unpleasant metallic scent.

- is pretty.

- can be plated as thinly as you please, making it less expensive than you'd think (ever wonder why those gold-plated Merkurs are only a few dollars more than their chrome counterparts?)

Plus, it's gold. Make anything out of gold and people will buy it.

My favorite example: http://thekfsd.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/24-kt.-gold-plated-DMC.jpg

 

[americanarmsdealer]

Why did they even bother plating razors in gold? Because we all have a tendency to respond like a raccoon to sparkly things--"Ooooohhhhh, shiny!" Some gold razors have survived in surprisingly good condition. I have a gold Fat Handle Tech that has 100% of the plating still intact and in phenomenal condition, aside from a few small surface scratches on the top of the shave head. It was manufactured sometime between 1946 and 1950. Not too shabby, I'd say!

 

[TheFlyingFrenchman]

This thread makes me wonder what fusion handles will look like in the 2070's XD
Wonder what they will say about current razor technology

 

[Copierguy]

Three things about gold razors.

They are as beautiful as the rising sun.

The worn ones may indicate a good shaving razor.

Did I mention they are as beautiful as the rising sun?.....

 

[firehydrant]

The Gillette "Goodwill" razors are an example of what a very thin plate job is like. They were made very inexpensively and were pretty much a "giveaway" razor. It hard to find one with the finish fully intact. I have one with about 25% of the gold plate left.

 

[gearchow]

The Gillette "Goodwill" razors are an example of what a very thin plate job is like. They were made very inexpensively and were pretty much a "giveaway" razor. It hard to find one with the finish fully intact. I have one with about 25% of the gold plate left.

Poor Goodwill getting a bad rap!

View attachment 111753

-jim

 

[cooncatbob]

Gillette's low end razors gave gold plating a bad name.
Copper based alloys needs a base plating of nickel before they're plated with Gold or Chrome.
This is why the Gold on the NEW wears off so easily.
When I prep a NEW for nickel plating the gold comes right off with a Dremel wire wheel but doesn't even scratch the surface of a nickel plated Tech.

 

[johnmrson]

My Goodwill has stood the test of time pretty well.

 

[ShaveMark]

I'm not an expert but I believe that time has nothing to do with the gold plating coming off. Most of those razors lost their plating years ago when they were still getting heavy use. A 70 year old razor probably started loosing it's plating 70 years ago. If someone were to take a gold plated razor right now and put it away for safe keeping....then someone found it 100 years from now it would still have all of it's gold plating. It's affected by wear, not age. Unless there is a chemical reaction between the metals going on over time....now that is something that an expert on here could possibly chime in on.Anyone?

 

[GreekGuy]

I'm a bit of a chemistry expert. Gold does not react with air, so it would be pristine locked in a safe for 100 years. Silver has a tendency to form an oxide, hence the tarnish you see. Its still somewhat of a "noble" metal. It doesn't corrode like iron, steel, copper, or brass. It isn't strong, however, hence the brass base. As mentioned the plating is thin. Its cheaper that way and it isn't easy to put a thick plating on. So it will rub off with abrasion. Just reality unfortunately