The Ever Ready 'Sun Ray' is indeed a fine razor, the late British model known to be a damn good shave embellished with retro-Deco patterns ... but what do we know about it?
It was a special set from the 1950s, sold as a double-set with a stropper and strop in a square bakelite case. I've also seen the razor alone in a highly polished nickel case similar to the Streamline/Jewel but not exactly the same.
When I saw that, it opened my mind up to the idea that these razor could well have been sold in other cases ...
One such candidate was the same style case as the 'Sun Ray' but half the size and without the stropper. These sets were often sold out with regular British Made Ever Ready 1912s and that was that ... or so I thought. I had pondered upon the handle of that razor which is abruptly terminated; dramatically flat, as if filed for a case it didn't quite fit. Hold that thought.
My latest acquisition is a 'Sun Ray' in such a case ... and now, it all clicks into place ...
Notice how the razor sits absolutely flat in this case, which bears all the hallmarks of the larger (square) case/set that we more readily associate the 'Sun Ray' with:
Compare that to these dramatically flat ended regular 1912s that we more often see in these cases:
... sits on a slope.
I postulate that these cases were indeed designed for the 'Sun Ray' razors, a limited run which didn't quite add up to the number of cases that they had ... or they changed their mind early into the project and decided to sell them out as a double-set with stropper.
Either way, that surplus of half-sized cases was available and the regular 1912 got filed down to fit.
Interestingly, there were other colours ...
... perhaps intended for the 'Sun Ray'?
It was a special set from the 1950s, sold as a double-set with a stropper and strop in a square bakelite case. I've also seen the razor alone in a highly polished nickel case similar to the Streamline/Jewel but not exactly the same.
When I saw that, it opened my mind up to the idea that these razor could well have been sold in other cases ...
One such candidate was the same style case as the 'Sun Ray' but half the size and without the stropper. These sets were often sold out with regular British Made Ever Ready 1912s and that was that ... or so I thought. I had pondered upon the handle of that razor which is abruptly terminated; dramatically flat, as if filed for a case it didn't quite fit. Hold that thought.
My latest acquisition is a 'Sun Ray' in such a case ... and now, it all clicks into place ...
Notice how the razor sits absolutely flat in this case, which bears all the hallmarks of the larger (square) case/set that we more readily associate the 'Sun Ray' with:
Compare that to these dramatically flat ended regular 1912s that we more often see in these cases:
... sits on a slope.
I postulate that these cases were indeed designed for the 'Sun Ray' razors, a limited run which didn't quite add up to the number of cases that they had ... or they changed their mind early into the project and decided to sell them out as a double-set with stropper.
Either way, that surplus of half-sized cases was available and the regular 1912 got filed down to fit.
Interestingly, there were other colours ...
... perhaps intended for the 'Sun Ray'?
