Micromatic
Manufacturer: American Safety Razor Company, Brooklyn, NY
Dates in Production: 1920's to 1940's
Type: Hoe type
Description: All metal with a twist-to-open head
Notes of Interest: The Micromatic was a popular type of one-piece single-edge razor produced by the American Safety Razor Company under their GEM brand. Produced between the 1920's and the 1940's, the Micromatics were eventually produced in three different styles:
- The Original (introduced ca. 1929, still advertised ca. 1938 - aka antenna handle) This was the basic design of the Micromatic, a one-piece razor with a spade head that opened and closed via a knob at the tip of the handle, specifically built to take single-edge blades. While most of the Micromatics were open-combed and silver in color, there were also closed-combed and gold plated variants. Orignal Micromatics often came in heavy "bakelite-style" lidded-cases with matching "New" and "Used" blade cases. These sturdy and handsome sets came in brown, green, white, and maroon hard plastic.
- Clog Pruf (introduced ca. 1934)
- The Bullseye (introduced ca. 1938 - aka Magic Eye or the Bullet-tip) A later, more streamlined version of the Original, the Bullseye was closed-comb and had a deeply tapered, rather than fluted, knob. The eponymous "Bullseye" was a small etched mark on the center of the razor head that reminded users to keep the razor head flat against the face as they shaved. These razors often came in brightly colored plastic cases with clear plastic lids and festively decorated blade cases, some depicting a friendly beaming sun, others with GEM's traditional "lathered-man" logo. Known variants include silver-colored versions and razors with cream-colored plastic knobs.
Gallery
| GEM Micromatic | ||||||||
 | ||||||||
