It can be hard to keep track of your razor, your soap, and your brush. At least it can be if you got more than one of each, as many of us enthusiasts do. But fear not – Frank W Grady patented an all on one shaving kit in 1915 that will make it easy for you.

Provided you can deal with having only one razor, one soap, and one brush that is. And the soap has to be a soap stick.

But at least you know where everything is, right?

The purpose of patents are, I choose to believe – to solve problems. Sometimes it is the problem of making more money, sometimes it is about the myriad problems of shaving. In this case, the patent has the following to say on the subject:

This invention relates to a shaving kit, one of its objects being to provide, in a single article, a brush, a soap-holder, a razor holder and a mug.
A further object is to provide a device of this character which is simple and compact in construction, cheap which is handled readily, the kit being especially useful to travelers.

From US patent 1,213,352

Frank’s all in one shaving kit reminds me a little of an old fashioned flash light.

Going from top to bottom on the drawing, we have everything you need for a shave.

At the very end of the device is a perforated cover. This lets you cover up the shaving brush and still let it dry out.

The handle of the shaving brush also hides the shaving stick, held in place by a suction cup. The suction cup is mounted on what is the underside of the small shave mug. The rubber suction cup doubles as a handle for the shave stick, to prevent waste.

I guess the cup could also be used help keep the tiny mug to the sink while you use it. And it is tiny, barely wide across than the head of the safety razor nested inside it. A Gillette Old Type, if the drawing is any indication.

And if the lid don’t hold a mirror, it would be a wasted opportunity. The patent don’t say that it does, but it would be an improvement on the otherwise complete all in one shaving kit.

I can see no reason why the all in one shave kit wouldn’t work as suggested. Granted, the mug is on the small side – but all it is used for is soaking the brush. The inclusion of a shave stick implies face lathering, so a small mug is enough.

The patent for the all in one shave kit is cited by two more modern patents – one from 1990 and one from 2014 – for travel brushes. I might have a look at one or both of those later.

You can read the full patent over at Google Patents. Or you could look at one of my other posts about all inclusive shaving kits for the shaver on the go.