I am unsure if I should be amused or slightly freaked out by a talking, badly animated razor. The early 70’s was an odd time…
Gillette Techmatic advertisment
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Category Archives: History
The 16.8 second shave
I honestly do not see the point. After all, there is a lot more to a shave than getting lather of the face, and it is something I want to spend time at instead of rushing through.
Dr Scott’s Magnetic Safety Razor
I stumbled over an old advertisement today… and it is a long time since I’ve been looking at the woo-woo magnetic razors.
On the surface, it seems to be the same pseudo-science as the other crankcases. I’m pretty sure that if I dig down deeper, it will still be the same pseudo-science as the other crankcases. The more things change etc.
At least this one came in a stylish tin box. And given that it has been patented… I feel a follow on post coming on sometime in the future.
Let the Gillette prove itself
Old advertisement often seems more honest than the ones I’m subjected to today. Back in the day, an advertisement tried to sell a product. Today they seem to often try to sell a lifestyle – or the image of a lifestyle.
As an example, take this Gillette advertisement from 12th august 1904.
Buy one. Try it for a month. Not happy? Here is your money back, and you’re welcome! After all, Gillette back then stood behind their razor – instead of trying to sell the idea of being smooth shaven.
Although… I suspect they would happily deduct the cost of the one to three blades you had used during that month.
Up or down?
The secret is the sharpness of the blade, and the reason of the sharpness is the stropping.
At least according to the people extolling the benefits of the Valet Auto-Strop razor, a safety razor that was designed to make stropping easy.
That is a very tiny barber…
Some vintage advertisements have weird taglines, at least when viewed through the eyes of 2021. Like… well, like this one for the new GEM Micromatic.
Continue readingRevolutionizes shaving!
The Micromatic Clog-Pruf is a great razor. But even a great razor can be part of a revolutionary offer, if this old ad is to be believed.
Continue readingThree EverReady marvels!
Vintage razor advertisements can be almost as much fun as old shaving patents. And advertisements from American Safety Razor Company – the result of the 1906 merger between Gem Cutlery Company and Ever-Ready – tends to be good ones. The grinning, shaving, mad-eyed man they used as their logo / mascot makes sure of that.
Continue readingHome made roller sharpener for safety razor blades
The internet archive has a lot of odd stuff. One of the things I’ve found is a copy of Hobbies Weekly from 20th March 1934. And as I was idly flipping through, I spotted this:
The design is simple, as benefits a tool made from odds and ends. Some pieces of wood, some spare leather – as we all have laying around – and a fe hours of tinkering. No gears, the two rollers were close enough to drive eachother by friction.
I’m half tempted to make this at some point.. not for using, but for the tinkering.
NRA’s code of fair competition for the safety razor and safety razor blade manufacturing industry
No, not that NRA. The other NRA, the one more properly refered to as the National Recovery Administration. Tasked by the goverment to help the population and industry to recover after the Great Depresion, NRA set out to eliminate “cut throat competition” by bringing industry, labor, and government together to create codes of “fair practices” and set prices.
In 1934 the turn had come to the cut throat industry of, well, avoiding cut throats. and while the Code is somewhat dry to read, it does include gems such as this:
The term ” safety razor and safety razor blade manufacturing industry “, hereinaiter referred to as the ” industry “, means the manufacture of safety razor blade holders and/or safety razor blades for sale.
From the Code of fair competition for the safety razor and safety razor blade manufacturing industry
The code set quotas on how much each manufacturer could manufacture, as well as stating a minemum wage, forbidding children to work in the Industry, and setting penalites for unfair trading practices.
The full Code can be found at archive.org, and downloaded in several formats.