Category Archives: VintageRazor

The first safety razor?

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Pulling a dragnet across the web brings up some interesting titbits now and then, and the 1762 Perrett’s safety razor is one of them.

By placing a wooden guard around an ordinary straight razor, in such a manner that only a sliver of the edge protruded, you were at least sure not to slice your ear or nose off while shaving. Still a far cry from the more modern DE and SE razors, but from what I can tell it was the very first baby step towards the razors we know and love. The basic idea was copied and expanded upon for the next hundred or so years.

Wehrmacht razor

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Inspired by my recent acquisition of a WW1 Gillette Khaki, I have looked at what other military razors there are out there… this is the standard issue German razor from WW2, spotted on ebay in it’s original packaging.

Overall, it looks rather similar to the Gillette Old and New… probably shaved much the same.

Old style DE blades

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This week I’m trying out my ‘new’ razor – the Gillette “Khaki” Old Type – and is so far quite enjoying the experience.

The blade I’m using is rather different both in alloy and in shape from what the US Doughboys would have tucked away in their dopp bag as they were deposited into the maelstrom of mud and horrors that were the trenches of the great war…

The alloy was mild carbon steel, and there was three more-or-less circular holes. The old school blades were also thicker than the blades used now, which probably to some extent affects the perceived aggressiveness of old razors by dint of altering the blade angle slightly.

Today’s blades are commonly made out of stainless steel, and have a single elongated hole shaped to fill all DE razors (not just the three piece razors).

An old soldier go back to war

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Introducing my latest razor; a Gillette Khaki Set from WW1 – aka the Great War, the War to End All Wars (that sentiment didn’t pan out). Thanks to a fellow from my favourite shave forum, this 96 year old soldier will once again return to active duty – although this time it will hopefully just be for various exercises and when I’m on the Go, and not the muds of Flanders.

The serial number under the guard is a crisp J4173, which according to my source places it as an reasonable early production military razor, manufactured in 1918. Another source claims that the single button closure is a rare variant; perhaps experience proved that a two button closure was more stable.

There is a minor crack in the handle – but from what I can tell online that is both common, repairable and not influencing the shave with these old, classic Gilletter. The mirror has gone AWOL at some point in the life of this old soldier, but my GoBag already have a small, unbreakable mirror in it so I’ll manage (unless someone has a spare khaki-set mirror they need to get rid off…). The blade holder should fit one or two modern blades on the diagonal, so I’m set in that regards provided I remember to refill. The fabric and seams are in surprisingly good condition considering the age of this set – the only thing worn is the print on the inside of the flap.

I’ve yet to shave with this baby, but when I do I’ll be sure to share my impressions.

1933 oscillating razor

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NEW SAFETY RAZOR HAS OSCILLATING BLADE
Especially designed for those with tender skins and tough beards, a new safety razor employs an oscillating blade to cut the hairs. While the razor is drawn across the face, a pair of friction rollers revolve and cause the whole blade to move sideward with a reciprocating motion, as indicated by arrows in the photograph at left. As a result, this miniature mowing machine is declared to give an unusually close shave with a minimum of chafing and discomfort. The one piece razor may be operated and cleaned with one hand.

Friction rollers? In other words, they put something in the razor that requires you to increase the pressure you put on the skin… which is kinda stupid, seeing as how one of the key to a great shave is to use minimal pressure. I can see why this brilliant idea didn’t take off quite as much as the inventors surely hoped for…

All That Newfangled Shaving Gear Can’t Compare to the Old-Fashioned Stuff

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Found an interesting article over at WIRED that states what is obvious to me; disposables can’t hold a candle to traditional safety razors.

Also, I liked this comment on disposables:

Some of the pricier varieties are miracles of engineering, with more blades than a flotilla of sea pirates.

Shaving in the trenches

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Trench foot, trench fever and trench mouth be dammed – the gallant fighting men needs to be clean shaven (so the respirators won’t leak, one has to presume). The implied horrors of the first world war notwithstanding, it is a rather nice period photograph I stumbled over on Wikipedia while looking for something unrelated.

Open comb straight? Not so much…

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Remember this? I asked over in my favourite shave forum, and the knowledgeable fellows over there agree it’s a trimmer shavette.

Still looks neat though.

Open comb straight razor

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Stumbled across an oddity on the web today – an open comb straight razor, or possible shavette.

I guess the idea was to make a safer straight, but I don’t know enough about straights to say if it’s a good idea, a bad idea, or a pointless idea. Or it may be for trimming hair… but neither possibility explains the odd comb on the back of the blade.

Shaving thoughts

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From the free (as in both beer and speech) ebook “The Perfect Gentleman” by Ralph Bergengren, downloaded from Project Gutenberg (which still is an awesome site for free books);

The world of shavers is divided into three classes: the ordinary shaver, the safety shaver, and the extraordinary-safety shaver, who buys each safety razor as soon as it is invented and is never so happy as when about to try a new one. To a shaver of this class, cost is immaterial. A safety-razor for a cent, with twenty gold-monogramed blades and a guaranty of expert surgical attendance if he cuts himself, would stir his active interest neither more nor less than a safety-razor for a hundred dollars, with one Cannotbedull blade and an iron-clad agreement to pay the makers an indemnity if he found it unsatisfactory. He buys them secretly, lest his wife justly accuse him of extravagance, and practises cunning in getting rid of them afterward; for to a conscientious gentleman throwing away a razor is a responsible matter. It is hard to think of any place where a razor-blade, indestructible and horribly sharp as it is,—for all purposes except shaving,—can be thrown away without some worry over possible consequences. A baby may find and swallow it; the ashman sever an artery; dropping it overboard at sea is impracticable, to say nothing of the danger to some innocent fish. Mailing it anonymously to the makers, although it is expensive, is a solution, or at least shifts the responsibility. Perhaps the safest course is to put the blades with the odds and ends you have been going to throw away to-morrow ever since you can remember; for there, while you live, nobody will ever disturb them. Once, indeed, I—but this is getting too personal: I was simply about to say thatit is possible to purchase a twenty-five cent safety-razor, returnable if unsatisfactory, and find the place of sale vanished before you can get back to it. But between inventions in safety-razors, the extraordinary-safety shaver is likely to revert to first principles and the naked steel of his ancestors.

I’m not saying he was right – but 95 years later we still have many people who will jump on the latest razor bandwagon… just to return to their old razors, disappointed. May I suggest they pick up a DE razor and some good soap instead?