Matthew Wild
Vintage Gillette Old Type vs NEW
The trio: three vintage Gillette open comb razors, taken to show the difference between Old Type and NEW.
It took me a long time to get the differences between these design types when I first started collecting vintage Gillettes. I was looking at pictures that only seemed to show open comb razors. . . I could not spot any differences.
To put it simplistically, the Old Type – seen in the background here – has a narrower, less rounded head, with “bullets” that fit through the base plate (the part with the teeth). It is the more aggressive shave.
The NEW has a thicker, rounder head, which holds the razor in place with slots that fit into a channel in the base plate. The examples you can see here, in the foreground, are long comb variants, but even the shorter comb is rounder and comes to less of a point than the Old Type.
Of the NEWs, the version on the left (the copper colored one) is US-made version, with the UK model on the right. I find the made-in-England version a touch more aggressive, but no less smooth, than the US NEW. The US model has the commonly seen bar handle, while the UK version has an apparently one-piece handle.
The decayed gold finish has been stripped from the US NEW, and the underlying brass and copper polished. The process is detailed here: www.flickr.com/photos/38722915@N04/5701969970/in/photostream.
Pic taken with Nikon Coolpix P300 in natural light. I’m quite proud of all the reflection going on here, although there could be more lighting going on.
I’m at Wild West Communications if you want to use my photography or talk about my writing and communications work.
Vintage Gillette Old Type vs NEW
The trio: three vintage Gillette open comb razors, taken to show the difference between Old Type and NEW.
It took me a long time to get the differences between these design types when I first started collecting vintage Gillettes. I was looking at pictures that only seemed to show open comb razors. . . I could not spot any differences.
To put it simplistically, the Old Type – seen in the background here – has a narrower, less rounded head, with “bullets” that fit through the base plate (the part with the teeth). It is the more aggressive shave.
The NEW has a thicker, rounder head, which holds the razor in place with slots that fit into a channel in the base plate. The examples you can see here, in the foreground, are long comb variants, but even the shorter comb is rounder and comes to less of a point than the Old Type.
Of the NEWs, the version on the left (the copper colored one) is US-made version, with the UK model on the right. I find the made-in-England version a touch more aggressive, but no less smooth, than the US NEW. The US model has the commonly seen bar handle, while the UK version has an apparently one-piece handle.
The decayed gold finish has been stripped from the US NEW, and the underlying brass and copper polished. The process is detailed here: www.flickr.com/photos/38722915@N04/5701969970/in/photostream.
Pic taken with Nikon Coolpix P300 in natural light. I’m quite proud of all the reflection going on here, although there could be more lighting going on.
I’m at Wild West Communications if you want to use my photography or talk about my writing and communications work.