Recently acquired a British made variant of the Gillette Flare Tip razor. I do own a U.S. made version also. I have yet to shave with the English version and will attempt a back to back shave comparison write up if anyone is interested. Both are late 50's according to date codes. Wondering if anyone has shaved with both. Any discernible differences noted. Upon a quick feel comparison it seems that the English ver. knurling is more pronounced and vivid on the fingers although they look similar.
Here are some photos of both in order to compare. Brit left. U.S. Right side. Notice bottom dial differences. Gap stays same above turn knob on Brit regardless if flaps are open or closed. Also notice Ring above knob on Brit vs U.S. version. A few other differences on the bottom noticed.
Was able to do a full back to back evaluation of the the two flare razors from opposing countries. I can comfortably state that the Brit ver. feels tighter in it's mechanics. The way the knob feels when turning and just by giving them a mild shake seems more sturdy. Not a true evaluation as I've only been able to compare the U.S. variant I have and can not confirm amount of wear by previous usage of either razor. I like how the U.S. ver. knob stays stationary regardless if flaps are open or closed but trivial otherwise. Fit on both are VG with the connection from the base plate to handle being cleaner stamped on the U.S. version. As far as shaves go I found both to give an excellent shave. The Brit. ver. feels slightly more solid on the hand and maybe due to the more pronounced knurling on the handle. I never felt that the flare tips were overly mild and always found them to give an excellent shave. Nice thing about the flare tip over some similar razors is the longevity of their materials and plating. No issue of paint fading or peeling like a red, blue or black tip. Underrated TTO razor in my books. Considering the low cost of a flare tip every TTO fan should have one is his den rotation.
