LF Atra handle identification help

Discussion in 'Cartridge Razors' started by Darkbulb, Oct 11, 2015.

  1. Darkbulb

    Darkbulb Cookie Hoarder

    Ended up winning this small lot of Atra handles and I'm trying to correctly identify them.
    (All are marked "Gillette" and they all seem to have an Atra head)

    Please correct me where I am wrong/missing info below:

    Handle 1: (closest to the camera):
    Date code: X3
    Vintage Contour handle - or Contour Plus?
    Does X3 in this case mean 1977 or 2000?

    Handle 2: (middle)
    Date code: D4
    No idea what the handle is
    Does D3 here mean 1980 or 2000?

    Handle 3: (Furthest away)
    Date code: Y4
    I think this is a wooden Elite handle.
    Does Y4 here mean 1978 or 2000?


    [​IMG]

    Better angle of the first razor - the Contour/Contour Plus?
    [​IMG]
     
  2. Jayaruh

    Jayaruh The Cackalacky House Pet

    Supporting Vendor
    I would think they are the earlier dates.:signs021:
     
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  3. Sabre

    Sabre Well-Known Member

    The Gold pate is the Elite Limited Edition, the bottom one the standard metal version. The one in the middle one maybe a Gillette or an aftermarket handle.
     
    Last edited: Oct 12, 2015
  4. Darkbulb

    Darkbulb Cookie Hoarder

    Thanks!
    The one in the middle does at least appear to be a Gillette. Here's another shot of it from the auction photos:
    [​IMG]
     
  5. Darkbulb

    Darkbulb Cookie Hoarder

    A-Ha! I think I found some leads on the middle handle.
    It might be a "Gillette Atra Deluxe" and is being described as:
    "1980-1985 Gillette Atra Deluxe Model. Heavy weight brass razor with nickle plating"


    There are some posts and photos about it out there:
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
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  6. Sabre

    Sabre Well-Known Member

    I think it is, you will know when you pick it up if it's Brass. All you need now is the Reed & Barton Atra...;)
     
  7. Sabre

    Sabre Well-Known Member

    The Elite needs a good clean so that the gold sparkles ;) ...

    [​IMG]
     
  8. Darkbulb

    Darkbulb Cookie Hoarder

    I really do want an R&B Atra..it's very Darwinesque in appearance...but I want the sterling version and not the pedestrian silver plated one ;)

    Btw, NICE Elites!
     
  9. gorgo2

    gorgo2 geezerhood

    Pretty sure Gillette quit making Atra handles long before 2000.
     
  10. Darkbulb

    Darkbulb Cookie Hoarder

    No idea myself. I think the Atra line was introduced in 1977 (in some markets it was called Vector or Contour)and went of this link for manufacturing years where Atra was mentioned up until the 2000's.
     
  11. 178-bplatoon

    178-bplatoon Well-Known Member

    :happy096: very nice score! I like the looks of the center handle the most.:)
     
  12. Darkbulb

    Darkbulb Cookie Hoarder

    You have a very 'deluxe' taste :)
     
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  13. Sabre

    Sabre Well-Known Member

    I am an elitist...:rofl:
     
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  14. Jerry-built Hustler

    Jerry-built Hustler Well-Known Member

    That's an original Atra, vintage 1977. According to the Razor Archive chart, Gillette was still making Atras in 2000. However, they didn't look like your X3. Yours is the original design, no question. I have an X4. It's a nice handle, for sure.

    Regarding Reed & Barton, I have a silver-plate model, and honestly don't see any need for the sterling one, for a couple reasons. One, the heads are stock Gillette, which are just plated brass, so - as good as the heads are functionally - putting one on an all-silver handle is a bit like dressing a pig in a silk hat. The industrial head design is a bit incongruous with the elegant handle, so I just don't see the need to make the handle that much more elegant by making it sterling. Two, according to reports from those who have them (obviously that doesn't include me), the sterling handles are not actually solid silver. They still have a resin core, so they're not that much heavier than the silver-plate ones.
     
    Last edited: Oct 13, 2015
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  15. Jerry-built Hustler

    Jerry-built Hustler Well-Known Member

    Here's an ad from 1977, showing your X3-style handle BNIB.

    [​IMG]
     
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  16. billdog2

    billdog2 Well-Known Member

    Sir, I have lying here on my desk, the exact one in this picture. The date code, up underneath the head is: 2 on the left and H on the right side. I bought it sometime in the 60s or early 70s. I can`t find those date codes anywhere. It seems that all date codes have the letter on the left, and the # on the right. I`m at a loss (normal condition for me), my razor says Gillette on the stem and ATRA on top of the head.

    Bill
     
  17. Darkbulb

    Darkbulb Cookie Hoarder

    I've seen another 3-4 of them or so in the past year.
    Any chance you have the original packaging left lol?
    Due to lack of solid information I have ended up calling it "Atra DeLuxe"
     
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  18. billdog2

    billdog2 Well-Known Member

    No, I`m sorry, in the 70s (a guess), I just wasn`t thinking of saving anything like packaging. I just took a bunch of pics, if you`re interested. But you`ll have bear with because I`m not so hot on high tech android apps. I just can`t understand code #s being reversed.

    Bill
     
  19. Darkbulb

    Darkbulb Cookie Hoarder

    yeah too bad it's not a Schick so we could have @Billyfergie decode it :)
     
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  20. billdog2

    billdog2 Well-Known Member

    Yeah, that would be nice. I really like Billy.

    Bill
     
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