last update he had he was working out the kinks that the usual Toggle had in their original design. I know many people think that if the razor is CNC machined should have less issues because the manufactured parts are more precise, but that's hardly the case.... To many would be surprise to know that the progressive brass stamping process that Gillette used back in the days had tighter tolerances than todays CNC machined parts. From his last update he said, the razor will work and shave as intended but it would feel different than the typical toggle, probably different feel than the fatboy and all the different slim iterations. He quoted as razors are like cars, no matter if you buy a 10K mini Hyundai or 500K Ferrari, they both will take you from point A to point B, they both will do they job, only difference is you have to get used to the new car that you bought no matter what Manufacturer/Model it is, he has a point there. Regarding the price cost he said it is too early to spit out the beans because he is yet to be sure what would be the final price. In honesty the razor contains I think 36 pieces ( ouch) of which 18 are off the shelf and 18 are machined more/less, if I had to throw in a number I would say the razor would cost somewhere in the ballpark of $350-$500. I have a feeling he should of gone the Fatboy route and not the Toggle, the Fatboy had no design issues, much less parts, easier to produce and looked just as good as the toggle.
I too believe resurrecting a Gillette adjustable toggle in stainless steel would be exciting, but I don't think it will fly. Others have pointed out some of the reasons in this thread. I just don't think there is a viable market for this interesting, but super expensive razor. It failed years ago, even with the manufacturing genius of America's premier razor company, their vast advertising machine, and more consumer friendly prices. The ultimate purpose of manufacturing is to make a profit. Many shavers will claim they would buy one, but when push comes to shove they won't. I would be surprised if 50 stainless steel toggles would be sold at $500 or more, and by then the market would dry up. Permanently. History has a strong history of repeating itself.
it may cater to a niche market. shelby cobras still sell and are produced in small numbers with some having more modern technology. i love the old segal razors with the cap that flips up and would buy one if blades were available.there is a mint one in its box at the local antique shop.i like the idea of a toggle with a small band at the bottom to give a quarter turn to final tighten.probably redundant but gadget guys would like it. appealing to the masses is good for affordability and profits, i hope he succeeds at his venture. i think of wolfman ti razors. beautiful fit and finish.quite expensive for some.the masses chose safety bar over open comb.if technique trumps tools which is better? just my 2 cents...
I hope he succeeds too but the a 3-500 razor is pretty much over my tolerance .I hear rave reviews about wolfma n but they simply can't be bought .So what's the point. I'm interested in this toggle idea but I'm pretty happy with timeless products that are in production and ready to have but I'm also itching for something else too i guess I was just reading deeper into his site. It's interesting that there are no photos suggesting that this is it's infancy. There's no pre order or kickstarter like Rockwell. So how is this venture capitalized?
I understand the Gillette Toggle dates from the late 1950's. Is that correct? What was their retail price?
@Shave7 - here's some history. Short answer - 1957, 58 & 60. The original retail price was ten bucks.
...and $10 in 1957 equates to about $90 today. It was an expensive razor considering the Fatboy sold for $1.95 in 1958.
Excellent point, brother Brady. And I would suggest $90 was a fairly good weekly salary for most middle class workers back then.
I dont know much about the toggle, but they go for a lot on the bay. I saw one back when i started de shaving at an antique mall but i was not a fan of tto and passed it up. I never checked the price but this particular place probably had it priced over a hundred bucks. They once had a black handle super speed with stuck doors for 50 bucks so even if i knew about it i would probably not paid what they ask. From what im told there is a guy in my area that visits every antique store in the area every other day to buy and sell them so finding anything is very rare.
Isn't me. I only visit my local shops once a month, but I've left my name and number at all of them. Occasionally get a call back, too! Ouch, I'm out. Don't the vintage Toggles for less that that?
I can see that a SS unit won't have the plating wear issues of the old brass Gillette originals. Guess I'll be happy with my '59 Fat Boy.
I’m with you on that one. It might cost 10 times more than a fatboy, but it couldn’t be 10 times better.
Should I be embarrassed that I found my #195 at a little antique shop for five bucks? Not one, but two orders of magnitude. I'll check in again to see the pretty pictures!
Naw, that's at or below the bay prices for them. If it was either in Very Good condition, or had a case in acceptable usable shape I'd expect to see a higher price tag. Market pressure for a "collectable". I don't think you can get one replated in nickel or ceracoated for less than $50.