hello folks, just received a british flat bottom.tech. what i hope is a service set or a surplus razor in a post 1945 bakelite case..all the service razors have a different handle and base plate guard detail.gillette logo and made in england stamp below the pins instead of above.. would love some clarification if anyone knows . thank you gary.. service set on the right..fluted handle is hollow..
That's a beautiful British Tech set, Gary. Excellent condition, too. I love the English Gillettes: Ever-Readys too.
It could be a surplus set but I’m thinking it’s a mismatched set. Lol but I’m no expert don’t listen to me.
Here are some of my service set Tech’s and they show not only the case variation but also the lettering variation. The two in the Bakelite cases have the lettering above the pins (with the lettering all the same size), whilst the bottom two have the lettering under the pins (with lettering of different size) in the same way as other early British Tech’s. The baseplate on all of these razors have the ridged safety bar found in later ball-end Tech’s. This is missing in Fat, Thin and 4-piece travel British Tech’s as well as the Milady version. The top cap is, as seen in the photos at the start of the thread, different for these razors also. I don’t believe, therefore, that you have a mismatch as all of these razors came to me in mint condition (and some were still in the original cellophane). Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
that is absolutely awesome ,thank you..i have an nos set with your red and white case,#27 set ,but my razor has the non ridged plate ,fat handle and lettering above the pins..thank you..
Do you mean this set? I’ve checked some of my other Tech’s and there is an error in my post - the writing is above the pins in all the other examples I’ve looked at. Therefore, the two service set Tech’s in the red and blue cases are the anomalies as they have the lettering below the pins. I’ve also found another example of the service set in a Bakelite case. I knew I had another one somewhere. The handle is still in cellophane and the head looks to be unused. This has the alternative font on the baseplate but doesn’t have any ridges on the safety bar. I’ve got two of these baseplates (alternative font with no ridges on the safety bar) in my collection and the other came with a thin tech handle. It’s difficult to say how commonplace these baseplates were. I’ve only ever seen two of them in the time I’ve been collecting early British Tech’s so I don’t think they’re that common. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Awesome! I’ve only seen them in the bottom red and blue versions and the blue tin versions. Now I need to hunt down the hollow fluted handle version
That set looks to be in excellent condition Gary. I think the set I have may have been on shop display for a number of years. It’s covered in a thick layer of dust, the inner card has been trimmed with scissors (I’m not sure why) and the price has had a 5 shilling label cut from elsewhere and stuck over the original price. Let me know if there’s anything in particular you’re looking for guys and I’d be more than happy to look out for it on this side of the Atlantic. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
i would like to find a nicer example of my service razor if possible, the plating on the cap and baseplate is pretty much gone on mine ..thank you
I’ll keep an eye out and see if I come across anything. If I do, I’ll let you know. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I don't know if the lack of ridges is particularly common, but there is this one which I picked up last week (on the right in both pictures): No ridges but an unusual center slot. Based on the shape and the plating, it appears to have been modified at the factory after the initial manufacture but prior to plating.
That centre slot style is pretty rare John. I’ve only seen a few examples of it out of the 100+ British Tech’s I’ve bought, sold and own. The same design is repeated in the Long Comb OC New and is equally as rare there. The baseplate on the left is a style that’s relatively uncommon in flat bottom Techs. The ridged bar is pretty difficult to come by in a Flat Bottomed Tech and I’ve not seen it in combination with the 4-piece travel handle before. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Curiouser and curiouser. I picked up the 4-piece on eBay where it came with an unopened pack of blades in the case for a Star razor. The handle pattern seems to be odd as I can find examples with the barber pole knurling or the latitudinal grooves, but not both.
I didn’t notice that I’m the picture but I see exactly what you mean. I’ve got two differing versions on the Barber pole style in my collection and neither have the longitudinal grooves and that’s the first example I’ve seen. I’ve owned a 4-piece non-barber pole handle with a knurled pattern and longitudinal grooves before and the early Canadian versions also have longitudinal grooves. It looks like you could have a pretty rare razor there. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk