Has a Z on the left and a 1 on the right. Non adjustable. Flared at bottom, where you twist. No imprint on cap. Came in a plastic box, red on the bottom, clear on top. Patent 2562115. Owned by my father in law’s father. Found in family cabin at Lake George, NY. Has a Wilkinson blade in it, made in England. Another unopened blade in a white plastic tuck. Ideas on model and year? And how to clean up? It’s not dirty, but it has little specs of corrosion. Thanks!
Gillette Flare Tip (not Flair). Date code Z1 = first quarter of 1954, or 1979. I'm pretty sure the earlier year.
1954 makes more sense to me too, but 70’s is possible I guess. I can’t believe my wife’s grandpa would be buying a new DE in his advanced years. This is a practical family that tends to buy something of decent quality once and use it forever. Plus, 1954 would def be cooler! So is the name “Flare Tip”? Or is this also a Tech or some other such thing? And is this a mild to medium aggression razor? I’d like some cleaning tips so I can take it for a spin.,
Another question. If I wanted to plate this razor with Rhodium or rose gold or whatever, where does one do that?
Unless you are having it done for sentimental or heirloom purposes, redoing the plating would be waste of money on a razor like this. They are plentiful and you can get mint examples to use for $20 or less on ebay or even in antique shops if you scour enough of them.
It would be purely sentimental, and I appreciate what you’re saying, because I never even met my wife’s grandpa, so probably won’t throw any cash on this one.
Clean and polish it first. You'd be surprised how well they clean up and good they look. Use warm soapy water and a toothbrush then to polish either a metal polish like flitz or use stainless steel sink cleaner like Cameo that you buy in the super market.
Kinda hard to tell, but it looks like all it needs is a good soaking and cleaning with a toothbrush in Dawn Dish soap. And afterwards a good polish with something like Flitz to bring the shine back.
Very cool. I have my Granddads 1957 Super Speed. His does not look as good as that. A little elbow grease and you will be amazed how good it looks probably.
The one I have has an L and a 3. On the inside it says patent nos. On pkg Razor emporium has a list of date codes. From what I can only guess at by the L, mine is from 41 or 66? Where do you knowledgeable gents get most of the information on identifying razors and dates? Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk
Gillette started date coding blades in 1930 and razors formally in 1951 for stuff made in the US. In 1950 they only stamped razors made in third quarter V 3 and those stampings are considered a test stamping. Any Gillette razors that say made Pat Nos on Pkg are 50 and up.
It's an all brass razor with a nickel plate. With time and use the plating may wear thin and show the solid metal underneath. Be gentle scrubbing it with an old toothbrush after soaking it in very warm water and Dawn dish soap. If you use a polish make sure it's a mild abrasive since it may polish off the nickle plate. After you get it clean if it's sticky, put a couple drops of mineral oil (or baby oil - same thing with a little scent added.) down the tube, and up from the TTO knob. I think it was Jim @jimjo1031 posted the photo of "1st year Flare", so it's the Tech razor that replaced the previous Tech. This is the Regular model - medium aggressive. There's also a Blue Tip with a blue knob & aluminum shafted handle - Mild. The other if you want the set is the Red Tip. It's heavier, more aggressive and had a red TTO knob. The Flare Tip is a great DE, they made millions of em, and they sell fairly cheap. That's a First Year so it's kind of special. Being heirloom - from a family member - adds to the personal value. The cost of having it replated exceeds the retail value of the razor. Not saying don't, but if you check ebay, you'll see many like it for +/- $20.
What you have is a "Gillette Flare Tip Super Speed". That model was made from 1954 to 1966 at which point it was replaced by the Black Handle Super Speed that continued in production until 1988. Flare Tips had several variations from the regular model (what you have) to the milder Blue Tip, more aggressive Red Tip - both made from 1955-60 - and the TV Special made for just 1958. Over the years they didn't change too much and Gillette made millions of them; they were a very popular razor. The ones made in the 50's had a head with a somewhat higher profile, and in 1958 the tip's retaining screw was replaced by a press fitting. You should be able to find any of them on the usual auction sites. Most are relatively inexpensive with only the Red Tip commanding somewhat higher prices. Here's a "family" shot... Yours should be like the model at the bottom right.
Also check the razor master sticky thread. These 2 threads listed there are good reference sources on the US made Gillette Super Speed razors. https://theshaveden.com/forums/thre...ess-info-you-probably-dont-need-to-know.8468/ https://theshaveden.com/forums/threads/asylumguidos-guide-to-super-speed-identification.8461/
