A bit more on that single long slot FB Tech of mine... I was lamenting its aggressiveness in the January Focus thread. I had narrowed the issue to the cap but assumed that it was from erosion of the metal on the edges. I took a close look at it yesterday, however, and realized that the cap is physically narrower (shallower?) than a US cap of that era. You can actually see this somewhat in the picture where I compare it to my other FB Tech. The result is less blade curvature, a bigger gap, and more aggressiveness. I don't think this is a user modification, however, as things seem to uniform. Rather, it seems to have been intended at the factory. It actually reminds me of my least favorite Tech- a British post-War Aluminium Tech. That one is also narrower in both the cap and baseplate. Was Gillette in England producing razors to a couple of different measures? Or were there people who wanted a more aggressive razor in a sort of warm beer and sweetmeats pudding kind of way?
i am finding out that there is more to these techs than previously thought.the heavier grooves on the guard bar of the service tech baseplate(the base place on your four piece razor) closely resemble the guard bar of my pre/post u.s techs .the service baseplate as i call it and your long slot version could be transitional designs toward the use of the diamond stamped baseplate. i could be totally wrong of course..i am really getting into these tech razors..they are cool to seek out and collect and are more unique than the standard pre/post war north american versions of which there are still lots of on the market..they are overlooked compared to the aristocrats and other higher end gillettes ,and are from a small slice of time after ww2 when england was broke and trying to rebuild..more research...
The grooved safety bar is something that US Techs had from the beginning. I'm wondering if the British ones with the grooved safety bar might be later production, perhaps post-War, made when the required tooling could be imported from the US or no longer in wartime demand. I agree with you about how interesting the Tech can be, especially the WWII-era ones. I've said it before, I envy you all in England and Europe with access to such unique versions. That said, the US and Canada seem to have their share of oddball versions; they're just a lot harder to notice. (I'm still blown away at finding a Canadian Tech with a steel triangle baseplate and a French-style Bakelite handle or realizing that some early post-War US ones were still made with plated Steel baseplates.) One of my Grail Razors is the RFB Tech.
i agree,with the post war production,the guard bar closely resembles my 1950 ball end and 49 fat handle british techs ,both have the diamond stamped baseplate and no gillette markings etched on the caps..
