Schick band razors for dummies

Discussion in 'Safety Razors' started by BBS, Nov 29, 2020.

  1. BBS

    BBS Well-Known Member

    Since I've done dummies guides on the other Schick razors might as well do one on the band razors for completeness sake.

    Production date 1966 - 1978/79

    Schick's first foray into band razors was in 1966 almost a full year after Gillette introduced the Techmatic band razor. In 1967 they introduced the first Lady Eversharp band razor. The Lady Eversharp band razors were sold from 1967 - 1973. The Lady Eversharp band razors came in various handle colors like pink and turquoise. In 1968 they introduced the brand name Instamatic to the band razors which was used up until they stopped producing them which is assumed to be 1978 but it is known some retailers still had them on clearance as late as 1979.

    The razors came in 2 major handle styles.

    The first style only applies US made band razors for men from 1966 - 1969. They have a metal rounded portion on the handle.
    1st.jpg

    The second style was first introduced on the Lady Eversharp razors in the US in 1967 and first used on men's band razors produced in the US from 1969 until 1978/79. The handle style is also known to have been used on men's band razors in Canada starting in 67 a full 2 years prior. These do not have that metal rounded portion on the handle. They also came in 2 logo styles. in 72 they switched the logo from Schick with the triangle to a smaller lettering Schick which was underlined just like they did with the injector razors.

    1st logo, 1969 example
    2ndfront.jpg 2ndback.jpg

    2nd logo, 1972 and later
    2nd-72.jpg

    1967 Canadian example
    C67front.jpg c67back.jpg

    Lady Eversharp band razors
    le1.jpg le2.jpg le3.jpg

    Group picture of all the different known types of Schick and Lady Eversharp band razor handles
    schickbandgroup.jpg
     
    Last edited: Nov 30, 2020
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  2. BBS

    BBS Well-Known Member

    Band razor timeline. Full page adverts as seperate attachments.

    1st instance of the band razor in 1966
    1966ad.jpg

    1st instance of the Lady Eversharp band razor in 1967
    1967ad.jpg

    First instance of the Instamatic brand name in 1968
    1968ad.jpg

    Last instance of the 1st handle style for men's band razors in 1969
    1969ad_old.jpg

    First instance of the 2nd handle style for men's band razors in 1969
    1969ad_new.jpg

    Last instance of the Lady Eversharp band razor in 1973
    1973ad.jpg

    Last instance of the men's band razor in 1979
    1979ad.jpg
     

    Attached Files:

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  3. BBS

    BBS Well-Known Member

  4. Jim99

    Jim99 Gold Water Shaver

    That’s great information!
     
  5. BBS

    BBS Well-Known Member

    I have to add what really separates these from a shave performance standpoint is the band cartridges. The razors themselves are just handles without a razor head. I do know the men's cartridges and lady's cartridges were designed to shave differently. They were supposed to have changed the shave geometry on the cartridges for men's band razors starting in either 1969 with the introduction of the adjustable cartridges or 1970 sometime after Warner Lambert acquired the Schick brand from Eversharp.
     
    Last edited: Nov 30, 2020
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  6. BBS

    BBS Well-Known Member

    Concerning band razor cartridges the original non adjustable cartridges were sold between 1966 - 1972. These came far as I know in 6 or 10 edge configurations. The adjustable band razor cartridges were introduced in 1969 and sold up until 1986. These came in different edge configurations like 5, 6 or 10 edges.

    Full page adverts as attachments

    First style sold 1966 - 1972
    Schickoldcart.jpg

    example from 1969
    1969ad.jpg

    Last instance in 1972
    1972ad.jpg

    Second adjustable band style with hi / lo setting sold 1969 - 1978/79
    2nd-front.jpg

    retail package dated 1969 with adjustable cartridge head
    2nd69-front.jpg 2nd69-back.jpg

    example from 1970
    1970ad.jpg
     

    Attached Files:

    Last edited: Dec 2, 2020
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  7. BBS

    BBS Well-Known Member

    Some notes on the Canadian band razors the ones sold between 1966 and 1968 were called auto-band razors and were indeed the second style handle for that run unlike the American versions. The American versions sold between 1966 - 1968 were called band razors. How they were sold in Europe during this time period I don't not know as of now.

    US version 1966 - 1968
    US-band6668.jpg

    Canadian version 1966 - 1968
    Can-band6668.jpg
     
  8. haiti222

    haiti222 Member

    I really love seeing the ads of the various products. I would note that the blades were made for several years longer. When I searched Google Books, the refills are listed in the 1986 version of this drug store guide (can only see in search results), but were not in the 1987 version of the same book. https://www.google.com/books/edition/Product_Summary_Report/COMbAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0

    When I worked in a drugstore in 1988-89, I remember there were still band razor refills on the shelf, but they may have been Gillette ones.
     
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  9. BBS

    BBS Well-Known Member

    Thanks I updated the cartridge band information accordingly.
     
  10. BBS

    BBS Well-Known Member

    My guess is Schick would have only kept marketing band cartridges for as long Gillette kept producing the Techmatic once they discontinued the Instamatic. We know by 1985 the Techmatic was mail order only so my guess is any Schick band cartridges from sometime in 1985 or 1986 are the last production run and anything afterwards would have been excess stock. Gillette on the other hand I could see producing cartridges if they thought enough Techmatics were still being used after 1985/86. I can also see 1988 regardless of that as the cut off date for production on the band cartridges since that is the last year they produced DE razors in the US and I think they stopped the DE blades in the US also at that time. It wouldn't surprise me if they dropped the band cartridges at the same time. Anything on the shelves after that point would have been discontinued excess inventory.
     
    Last edited: Dec 2, 2020
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