- Joined
- Aug 28, 2009
- Messages
- 7,951
For me it changes, when I started I wanted an Aristocrat. I didn't care what year or condition, or even the country of origin. On my first razor hunt I found a 1949 Gillette Aristocrat. Most of the gold was worn off, but it was mechanically sound. It was also my first TTO. I also scored a pre war Tech with the triangular holes on that same hunt so I never felt the need to hunt down an early Tech.
The next was the search for a Gillette Slim Adjustable. I couldn't find one in the wild so I switched over to the digital world. I made a few ebay bids on some, but got out bid on everyone. Then I found a Slim on a BST and snapped it up.
A month or so later I had been given a Franken razor that had a Canadian New head and a Probak handle, so I wanted to see what the real deal was like. I found one with a Bar handle in the BST of another forum and snapped it up, and it came with 4 other razors to boot. A Gillette Single Ring, The New, 2 post War Ball End Techs, and a post war Fat Handle Tech.
Next was a 40s Super Speed, I had seen a few Super Speeds in the Flea Markets and Antique Stores, but all of them were way over priced for the condition they were in. $20 or more for brassed out, bent safety bars, dropped TTO nobs and none of them was the 40s variant. I made a comment on another forum about how hard it was to find a 40s Super Speed up here in Canada. Rockets are like weeds but the Super Speeds were sort of like hen's teeth. I got a PM offering me a, as he called it, a user grade 40s Super Speed in my price range for a user. I took the offer and received what I would call a very good grade razor. All the plating was there safety bars were straight and the TTO worked flawlessly. Turns out the guy was a collector and if it wasn't perfect he called it user grade and sold them off.
Then just as I was starting to think what razor would I hunt for next, a New Standard or the much praised Red Tip Flare Tip, I get a PM offering me a Red Tip
Got to love BFC and its members, some of the best people out there:thumbup:
So now I am on the hunt for a good New Standard/Improved to add to my collection of "user" razors. I haven't had much luck yet, but half the fun is the hunt. Digging through that dark corner at the Flea Market scrounging the yard sales and Antique shops.
Along the way I have scored razors I wasn't looking for, some I keep, most I give away after cleaning them up. I think I have been given, found and bought more than 100 razors in the last year, with the most I have paid for a razor being $35. The 5 razor score to get the Single Ring and New was $55 shipped, my best purchase deal per razor. Yet with all the razors I have possessed I only have 17 left that I call my own. I have only ever sold one razor, the rest I have given away, and I like it like that. I was stupid enough to give away my EJ89L, I regret giving that one away, but the guy I gave it to was happy so that makes some what worth while.
As you may be able to tell my tastes lean towards vintage Gillette razors, I have had a couple of Ever Readies, a Gem, 2 Autostrop, and a Rolls razor, but he SE bug hasn't bit me. I also found a replacement for the EJ89L, it is the new Edwin Jagger DE89BA11. I find it to be a appealing looking razor, with hints of the classic Gillette Ball End handle.
The next was the search for a Gillette Slim Adjustable. I couldn't find one in the wild so I switched over to the digital world. I made a few ebay bids on some, but got out bid on everyone. Then I found a Slim on a BST and snapped it up.
A month or so later I had been given a Franken razor that had a Canadian New head and a Probak handle, so I wanted to see what the real deal was like. I found one with a Bar handle in the BST of another forum and snapped it up, and it came with 4 other razors to boot. A Gillette Single Ring, The New, 2 post War Ball End Techs, and a post war Fat Handle Tech.
Next was a 40s Super Speed, I had seen a few Super Speeds in the Flea Markets and Antique Stores, but all of them were way over priced for the condition they were in. $20 or more for brassed out, bent safety bars, dropped TTO nobs and none of them was the 40s variant. I made a comment on another forum about how hard it was to find a 40s Super Speed up here in Canada. Rockets are like weeds but the Super Speeds were sort of like hen's teeth. I got a PM offering me a, as he called it, a user grade 40s Super Speed in my price range for a user. I took the offer and received what I would call a very good grade razor. All the plating was there safety bars were straight and the TTO worked flawlessly. Turns out the guy was a collector and if it wasn't perfect he called it user grade and sold them off.
Then just as I was starting to think what razor would I hunt for next, a New Standard or the much praised Red Tip Flare Tip, I get a PM offering me a Red Tip
Got to love BFC and its members, some of the best people out there:thumbup:So now I am on the hunt for a good New Standard/Improved to add to my collection of "user" razors. I haven't had much luck yet, but half the fun is the hunt. Digging through that dark corner at the Flea Market scrounging the yard sales and Antique shops.
Along the way I have scored razors I wasn't looking for, some I keep, most I give away after cleaning them up. I think I have been given, found and bought more than 100 razors in the last year, with the most I have paid for a razor being $35. The 5 razor score to get the Single Ring and New was $55 shipped, my best purchase deal per razor. Yet with all the razors I have possessed I only have 17 left that I call my own. I have only ever sold one razor, the rest I have given away, and I like it like that. I was stupid enough to give away my EJ89L, I regret giving that one away, but the guy I gave it to was happy so that makes some what worth while.
As you may be able to tell my tastes lean towards vintage Gillette razors, I have had a couple of Ever Readies, a Gem, 2 Autostrop, and a Rolls razor, but he SE bug hasn't bit me. I also found a replacement for the EJ89L, it is the new Edwin Jagger DE89BA11. I find it to be a appealing looking razor, with hints of the classic Gillette Ball End handle.
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