Beginner's Guide to Vintage Gillette Military Safety Razor Wet Shave Sets

[@saxman7131]

Hi Matt. I have my dads set from WWII. he was a DDay Veteran. The handle is Bakelite the top cap is aluminum but the bottom piece is either plastic or Bakelite. It has a small piece broken off. The ox is plastic and is embossed with the Gillette logo. It’s the razor that got me started in wet shaving. God I miss him.

[@silverwiskers7371]

i took a deer antler and shaped it into a handle and people loved it so much i made dozens

[@vincenzocalia6552]

What a history lesson! Thank you very much for it.

[@brianfuller5868]

Very informative. It's true that up to WW1, many men still used straight razors.

[@peterwoods3623]

Well done, Matt. Your production techniques get better every time. Best wishes, Peter and Diana in sunny Sydney.

[@BuffaloNickel9]

Cool stuff Matthew. A dated video I just stumbled upon? yes. Just shows nobody else out there has been doing it like you..Very neat. Gillette Nostalgia, you sell, restore Fatboys Slims etc, & took iconic Gillette design cues plus modern precision milling to inspire the Rex line. I could've punched you for not reading that note though! In another video you said? no time to find it now, time for a shave. Rex + Permasharp or Gillette Platinum today.. setting 2

[@1MinuteFlipDoc]

Great video! Love the history lesson!

[@saxman7131]

My father was a DDay Veteran. His is a black plastic/like case with Bakelite handle and a metal top. It does not have any cloth material inside the case at all. Sadly, the bottom plate has about half of one side broken off. I just display it. It’s good to know this was not issued to him but yet his personal choice.

[@romansroad2007]

That was really cool. My dad was in ww2 thinking about what he shaved with

[@jcldano]

I inherited my grandfather's WWI Khaki Set, the type discussed at 1:20. Curiously, there are no U.S. Army markings on any of the pieces you mention, but there's a nice Blue Blade in the container! On the bottom of the case is hand-written in dark ink his Army serial number, which matches his round dog tags (on the original leather strap) in my possession. I cannot know if this was Army issue or not, but I received this kit along with his dog tags, a plastic box with his uniform buttons and unit medallion, and a few other items.

[@Ryansanders80]

John L that makes me think he had the original, and then lost it, and bought another from a store

[@canadachill5964]

I agree, I have a WWI army issued set that has no markings on it but came from an estate sale with full uniform, war records etc. So it is authentic. It's in a cloth 4 panel slip case that has 4 flaps that folds shut.

[@captainkuijt]

I recently bought a WWI Khaki set as well, the serial number matches the time period but just like you mentioned, it doesn't have the US Army markings on neither the case nor the razor itself. Still not entirely sure what this means, perhaps the earlier sets didn't have the markings on them. I'll do some more research and see what I can find.

[@hickorystick597]

Very interesting info. Thanks for creating such a great and informative video.

[@onewhowaits7674]

Very informative, thank you so much for the video!

[@Soapcommander]

Awesome video...thanks so much for sharing.

[@sbcwinn]

I love your videos. Especially ones that feature a history lesson as well. Very enjoyable. Matt my company imports and designs DE razors. Our next model is a stainless steel replica of a 1966 Gillette Tech. I would love to send you one when it is released. Your feedback would be important to me. Please email me and tell me where to send it to.

[@RazorEmporium]

use our website contact form and I'll be happy to chat with you about that! Thx! Matt

[@antoinestrouzas1335]

Awesome video! Thank you Sir! All the best!

[@salsaslinger7585]

Awesome video with lots of great information. What would the best place to find one of these sets? What would you say is too much for a set?

[@SilverJ56]

I really enjoyed this!

[@WWIIman1942]

I've got a question about a razor I'm looking at. It's a gillette, brass razor with ball end handle, and comes in a black case with blue fabric inside. The case has a spot for the razor and a spot for a pack of blades to fit in and stand on its edge. Judging by the materials used, would this shaving kit be WWI era/interwar and not WWII? Thank you!

[@RazorEmporium]

Send a pic to [e-mail]

[@azmrblack]

Great video, but one mistake - the caps on the Gillette are not silk screened, they are lightly acid etched.

[@WWIIman1942]

I have one of those all cloth Khaki Sets with the snap closure flap, however, mine has only one snap while yours has two. Where does mine come into play?

[@RazorEmporium]

Same time frame just a different variation

[@WWIIman1942]

@@RazorEmporium OK thanks!

[@SteveKN4POP]

How can we figure out dates for handles? Sometimes I see on eBay people selling razors but I noticed that the handle is not right. Do you have a resource for that information? Thank you, Steve

[@RazorEmporium]

Send pics to [e-mail]

[@anthonylowder6687]

Say Matt what happened to the archives site and it was empty when I checked it out

[@RazorEmporium]

We are building a new site. Should be up soon.

[@stephaniebrennan9580]

Hello ! I recently purchased a vintage brass Gillette razor (ball and screw type). Where can I buy blades for this ? It did come with vintage blades but I want to preserve these. Also They don't appear to cut anything

[@RazorEmporium]

www.razoremporium.com/double-edge/

[@stephaniebrennan9580]

How clever to design a mixed bag of blades so beginners can try a range ! Very smart. Looking forward to my delivery. Thank you 😊

[@grtexas4741]

Was the clix safety razor issued during ww2?

[@RazorEmporium]

Not officially

[@grtexas4741]

@@RazorEmporium I ask because I seen a few of those razors online that said military production. But I'm guessing now they must just be one of the ones that they produced but was not actually issued. Or official sort of speak.

[@drethatbull]

how much do you guys charge to restore razors?

[@brianfuller7691]

Gillette earned an admirable brand recognition that was passed on by generation. I still have my dad's WW2 razor. But Gillette chose to discard goodwill, brand recognition and generations of loyalty. It's really a shame

[@craigmignone2863]

While in basic in the 60s the bastards made me buy my own at the PX...........