Probak info

[Sled Dog]

Yours is in much nicer condition than the one I found!
Dont know if these were a Goodwill variant, especially if they came in the case that mine came in. Goodwills were free when you bought 10 blades for $1.00.
I think these were sold after the Goodwills as an option to the NEW models....but who knows

I found this one in Montréal, 2 weeks ago. It's more than a theorie when there is a bunch of identical razors.

View attachment 271525

 

[MacDaddy]

I've seen these out of Canada before, although I don't know that I've ever seen them with a Probak handle. I don't know that I would call them a Goodwill variant, per se, but the were pretty clearly made to serve the same sort of purpose -- to make it so that the razor's head would not work with the older three-hole blades with rounded ends. The modifications on the corners of the cap and guard plate made it so that the head would only accept Gillette's NEW blades or the Probak blades, which had the patent-protected knocked out corners.

If I were to just take a shot in the dark I'd probably guess that these were a precursor to Gillette Canada getting tooled up to produce their Goodwill heads, but I don't really know.

 

[Maxime D.]

I saw 2 Made in Canada Goodwill with this handle but your razor I the only I saw like mine. That make me happy to know that it isnt a frakenrazor XD

 

[Sled Dog]

If I were to just take a shot in the dark I'd probably guess that these were a precursor to Gillette Canada getting tooled up to produce their Goodwill heads, but I don't really know.

Thats a good shot in the dark and makes sense...

That make me happy to know that it isnt a frakenrazor

I think these are a Gillette factory frankenrazer...I think these were made from existing parts

Hard to say what Gillette was coming out with in the early 30's, it was a pretty crazy time with the forced merger with Autostrop, the depression, law suits, King Gillette dying, new management, stocks dropping like a rock...its surprising they managed to come out with new models at all, let alone stay in business...a lot of companies have failed under less pressure

 

[alex2363]

I've seen these out of Canada before, although I don't know that I've ever seen them with a Probak handle. I don't know that I would call them a Goodwill variant, per se, but the were pretty clearly made to serve the same sort of purpose -- to make it so that the razor's head would not work with the older three-hole blades with rounded ends. The modifications on the corners of the cap and guard plate made it so that the head would only accept Gillette's NEW blades or the Probak blades, which had the patent-protected knocked out corners.

If I were to just take a shot in the dark I'd probably guess that these were a precursor to Gillette Canada getting tooled up to produce their Goodwill heads, but I don't really know.

porter, I go with your theory, you seem well informed in this area all the time. So its not a Variant then..............

 

[Chronarch]

Received my Probak (division of AutoStrop) double edge razor yesterday in the mail and gave it a try this morning. Cleaned it up last night using some Dawn dish soap, hot water, and a toothbrush. The razor is in decent user condition with intact nickel plating. It does have a couple of tiny handle cracks but they have no impact on functionality. The razor itself is a nice simple design I will describe as a marriage of the Old and NEW types. You can definitely see that there are elements of the NEW Goodwill in the head design and blade alignment. Its similar to an Old Type in that the blade almost sits right on the teeth of the open comb. Easy to see why Gillette bought AutoStrop and Probak and snagged some of the design elements. Or did Probak copy Gillette? Guess that's why the court battle ensued and Gillette just bought them instead of fighting it out. Now onto the shave.

Used a little Proraso green pre-shave and lathered up some Razo KOTC Lime w/ a Gillette Silver Blue. I have a beard right now so I was only able to test the razor out on my cheeks and neck. I figure this a fair review since the neck is one of the toughest spots to shave. I did a three pass shave (WTG, XTG, ATG) using nice smooth strokes. The razor felt like it is on the lighter side but no worries. The shave was super smooth, efficient, and effortless. The shave was definitely just as nice as my NEW LC and better than my Old Types. I will also say that I got mostly a BBS neck shave with a few DFS areas, which is quite uncommon for me. My other razors mostly produce DFS with a few BBS areas. Finished up with a nice splash of Speick and started my day off. Final thoughts: the Probak is a fantastic razor that has definitely made my rotation and shaves just as well as a NEW for me. Now for the eye candy.

 

[nuclearblast]

Nice razor, congrats.

Actually, short story (if I understood it correctly) Gillette copied the Probak , got sued for it and that's what caused the merger with Autostrop.

 

[Chronarch]

That was also my understanding based on some of details I could find. Henry Gaisman of AutoStrop went on to be the Chairman of Gillette after the merger. Pretty cool story there.

 

[BSAGuy]

Congrats on the score and the shave. Super cool to have the case, too.

Glad it is working so well for you.

 

[xillion]

Probaks are great shavers and yours looks great.

Another tidbit I never knew was that Probak pins/studs came in a variety of configurations.

http://www.google.com/patents/US1905699



My Probak has the diamond with a tail or "goldfish" pins.

Jeff_H, a fellow member, thought they looked like Goldfish snacks.

 

[Rai Tech]

Nice looking razor there. Combined with a great shave, can't beat that!

 

[DrAwkward]

The Probak does not get much press, but it is a great razor.
I have two, although I have no good reason for owning more than one: similar to the #13 and #14 from Chris' patent application picture.

 

[kingfisher]

Mine looks like the illustration numbered 11.

It's a great razor. I always pair the head with a modern, heavier handle, usually a UFO. I find the sound to be tinny, but the shave to be smooth and non-irritating. A keeper, for sure.

Try it out with a heavier handle, if you have one, and see what you think. An underappreciated razor.

 

[kcb5150]

Probaks are some of the most underrated of all DE. They shave great, the posts align the blade dead on every time and the tabs are covered. It's a great daily solution.

 

[Chronarch]

I also liked how the cap covers the razor tabs. Forgot to mention that in my review. The patent illustrations of the blade posts is curious. Seems like just in this thread we have 4-5 of the 8 post configurations covered. Wonder if anyone has the bottom plates similar to Figures 15 or 16?

 

[xillion]

There is a Fig. 11 shown below:

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/264427-Probak-materials-and-manufacturing-dates

And here is one with round studs shown in the illustration below.

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/131198-FS-Gillette-Good-Will-Super-Speed-Probak-(conus)

 

[armybuck041]

I've got a figure 12. Unfortunately my top cap is some how bent rendering the razor un-useable

 

[Chronarch]

It almost seems like the Probak razor posts / blade design and patents account for much of the present day blade design. Very interesting.

 

[DrAwkward]

I've got a figure 12. Unfortunately my top cap is some how bent rendering the razor un-useable

I thought a Goodwill cap might work for you, but it does not. Probak's tabs are not in the corners ...

It almost seems like the Probak razor posts / blade design and patents account for much of the present day blade design. Very interesting.

Yes, indeed, we owe modern blade design to the Probak.

 

[Graydog]

I have asked a few of the Men with Much Wisdom here on B&B thru PM. and just wanted to post this to a Larger group of Shave enthusiasts To find out as much info that I can.
There are a few post here that provide some information but I still have a few unanswered Questions that maybe are out there . One question I have is the metal that was used as the base for the razor head?
I have also read that some find the shave to be comparable to The Gillette NEW long comb , I guess I'm just looking for anybody with experience with a OC PROBAK , positive and negative