A Nice little find: A Gillette Aristocrat

[bill_mchale]

Hi all, I have only been wet shaving with a DE blades for a few weeks, but I made nice little find over the New Year's Day Weekend. My wife and I were down at her grandparents house. Her family is rather large (Her mother is one of 8) and as a result, when we go down there we actually usually end up staying in a part of the house that is totally unoccupied the rest of the time.

So anyway I was poking around in the Guest Bathroom and what did I find but a little brown case marked Gillette. I opened it up and sure enough there was a Gillette Aristocrat Razor in decent condition (The case is in somewhat less decent condition.. but that is ok). From the wiki, I was able to place it to the run of Aristocrats that were made from 1948-1950. I am not sure when this razor had last been used; my guess would be that it probably was at least 20 years ago (A conservative estimate on when this bathroom was last used as a family bathroom before my wife's youngest Uncle joined the Air Force).

So anyway, I brought it home, cleaned it up a bit and popped a Gillette 7 blade in it (It seemed appropriate to use a Gillette Blade in it :)). Two shaves on it now in two nights.

Now, I only have one other razor, a 3 week old Parker 82R TTO Razor that has a longer handle and almost 3/4 of an oz more weight. So its an interesting comparison.

In general, I think both razors are well made (Not sure what the old Parker TTO head was like, but the new one seems pretty sturdy). The extra weight on the Parker seems to allow it to glide a bit more smoothly but that could also be differences in my prep since I got home (during the week, I normally shave in the evening and shower in the morning, during the break I was shaving with the Parker generally right after a hot shower... also was face lathering because I didn't bring my mug with me... I get a better lather in the mug, but perhaps face lathering is getting my skin more ready since its getting more time with the brush). Neither gets my neck completely smooth.. at least not without tearing it up.. but since I am only three weeks into shaving, that probably is my technique more than anything else.

--
Bill

[mkevenson]

Thanks for the report. WE LOVE PICS

You are now on your way, to wealth, fame and happiness.

Or at least RAD

[Fatboy Slimhandle]

Good find, and a family heirloom too! That Aristocrat is one of my favorite razors. As mentioned- PICS!

[moshulu]

Thanks for the story. A picture would be nice. There are so many Aristocrats. You will probably want them all....

[Darjeeling Express]

Wonderful story. Looking forward to the pics.

[JoeH]

Heirloom razors are the best. At Christmas I took home a 1912 model Gem that was owned by my grandfather. Every time I shave with it, I'll remember him.

[hypo_style]

Great story! Thanks for sharing.

[BBrad]

Great find!! The '48-'50 Aristocrat has been my favorite for quite a while. Great performance regardless of what blade I use in it.

[Copierguy]

Aristocrats are my favorite razors.....hope to see photos of your family razor.

Congrats on the find.

[bill_mchale]

Ok, lets see if this works..
Here are two pictures of the razor with its case:
Aristocrat_1.jpg
Aristocrat_2.jpg

And now the following three include my Parker 82R so that you can get an idea of the size and the head of each. I tried to get a close up of the heads, but my camera won't focus close enough. Maybe later I will try blowing up the heads electronically.
aristocrat_3.jpg
aristocrat_4.jpg
aristocrat_5.jpg

Anyway, I hope this works and I hope you guys enjoy. I hope I shrank them enough.

--
Bill

[thirdeye]

So anyway I was poking around in the Guest Bathroom
Bill

Dude, remind me never to invite you to my house...











Oh ya, no worries, I don't have a guest bathroom anyway.

[bill_mchale]

LOL, I wouldn't have done it except I know this bathroom is never used anymore unless some guests are around. Heck, anywhere in that part of the house is like a visit to 20 years ago; the newest thing there is a monitor from an IBM PS2. I suspect that if family from out of town never visited that it would never be used.

--
Bill

[thirdeye]

LOL, I wouldn't have done it except I know this bathroom is never used anymore unless some guests are around. Heck, anywhere in that part of the house is like a visit to 20 years ago; the newest thing there is a monitor from an IBM PS2. I suspect that if family from out of town never visited that it would never be used.

--
Bill

IBM PS2...dang...I'm old now....

[valmara1971]

Dude, remind me never to invite you to my house...
Oh ya, no worries, I don't have a guest bathroom anyway.

No do it, but have your lazer covering the shave den set to kill

[Dustinl]

Dude, remind me never to invite you to my house...:blink

LOL!!! I was thinking maybe he left something out like maybe "I asked if I could have that razor I found in the bathroom that is never used, and they smiled and said 'why, of coarse!'"


Nice looking Aristocrat!


DL

[bill_mchale]

LOL!!! I was thinking maybe he left something out like maybe "I asked if I could have that razor I found in the bathroom that is never used, and they smiled and said 'why, of coarse!'"


Nice looking Aristocrat!


DL

Of course I asked.. Jeeze.. I figured he was complaining about me poking around the bathroom. Certainly if I stole something (Not that I would), I wouldn't be foolish enough to post it here where it could later be used as evidence against me .

--
Bill

[Dustinl]

Of course I asked.. Jeeze.. I figured he was complaining about me poking around the bathroom. Certainly if I stole something (Not that I would), I wouldn't be foolish enough to post it here where it could later be used as evidence against me .

--
Bill

I know Bill, I'm just messin' with ya!


DL

[*King G*]

very nice- I would have fallen over out of disbelief if that had happened to me. Nice score.

[hypo_style]

That razor looks gorgeous, and the case even better than described.
Nice find!

I love my '48-'50 Aristocrat...it's my go-to razor for whenever I have more than a day's growth of facial hair!

[bill_mchale]

The damage to the case is mostly in the lining...its not very visible from the angle I took the photo from, but it is definitely there.

--
Bill