The aristocracy

Hey guys,


Recently I have taken an interest in getting my hands on an Aristocrat. I have been keeping an eye out on ebay, looking at prices, and models...and I am clueless.

It seems that some are gold plated, and are selling for 200 bucks and some are brass and selling for anywhere from 40 to 100? Is it really gold plated? Is there a difference in the shave when using gold?

There seem to be so many models. Anyone got a handy comparison guide? I'm pretty sure I really want one.

I'll take whatever info you folks have!
Thanks!

American Aristocrats are all gold plated and usually go for much less than British Aristocrats, even the US OC '34 and '36 Aristocrats.

British Aristocrats came in rhodium, gold and later models such as the #66 are rhodium + polished nickel (head), and the #70 set which is the same razor as the #66 set is all nickel.

Here you can see the OC Aristocrats:

http://www.mr-razor.com/Rasierer/One-Piece open comb/open comb.htm

And here you have the safety bars:

http://www.mr-razor.com/Rasierer/One-Piece solid guard bar/solid guard bar.htm

Nuclearblast, in the second link it lists super speed, and Milord, among others. Are they in the Aristocrat family? What exactly makes an..Aristocrat?

ShaveDrunk said:

Nuclearblast, in the second link it lists super speed, and Milord, among others. Are they in the Aristocrat family? What exactly makes an..Aristocrat?

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No ... They are together because they're all safety bar TTO razors.

I'm sorry, I was too lazy to post their individual links, as there's quite a few of them.

Achim has them ID'ed as Aristocrats though, so it should be easy to spot them.

Hello ShaveDrunk, I think the first things you should consider when searching for your favorite Aristocrat, is do you want a safety bar model, or do you want an open comb model. Then decide if you want a gold one or a rhodium one. Personally I like the gold models, and they are mostly US made. The British models are mostly rhodium and while they are well made, and beautiful, they are far more costly. My journey through the Aristocracy started with a 1946/47 US Aristocrat, and they are still my favorite Aristocrat. So much so I have four of them. I think they are the most reasonably priced of the Aristocrats as well. The 1930's years of Aristocrats are the most popular among the majority of us, both the US made, and the English made. Most or all of these models are open comb models. They are all very attractive, but the US made Aristocrats seem to sell for less money. I guess it's a matter of what you want in an Aristocrat. Open comb, or safety bar, gold or silver toned, and US made or English made. Whatever you decide on do plenty of research first. Good luck.

I've been told before that it isn't proper to talk about price on this forum. Is there a particular place that I can go to view the going rates? Looking at eBay and seeing $250 models, I am trying to distinguish what is so..great.. about them. Ebay really isn't helping much with the great price gaps.

Some of the eBay prices fall into the "wishful thinking" category. Have a look at the completed listings for a more realistic market price.

Cheers, George

GBinOZ said:

Some of the eBay prices fall into the "wishful thinking" category. Have a look at the completed listings for a more realistic market price.

Cheers, George

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Words of wisdom!

Can someone explain the differences in the following U.S. Gillette Aristocrat models, and how they shave differently? Thanx.

1934
1936
1947
1950

Good luck with your search. Be patient and you can find the right razor at the right price.

santamariasteve said:

Can someone explain the differences in the following U.S. Gillette Aristocrat models, and how they shave differently? Thanx.

1934
1936
1947
1950

Click to expand...

The 1934 and 1936 are open combs and would be more aggressive than the safety bar models. They also have the very attractive barberpole or bulldog knurling. The 1947 is thought by some to be the most aggressive Aristocrat of all....I am not amongst them. The 1950 is the least aggressive. The 1940/50 Aristocrats have similar head configuration to the Super Speeds, but have a more substantial handle and the gold plating.

Cheers, George

I don't know if this is a '34 or a '36 American Aristocrat. It came in its case which was shabby but the razor is first rate. For me it really is all it is cracked up to be as a shaver. Very efficient and very comfortable. My favorite "go-to" Gillette model, this one sees the lion's share of use throughout the year except when I rotate some other vintage Gillette model in just for fun. It's seen use for two years now and the gold plating is just as bright and clean as it was when these photos were taken. I'm thinking the pre-war Aristocrats received a thicker, more durable gold plating job, a pre-war Gillette ad I've seen stating a 24-kt gold plating for the Aristocrat but only generally mentioning gold plating for the other gold-plated Gillette models in the line. The other gold-plated Gillette models from the era display noticeably less plating durability.

That is '36 American Aristocrat and looks in great shape - much better than my '36 British Aristocrat!
I really like it! Enjoy that fine razor!

I just picked up my first Aristocrat. A user grade NDC. It has plating loss along the bar and the doors. It is currently battling with the Bostonian I found at the local antique shop for my number two spot. I love em both but now seeing this '36.... Well it is beautiful!

GBinOZ said:

Some of the eBay prices fall into the "wishful thinking" category. Have a look at the completed listings for a more realistic market price.

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This is very true.
Collectors pay a lot for these, especially if there is a case in better shape.

For us who prefer to shave with Aristocrats I will give you a visual map to go by:

The shave is very efficient with these. The US '34 is the least efficient, followed by the #15, #16 and "22 for me.

Together the form a nice quartet. I load a fresh blade in the US '34 and move it after a week into the next more efficient razor.

The entry level US made Aristocrats are very nice shavers too and markedly more efficient than the typical entry level Zamak razor (Merkur and Mühle/Jagger).

Hope this helps!

santamariasteve said:

Can someone explain the differences in the following U.S. Gillette Aristocrat models, and how they shave differently? Thanx.

1934
1936
1947
1950

Click to expand...

34' on the left and 36' on right.
The 36' has a higher head.