Gillette Atra Handle Discontinued When?

Greetings and salutations Badger & Blade shaving community. I am excited to finally register and make my very first forum post:

When exactly was the Gillette Atra handle discontinued here in the United States?
I'm already aware that it was alternatively called the "Contour" and/or the "Slalom" in Europe and in some other countries and that a current, cheaper, flimsier version called the "Vector" is marketed in India. I am also already aware of the fact that various boutique brands, Colonel Conk among them, do now manufacture and sell their own interpretation of the Atra Handle. And I do know that they still sell the Atra Plus cartridges along with any number of knockoffs including those from Wilkinson Sword, Persona and various retail house brands.
So what I really want to know is:
When exactly was the Atra Razor itself, I.E. the handle, discontinued by Gillette here in the U.S.?

No idea about the USA (I don't live there), but I think the handles disappeared from the shops right after the Sensor was introduced.
I recently sold an aluminium handle (a spare one) for $20!
I suspect that the current handles are lower quality indeed.

Hello and welcome, CTB. Great to have you here. B&B is a super forum full of friendly, helpful shavers.

Welcome!

I remember the Atra fading away 1990-1993.
There was obviously old stock on the shelves after the Atra was discontinued.
I also did not pay that much attention to it, I did not like the Atra very much.

one cut said:

I remember the Atra fading away 1990-1993.
There was obviously old stock on the shelves after the Atra was discontinued.
I also did not pay that much attention to it, I did not like the Atra very much.

Click to expand...

It was worse than the Trac II but I suspect that it was better than the Sensor (never tried that one).

The Atra brought the pivot head innovation. It was my first razor, used for over 15 years and much preferred over the Trac II but eventually replaced by the Sensor Excel.

I liked the sensor a good bit better than the Atra.

one cut said:

I liked the sensor a good bit better than the Atra.

Click to expand...

My experiences with the Atra made me go back to the Trac, instead of going forward. The fixed head Trac worked well for me.

I never had a Trac. I did not know any better then.
I'm so glad I found the double edged razors.

Glad to have returned to DE. But I progressed (or regressed) from a cheap DE and cheap blades that gave me nicks, to the Atra, then the Sensor, then the Mach 3. Each step seemed like an improvement to me. It's only now that I know about good prep and have bought good razors and blades that I see what I'd missed for decades. But if I had to go back to cartridges, I'd still take a Sensor or a Mach 3 over an Atra or Trac. In general for me, the early cartridges, and especially the Bic disposables were unpleasant.

BRITD said:

The Atra brought the pivot head innovation. It was my first razor, used for over 15 years and much preferred over the Trac II but eventually replaced by the Sensor Excel.

Click to expand...

I'd guess it was about 1990 that the Atra went out and the Sensor came in. I liked both the Atra and the Sensor.
A fast smooth shave. I still use mine from time to time. Back then I used them all the time.

The Dorco two bladed razor handle fits Atra cartridges.

West Coast Shaving sells an Atra razor listed under "other razors". I don't know about authenticity, but it's $20.

Gillette's site is its typical, obfuscating, non-infortative self on this issue. What is it with razor/brush/soap companies reluctance to provide basic information? Both varieties of Wiki, pediatic and badgerous, provide no elucidation, but then I found this....

http://www.popupexplorer.com/forum/index.php?topic=75135.20;wap2

if he didn't pull it out of his refuse evacuation port, the Atra went away in 1997.

Thank you for all the welcomes.
I didn't think such an obscure little question would illicit such an enthusiastic response. That's great!

Dubber said:

Gillette's site is its typical, obfuscating, non-infortative self on this issue. What is it with razor/brush/soap companies reluctance to provide basic information? Both varieties of Wiki, pediatic and badgerous, provide no elucidation, but then I found this....

http://www.popupexplorer.com/forum/index.php?topic=75135.20;wap2

if he didn't pull it out of his refuse evacuation port, the Atra went away in 1997.

Click to expand...

Thank you sir.
I googled and dug around the internet for some time and never managed to come across this particular link/post. Indeed the timing sounds about right as I do remember seeing Atras in stores in the mid-90s when I first started shaving but not long thereafter. I appreciate your response as well as everyone else's.