First shave with the Single Ring

Oldguy · Jul 31, 2009

I finally decided to dip into my collection and shave with my oldest razor, the 1906 Single Ring in the Gillette Script case. First a little about the razor.

It's the younger brother of the 1903 Double Ring, the Holy Grail of all razors. It was sold in the Gillette Script case before Gillette adopted the famous diamond trade mark.
It is a model of simplicity while being an engineering marvel of perfect functionality. The fact that it can give a perfect shave 103 years after it was made attests to that.
It is a three piece design where the main length of the handle is attached to the blade base comb. The blade cap is screwed down to the blade base by a threaded tube inserted in the handle end.
The razor is heavy silver plated. The only plate loss on mine is at the very end tips of the comb, about the size of the head of a pin on each tooth. The yellow coloration in the bottom photo is due to my tungsten lighting.

View attachment 61013

View attachment 61014

Now for the shave.
I used the red pack Personna blade and chose Penthaligon's Blenheim Bouquet for the occasion.
First off the blade angle is a little different from a Super Speed and even a New open comb. I move the razor head more flush to my cheek to eliminate scraping. I got a very smooth, very close shave. This is heaven. I know some of you have used the Double Ring but this will probably be the closest I ever get to that. I find it is a privilege to shave with this piece of shaving history.
I went three passes and was able to go ATG everywhere except in the mustache area. There was no weepers and no irritation. I finished off with a Witch Hazel splash, Blenheim Bouquet ASB and AS. It was a great shave. I just went a little slower then normal. If you ever get a chance to try the Single Ring just do it. It's a great experience.

Len

heirkb · Jul 31, 2009

Is that the one I sent you? And is that your new case for it?
Either way, it's very nice!
I love this razor. It's not flashy at all, but it's a wonderful shaver. I'm glad you got to try one.

calcustom · Jul 31, 2009

Cool razor!
Thanks for sharing.

razor_n_blade · Jul 31, 2009

Nice looking set. :thumbup1:

A script case SR is conspicuously absent from my collection.

Oldguy · Jul 31, 2009

heirkb said:
Is that the one I sent you? And is that your new case for it?
Either way, it's very nice!
I love this razor. It's not flashy at all, but it's a wonderful shaver. I'm glad you got to try one.

This is the first Single Ring I bought a couple months ago. It came with the case and has an early 1906 serial number. The bottom of the comb does not have the Gillette diamond or Gillette logo. Also the serial number is stamped into the inside handle tube. The one I got from you is from 1920 and has absolutely no plating loss, not even on the comb tips. Still no case for it.

Len

rainman · Jul 31, 2009

I got one recently that I will try soon. Its a slightly different variant.

Oldguy · Jul 31, 2009

razor_n_blade said:
Nice looking set.

A script case SR is conspicuously absent from my collection.

The script case is fragile, at least the leather covering is. The case is made of wood and the covering, inside and out, is thin leather. The best leather in my case is the black piece the script is printed on. The outside is poor. I treated the leather, a little at a time, with Armor All Leather care. It puts lanolin and natural moisturizers back into the leather to keep it soft. It sucked it right up but it looks a lot better now.

Len

RocketMan · Aug 1, 2009

That case looks lovellllly!!!!

Does Armor All really have natural stuff and lanolin? I always thought it was some wierd unnatural stuff. I have a couple of cases that need some moisturizing but I have not yet touched them. Are you sure that Armor All is ok stuff to use??

Dink · Aug 1, 2009

I recently picked up a 1906 SR with case and blade holders and am curious about when the various changes in the case and holders came about? Mine is quite different from yours.

Cheers,
David

Ru4scuba? · Aug 1, 2009

I'll have to try this experience again. I used a Single Ring recently I acquired from another B&Ber. Shave quality...not presentation quality. Great, clean razor but with alot of Brassing etc.

I found that it was a great shave after letting my beard go a couple of days. But just on stubble...it was a bit rough. I'll have to try it again and monitor the head angle a bit more...

mdunn · Aug 1, 2009

yeah, thats a sweet looking razor alright

Oldguy · Aug 1, 2009

Dink said:
I recently picked up a 1906 SR with case and blade holders and am curious about when the various changes in the case and holders came about? Mine is quite different from yours.

Cheers,
David

Hello David,
The serial no of my razor is 654488. That's now 3 different cases from that period, mine, yours and the Script printed on satin instead of leather. Maybe the ser # will help place it.

Len

Oldguy · Aug 1, 2009

RocketMan said:
That case looks lovellllly!!!!

Does Armor All really have natural stuff and lanolin? I always thought it was some wierd unnatural stuff. I have a couple of cases that need some moisturizing but I have not yet touched them. Are you sure that Armor All is ok stuff to use??

The Armor All claims to clean, condition and protect. It claims "Conditions with Lanolin and Natural Moisturizers which nourish the leather and keep it soft"

My case was dirty, had dried out spots and was very stiff. The case cover would not stay open by itself because of the stiffness of the leather strip that acts as a hinge.
The first thing I did was apply the Armor All to the bottom of the case to see how the leather reacted. My cloth ended up dirty and the rich brown color came back to the leather. So at least it cleaned the leather. The next thing I did was apply the Armor All to the leather hinge strip with a Q-Tip. The color came back and the leather softened tup. Now the cover opens all the way and stays open. I finally treated the whole case. The spots disappeared and the leather took on a new look. It's also not dirty any more. It did a really nice job on the black leather where the Script is printed. I will be treating the leather again as I suspect it could use more moisturizing.

Len

knlgskr · Aug 1, 2009

I too have a Single Ring S/N 1904A519185(1904); it does not have any brassing but does have a couple of crack on the handle below the ring and all comb teeth are intact and straight. You can read the Pat. Nov. 04 clearly although the 4 is faintest. It is for sale, I do not have a case; it is similar to yours.

Oldguy · Aug 1, 2009

Seeker of Knowledge said:
I too have a Single Ring S/N 1904A519185(1904); it does not have any brassing but does have a couple of crack on the handle below the ring and all comb teeth are intact and straight. You can read the Pat. Nov. 04 clearly although the 4 is faintest. It is for sale, I do not have a case; it is similar to yours.

The 1904 Pat date confuses a lot of people. I have 3 Single Ring razors, 1906, 1916 and 1920. All 3 of them have the same Nov. 04 Pat no. on the handle. The Single Ring was first introduced by Gillette in June of 1906. Your A519185 ser. no places your razor in 1908. All 3 of my Single Rings look the same.

Len

razor_n_blade · Aug 1, 2009

I have a Single Ring that was potentially one of the first to come off the assembly line based on its serial number. Let's assume that the geocities dating info is reasonably correct, and we see that the serial number range for 1906 was 370425-770424. My serial number is right in the middle of that range at 531959, which, give or take, should be about mid-year, and production of the SR began in June (again, assuming geocities is correct). It's hard to see the first number in the picture, but it is definitely a "5".

Dink · Aug 1, 2009

Oldguy said:
Hello David,
The serial no of my razor is 654488. That's now 3 different cases from that period, mine, yours and the Script printed on satin instead of leather. Maybe the ser # will help place it.

Len

The serial no. on mine is 469074. In researching it I have seen a couple different case, holder combinations. Mine looks like a case and holder from a 1904 DR.

Cheers,
David

ambrose · Aug 1, 2009

I love the old types, I shaved with one today as a matter of fact.

rainman · Aug 2, 2009

Oldguy said:
I finally decided to dip into my collection and shave with my oldest razor, the 1906 Single Ring in the Gillette Script case. First a little about the razor.

It's the younger brother of the 1903 Double Ring, the Holy Grail of all razors. It was sold in the Gillette Script case before Gillette adopted the famous diamond trade mark.
It is a model of simplicity while being an engineering marvel of perfect functionality. The fact that it can give a perfect shave 103 years after it was made attests to that.
It is a three piece design where the main length of the handle is attached to the blade base comb. The blade cap is screwed down to the blade base by a threaded tube inserted in the handle end.
The razor is heavy silver plated. The only plate loss on mine is at the very end tips of the comb, about the size of the head of a pin on each tooth. The yellow coloration in the bottom photo is due to my tungsten lighting.

View attachment 61013

View attachment 61014

Now for the shave.
I used the red pack Personna blade and chose Penthaligon's Blenheim Bouquet for the occasion.
First off the blade angle is a little different from a Super Speed and even a New open comb. I move the razor head more flush to my cheek to eliminate scraping. I got a very smooth, very close shave. This is heaven. I know some of you have used the Double Ring but this will probably be the closest I ever get to that. I find it is a privilege to shave with this piece of shaving history.
I went three passes and was able to go ATG everywhere except in the mustache area. There was no weepers and no irritation. I finished off with a Witch Hazel splash, Blenheim Bouquet ASB and AS. It was a great shave. I just went a little slower then normal. If you ever get a chance to try the Single Ring just do it. It's a great experience.

Len

I just bought a single recently as well. Tried it last night. I went with your advice of the razor head more flush to the cheek and it worked like a charm. A very close and easy shave. I was very impressed.

Oldguy · Aug 2, 2009

rainman said:
I just bought a single recently as well. Tried it last night. I went with your advice of the razor head more flush to the cheek and it worked like a charm. A very close and easy shave. I was very impressed.

I learned a lot after my first shave with an Old Type a little while back. I shaved as if it were a Super Speed. Ended up with some serious razor burn. Changing that angle really works. I'm glad it worked for you.

Len

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