I visited a junk shop the other day and asked the owner, a man in his 80s, if he had any double edge razors. In a short time he produced the one pictured below. It is a Gillette Khaki Set. During World War I Gillette contracted with the US government to produce razors for infantrymen who needed to keep their faces smooth so that gas masks would make a tight seal during mustard gas attacks. By the end of the war, GIs had used 3.5 million razors and 32 million blades. This proved to be a huge boost to Gillette's success as soldiers continued to shave with Gillette razors after the war was over.
The set I acquired has the original cardboard carton, sealed paperwork, and all twelve unopened blades. It's really well-preserved. Unfortunately, as you can see in the last picture, there are cracks in the handle rendering it unusable although I doubt I would have used it anyway. Still, it's a great display set.
The set I acquired has the original cardboard carton, sealed paperwork, and all twelve unopened blades. It's really well-preserved. Unfortunately, as you can see in the last picture, there are cracks in the handle rendering it unusable although I doubt I would have used it anyway. Still, it's a great display set.