Gillette Ball End Tech. Solid brass (nickeled)

Sig Solo

Sig Solo

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370
Help needed!!

Won the auction on this great excellent condition Gillette Ball End Tech razor in original bakelite case. It is heavy
All brass.With original unopened Blue Gillette Blades. Made in England.
Fits perfectly in the case.
When was it produced?
What can you tell me about it?
Gillette ball end 1.jpgGillette Ball end 2.jpgGillette ball end 3.jpgGillette Ball end 4.jpgGillette Ball end 5.jpgGillette ball end 6.jpgGillette ball end 7.jpgGillette ball end 8.jpgGillette Ball end 9.jpgGillette Ball end 10.jpg


. Gillette ball end 1.jpg
 
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Congratulations! You have right there probably the finest razor ever made. The Tech has a history that spans many decades and is arguably still in production under the Sterling guise, still produced in India, China and Russia.

That model is from the 1950s. Towards the end of the decade, the baseplate and handle were often offered in aluminium. Also, the top cap would often have an etched GIllette logo. Having a bare cap is nice. The case is actually not right - that case would have paired with the earlier "flat bottom" Tech, but who cares? Leave the blades as they are - you almost certainly will not get a good shave from them and it's nice to have an unopened pack. Those blades would go back to the 1940s and would be the right blades for the earlier razor in that set.

So, what help did you need?

In my hands, I'd pop a blade in and run it through for my next shave - that will give you the "gold standard" around which you can compare all your shaves hereafter. Enjoy!
 
Thank you for your fast and precise answer, Paul.
The razor; baseplate, cap, handle fit in the case like it was always meant to be. The blades in the little cardboard box fits even tighter.
It is not made from Aluminium but from brass (nickeled). Everything seems to be new and unused.

So I have got a Franken-set?o_O
 
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You do ... but it doesn't matter.

The Tech has been the same physical external size across the whole range. So, given that the older "flat bottom" Tech was made for this box, it will fix any Tech perfectly. Yeah, the blades are a real squeeze.

Here's a snap of some Techs ...

ACtC-3d80MTIENq-bXVqPFrLAg723Kow-ZirZIVZD407J5aGR685EViIEo5TSbgbxmUUyZrV6Msa60ErmaXIz1rOhBOXrf50G6mFt7VxWqBZXVC0hPsVmb3rwaydRqhb_SNApDPiONp-Hg2-zxSCK5NEwko1hg=w1200


The "flat bottom" Tech is to the left of the middle. The one in the middle is a "raised flat bottom" (or RFB) Tech. They're kinda the holy grail, but in all honesty they all shave pretty much the same. The ones on the left are earlier American - notice the same diamond base as yours and the later ones. You might also notice the triangular shaped slots on the one furthest to the left, compared to lozenge shaped slots on all the rest. Over on the right there's a 1960s variant and an open-comb variant.
 
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A couple of years ago I bought a very similar Tech from the bay that weighs 63g unloaded. I've had little bits of information about it, but nothing that I can describe as absolutely definitive. Out of curiosity would you mind telling what your razor weighs? The link to my post in 2018 is:

www.badgerandblade.com

Gillette Tech 63 grams

Hi All I've recently purchased a 63g Tech off the Bay - sorry no picture yet. I have a number of Techs, pre war, post war, oval slot, triangle slot, fat handled, slim handled, flat bottomed, aluminium handled etc. This one interested me for it's weight and the fact that it looks in immaculate...
www.badgerandblade.com www.badgerandblade.com

Btw, it shaves superbly, as you'd expect with a Tech.
 
pjgh said:
You do ... but it doesn't matter.

The Tech has been the same physical external size across the whole range. So, given that the older "flat bottom" Tech was made for this box, it will fix any Tech perfectly. Yeah, the blades are a real squeeze.

Here's a snap of some Techs ...

ACtC-3d80MTIENq-bXVqPFrLAg723Kow-ZirZIVZD407J5aGR685EViIEo5TSbgbxmUUyZrV6Msa60ErmaXIz1rOhBOXrf50G6mFt7VxWqBZXVC0hPsVmb3rwaydRqhb_SNApDPiONp-Hg2-zxSCK5NEwko1hg=w1200


The "flat bottom" Tech is to the left of the middle. The one in the middle is a "raised flat bottom" (or RFB) Tech. They're kinda the holy grail, but in all honesty they all shave pretty much the same. The ones on the left are earlier American - notice the same diamond base as yours and the later ones. You might also notice the triangular shaped slots on the one furthest to the left, compared to lozenge shaped slots on all the rest. Over on the right there's a 1960s variant and an open-comb variant.
Click to expand...
I would say that the four to the left have too fat handles to fit in the case... Number three from the right looks like the razor that came with my case, at first glance...
 
pjgh said:
Congratulations! You have right there probably the finest razor ever made. The Tech has a history that spans many decades and is arguably still in production under the Sterling guise, still produced in India, China and Russia.

That model is from the 1950s. Towards the end of the decade, the baseplate and handle were often offered in aluminium. Also, the top cap would often have an etched GIllette logo. Having a bare cap is nice. The case is actually not right - that case would have paired with the earlier "flat bottom" Tech, but who cares? Leave the blades as they are - you almost certainly will not get a good shave from them and it's nice to have an unopened pack. Those blades would go back to the 1940s and would be the right blades for the earlier razor in that set.

So, what help did you need?

In my hands, I'd pop a blade in and run it through for my next shave - that will give you the "gold standard" around which you can compare all your shaves hereafter. Enjoy!
Click to expand...
I think it's from the '40's. Like '46 ~ '49, the cap is blank, the handle is the correct shape at the bottom, and Gillette was fast and loose with which case went with which razor, especially with the Tech. I think it is all correct.
 
Sig Solo said:
Help needed!!

Won the auction on this great excellent condition Gillette Ball End Tech razor in original bakelite case. It is heavy
All brass.With original unopened Blue Gillette Blades. Made in England.
Fits perfectly in the case.
When was it produced?
What can you tell me about it?
View attachment 61770View attachment 61771View attachment 61772View attachment 61773View attachment 61774View attachment 61775View attachment 61776View attachment 61777View attachment 61778View attachment 61779


. View attachment 61770
Click to expand...
I can tell you nothing negative. The Techs are, arguably, some of the finest vintage DEs out there. Smooth and efficient. Others will be able to advise on the providence of the Ball End fellows, but the Techs went as far as the late 1960s, possibly beyond (my first ever vintage DE was a 1968 aluminium Tech ‘Sportsman' and it's still going strong). My personal favourite is my 1948 English Flat Bed Fat Handle.

1607120050130.jpeg

8A4F0BD7-5E88-4374-9D93-549680BA6022.jpeg
Congrats, though. You have a fine purchase.
 
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TobyC said:
I think it's from the '40's. Like '46 ~ '49, the cap is blank, the handle is the correct shape at the bottom, and Gillette was fast and loose with which case went with which razor, especially with the Tech. I think it is all correct.
Click to expand...
Oh my!! That's terrific news!!
BOOM!! I have my first original full-set razor!!
Greatest news today!!

Thanks Buddy!!
 
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