Help please.

[Dandy Highwayman]

My wife gave me this razor for Christmas. She picked it up in a local fleamarket.
I have looked it up on the internet, but can't find a match.
Everything fits into the case - although one of the plastic holders that holds the handle has snapped off.
I have seen some Gibbs razors, but none like this. The blades may be a complete red herring of course.

Its about the same weight as a tech and looks unused. There doesn't appear to be any form of brand marking on it so it may be a cheapo that someone has dressed up.

I'd be interested to hear if anyone here recognises it.[attachment=4193][attachment=4194][attachment=4195][attachment=4196]

 

[Johnus]

Long time no see!! Well the good news is that I think I found it:
SHAVE LIKE A MAN!
Dedicated to the manly art of shaving like a man. Battery-powered hunks of plastic are for CHICKS! Inspired by our times, I will always endeavor to explore the BEST and CHEAPEST shaving solutions. The point here is that shaving can indeed be a cheap and enjoyable daily activity that you will actually look forward to! This is NOT about sacrifice!

Saturday, April 30, 2011
Gibbs Open Comb Traveler
To round out my collection, I wanted to try an open comb. I read about this place Deutsche Optik that was selling what they call a "Gibbs French Army Razor" NOS. Sounded worth a try. First of all, I don't think this has anything to do with the army, I think it's just a nice vintage traveler. Second, I doubt that it really is a Gibbs, because Gibbs razors need proprietary blades and this one takes regular blades AND Gibbs blades (regular DE blades actually fit a lot better and require very little fiddling to seat). Build quality is superb, as is the shave. As with most open combs, this is aggressive without being dangerous. I you have trouble spots where hairs lie flat and no amount of skin stretching or angle adjustment can get them, this will mow them down with ease.

Shipping costs are extortionate. Even so, for $20 total delivered you could do a lot worse on a NOS razor, that won't perform as well or have the European cachet of this one.

Available here, while supplies last:

http://www.deutscheoptik.com/product_info.php?cPath=24&products_id=1403





Posted by Dilly-B at 12:29
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Labels: deutscheoptik.com, Gibbs, NOS, Open Comb
1 comments:

Dilly-BMay 5, 2011 11:47 AM
Incredibly close, utterly irritation-free shave today with this and a "Rapira Super Steel". It works better than well!




Bad news is I'm not sure the 'copy' here translated well!!

French? Hope it's not the special blades!!!

Hope all else is well.
John.

---

Hi again: this reference may work better:http://shavelikeaman.blogspot.com/2011/04/gibbs-open-comb-traveler.html


John

 

[Dandy Highwayman]

Hi John

Good to hear from you and well done.
That looks exactly the same. I'll have to ask someone who has been in the French Army if it looks familiar to them.
Question now is do I keep it pristine or do I try it and I think you know the answer to that?
I like to use all my razors, but i may keep the packet of blades intact. They are strong candidates for my best blade packaging design.

The Deutsche Optik link no longer works so I guess they've sold out.

Strange how this turned up in a small town in Sussex.

Thanks for your research.
All the best
David

 

[antdad]

Gibbs like(d) using proprietry blades, if it doesn't I'd use it.

 

[Dandy Highwayman]

Gibbs like(d) using proprietry blades, if it doesn't I'd use it.

It appears to take a standard blade so I'm going to give it a try.
I'll wait until next Sunday when I can take it nice and slow.
I'm curious as to how old it is. Since John's reply I've tried google.fr and found it on a couple of sites stated as French Army issue. I can't imagine them issuing a DE razor much later than the mid 70s - unless it was for the Foreign Legion.
I know a couple of French chaps that have done military service so I'll ask them, but they may be just a few years too young.

 

[Dandy Highwayman]

In the interests of shaving I tried this razor on Sunday and I can report that it is very, VERY aggressive.
I used a good thick coating of Vitos lather and as it takes standard blades I used an Indian Gillette Wilkinson which I consider to be in the middle range of sharpness.
I proceeded very slowly and gently and managed to get away with only 7 or 8 nicks.
I think it is only fair to add that i have never used an open comb razor before. Also, the head is very light which means you need to apply that little bit of extra pressure.
Anyway, its an interesting piece,but I think will spend most of it's time with me on display :icon_razz:

 

[dodgy]

In the interests of shaving I tried this razor on Sunday and I can report that it is very, VERY aggressive.
I proceeded very slowly and gently and managed to get away with only 7 or 8 nicks.
I think it is only fair to add that i have never used an open comb razor before. Also, the head is very light which means you need to apply that little bit of extra pressure.

Hi there,

Well, it's too bad you can't use the razor comfortably. I can understand the situation, having gone through it many times before. Yeah, I have a bunch of razors I just can't use because they don't feel right on my face. Plus, I need to pay waaaaay too much attention to detail. Some of these razors will bite like a rabid bulldog if you let em run wild. Normally there's no nicks or anything, but the post shave skin care ain't the best afterwards.

It's kinda tricky using an aggressive razor with a light head. You're right about having to use a little pressure, which adds another variable to the mix. Couple that with very little room for error and you can see why this is a tough first OC type to try. Heh, I have a few French razors like that myself that stay tucked away in the arsenal.

You'd have a more pleasant experience if you tried a long tooth NEW razor of some kind. Much more forgiving and still very effective. Those feel like around the #6 Gillette setting, which is within most people's comfort range.

Heh, your razor sounds like the perfect one for Johnus, coupled with a Derby of course. I know it was a gift, but maybe you could do a trade with him or another member. If you do a deal with him, DON'T let him talk you into any razor with an Old Type head. He's a scamp and just might try that as a practical joke.

Believe it or not, there's plenty of guys who enjoy a razor like yours. I have a hard time understanding that whole thing though.

Martin