The New Improved: adjustable?

henkverhaar

henkverhaar

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Almere, Netherlands
Anyone aware of the fact that the New Improved was actually designed (well, first of all as a competition crusher, being a new patent) to be adjustable? Was just browsing the 1920s Gillette patents, and it's right there...
 
Yes, you can find it on e.g. depatisnet.de as GB patent 142772. Funny thing is, I can't find a US patent with the actual drawing of a New Improved head. All 1920 Gillette patents (such as US1328024) have a description of this adjustability, but show (presumably) older designs, with no flat head table. The GB patent DOES have the flat table and almost fully resembles actual production models of the New Improved.

I can also mail copies of the GB patent to anyone requesting it by email... (this isn't strictly legal, but almost the same as getting it from depatisnet yourself...)
 
I haven't checked the patent Henk but is the N.I's patent claim to be adjustable just like the Eclipse where you can "adjust" the razor by slackening off the tightening knob?

If that's the case isn't any 3 piece razor an adjustable if you are willing to shave without it fully tightened as is I suppose are many TTO's.
 
antdad said:
I haven't checked the patent Henk but is the N.I's patent claim to be adjustable just like the Eclipse where you can "adjust" the razor by slackening off the tightening knob?

If that's the case isn't any 3 piece razor an adjustable if you are willing to shave without it fully tightened as is I suppose are many TTO's.
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Yes, and no. The patent claims that the adjustability is based on the fulcrum formed by the edge of the head platform and the cap overhang, and it claims that due to the shape of the inside of the head, the razor can be tightened to its normal position, and then overtightened to decrease the aggressiveness (my interpretation). So its something that you, obviously, cannot do with an 'old type' or OT copy (with no blade gap and no room between head and gap) but also not with other three pieces that have a blade gap, but no room between the head and cap. I'm not sure how much actual adjustability this provides, and even less sure about whether anyone would have consciously used this as a feature, but the claim is there...
 
I bring news in the shape of a 1927/28 New Improved, which weighs the same, looks at first glance to be the same, even when they're side by side it's hard to tell a difference (until you put a blade in)... With the head tightened fully down it has near zero blade gap and is nearly useless as a razor... with it slackened off by one-eighth of a turn it has a gap approximately the same as the 1921 New Improved.

Both are marked the same in terms of patents (ie. Jan 13 1920, USA)
 
Nice find I assume? Alas I have a couple of Bostonian style New Improved and neither have this function, one US made and one English made. I'll have to ask Achim about the later but an adjustable New Improved sounds like my idea of razor perfection.
 
moodymick said:
hunnymonster said:
Shaved with the 1927/8 today - with the gap adjusted between 1/16 & 1/8 turn
Click to expand...

Can you really be that consistently accurate every blade change?
Click to expand...

Well... maybe not exactly, but then you don't know how OCD I can be and anyway I think the flex/springiness of the blade acts as a governing factor here too... I'll test it more but based on today's showing, I like it.
 
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