Single Edge Razor History

[Snuff]

Met toestemming van een scheervriend uit de UK (Paul aka PJGH op verschillende scheerfora) die dit alles bijeensprokkelde:

 

History of SE razors:

It's a complex tangle of patents, trademarks and names intermingled, intertwined and very well tangled. We're looking ostensibly at Zinn, Gem, ASR, Ever Ready and Star. Gem, for example, is a company name; Ever Ready, Star & Radio, trademarks.

 

It'd take a brave fellow to draw up anything definitive, but here's my potted history, something which I hope others will tear apart as well as add to:

 

I'm drawing from Waits and going to look predominantly at what we call the 1912, the 1914, 1924 and Micromatics. Waits tails off into the '50s.

 

Prior to 1912, a number of evolutionary models much akin to the Lather Catcher basket head.

 

The first "1912" appears to be the Gem de Luxe, a 1912-style head mounted on an ASR-style long round handle.

 

1911-1912 Gem de Luxe

1912 Gem "Damaskeene" - the "Damaskeene"

1919 Gem "1912" - what we'd call the "1912"

1930 Gem Micromatic "Open Comb"

1940s? Gem "1912 Junior"

1941 Gem Micromatic "Clog Pruf"

1947 Gem "Flying Wing"

 

... thereafter, we get the Featherlight, Pushbutton, G-Bar & Contour/II models.

 

Unlike Gem, prior to the 1930s, Ever Ready did not use the "1912" style head. Their initial offerings were the Lather Catcher basket head on an a short sylindrical handle, then on the ASR style long handle. They were the "American Safety Razor Company" until "Ever Ready" was trademarked in 1923, so although I use the abbreviation "ER" below, they're not "Ever Ready" until 1923.

 

1911-1912 ER - lather catcher style/cylindrical handle

1912-1914 ER - lather catcher style head/ASR-style long handle

1914-1915 ER "1914" Marked "American Safety Razor Company New York" Patent Pending

1917-1919 ER "1914" Marked "Ever Ready" Patented March 24/14

1918 "Radio" Blade - just a point of interest being perhaps "Radio" predated "Ever Ready" on the razors that are marked "Radio"?

1919 ER Hinged Cap "Brooklyn New York USA" Patent Applied For

1923 "Ever Ready" trademarked

1925 ER "1914" & "1924" produced hereafter marked "Ever Ready"

1930 The Improved Ever Ready ("1912") - what we call the "1912" finally coming into common production (see above, regarding "Radio")

1930s "Star" - supercedes "Ever Ready" and duplicates "Gem" ("1912")

1933-1934 E-Bar - potentially earlier than the Gem offering of the same model?

 

... thereafter (1950s) Streamline, Featherlight, etc

 

So, when we intermingle the company timelines, we see than what we call the 1912 was the Damaskeene from 1912, the GEM from 1919, Ever Ready joining the show in 1930 and seceding to Star during that decade.

 

The 1914 was an ASR to being with, becoming Ever Ready after 1923 along with a new model, which we call the 1924 although that hinged cap had been in production since 1919. Therefore, we can see the pre-1924 "1924" as a rival to the GEM "1912" released in 1919.

 

Likewise, once the GEM Micromatics came to the field in 1930, Ever Ready picked up the old line "1912" while still being produced by Gem.

 

Putting it all together ...

 

1912 Gem Damaskeene (the "1912")

1914-1915 (ER) "1914" Marked "American Safety Razor Company New York" Patent Pending

1917-1919 (ER) "1914" Marked "Ever Ready" Patented March 24/14

1918 "Radio" trademark blade - just a point of interest being perhaps "Radio" predated "Ever Ready" on the razors that are marked "Radio"?

1919 Star became a subsiduary of ASR

1919 Gem "1912"

1919 (ER) Front Hinged Cap "Brooklyn New York USA" Patent Applied For (becomes the "1924")

1923 "Ever Ready" trademarked by ASR

1924 "GEM" trademark redesigned by ASR

1925 ER "1914" & "1924" produced hereafter marked "Ever Ready"

1930 Gem "Micromatic" (the Open Comb)

1930 The Improved Ever Ready ("1912") - what we call the Ever Ready "1912" finally coming into common production (see above, regarding "Radio")

1933 ER "E-Bar" - potentially earlier than the Gem offering of the same model? (Last use of "Ever Ready" in the US)

1930s "Star" - supercedes "Ever Ready" in the US (British market continues with "Every Ready") and duplicates "Gem" ("1912") ... perhaps simply becoming the "Junior"

1930s? Gem G-Bar (introduced after the cessation of the Ever Ready trademark in the US)

1940s? Gem "1912 Junior"

1941 Gem (Micromatic) "Clog Pruf"

1947 Gem (Micromatic) "Flying Wing"

1940s? (Late) ER "Streamline" (British - Ever Ready trademark picked up in Britain ... last used in US in 1933)

1950s ER Featherweight (British)

1950s Gem Featherweight/Pushbutton

1960s Gem Contour

1970s Gem Contour II

 

So, the Gem "1912" is only a 1912 if it's a Damaskeene, 1919 otherwise. An Ever Ready "1912" is actually a 1930 and Star "1912" were made from 1933. Radio "1912" continues to elude us.

 

Ever Ready "1914" is a 1914 if "patent pending", 1917-1919 otherwise.

 

Ever Ready "1924" is a not a 1924 if "patent applied for" which makes it actually a 1919.

 

Pivotal years seem to be 1912 (Gem Damaskeene "1912" begins), 1919 (Star brought into ASR, Gem "1912" begins & Ever Ready "1924" comes into pre-patent production), 1923 (Ever Ready brand goes full blown) and 1930 (Ever Ready "1912" begins).

 

The last Damaskeenes made after the 1919 merger are marked Gem Safety Razor, instead of Gem Cutlery and some have a bevelled edge on the cover plate.

[efsk]

Dit is een stukje indrukwekkend onderzoek Snuff. Complimenten aan Paul/PJGH voor de noeste arbeid en volgens mij niet weinig uren die hierin zijn gaan zitten.

[meemai]

Wel interessant, misschien dat ik een single edge nog ooit probeer maar het is zo'n gedoe krabbers te zoeken. Nee ik ga nu wel even me focussen op de straights.

[talibeard]

Interessant stukje. Nu blijkt dat mijn G-bar nog ouder kan zijn dan mijn Star mod.1912; grappig en onverwacht!

[Robert79]

Een, leuk interessant stukje om te lezen.Ik denk dat ik me straks maar even ga scheren met zo'n SE krabber.

[cutthroat]

Na alle praat over de single edge scheermessen en hoe geweldig ze zijn, ben ik hier erg benieuwd naar. Dus even op zoek gegaan en een eerste exemplaar gescoord:

 

 

Leek me voor €15 een koopje. Nu nog wat geschikte mesjes vinden. Iemand tips of iets in de aanbieding? En natuurlijk om nog wat vergelijkingsmateriaal te hebben op zoek naar andere modellen

[Noxa]

Vandaag op marktplaats 1 op de kop getikt. Hij zit in een doos met andere scheer artikelen waaronder (denk ik) en hele mooie straight.

[mhharsta]

Ach ja, heb nu wat krabbers en met wat geluk over 45 minuten m'n vierde open mes, dus het word tijd om ook op zoek te gaan naar een SE.

Je hebt een mooie gevonden voor een fijne prijs Cutthroat!

[Kingjack]

Na enige tijd zoeken dit weekend een mooie GEM g-bar en een redelijke ER 1912 via ebay aangeschaft.

Even wachten op levering plus mesjes en dan mijn eerste SE beleving ervaren.

 

Eigenlijk ben ik niet zo van het hele vintage gebeuren.

Iemand een idee of er nog betaalbare nieuwe SE's te koop zijn?

[Snuff]

Nee dus, die zijn allemaal aan de prijs: Cobra, King Cobra, Mongoose.

[Kingjack]

Dank je,

 

Het volgende op mijn verlanglijstje wordt een Mongoose..