Shaving 101

Why are vintage Gillette razors so popular?

Daniel
Alliance, NE

Vintage Gillette safety razors are the most significant icons of traditional wet shaving.  King Gillette mass produced the first modern safety razors in 1904 and his razors dominated the market throughout the early and mid-20th century. Because of their high quality, there are many vintage razors still in existence that can be great shaving tools once they are cleaned and sanitized.  The rising popularity of traditional wet shaving has increased the demand for vintage Gillette pieces because they are nostalgic -- not only as pieces of American history, but for many men they bring back memories of the razors that their fathers and grandfathers used to shave every morning. After sanitizing a quality find, some men take the extra step and have their vintage pieces completely restored with new plating, making the razor look just as nice as the day it left the Gillette factory decades ago.

Although there are many vintage razors on today's antique and auction websites, you will not find many vintage reviews on Shaving 101 because quality razors can be difficult to find and a buyer should have some experience with identifying a used razor to be able to properly assess its value.  In my safety razor reviews I prefer to focus on products that any new wet shaver can easily purchase in today’s retail market, even though there are beautiful vintage razors discovered every week.

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