My grandfather was gifted the Diplomat by my grandmother shortly after he came back from the Korean war. My grandfather already had a 1948 Aristocrat, which I now have that was given to me by my father. My grandfather used the Diplomat and a tech razor as his go to razors until his passing in 1996. He left the Diplomat to my brother, and tech is in my dad's hands. My grandfather loved shaving almost every day, and never used a cartridge or disposable razor.
Beautiful razors. The style of products these days just can't match the old days (the Rex being the exception). I was in an antique store recently in WV and found a 1930s Bostonian with case and blade holder full of old blue blades. The set is in excellent condition, definitely the nicest I have come across in my searching.
Hi Matt- Nice presentation of these two wonderful razors; thank you! One can imagine how impressive these would have looked on the shelves of retailers in the early ‘50’s, and they are equally stunning pieces today. I hope you have a great weekend ahead and all the best!
Hey Matt! I was at an antique mall today! I found a Gillette Slim with blades and case (the blue one) for $12! and ...a Gillette President for just $50!! It is in very good condition, just the slightest loss of the nickel plating around the neck. The booth had a variety of other Gillettes, but this one was definitely one i wanted!! As always, thanks for those archive series! JimG
Matt you speak about cleaning, I use an old toothbrush as you said and scrub with remaining shave lather. Always great history of Gillette thanks. Matt I just finished your video and tuned in CRS Firearms and they mentioned Razor Emporium in his video.
Congrats John Wachter - you're the winner of the Weekly T-Shirt give-away! Please contact us at help@razoremporium.com with your address and size and we will get it shipped out right away! Thanks everyone! Stay tuned next week for another giveaway! - Razor Emporium Team
Beautiful razors. Always loved the look of them, and especially the set. I've never seen either of these in the wild. I'd be so stocked to find one at an antique store.
Super installment Matt👍 I have a President and Aristocrat w/case instructions but no Diplomat😕 Still searching for a pristine example. Getting harder to find and prices are going up for sure. XXL😉 Enjoy!
As a collector I have less than 5 English sets. My knowledge of English Gillette razors is very limited. I would have to learn a lot and acquire a lot of models before I could start making videos. But perhaps it will be a goal of mine in 2020. Thanks,
I'm here in the US and I 100% would rather have the English version of any Gillette razor. Are the USA versions more sought after over there composted to the English sets?
Hey Matt, I had some questions. So besides the obvious platings how do they compare to the aristocrat razor? Are the president/diplomat razors heavier in comparison? Is the cutting angle any different? Looking forward to your response 👍
Same head. Same handle sans knurling. Please keep in mind that the obsession with minute geometry differences in razors is very new. Gillette was going for "par" back in the day - the razor that was good for every man.
Rhodium was seen as a more durable option for the handle plating - honestly I think it's because Gillette plant in England was already offering it and Boston wanted to try it out. Maybe Boston thought it was too expensive or not favored by customers? I'm just speculating here- I've come across no documentation to state for a fact why.
The case will be the easiest way to tell, as far as i know the president was made in the US only. Other razors like my 1946 aristocrat with the barber pole handle are easier to tell apart because of the knurling as well as the "Made in the UK" stamped under the head.
"You could buy the $0.69 Tech Razor or the $1.00 Super Speed or the $5.00 Aristocratic or President",,, Or you take a Time Machine and come back to the Present where people are paying $250.00 for a particular Adjustable or $399.00 for a certain SE or even $500.00 for the Gold or Copper colored version of that SE....Then check out a new fangled "Internet Thingie" and see people fighting over the Former mentioned razor group for the cheapest starting around $10.00 to approaching a $1000.00(depending on razor & accessories)....King Gillette would faint!
I hear you on price. Keep in mind that Gillette was making these razors by the hundreds of thousands using progressive stamping methods which is equivalent of a printing press compared to todays CNC machined razors which is like an inkjet printer. These huge variances in demand / cost are why todays razors are so expensive. But don't foreget that even at these low costs of production, Gillette was still loosing money on the razor handles because they had DE blade sales to make up for it. Loss leader.
My grandfather was gifted the Diplomat by my grandmother shortly after he came back from the Korean war. My grandfather already had a 1948 Aristocrat, which I now have that was given to me by my father. My grandfather used the Diplomat and a tech razor as his go to razors until his passing in 1996. He left the Diplomat to my brother, and tech is in my dad's hands. My grandfather loved shaving almost every day, and never used a cartridge or disposable razor.
Those cases are beautiful! Even the typeface on the shippers had me drooling!
Beautiful razors. The style of products these days just can't match the old days (the Rex being the exception). I was in an antique store recently in WV and found a 1930s Bostonian with case and blade holder full of old blue blades. The set is in excellent condition, definitely the nicest I have come across in my searching.
Hi Matt- Nice presentation of these two wonderful razors; thank you! One can imagine how impressive these would have looked on the shelves of retailers in the early ‘50’s, and they are equally stunning pieces today. I hope you have a great weekend ahead and all the best!
Hey Matt! I was at an antique mall today! I found a Gillette Slim with blades and case (the blue one) for $12! and ...a Gillette President for just $50!! It is in very good condition, just the slightest loss of the nickel plating around the neck. The booth had a variety of other Gillettes, but this one was definitely one i wanted!! As always, thanks for those archive series! JimG
Fantastic congratulations
I am always on the lookout for vintage DE and straight razors when I am in an antique shop or thrift store.
Definitively presentation makes a huge difference. I doubt it will shave better than a regular superspeed, but I might be wrong.
Excellent that they had the different models to choose from! Very creative and smart company, a leader!👍
Never knew about these.. thanks for the informative video Matt.
Love these Gillette vintage series Matt! Beautiful razors, and the presentation was so classy back then:)
Another great instalment in the Vintage Gillette series! Love the look of Rhodium on a razor.
Matt you speak about cleaning, I use an old toothbrush as you said and scrub with remaining shave lather. Always great history of Gillette thanks. Matt I just finished your video and tuned in CRS Firearms and they mentioned Razor Emporium in his video.
Congrats John Wachter - you're the winner of the Weekly T-Shirt give-away! Please contact us at help@razoremporium.com with your address and size and we will get it shipped out right away! Thanks everyone! Stay tuned next week for another giveaway! - Razor Emporium Team
Very cool. Again, it’s nice to see what the shipper box looks like, just in case I ever come across it in the wild. Thanks for the videos!
Another informative Friday! Thanks, Zac
Beautiful razors. Always loved the look of them, and especially the set.
I've never seen either of these in the wild. I'd be so stocked to find one at an antique store.
Super installment Matt👍 I have a President and Aristocrat w/case instructions but no Diplomat😕 Still searching for a pristine example. Getting harder to find and prices are going up for sure. XXL😉 Enjoy!
Both Beautiful razors!
We need a 3D printer or CNC machine to remake some of these masterpieces :(
I am lucky to have both in my small collection.
I have two of those Diplomats....one nicer than the other....and shave w the less nicer....shaves good.
Could you please make a video on made in England Gillettes? They are much more common here in Europe than the ones made in USA.
As a collector I have less than 5 English sets. My knowledge of English Gillette razors is very limited. I would have to learn a lot and acquire a lot of models before I could start making videos. But perhaps it will be a goal of mine in 2020. Thanks,
I'm here in the US and I 100% would rather have the English version of any Gillette razor. Are the USA versions more sought after over there composted to the English sets?
@@Robbanks0805 Well, English ones are a lot easier to get but in my country (CZE) we cherrish both, the US and English ones, the same, I think.
Thanks for the video.... When will you get to the slim adjustable and the fat boy.
And what info do you have on British made Gillette Razors?
We are going in chronological order so.... be patient ;) I know very little about british razors as I never collected them.
Beautiful razors, wish I would come across one of these.
Hi Matt any chance you have one of these Diplomats for sale at the moment? Razor only is fine
nothing right now sorry
Will you be doing the Executive? If not where should you put them one the rarity scale?
Which executive? Adjustable or 1 piece? We already covered the one piece and the adjustable is coming up....
Hey Matt, I had some questions. So besides the obvious platings how do they compare to the aristocrat razor? Are the president/diplomat razors heavier in comparison? Is the cutting angle any different? Looking forward to your response 👍
Same head. Same handle sans knurling. Please keep in mind that the obsession with minute geometry differences in razors is very new. Gillette was going for "par" back in the day - the razor that was good for every man.
Nice razors, thanks.
Thanks Matt. Great info as always.
Seeing something like this makes me wonder how people reacted to seeing their first ever plastic cartridge razor when Gillette got around to those.
It's a slow boil situation - as the years went on they got cheaper and more plastic.
How come they did 2 different metal platings on the President?
Rhodium was seen as a more durable option for the handle plating - honestly I think it's because Gillette plant in England was already offering it and Boston wanted to try it out. Maybe Boston thought it was too expensive or not favored by customers? I'm just speculating here- I've come across no documentation to state for a fact why.
Ok thanks. 😎👍🏼 I was thinking maybe since it was called President they wanted it to be a lil more special or different? Idk. Just a thought.
How much they go for now
Condition is everything - up to a few hundred.
Awesome!
Another informative video. Thanks, Matt.
Matt,
How can you tell the difference between an Aristocrat and diplomat, they seem to look the same from.the video.
The case will be the easiest way to tell, as far as i know the president was made in the US only. Other razors like my 1946 aristocrat with the barber pole handle are easier to tell apart because of the knurling as well as the "Made in the UK" stamped under the head.
The knurl pattern on the handle.
And the fact that Diplomats will have a date code and nearly all Aristocrats will not.
Can You Do a Video On That Huge Gillette Gold Razor Behind You Next I’d Love To Know it’s History And See Some Close Ups
th-cam.com/video/D-hVxeTQQT8/w-d-xo.html done :)
RazorEmporium Thank You Matt 😀
I run my razors through the dishwasher when they get grimy.
Danny Dietze Interesting How Does it Turn Out Never Thought Of That
@@chrischiampo7647 spot free, lol. gets all the grime out of those hard to reach areas. I just place it in the silverware basket.
Danny Dietze 😀 I’m Going To Give it a Shot
Hi Matt, love your videos and look forward to the next one. Could you tell me about that gigantic gold model on the table behind you?
th-cam.com/video/D-hVxeTQQT8/w-d-xo.html
Thanks!
When I have my Fat Boy plated I want to do it in rhodium.
👍🏼
"You could buy the $0.69 Tech Razor or the $1.00 Super Speed or the $5.00 Aristocratic or President",,, Or you take a Time Machine and come back to the Present where people are paying $250.00 for a particular Adjustable or $399.00 for a certain SE or even $500.00 for the Gold or Copper colored version of that SE....Then check out a new fangled "Internet Thingie" and see people fighting over the Former mentioned razor group for the cheapest starting around $10.00 to approaching a $1000.00(depending on razor & accessories)....King Gillette would faint!
I hear you on price. Keep in mind that Gillette was making these razors by the hundreds of thousands using progressive stamping methods which is equivalent of a printing press compared to todays CNC machined razors which is like an inkjet printer. These huge variances in demand / cost are why todays razors are so expensive. But don't foreget that even at these low costs of production, Gillette was still loosing money on the razor handles because they had DE blade sales to make up for it. Loss leader.
Did Gillette ever plate their razors entirely in rhodium??
British razors yes. American no.