Since I took 45 pictures of this razor, to document it well since it's previously unknown to shavers and collectors alike, I'll just post a link to it in my razor gallery on my personal web site. Just too many photos to post here.
Just a quick update... I've finally talked to someone with Proctor & Gamble's archives (for those that don't know, P&G owns Gillette since 2005) and they are now on the case of this mysterious Gillette Contra. He's getting up with a lady who handles the Gillette end of history and archives at the South Boston plant and who was a long-time Gillette employee before P&G bought Gillette (now a P&G employee obviously).
So hopefully soon, I'll have some concrete information on this unique find!
-Jody (the male version)
-My personal web site featuring photo galleries of my razor collection is here.
-My Shave Cave? It's here.
At around the same time, 1967-1970, Gillette UK was working on both the "Contra" and the "Rex" projects (the "Rex" project was the combined result of a stacked-blade project and another project called "Emperor" which itself consisted of a pair of wire-narrow blades strung side-by-side in a harp-like holder).
The "Contra" was this injector which had 2 blades glued to a thin plastic frame in such a way that each blade's cutting edge faced each other, like a potato peeler.
The "Rex" was a cartridge that held 2 blades, one on top of the other.
While the British Gillette designers were so far along on the "Contra" that it was being test marketed in Australia, the British Gillette designers were having problems with the "Rex". It clogged badly with soap and whiskers and seemed a doomed product.
The "Contra" however, was doing well in its test marketing and because it was test-marketed in Australia, it was renamed to "Atra" which was short for "Australian Test Razor". At Gillette's headquarters - Boston, Mass., USA - it was decided that the "Contra now renamed Atra" would be launched to the public in 1972 - a timetable that was advanced by a year when Wilkinson-Sword introduced its new bonded-edge blade in 1970.
However, a Gillette USA engineer finally solved the clogging problem with the "Rex" cartridge and by doing so, Gillette shelved the "Contra/Atra" project. Gillette used the 1971 baseball World Series as the "launching pad" for the "Rex" cartridge razor under its new name, what we now know as "Trac II", which the "Trac" portion of this new name was an acronym for "Twin-blade Razor and Cartridge".
While the "Contra/Atra" razor as an injector was shelved and never released to the market, the name "Atra" would come back to life and hit the market in 1977 as the pivoting-cartridge razor we all know today.
So there we have it on the "Contra". An almost, oh-so-close new injector design that started at Gillette UK and ended at Gillette USA.
FYI, I found this information on pages 267-270 of the Russell Adams book, "King C Gillette: The Man and His Wonderful Shaving Device". I have read this book cover to cover at least 3 times and not once ever recall it speaking of the "Contra". It was finally pointed out to me by a fellow collector in the UK, Renzo Jardella.
-Jody (the male version)
-My personal web site featuring photo galleries of my razor collection is here.
-My Shave Cave? It's here.
Of course, they have some very sharp potato peelers hanging on hooks at the local big box store. Somebody's got to go out and get one and give it a whirl. I've cut my hands pretty aggressively on our relatively new potato peeler, just getting it in and out of the dishwasher.
Gary
SOTD 99%: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, soaps & creams, synthetic / badger brushes, Colonial General razor, Kai & Schick blades, straight razors any time, Superior 70 aftershave splash + menthol + 444
brothers wrote:Of course, they have some very sharp potato peelers hanging on hooks at the local big box store. Somebody's got to go out and get one and give it a whirl. I've cut my hands pretty aggressively on our relatively new potato peeler, just getting it in and out of the dishwasher.
This idea makes me mentally wince. I was thinking of it before you suggested it.
Jody, Well, I knew that 'Atra' was an acrenem, and what it stood for, but not that it was orginally applied to that 'Contra' model that you are showcasing. A very interesting tale. So, I'm wondering if the one that you have was orginally sold in Australia?....or perhaps came from an old Gillette employee who just snagged one at the time? And I guess it really was designed for the shaver to use a back and forth shaving stroke? Pretty wild. Thanks for this most interesting and informative thread.
Regards,
Gordon
bernards66 wrote:Jody, Well, I knew that 'Atra' was an acrenem, and what it stood for, but not that it was orginally applied to that 'Contra' model that you are showcasing. A very interesting tale. So, I'm wondering if the one that you have was orginally sold in Australia?....or perhaps came from an old Gillette employee who just snagged one at the time? And I guess it really was designed for the shaver to use a back and forth shaving stroke? Pretty wild. Thanks for this most interesting and informative thread.
Regards,
Gordon
As the instructions with this one have Gillette USA address info printed and say "Made and Printed In U.S.A.", I'm thinking this one was definitely made in the U.S.A. and was a test market model. If it were a public retail model - as in they made thousands of them in getting ready to go to public retail - it would have the new Atra name they changed it to, on it instead. Not to mention they would have had to destroy thousands of retail production models - lots of $$$$ down the drain - since they decided to instead go to public retail with the Trac II cartridge razor when they fixed the clogging problem with it.
Further, I think if this were one of the actual Australia test market models, it would have Gillette UK address info printed in the instructions, since that's the factory the concept came out of and Australia was the first test market for the Contra/Atra.
-Jody (the male version)
-My personal web site featuring photo galleries of my razor collection is here.
-My Shave Cave? It's here.
