The Schick Injector Razor is a rather common wet razor. It all came about when Col. Jacob Schick served in the US Army and learned how to use the repeating rifle. So inspired was he by a rifle that didn’t need manual reloading, that he designed a razor that didn’t need to have its blades changed. The Schick Repeating Razors were manufactured for the Magazine Razor Repeating Company by the American Chain and Cable Company in 1926. Col Schick went on to design a successful dry shaver and sold his shares in the company to American Chain and Cable and they went on to manufacture the wet razor until 1945.
The Eversharp Co. bought the rights to the Schick Repeating Razor in 1946 and renamed it the Schick Injector Razor to differentiate it from the Schick Dry Shaver. After a lackluster advertising campaign, the company was sold yet again to the Warner Lambert Company in 1969, which held the rights until it was taken over by major pharmaceuticals player Pfizer. Despite the ups and downs, the razor has lasted for more than 70 years and is still the razor that is highly popular for collectors and wet-shave enthusiasts alike.
A cursory search through Google will bring up a large number of auction sites selling Schick Injector Razor, with e-Bay leading the pack. What makes this model of razor so sought after is, aside from the fact that Col. Schick’s 1926 Magazine Repeating Razor blade can fit in a 2000 Schick Injector Razor and the other way around, many surveys say that this mass-produced shaving tool works better than any other wet shaver ever produced.
Unfortunately for collectors, the fact that the blades and head haven’t changed also means that the razor is very hard to date. It’s only little details that make it a collector’s item or a usual, run of the mill razor that is practically worthless. The original 1936 razor, for example, was equipped with a Bakelite handle and basically looked the same until the 1950s. After some changes were made to the physical appearance (basically the Bakelite handle was swapped out with look-alike and lower quality plastic), it again looked the same until the 1960s, with no changes again until the 1990s. Since manufacturing codes were placed on the razors only in 1960, it’s a little easier to date the ones produced after that. But the manufacturing codes only apply to the razors, and not precisely to their corresponding cartridges.
So, collectors beware. Dating the razors is exact within a few years only. However, if you’re buying the razors for personal use, which a lot of men seem to be doing, try to stick to the original razor with the Bakelite handle. You’ll never get a better shave.