Electric Shaver Brands – Blasts From The Past
Electric shavers have been around for a long time. In fact, there are enough electric razor brands from the past to fill a book. Some were top of the line technology at the time and the branding stuck, while others are now nonexistent.
Action Shave: Action Shave is a brand from the 1940s. This brand of electric razors is believed to have been distributed primarily through mail order, although not much is known about it or the company that made it. However, we do know that the main production and distribution center was located in Elgin, IL. It is also believed that it was made with Swiss pieces, according to some historians in the area.
Clip Shave: The Clip Shave was a product of Port Chester, NY and is documented to have sold for around $10 in the late 1930’s. A distinguishing feature of this model was the extra long five foot cord it came with and the leather case. Carrying cases were not common on the market at the time.
Packard: No, not the computer. Packard was a brand of electric razor produced by Lektro Products. Lektro was headquartered in Milford, CT. Packard’s first model was introduced in 1935 and was an instant success. The company went out of business in the early 1950s, despite the popularity of the many models of electric shavers that were introduced.
Roto-Shaver: The Roto-Saver was introduced to the public by a company of the same name based in New York City, NY. It was believed to have been the market competitor of the Packard brand from 1939 to around 1953.
Vornado – Vornado razors were from a company called The Two Guys Company and the Vornado name was put on a number of different products over time, including this electric razor. This company went bankrupt sometime in the 1970’s and is not to be confused with Vornado Air Circulation Systems, Inc. They are not affiliated in any way.
This is a very small list of previous brands of electric shavers. A complete list would be pages, as many names have come and gone in this market. Many of these brands have very interesting deaths, while others have stood the test of time and are still around today, albeit under a new name. Electric shavers of the past paved the way for the products we see on the market today through trial and error.