Gillette Psycho Institutional Razor from England in 1952

This is an unusual and interesting item in shaving history. It is a Gillette Institutional Razor, otherwise known as a Psycho. They were to be used in jails and other facilities where it wasn't safe for the inmates to have free access to razor blades. Without a key, it is very difficult to remove the blade from this razor. It has a trapped nut inside the handle that must be operated with a special wrench.

These are a little more special in that they are made in England. The date code of X1 indicates they were produced in 1952. Aside from the special mechanism, they are normal Gillette razors. We include a replacement key so you can open the razor and load a blade. They accept regular Gillette style double edge razor blades which are available in a variety of brands from several sources.

We originally bought seven matched razors. The photos show the worst example. All have perfect plating on the heads, and almost all have some light corrosion on the handles. Something more than our normal "light clean and sanitize" process would make them look even better. They don't appear to have ever been issued. We will ship the best looking example first, and the one pictured will ship last. All ship with the replacement key. If you're interested in purchasing the entire set (or replacement keys), contact us.

Interesting and unusual piece of shaving history to use or collect.