This razor was made especially for Mental Hospitals or Prisons where the inmate would not be granted access to a razor blade. They needed a way to control access to the blade, so the Psycho Tech was born. Nurses or guards would change out the blades for the inmates, lock the cap down, and keep the key.
Most sets were sold 10 razors to 1 key, so now as rare as these razors are to find, the keys are 10 times rarer! The occasional replica has sprouted up over the years, always short lived, always cheaply made from hardware store parts and never looked authentic. And there is of course the screwdriver method. These are rare historical razors meant to be used and displayed and treasured. Screw-drivers have no place in a display case and they can damage the internal components of the razor.
We decided to manufacture the authentic key this infamous razor deserved and you can be proud to use and display!
The Key
- Original gauge and diameter were replicated in the steel jump ring made by a jewelry studio in Missouri.
- No existing connector was satisfactory so eyelet was laser cut from brass sheet to spec in Prescott, Arizona
- Ball chain was sourced from the original company Gillette used in the 1950's from Boston, Mass.
- Key was closely replicated using a CNC lathe process and knurl pattern was closely replicated with a milling process
The Razor
- Vintage Condition
- New Old Stock, never been used
- Original packaging
- Limited Stock!
Country of Manufacture: USA
Type: Vintage Set
Finish: Key: Solid Brass with Factory Nickel plating
Grade: Razor Good, Key NEW
Included: 1 reproduction psycho key, 1 box with reproduction label, 1 vintage Psycho Razor
History: "The Gillette Security Razor Used in Institutions", The Gillette Blade March 1955
In 1949 Gillette was approached by officials in the Army Headquarters in Washington D.C. relative to designing and manufacturing a razor that would hold a locked-in blade. Their research department developed several different models and finally came up with the current security razor, which more than met all the government specifications.
The security razor has a hollow handle with a locking nut high inside and is opened and closed by a brass key which fits inside the handle. It is generally similar to the Tech $0.49 razor in appearance. The razor received immediate acceptance from the government and as the information spread, the distribution of the security razor was widened to include specialized institutions and more recently, prisons. Security razors are given to inmates under a careful check system and returned after use. An attendant keeps the key and changes blades as required. In following this procedure the chances of patients injuring either themselves, or others, is practically an impossibility. But more than this, it is an extremely important part, and one of the first steps towards the patient's rehabilitation, whereby he starts doing things for himself.
Many thousands of man hours are saved yearly and used for other important hospital duties, due to hospital nurses and attendant being freed from the chore of shaving the psychiatric patients.
