Disposable,lightweight,plastic ones were invented at Boston 1974,What?

---

Request for Question Clarification by ozguru-ga on 09 Aug 2002 09:57 PDT

Dear kipper,

I think the person who posed the question may have been thinking of
the disposable razor by Gillette (Boston).  A search on 1974
disposable razor yields a number of sites who credit Gillette with its
invention.

However, Gillette’s own site heralds the 1976 Introduction to the
United States of its twin blade disposable razor.
http://www.gillette.com/company/historicaltimeline.asp

Dr Raj Garg’s discussion of the battle between Bic and Gillette
provides interesting reading.
http://ecobweb.ecob.iup.edu/garg/MK603/Gillette.doc

If you are satisfied with the above, I would be happy to add further
detail and repost it as an answer.

Regards,

---

Request for Question Clarification by grimace-ga on 09 Aug 2002 11:27 PDT

Um... but Gillette patented the disposable razor in 1904!

http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/com/speeches/01-53.htm

---

Request for Question Clarification by ozguru-ga on 09 Aug 2002 11:43 PDT

Dear Grimace,

I believe the 1904 patent was for the idea of the disposable blade. It
wasn't until the 70's that the lightweight, plastic body was also
disposed.

Regards,

Hi,

I've been on a real wild goose chase with this one, and will have to
bow out reluctantly.

I'm sure the answer *ought* to be the disposable syringe, which was
indeed invented in 1974 - however, there's absolutely no Boston
connection that I can see. In any case, the picture on the patent
seems to bear no relation to anything we now know as a syringe.

Phil Brooks - the Disposable Syringe
http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blsyringe1.htm

I hope someone finds the answer to this soon, as it's going to annoy
me all day!

grimace

Grimace, my research was heading in the same direction as Kipper's
until the question got locked. I think you're confusing Gillette's
disposable *blade* razor with the (entirely) disposable razor. The
former was indeed invented by Gillette early this century, while the
latter appears to have been invented (perhaps by Gillette) in the
mid-70s.

I haven't been able to find anything I would consider
incontrovertible, but the information I have found suggests that the
answer may be the disposable razor.

This page declares (without references) that The Gillette Company
introduced this product in 1974:
<http://www.didyouknow.cd/history/twentieth.htm>

The Gillette Company is headquartered in Boston:
<http://www.gillette.com/pressroom/contactinformation.asp>

However, Gillette's own timeline information does not specifically
mention the introduction of disposable razors in 1974:
<http://www.gillette.com/100Celebration/asp/ie/timeline.asp?year=1974>
(the link above says Gillette introduced a disposable lighter that
year, but the very first link above declares that Bic invented that
the year before).

However, there is conflicting information that Gillette may not have
been the first to come out with the disposable razor, or that it came
out with one only in 1976.

This page says Bic came out with this first (see the last paragraph of
"Development of the Safety Razor"):
<http://homepage.dtn.ntl.com/paul.linnell/electricity/razors.html>

However, Bic's own timeline notes 1975 as their first major razor
product launch date:
http://www.bicworldusa.com/inter_us/shavers/product_history/index.asp>

This page suggests that Gillette's first disposable razor didn't come
out until 1976 (this seems supported by Gillette's timeline
information; see link above):
<http://web.mit.edu/invent/www/inventorsA-H/gillette.html>

And this page suggests that disposable razors might have been out
quite earlier than 1974:
<http://www.quikshave.com/timeline.htm>

All in all, a mixed bag of information, but the disposable razor would
be my most informed "guess".

Hello,

Just out of curiosity, why has no one actually *answered* the question
here? There are at least two good ideas here.

Well, because the razor blade can't quite be pinned down to 1974, and
the syringe can't be pinned down to Boston...