Electric shavers have been around for a very long time. In fact there are enough electric shaver brands from the past to fill a book. Some were top of the line technology at the time and the brand stuck around while others are non existent now.
Action Shave: Action Shave is a brand from way back in the 1940s. It is believed that this electric shaver brand was mainly distributed through mail order although not a lot is known about it or the company that manufactured it. We do know, however, that the main production and distribution center was located in Elgin, IL. It is also believed to have been made of Swiss parts, according to some historians of the area.
Clip Shave: Clip Shave was a product out of Port Chester, NY and is documented to have sold for around $10 in the late 1930’s. One distinct feature of this model was the extra long five foot cord it came with and the leather carrying case. Carrying cases were not common on the market at that time.
Packard: No, not the computer. Packard was a brand of electric shaver produced by Lektro Products. Lektro was based in Milford, CT. The first Packard model was introduced in 1935 and was an instant hit. The firm ceased operation in the early 1950’s despite the popularity of its many models of electric shavers that were introduced.
Roto-Shaver: The Roto-Shaver was brought to the public by a firm of the same name based in New York City, NY. It was believed to have been the market competition for the Packard brand from 1939 to about 1953.
Vornado: Vornado shavers were from a company called The Two Guys Company and the name Vornado was put on several different products during the time including this electric shaver. This company went bankrupt sometime in the 1970’s and should not be confused with Vornado Air Circulation Systems, Inc. They are in no way affiliated.
This is a very small list of past electric shaver brands. A full list would be pages long since many names have come and gone through this market. Many of these brands have very interesting demises while others have stood the test of time and are still around today, even if under a new name. The electric shavers of the past led the way for the products we see on the market today by way of trial and error.
