[Mike_ratliff]

Well, I finally got my first DE. It's a Gilette, and was my grand father's. He passed away 4 years ago, and this weekend my parents went up to the house, and brought back a few things. one of them was my grandfather's old shaving kit.
In it was an old spice shaving mug, a boar hair brush, and a Gilette DE complete with blade and full of old grey whiskers.

I cleaned it up, and sterilized it. Then I went down and bought a package of Longs Brand DE blades (which look exactly like the Personna Platinum Chrome blades)

2 shaves down, and it's not bad. It gets almost as close as a straight, although it does irritate my skin a bit easier...
I'm not going to switch anytime soon, but it's good to have around, and for cleaning up those areas I still have a little trouble with.

If anybody has any information about this DE, I'd be curious to know...
I won't be buying any more DEs, but it's nice to have an alternative to my straight that I can use in a hurry, and this has some good sentimental value.

[Hawkeye5]

It's a Gillette 'Ball End' Tech. A very mild razor.
Techs had a very long run, from the late '30s through at least the '60s, perhaps into the '70s. They came with a variety of handles, yours is the ball or moon end.
On the underside of the head there should be a letter code and a number. A is 1955 for reference, no Q or O. The number indicates the quarter of the year manufactured. There is a website that has all the model introduction dates and date codes, but I don't have it bookmarked on this computer.
You are fortunate to have some of your Grandfather's shaving gear.

[Mike_ratliff]

I looked up the gilette codes, and went to look for mine, and there isn't one.
The writing on the underside is very clear,

It says

REG U.S. PAT. OFF
Gillette Made in USA

on the inside, of the blade guard, it says PAT NOS ON PACKAGE
There are no other markings anywhere I can find.

[Hawkeye5]

I don't know what else to suggest. My reference shows the tech was made from 1939 through 1973. The quarters were added in 1951.
I have no idea when the ball end handle was introduced. English made razors didn't have date codes, but all indications are this was a US made razor. Sorry.

[Viola]

There were no razor serial numbers between 1931 and 1951, and then year codes started in 1951. I realize that only narrows it down to a 20 year period Congrats on it staying in the family!!!

Just found another source that says the ball end was made from 1939 to 1973, so I guess that narrows the gap from 1939 to 1950.