maquinilla philishave

Electric razor Philishave
Plastic, iron and copper, among others
Made by: Philips, Alemania, años 60 del siglo XX

Photography: Máquina de afeitar eléctrica Philishave
Unknown photographer
© Museo del Gas de la Fundación Gas Natural Fenosa, 2018

The item from the Gas Museum collection that we present today is one of the most popular electric shaving machines from the 1960s, the Philishave. This item does not form part of the original Catalana de Gas collection and was recently added to the museum collection alongside other noticeable items from the electricity sector that complete the selection of preserved objects.

The Philishave is an electrical appliance that the Dutch company Philips sold, in addition to other items, in the European market until 2006. This item is originally from the United States, however, this electrical appliance did not become popular in Europe, and especially Spain, until the mid 1950s. This model, which was manufactured in Germany, includes a new mechanical invention for shaving, created by engineer Alexandre Horowitz (Amberes, 1904-1982), in 1939. The shaving machine has two heads with a double system of rotating blades that enabled a more precise shave than previous devices. The body of the machine is different from the long and rectangular shape of previous devices and has an ergonomic shape making it easy to use. The electrical appliance is made from plastic and has just one button to open the heads for cleaning. The shaving machine turned on when it was plugged in to the electricity and had a tab to choose the desired voltage: 110-130 V or 180-220 V. Due to advertisements from the time, we know that the electrical appliance had a small bag to protect and keep the device in, but this has unfortunately not been preserved.