few questions about DE razor shaving……

BOOM! thanks for top trumping my PSA 😀

another 4 sets ordered for family next christmas. cant go wrong at that, its a crazy price!

My only slight grumble is that the Astras do seem to dull quite quickly, so by the end of the week i can feel a bit of drag. I’m going to get me some of those Feathers and see if they make a difference,

Feathers are slightly sharper than Astras but dull quicker than Astras so I don’t think Feathers are your solution. I love feathers but save them for when I want a really really close shave and only use them for 2 or 3 shaves.

After trying quite a few blades, I think that the Astras are the best compromise between sharpness/smoothness/longevity, in a merkur 38c anyway. They are also currently one of the cheapest if you get from the guy on Ebay which is nice…

7o’clocks would be next on my list for you to try for longevity but only the black packet ones, not the green or yellows.

sadexpunk – Member
BOOM! thanks for top trumping my PSA
another 4 sets ordered for family next christmas. cant go wrong at that, its a crazy price!
POSTED 43 MINUTES AGO #

🙂

well, im getting on great with this shaving lark now, hardly ever cut myself, and just keep flitting between blades, see which i prefer.

i bought myself an edwin jagger de89l as they seem quite popular, and i wanted to compare it to the merkur im using. side by side i can see the heads are identical, so theyll give exactly the same shave, the EJ is a bit lighter tho, and after a few shaves with each, i think i prefer the weight and looks of the merkur. ill probably sell the EJ on with a few other bits and bobs ive tried.

the lack of blood now has got me wondering whether id like to try an aggressive razor, maybe a slant or something, just to see what difference that makes. my searching took me to this video, so ive done the same, cut up an old blade and used it as packing to give a greater gap. ill report back when ive tried it out.

You could just adjust your razor to a closer setting. That’s what I did after awhile but then I got too brave adjusted it some more. It then got messy a couple of times so took it back down.

i dont have an adjustable razor tho mate, theres only a couple that i know of that can adjust, both of them are merkurs i reckon.

mines just like most of em, take it aprt, new blade, screw back together, thats it.

thanks

I’ve also switched to a de for the past 3 months on the advice of this thread. Definite improvement. One thing though, and I’m not sure it’s been mentioned…I absolutely can’t shave with any type of razor unless it’s in the shower. Have tried all the techniques but the stubble just seems to tear at my skin if it’s in a traditional way in front of the mirror. The heat in the shower just seems to soften the stubble and make it comfortable, also easier to get through the stubble. Anybody else in the same boat?

i dont have an adjustable razor tho mate, theres only a couple that i know of that can adjust, both of them are merkurs i reckon.

Ah! In that case get one one of those. 😀

I’ve also switched to a de for the past 3 months on the advice of this thread. Definite improvement. One thing though, and I’m not sure it’s been mentioned…I absolutely can’t shave with any type of razor unless it’s in the shower. Have tried all the techniques but the stubble just seems to tear at my skin if it’s in a traditional way in front of the mirror. The heat in the shower just seems to soften the stubble and make it comfortable, also easier to get through the stubble. Anybody else in the same boat?

well thinking logically, the only thing the shower will be doing is warming up your face. yes by all means have a shower first, then hold a hot flannel against your chops maybe? s’wat i do, then use pre-shave cream, brush up a lather, work it into face, then shave. how does that differ from what youve tried?

Ah! In that case get one one of those.

too expensive (he says, looking at how much hes spent so far…) and i dont think they look as nice. one of thems got a plastic end too. yuk! 😀

Gillette slim or Fatboy adjustables … retro too!

ooh i do like those mooman, just had a google, very nice.

too rich for me tho unfortunately :-/

You prob looking in wrong place. I got a Fatboy for £40 delivered.
And 2 SlIm’s and a Black Beauty for less than £30 each delivered.

UK prices are silly.

mooman – Member

You prob looking in wrong place. I got a Fatboy for £40 delivered.
And 2 SlIm’s and a Black Beauty for less than £30 each delivered.

UK prices are silly.

Did you order from the State?

I want to get one of this as the one my father gave me is very worn.

I got one of those black handled super speeds in a R1 (my birth year).
Lovely shave. They easy to take apart to get replated if yours is a bit rough.
I found a local replater. Dirt cheap too.

too expensive (he says, looking at how much hes spent so far…) and i dont think they look as nice. one of thems got a plastic end too. yuk!

Usually deals available. When did they switch to plastic? 😕

You prob looking in wrong place. I got a Fatboy for £40 delivered.
And 2 SlIm’s and a Black Beauty for less than £30 each delivered.

UK prices are silly.

nope, cant find any in uk for those prices.

Usually deals available. When did they switch to plastic?

id be interested in links to any deals? and no idea, ive only really been into this for a few months, but this is the one im on about. dont like the look of plastic on them.

mooman – Member
I found a local replater. Dirt cheap too.

Yes, very nice razor.

What’s the cost of replating the black handle super speed above? Do you have the contact details like website link etc?

I think my black handle super speed might be late 70s.

😀

sadexpunk

That Merkur is nice.

Been trying these feathers for a few shaves now and while they are sharper, I’ve found that leads to a bit more razor burn than my Astra plastinums. Probably technique, maybe they need even less pressure, but I’m back to my astras again now. For a daily (actually every other, I’m not that beardy) shave they’re just perfect, most days I single pass and OK, it isn’t baby bum smooth, it’s pretty damn good, easy, comfortable, and cheap. I save the double and triple pass for special occasions!

The Black handle superspeed were the last of the superspeeds. 1968 – 198?.
Google how to date a Gillette razor. They all have a letter and number (except late 1940’s). The letter is year and number is the quarter it was made … mine is R1 … 1971 between Jan – March …. = birth razor!
The handle is anodised so needs to be taken off before replating obviously, which is easy on a superspeed.
I shall be replating the adjustables and a red tip. A local metal finisher quoted me £10-15 to do the lot.
They were originally plated fully assembled – so no need to disassemble for them to replate.

There are silly prices in UK for them. I see them go on USA EBay for less than £30 delivered atleast a few times a week. Just keep a look out.
Worth adding that the Black beauties/black handled adjustables are a pain to disassemble, so don’t buy one if it needs replate.
From the little I know of the vintage razors. The gillettes super speeds peaked at around 1955. Ones made around this time are said to give the perfect shave … before they went all ‘technical’ with the adjustables.
I read for this reason, the 40’s style superspeed and red tip of this era are a must …
Red tips go for similar prices as adjustables and 40’s style a lot less.
If you struggle for a local firm to replate yours let me know. I shall be taking mine to be done hopefully next week or the other.

You really need a Slim. It’s what James Bond uses

gillette dating codes

been looking at US ebay. some say will not ship to UK, but i got a mate over there who could bid and send one over if it was the right one.

so……all a bit confusing. which are the best ones to look out for then? fatboys, slims, adjustables, superspeeds, 40s, 50s, 70s,its all a blur now! 😀

The Fatboys are the most wanted. Simply because they had a run of only 4yrs.
The Slim’s were made for 8yrs I think, so there is more about.
It’s own preference between these two for shave quality.
The Black beauty or Super adjustable is said to give the superior shave … but they not as lusted after as the Fatboy or Slim. Plus they need stripping to replate and are a swine to reassemble.
The superspeeds are not adjustables. the red tips are most desirable. The best shave is said to be the 40’s style superspeed or any made around the mid 1950’s.

Moonman,

I think I may have collected several Gillette safety razors over the years.

They are mainly Gillettte like red tip, TV superspeed, fat boy & slim adjustable, fat handled Tech, travel razor (unknown brand), tech/superspeed type aluminum, aristocrat, black handled like the above … I like them all but the 3 piece fat handle tech is the one I use everyday.

My black handled superspeed is ‘REG U’ (1974) with a ‘P’ (1970) and ‘Made in USA’ so I supposed it is the 70s model but produced in 1974 …

The only one that I need to collect is Feather AS-D2 … I call this the ultimate forever razor.

That’s a good price for plating you got there.

I know nearby city there is one that do plating but I cannot remember what he charges now 😀

That Feather razor is hugely expensive!!
My wife bought me a merkur 23c for Xmas after mentioning I was going to get a safety razor … It hasn`t been out of the box. I just love using the old ones .. so if anybody wants to buy it?

Yes. The price I was quoted to have them re-plated is good. More so when you look at the price some specialist razor restorers charge to do it.
I was quoted £25 to re-plate just one single speed and £40 to do an adjustable.
The superspeeds are simple to take apart. They are a simple design hence why they seem to last forever. Servicing and cleaning them is easy.
The Slim and Fatboy adjustables are a little bit trickier. Simple to disassemble but bit tricky to crimp the stop clip … again though. Once you have done it once its a doddle.
The Black beauties?super adjustable is trickier to crimp because the stop clip is a little deeper in handle to reach.

Send me a PM if you want another site to look for gillettes.
Postage from US usually between $6 and $11 dollars depending on seller.

I find three piece safety razor far better to shave with because the head is flat or flatter by comparison to other. Very simple and easy to maintain with no moving parts so not much to go wrong there. 😀

I am not in a hurry to replate but will get it done and will PM you once I can get my heavy bones moving.

The Superspeeds are simple design. Basically a threaded bar that is screwed up and down.
I just looked on site I got couple of mine from. There is a lovely looking Slim that looks to be in excellent condition for £35 delivered.

And a couple of Slim`s with plate loss for less than £30 delivered, these would need a re-plate to make them look pretty again though.

You got a link to that site mooman?

Oh and chewkw, don’t spose you selling any of those bad boys? 🙂

PM me for site … there is a Fatboy on there for less than £31 delivered too … looks like it would need re-plate to be pretty though.

sadexpunk – Member

Oh and chewkw, don’t spose you selling any of those bad boys?

I am a hoarder for safety razor 😕 so not keen on selling them as I spent too much time searching for them when I started collecting safety razor. Not selling at the moment.

However, if you go to ebay UK now then search words “vintage gillette safety razor” (the first on the list) there is one Gillette superspeed (I have one) that I think is good once you’ve serviced it.

It is listed as “Vintage Gillette Safety Razor (Old 60s 70s Made in England)”. £24.99 inc delivery from UK.

The description:

” …

Appears to be in good/acceptable condition, with evidence of age – needs a bit of a clean. Opening mechanism seems to work OK however one of the doors is slightly hesitant.

Stamped “Made in England” however does not appear to have the usual Gillette date code; only the number “11”.”

The opening mechanism can be fixed (not a major problem even if it is slightly lazy to open) if you get mooman to do it as I have never taken apart any of my safety razor so not sure how easy or difficult to fix it.

😀

edit: there is another one of the similar model “Vintage Gillette Safety Razor Twist to Open TTO Pat 694093” but the price is slight more at £29 + £3.99 postage. The condition is normal for the age so a bit of replating could easily bring it back to mint condition.

That one looks to have a damaged adjuster. And the plating looks rough. I personally would not touch it 😕

mooman – Member

That one looks to have a damaged adjuster. And the plating looks rough. I personally would not touch it

Yes, the first one has one lazy door while the second one is a bit worn. I thought the first one might just be fine if the seller sell it as it is i.e. never clean but once clean up it may be good.

That’s one reason I prefer 3 piece like Gillette tech as they shave well (some say not aggressive enough) and nothing much to maintain.

I remember once I bought an old dirty fatboy and after a bit of cleaning everything started to work fine. Obviously, the colour on the numbers has all gone once I cleaned them up … 🙁

I bought a very dirty Black beauty for £25 delivered. Soaked over night in boiling water and vinegar … then half hour cleaning it with an old toothbrush and some tooth whitening powder … looks like it was made yesterday 😀

But the ebay flair tip looks dodgy to me. Never seen one in that state.

mooman – Member
But the ebay flair tip looks dodgy to me. Never seen one in that state.

Ok, might be dodgy. Normally, I would ask the seller how good or bad the opening mechanism is before buying.

I have bought a few from ebay and most turn up fine. I think my best buy was my £8 Gillette fat handled tech (Made in England) which like you after cleaning up looked shinny again. 😀

big thanks to mooman who’s given me a lot of info on vintage razors, and ive now ordered 3 of them from the states 😀 (my wife isnt quite so grateful 😀 )
i didnt know this world of old razors existed!! ill let you know what condition they arrive in and how they shave when ive got them.

btw, the shim technique for making a razor more aggressive went fine, still no blood so ill maybe try 2 shims tonight 🙂

I must have missed the shim technique what’s that

It’s on the previous page mate, look for one of my posts near the bottom with a YouTube vid.

ok, couple more questions in my quest for the perfect shave if you dont mind.

ive now tried 2 shims in my razor, and decided to go all in with a feather blade too, aggressive and sharp. yep, twas a good shave but my neck was ever so slightly tender afterwards with 2 or 3 blood spots. no nicks as such just tiny spots.
so…..im thinking the feather was maybe too sharp for my skin. is that right, or could it be that the gap was now too aggressive?
am i right in thinking that the aggessiveness or gap, will determine how close the shave is, and the blade will determine how tender the skin will feel afterwards? if so im thinking keep the 2 shims, and try the next blade down in sharpness from a feather. ive got a selection of feathers, gillette 7 o clock yellow and green, some ‘perma sharps'(?), derby, astra, sharks and israeli. what would you suggest i try? or should i just accept feather is king, stick with them, my skin will adapt?

next question is alum block. my routine goes bath, hot flannel, proraso pre-shave, lather, shave, rinse, wet alum block rub over shaving area, leave for a few mins, rinse off, balm, leave for a few mins, couple of splashes of after shave.
is it ok to use alum block every shave or will it dry out the skin too much and id be better off using it just for when ive got a few nicks?

thanks

Again, only repeating what I have read. Apparently – the sharpest blades do not guarantee the best shaves. I have not used a Feather blade. Bought pack of 100 Astra platinums and just working through them.
One thing I have noticed (Others I read say is a myth) is that by flipping the blade over it gives a smoother shave … until blade is blunt obviously.

Have you used the 40`s style or flare tip yet? verdict??

mooman – Member

Again, only repeating what I have read. Apparently – the sharpest blades do not guarantee the best shaves.

I think it might have to do with the razor you are using as well as your shaving angle. Some blades are more forgiving then others. I like Personna blades as well as most of the Russian made ones.

😀

Have you used the 40`s style or flare tip yet? verdict??

they havent come yet ant. only bought them a few days ago and theyre coming from the states, so dunno how long that takes….

chewkw, which blades are russian made?

sadexpunk – Member
chewkw, which blades are russian made?

For 40’s style or flare tip I would recommend the followings:

The Russian ones are plenty and come in different brands but if you look carefully at the address they are all the same. i.e. from the same factory in St Petersburg.

For example:

1. Gillette 7 o’clock – yellow, green or even black.
2. Astra – green and yellow.
3. Iridium – this is the best but no longer in production. Watch out for Chinese fake … plenty about.

Polsilver from Poland is also very good.

Personna is very good too and very forgiving blades which I like very much.

Feathers from Japan are good but it depends on your razor angle.

😀