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Gibbs Adjustable Replica from Heritage Collection Shaving

Good to know. I’ll try this one dialed down a bit. I can only use V1 on its lowest setting so it was nice to be able to open it up. I probably won’t use it fully wide open on one day’s growth again. Wasn’t much left after yesterday’s first shave with the ERA.
I prefer milder razors, and found I got a fantastic shave yesterday with the HCS Gibbs on setting 1, of all things! It is that large gap that seems to be the culprit. Anyone else find that the lower settings are pretty darn efficient?
 
If anybody is desperate to unload a Taiga Ti, I might be interested...

My Gibbs is on its way and frankly Im a little nervous, given the
tentative reviews and tweaking that needs to be done...ie. can't
help thinking it could be MY fault if it doesn't shave brilliantly.

This was never the case with my Ti Taiga...fantastic from the get-
go. It's definitely on my 'never-part-with' list. Got an amazing one-
pass shave on 6 yesterday.

Keen to run Gibbs and see if it can become a travel razor as I have
no stomach for travelling with Taiga or Sailor. This thing costs less than
a dinner in some cases, so if it bombs on my face, so be it. Take the
L and move on...but I remain optimistic.
 
My Gibbs is on its way and frankly Im a little nervous, given the
tentative reviews and tweaking that needs to be done...ie. can't
help thinking it could be MY fault if it doesn't shave brilliantly.

This was never the case with my Ti Taiga...fantastic from the get-
go. It's definitely on my 'never-part-with' list. Got an amazing one-
pass shave on 6 yesterday.

Keen to run Gibbs and see if it can become a travel razor as I have
no stomach for travelling with Taiga or Sailor. This thing costs less than
a dinner in some cases, so if it bombs on my face, so be it. Take the
L and move on...but I remain optimistic.
Just grit your teeth and watch the Subie shaves video, or the better the one from Dave in Kentucky. It's a short video and a fast fix. I fumbled with mine in the front seat of my car instead of waiting until I got home to re-watch the video, not having markings is definitely a miss. I am also planning to use the brass Gibbs as a travel razor as I think it will hold up better, I got this one because it was cheap enough to try. I just missed ordering a Taiga and passed up offers on used ones because I was trying to get it within $300, now it's unobtainium. I think the several SOTDs that I posted, and others, should show that we are giving these more than one shave and puting them away. I am personally prone to being picky about things being right, blade alignment and such, but after deciding to just use it it's been surprisingly great.
 
Is this latest Gibbs replica not the brass version, or is there a zamak/aluminum version (like V1) and a brass version?
There is an upcoming all brass one mentioned by the owner on social media. I should probably stop mentioning it since we don't have an ETA nor any details like finish.
 
Ah ok. I thought this one that just got shipped included a brass version.
Edit: The one I ordered is the brass model

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There is an upcoming all brass one mentioned by the owner on social media. I should probably stop mentioning it since we don't have an ETA nor any details like finish.
 
Aaahhhh ok. I bought the very first version and this latest version. I doubt I’ll buy a third but you never know.

While we’re at it, does your v1 have tons of slop in the top cap? Mine has quite a bit unless it’s at its lowest setting. I still really like it but it makes alignment a bit of a challenge and sometimes I’d like to open it up a bit. The new version seems to be an improvement.

Well that is garbage that he didn't at least send an email out to his early backers like me, I am not too happy, but thank you for that.

Ah, I see the confusion! That's the chrome plated brass handle.
 
Ah, I see the confusion! That's the chrome plated brass handle.

Looking at product notes, it says they use a brass, zinc and aluminium alloy.
I didn't get any clarity on whether that was just for the handle but also the
head (I believe the mid plate is pure aluminium though.

Weight is 76g, which is just nice.
All-brass would be significantly heavier wouldn't it? Maybe 120gm or so.
 

never-stop-learning

Demoted To Moderator
Staff member
The early version I got worked fine. I did rotate the baseplate to line the numbers up correctly but, other than that, everything is tight - no play at all.

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Large blade gaps are manageable. The balance and weight of the version I got are very acceptable.

Right after Wolfman Wednesday, I'm looking forward to my Thursday shave with the Heritage Gibbs. :)
 

never-stop-learning

Demoted To Moderator
Staff member
20221112
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Razor: Heritage Gibbs 15 Replica
Blade: Kai (4)
Brush: Colorado Razor Designs Green and Bronze Handle (Maggard 26mm 2-Band Fan)
Bowl: Captain's Choice Copper
Lather: Saponificio Varesino Dolomiti
Aftershave: Bootlegger's El Dorado
Fragrance: Belcam Volatile EdT Spray

Shave number two with the Heritage Gibbs 15 Replica, this time matched up with a wonderful Kai blade.
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Excellent shave! :cool:

Please click on the link below for my detailed review and shave notes regarding the Heritage Gibbs 15 Replica:
 
No need to delete. The "rest of the story" as I have posted elsewhere, is that when I received mine, instead of shaving with it I foolishly tried to strong-arm the baseplate with predictable results. Totally my fault, and I was only upset with myself.

Heritage replied to my direct inquiry with lightning speed and is able to provide a replacement baseplate. Awesome customer service and support.

The razor is a beautifully designed replica and executed well in my opinion. From what I have read, it shaves like a Gibbs and is smoother than a Rex Ambassador. To experience a Gibbs at a fraction of the cost of the Rex and without having to modify the blade is a win in my estimation, no matter where the red dot sits :)
Neil at Heritage Collection Shaving shipped out the spare baseplate, and I am very pleased to report that the replacement baseplate arrived on Saturday while I was away, and I was able to use the razor tonight.

It looks super cool. I love the lighter weight and shorter handle length. It does not have the heft or precision feel of the Rex, and it is indeed a bit milder feeling than the Rex. The red dot zeros on either the 2 or the 5, but for the price I can do the simple math to find the right adjustment. I am very pleased with the Gibbs Heritage.

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Alright, shave number one with the Gibbs replica under my belt.

I paired the Gibbs replica with a Rapira Swedish Supersteel that had been used twice before, used PAA the cube as pre-shave, PAA Clubguy soap and Clubman Pinaud aftershave.

Let me start off by saying that this replica razor looks absolutely fantastic. I have tried to get my hands on a real Gibbs 15 or 17 for quite some time but was always outbid.
I had set a hard limit of 140 euros on all the decent looking Ebay offers that I came across but it wasn't to be.

I previously owned a Rex Ambassador and Pearl Flexi I can't ignore the fact that this replica feels alot flimsier. The head seemed a bit wobbly and I was a bit concerned to what would happen if I would smash it against my cheeks.
Ofcourse the retail price of this replica is 1/4th the price of an Ambassador, the materials are cheaper and less durable (zamac, plastic, aluminium vs stainless steel) so this doesn't come as a huge surprise.
I'm actually a bit bummed that I never gave the Yaqi TFC a chance so I can't compare their build quality.

The fact that I had to tweak the base plate to get the dial in the right position didn't really sit all that well with me, but it's a small and easy fix...so let's not dwell on that.

The dial adjusts the gap with ease, it feels almost like a toy. There is a weird click when the spring gets entirely pushed down and gap is closed - which adds to the cheaper feel. Gap and exposure seem consistent throughout all settings, which is an improvement over what I got from my Pearl Flexi.

But most importantly, this thing shaves absolutely smoothly. I used it on 5 for my initial pass, which was with the grain. There is a wee bit a blade feel on 5, but the gap looks pretty scary. Smoothness was still there and efficiency was great.
Wanted to do another pass across the grain on 5 but for some reason (still half asleep) I did an against the grain pass on 5.
Again, no drag, harm and also zero problems reaching whatever place that needed to be shaved.

Could have called it quits after these two passes but with pleny of lather in my bowl and some time left I dialed it back to 4 for the across the grain pass I had forgotten. Setting 4 was great as well because for me it totally eliminated any blade feel but it still managed to slice off the whiskers that were left behind on my jawline.

In the end my post-shave result is no worse than when I use my Yates 921-H.
The Gibbs replica felt smoother throughout the shave and more safe/less likely to cause injury.

This was my first shave with the razor, but it was on par (maybe even better) than what I get from my recently reclared grail razor.
 
An excellent shave this evening with the Heritage Gibbs Replica. Hadn’t used it in some time and went back to it with a twice used Bic Chrome Platinum. Super smooth and delightfully efficient in a 2.5 pass shave. I won’t go into details about every facet of the shave. I will solely say that the razor shaved exceptionally well with minimal effort on my part. It’s a wonderful little shaver that allows great maneuverability at every stage of the shave process. It’s nearly identical to the famed Legend it was designed after if not better.

Get your hands on one gents. It really is worth it as one can experience what the iconic Gibbs brought to the table over half a century back without having to scour the auction sites and more importantly getting raked over hot coals in spending the cash to acquire one. The Gibbs was ahead of its time and the Heritage allows a shaver to experience that identical performance of the original for a much lesser price of entry.

Totally worth it. And no modifying blades neither. Win, win. Great shaves to all…

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I have been using it almost non stop since my initial impression here. I gave her one day to rest so I could compare the shave against my Yates 921-H, which had become my favourite razor.

This replica gets me closer shaves (use 5-5-4) , the plastic handle has better grip, it's more manouverable. I love it, I dont plan on using many other razors in the forseeable future.
 
Went for a second straight day shaving with the Heritage Gibbs. Again, just another great shave and not a single negative to speak of about this little razors performance. Just drop in your favorite blade and whip up your favorite lather. Easy, smooth & efficient feeling shaves is all I’ve experienced in practically every shave. If the all brass version comes to fruition (just rumors for now), I’m all in. I don’t care where it’s made, the folks or gent at Heritage did their homework and went through hoops to bring this replica of a classic razor to fruition. And at a very reasonable price when one considers today’s economic picture. Home run for Heritage and I have no issues in backing any future project or endeavors they plan to bring in the shave landscape for hard goods.

It’s a keeper. Just in case I failed to mention it….:ihih:

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Started 2023 with a smashing shave that the Heritage Gibbs delivered. So far it has given me outstanding shaves with the limited blades that I’ve run through it with the Bic Chrome Platinum, Gillette Platinum (Blue & White tucks), Gillette Minora & surprisingly the Lord Platinum‘s have given a good account as well, go figure.

Happy 2023 to all and if you’re looking for a Gibbs Razor but, can’t seem to find one that is affordable & available, the Heritage Gibbs Replica is seriously worth considering. Again, no blade mods neither and very affordable in my humble opinion.

Great shaves to all in the New Year…..

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