How to Cut Thru Marketing Haze

[Wgg2017]

If you are looking for modern razor companies that make an excellent product and stand behind it without a bunch of flash I'd recommend either Blackland or Timeless.

They aren't cheap, but both offer a 30 trial period. Meaning you can return the razor if it doesn't suit you within 30 days and get your money back minus shipping.

I've used the SS Blackland Blackbird and Timeless titanium .68 and .95 versions. I've also used the Blackland Sabre and Vector, but those are single edge razors.

For me, the Blackbird was the most aggressive and least smooth. Between the two Timeless razors, I prefer the .68 in open comb format even when I have very little growth. It's just so smooth and easy to use, while still giving an excellent shave with just two passes. The Timeless .68 oc is the best razor I own.

Between the Sabre and Vector I prefer the Sabre because it's a bit more mild and easy to use.

The point is that both Blackland and Timeless make great products and stand behind them with a very generous return policy. There are very few razor companies that do that. From my perspective, you can't go wrong with trying a Blackland or Timeless razor.

 

[Happy Jack]

what I'm seeing as a weak point is that the butterfly doors, on the outside, many have lost all or most of the plating. To me, this seems cosmetic, but in your opinion, does the loss of chrome plating on the doors affect the razor in any substantive way? E.g., I am not seeing corrosion on the unplated surfaces, so I'm guessing the doors are a zinc alloy.

The entire Slim is made from nickel plated brass, including the doors. If the plating is damaged at all, never mind missing, then the copper in the brass will oxidise and turn green (verdigris). Some people polish all of the plating from vintage razors and use them that way, just polishing regularly to keep them shiny.

Personally I would avoid a razor that doesn't have intact plating, at least on the parts that will come into contact with my skin. There are plenty around. Etsy is a good source of vintage razors if you don't want to wait for something to come up on eBay, although you won't find many bargains there.

 

[Rhody]

Welcome aboard. So much great advice I’ve read so far. The point is, you are going to enjoy your shaves from now on!

My 2 cents, after only flirting with a few vintage pieces: I’d do both. Grab something vintage as you enjoy the hunt it takes to get an excellent piece but look at timeless razors for something new. As @Wgg2017 mentioned the 30 day trial could be key if something is too aggressive or you need to swap out.

Or (and) as was also mentioned, Razorock is a fantastic option for high quality with incredible value. (For software too)

As for blades, grab 100 new Dorcos or their titans or treet kings or persona blues.

Welcome to the rabbit hole. Enjoy and happy shaves!

 

[NorthernSoul]

Though you don't sound too enthusiastic about vintage razors, they are one of the best ways to avoid marketing confusion. Most of the all-brass vintage razors were build to last. There's a proven track record, you know what you are getting, value for money can be extremely good and marketing is minimal.

In new razors, one of the best value for money lines is made by Fatip. These are all-brass razors made in Italy.

 

[mikhou]

I've had several razors pass through my hands; although, I've never purchased extremely high-end, high-dollar razors. The two that have stayed have been the Henson AL13 and the pre-war Gillette Tech.

The Henson is simple to use and just does a great job.

The pre-war Gillette Tech is nostalgic and excellent.

I'd start with either of those depending on what appeals most to you.

 

[Eshebert]

I like Razor Rock (Italian Barber), Maggard, Pasteur Pharmacy, The Razor Company, and The Men's Room for one stop shops with no bull and good deals that carry big box and artisan software.
I do almost all of my hardware research here, your in good hands with the B&B community, I suggest utilizing this resource.
Believe nothing you see on YouTube, that's only meant for entertainment. Other then Paul H Films and Kevy, everyone of those guys is either pushing their products or fluffing reviews for free equipment.

 

[Calyshaver]

While everyone has already given you great advice with some great companies and products mentioned, another not mentioned that DOES use massively annoying marketing hyperbole in their attempt to be cute and innovative, but DOES offer quality products that attempt to recreate historical long defunct company brush and razor products at reasonable prices is Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements.

I know some have a problem with their business practices but I have had nothing but great customer service experiences and prompt shipping. I especially love their creatively colorful $27 ABS plastic monster slant razors (glowing version pictured) which is a reproduction of the German Fasan bakelite slant of the early 20th century.

If you can stomach to read through the hyperbole, you can learn about some long gone companies. PAA version on left, real vintage version on right.

 

[Rob72]

Welcome!

The choice range is wide & deep! The Slim is an excellent razor and would not in any way be a losing purchase.

Chris, at Back Roads Gold, frequently has refurbished/replated Slims for sale. Currently, he has a gold/platinum two-tone on ebay, but his factory nickel is cheaper and looks factory new. I can recommend him highly as he has done several replates for me.

 

[Phoenixkh]

While everyone has already given you great advice with some great companies and products mentioned, another not mentioned that DOES use massively annoying marketing hyperbole in their attempt to be cute and innovative, but DOES offer quality products that attempt to recreate historical long defunct company brush and razor products at reasonable prices is Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements.

I know some have a problem with their business practices but I have had nothing but great customer service experiences and prompt shipping. I especially love their creatively colorful $27 ABS plastic monster slant razors (glowing version pictured) which is a reproduction of the German Fasan bakelite slant of the early 20th century.

If you can stomach to read through the hyperbole, you can learn about some long gone companies. PAA version on left, real vintage version on right.

View attachment 1683563 View attachment 1683567

My wife loves her PAA Filament... they come in and out of stock so they must be pretty popular.

 

[Shoegazer]

Welcome to the community!

Thank you.

 

[Shoegazer]

Welcome!

The choice range is wide & deep! The Slim is an excellent razor and would not in any way be a losing purchase.

Chris, at Back Roads Gold, frequently has refurbished/replated Slims for sale. Currently, he has a gold/platinum two-tone on ebay, but his factory nickel is cheaper and looks factory new. I can recommend him highly as he has done several replates for me.

Cripes!

That site is like finding the Ark of the Covenant buried in you vegetable garden!

Thanks a million!

 

[AJMiami]

You are getting very good advice here.

The Gillette slim is my favorite vintage razor. I don’t think you can’t go wrong getting one.
There are also plentiful modern options at great prices. Although I haven’t tried most of them, they get very good and enthusiastic reviews.
The merkurs 34, muhle r89, Henson aluminum, the rr game changers and lupos, and the pearl adjustables are good options to do a bit more research on.
Good luck and welcome to B&B

 

[Quaznoid]

Hello and welcome to Badger & Blade! An oasis of sanity on the internet.

I exclusively use vintages, and have a menagerie of very efficient and to my eye, beautiful marrages of mass production with fantastic designs. I am always deeply impressed by the style and industrial elegance of them. They are often quite beautiful, tough as an M-4 Sherman and work perfectly to this day. I also find them highly efficient.

A Tech is a superb daily driver. I have several examples. I would suggest a so called Pre-War, that can be ID'd by the triangular slots.

A highly efficient but forgiving razor for daily use. A must in any small collection. The Pre-Wars have a .28" blade gap, so they are efficient, while being a joy to use. Many forum members consider them to be the finest SB DE razor design ever made.

A 40's Super Speed is another efficient yet mild daily driver. Mine is a 1949 yet seems factory fresh. I suspect this was your razor you refer to as your Father's butterfly. Always a joy to use. I find the 1940's Super Speeds to be the most elegantly beautiful TTO's (Twist To Open) ever made.

With regard to adjustables, the Slim is popular on the forum. You are right about differing handle lengths, but these were the post 1968 Slim successors. The Super Adjustable 84 and the Slim Adjustable 109. These numbers corresponded to handle lengths in millimetres. A first for Gillette US.

They are not brass. The handles are a toughened aluminium and they are slighly more fragile than the early 195 and Slim. They have a black anodised handle.
Here is a Super Adjustable 84 from 1970.

I would suggest a 195 as an excellent adjustable. I am honoured to own a 1959 and 1961 example, due to the immense kindness of B&B Brothers. I prefer the heavier weight and shorter handle. Some call these Fatboys. I do not. They were known at the time as the Gillette 195 adjustable due to their $1.95 price point.

Here is a 1961 example.

These would make an excellent core to any little collection you may wish to build.

They would all seem readily available and at a good price in the States. Being from the UK, I am always slightly envious of the huge numbers and rich variety of beautiful vintages you have readily available.

Note that I am illustrating cased, collector grade examples. All of these would sell for 3 figure sums, often as much if not more than a high end modern. Uncased examples are out there at far more modest prices, but with the razor mostly in perfect running order.

I just find them to be massively evocative in their presence, and a joy to use.

Ebay is an excellent resource for these.

Enjoy and welcome!

You can’t go wrong following the advice of Alum Ladd. I second his endorsement of vintage Gillettes, although I think he meant to write “Superadjustable 109” which is, IMHO, the best of the adjustables.
Get yourself a Tech, a SuperSpeed or a SuperAdjustable (or all 3) and enjoy great shaves for the rest of your life. I advise not buying a lot of stuff, particularly newly manufactured stuff. That rabbit hole leads nowhere

 

[Shoegazer]

I think you will find a great Slim for around $30-40 in good condition. Many are cheaper. I picked up a near mint N-4 (last quarter production Oct-Dec 1968) Slim for £28 a couple of years back. The last Slim ever made. I have passed it on to a wonderful B&B Brother since.

It was a sweet shaver. I just didn't get on with the slightly (to me) long handle. I only use razors with a handle length of around 3". That seems to work best for me. Luckily almost all vintages have roughly that handle length.

The Slims were the last full brass adjustables. They were plated in nickel, and the plating can be fully restored for a reasonable price. Back Roads Gold offer an excellent replating and tuning service at a good price.

I would consider the earlier 195 Adjustable as well however.

In my experience, plating loss by itself does not affect the mechanics of a razor.

Heres my old N-4 Slim
View attachment 1683403
I suggest also that you check out some of the other examples of classic Gillettes I've given too. Great fun, and can be picked up really cheaply in great shape!

This is a great wealth of advice. Thanks!

I checked out the Backroads Gold site and between searching for, buying, shaving with a used Gillette for a while, and if I like it, replating/restoring it, this has tremendous kid appeal for me; it's like putting glasspacks and chrome reverse rims with Baby Moons on your 1955 Chevy!. Truly, very much like "American Graffiti" era stuff.

Let me ask a few more things, if you have the time, please.

My feeling at this point is that brass construction is desirable over Zamac(n). Probably not a big thing, and I suspect that Zamac is widely used on the base plates and doors of butterflies, and maybe on all/most of the movable parts on an adjustable, and that this is probably due to a slight materials cost advantage, but mostly because Zamac may cast with greater ease and precision. This bypasses the need to machine the parts, cutting costs. Do you know anything about this?

Related to this, assuming that I would prefer all (or mostly) brass, if I understand correctly, the Slims and 195s were all )or mostly) brass. Is this correct?

Last subtopic (for now): handle length.

The old Atra 2 that I had from college had a long handle, and this was fine. But I find that I do NOT shave the same way with the little Chinese Vikings Blade razor, at all. I hold it much closer to the head--higher up on the handle. Now my hands are pretty big and if I had a, e.g., 3.5-4.? handle, I believe that I could still grip it high without much interference from the heel/palm of my hand. The reason I say this is that I'm unsure at this time whether I'll settle on holding close to the head, or later wanting to slide back down the handle, like with the old Atra 2. I think not, because with these DE blades, you can hurt yourself (unlike the Atra 2 cartridges), so you want to hold as close to the blade as you can--something parallel to what I think you'd do with a straight razor.

(Does it occur to others here at B&B that part of the fun with a DE over a cartridge is that you *CAN* cut yourself, and so you must pay attention--that there's something at stake here? This seem to spice things up for me. I don't know; I may be deranged...)

Now that's a load, and I don't blame you for just letting all this slide, but please know that any/all advice/observations/opinions are valued, from any'all B&B posters.

 

[Shoegazer]

I bought two Slims last year. One was NOS with the case and in the original cardboard outer box. For an ideas of cost that one cost me £100. I also bought a good birthday quarter example, with no plating loss, for $14.99 plus shipping and tax. That one makes a good every-day razor. I believe all the handles were the same size. Personally I found that I preferred the older Fatboy, or 195, as it can be slightly (~one click) more aggressive/effective and I find the fatter handle slightly easier to use. They are both great razors, though.

View attachment 1683451
View attachment 1683452

BTW, is you handle "Happy Jack" like from the old Who song? :^)

 

[Shoegazer]

You can’t go wrong following the advice of Alum Ladd. I second his endorsement of vintage Gillettes, although I think he meant to write “Superadjustable 109” which is, IMHO, the best of the adjustables.
Get yourself a Tech, a SuperSpeed or a SuperAdjustable (or all 3) and enjoy great shaves for the rest of your life. I advise not buying a lot of stuff, particularly newly manufactured stuff. That rabbit hole leads nowhere

Is your icon Nietzsche? He may have gone nuts, but he had a world-class, all-time mustache, that's for sure.

 

[Alum Ladd]

Related to this, assuming that I would prefer all (or mostly) brass, if I understand correctly, the Slims and 195s were all )or mostly) brass. Is this correct?

Indeed. All Gillettes up to the early 1960's were exclusively brass in construction, with a variety of platings, nickel, gold, and rhodium.

The Techs began moving away from Brass in 1962, with Zamac top caps being introduced. These have Gillette engraved on them and have deeply "shouldered" sides.

In the mid late 60's there was a more general move away from brass, in the Gillette Slim Twist and the black anodised aluminium handled 84 and 109 Adjustables. The 70's and 80's Super Speeds have a black coated aluminium handle too. The heads were still in the main brass though. The last Adjustable, the Super Adjustable, called the Black Beauty by collectors, had a black plastic baseplate I believe. These are highly desirable.

There are also some interesting plastic Techs made in WW2 for US armed forces. I am on the lookout for this.

Apparently a highly efficient 1- 2 pass shaver. Maybe the most aggressive Tech made. I suppose you need a quick shave when under nebelwerfer fire.

Vintages are such fun!

I prefer the short handle for dexterity. Almost like a pencil, or paintbrush. The ideal length of a razor is 5" or just under for me.

I used the Bic White for a decade or so. they cut good.

I checked out the Backroads Gold site and between searching for, buying, shaving with a used Gillette for a while, and if I like it, replating/restoring it, this has tremendous kid appeal for me; it's like putting glasspacks and chrome reverse rims with Baby Moons on your 1955 Chevy!. Truly, very much like "American Graffiti" era stuff.

One of the nicest analagies on using a vintage I have seen.

You truly get it Sir.

 

[Shoegazer]

The entire Slim is made from nickel plated brass, including the doors. If the plating is damaged at all, never mind missing, then the copper in the brass will oxidise and turn green (verdigris). Some people polish all of the plating from vintage razors and use them that way, just polishing regularly to keep them shiny.

Personally I would avoid a razor that doesn't have intact plating, at least on the parts that will come into contact with my skin. There are plenty around. Etsy is a good source of vintage razors if you don't want to wait for something to come up on eBay, although you won't find many bargains there.

True about Etsy. I also saw some on Mercari. Has anyone here used them? I've bought used electronics is all, and it was OK.

 

[DesertIguana]

There is no magic answer to post #1.

There is a but, the but is people back in day were happy using Vintage Razors, and Blue Blades.

We did not have many choice, but to use what was available.

This Fourm has many members who use Vintage Razors who happy with results.

Others got to buy and try everything that is new, and hyped as better then anything before.

 

[Happy Jack]

BTW, is you handle "Happy Jack" like from the old Who song? :^)

Not especially, although I do have a fondness for cake.