I've acquired several vintage TTO/Butterfly type safety razors in recent years and I'm especially a fan of old Gillette razors, however, when it comes to actual shaving experience, I tend to have a little better luck with modern 3-piece razors or even the old Gillette Tech's. On close examination of my vintage Gillette TTO razors I notice slightly crooked & misaligned safety bars and silo doors, even though the doors seem to open and close fine and the adjustable dial twists smoothly and clicks positively. Outwardly, the razors generally present pretty nice, even though they are 'user grade' condition.
My conclusion is that since these old TTO (and adjustable) razors are obviously used when I get them, that previous owners have likely dropped or bumped the razors and knocked the mechanisms and skin contact pieces out of alignment, thus, impacting the shave performance. I've tried to 'fix' alignment issues myself with very little success, so I guess I'm not skilled enough to pull it off successfully.
I've either had bad luck in acquiring razors that have had especially rough history or else this is a common occurrence among these type razors due to the design of sensitive mechanisms making them less damage resistant. I suspect it's the latter.
Have others experienced this or is it just me?
My conclusion is that since these old TTO (and adjustable) razors are obviously used when I get them, that previous owners have likely dropped or bumped the razors and knocked the mechanisms and skin contact pieces out of alignment, thus, impacting the shave performance. I've tried to 'fix' alignment issues myself with very little success, so I guess I'm not skilled enough to pull it off successfully.
I've either had bad luck in acquiring razors that have had especially rough history or else this is a common occurrence among these type razors due to the design of sensitive mechanisms making them less damage resistant. I suspect it's the latter.
Have others experienced this or is it just me?
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