weird gillette adjustable experience

i'm not sure if it's head geometry or a problem with my technique brought on by different balance or what - but i've been shaving with a mid 60s adjustable this week, and after a decent first shave (set on 3) i've gotten several shaves with lots of irritation and weepers and left over stubble

yesterday, i even backed it off to 1 - same deal

is there some mystery to these? i'm using the same products, prep routine, and derby blades that have given me excellent results in flare tips, a red tip, a late 40s milord, an old open comb

maybe i should try a different type of blade?

any ideas or perspective appreciated

I had the same experience with derbys. They were good in a tech but in my slim adj they were just horrid!! No matter what I did, they would just tear up my face!

I now use feathers with my slim adj set to 2 and it is by far the best shave compared to the other 10 blades I have tried out. The black gillette 7 o'clock blade is also fantastic.

Noebie,

This may be an obvious question, but are you sure that the razor is adjusting? I had one that the dial would move from 1 to 7, but the mechanism that moves the blade up and down did not move. It was my first adjustable and it took me a while to figure out what was wrong, but after some soaking in hot soapy water then alcohol then mineral oil the mechanism loosened up and has been my son’s favorite every since he borrowed it from me.

I see you are from Mattoon. I not only know where that is, but grew up there! I miss the pace of life and the Autumn season, but do not miss the summer humidity and winters. I have been on the West Coast so long now that would feel lost without mountains and salt water though.

Tom G

it's beautiful here this week, and actually we had a very mild summer this year too

i'll check the mechanism again, but i believe it's working alright from that standpoint - the blade got less bendy when i adjusted down to 1 from 3

i'm wondering if the relative stiffness of the blade i used is the issue

are feathers more or less stiff than derbys?

wondering about using a gillette super thin

Super Thins are a very nice shave.
Could be you just lucked in to a sweet spot early on and have not been able to reproduce it.
Make sure you have the three points firmly in your mind while your shaving
Go Slow
No Pressure
Proper Angle
A good lather and face prep is also important
Any one of these wrong will cause you problems.

but i think it's something particular to this razor

i shaved with my 1960 super speed this morning and got a typical dfs

seems to be only a problem with the adjustable

Noebie said:

but i think it's something particular to this razor

i shaved with my 1960 super speed this morning and got a typical dfs

seems to be only a problem with the adjustable

Click to expand...

Don't discount the possibility that something is out of whack with the razor. One minor problem you sometimes see with the vintage razors is one that got dropped or banged. That can throw the whole shebang off, and it's anybodys guess whether or not it can be repaired.
Since your getting good results with others, I'd stick to that for a while till your dead certain on your technique.
Meanwhile take the adjustable, put a blade in it and open and close it slowly while watching. Make sure there are no hitches, and that everything operates smoothly. When it's closed look at it from the blade edge on on both sides and be sure the blade guard is even and straight, and that the blade edge is parallel to the rest of the head.
Finally, look at it from the top, make sure that the ame amount of blade extends out past the edge of the doors on both sides, and that on each side, the blade edge exposed is even across the width of a particular side.
Hope you are able to work it out, keep us posted on how things go.

Noebie said:

i shaved with my 1960 super speed this morning and got a typical dfs

Click to expand...

This is what I use as well(F1)

I've tried several Gillette adjustables FB(x2)/Slim/Super at different settings different blades,I found the shaves range from mediocre to OK at best.I wonder what all the fuss is about adjustables.I have rarely managed to get a really good shave from them.Give me a Super Speed any day - effortless DFS any time.

i took another close look at the razor this afternoon and everything seems to be in order

it's loaded with a feather, set on 1, locked down and waiting for me

will give it a go again in the morning

CrowdedHouse said:

Give me a Super Speed any day - effortless DFS any time.

Click to expand...

i think my 1960 is my favorite - though i've gotten nothing but good shaves with everything else i've tried as well - until i got to this adjustable

honestly think it's either something with the balance that is throwing me off or the razor/blade combo

i'll sort it out though

but yeah - the super speeds are, as you say "effortless"

I had the same problem.

How are you adjusting the razor - with the doors open or closed? Don't do the latter; if you do you distort the blade as it is still clamped tight in the mechanism, and the adjusting pillars force the blade into an unnatural shape. It also stresses the spring. Always open the doors a little, adjust the setting, and then close the doors again. Remember to always lock the doors with an extra quarter turn after it becomes tight. If not the blade can also "float" a little in the head leading to knicks. This is the way they are designed to work - something I never knew until I read it on B+B.

thanks

i adjust with the doors open (or loose) then lock it down tight with the extra 1/2 turn

got an excellent shave with it this morning - loaded with the feather (which is a first for me)

but i think i found the problem

noticed as i began that it was dragging, and then realized that i was holding it way up the handle - moved my fingers to the tip and it felt extremely awkward, probably because of heavy head and the balance point

i think i had just naturally moved my fingers up out of fear of dropping it, and this probably screwed the angle and increased the pressure

so i made a conscious effort to hold it as lightly as possible at the very tip, and voila!

we'll see how it goes next time, but i suspect that was the deal

Result!

good shave with it again today

so it's either the handle thing or the difference in blades

i'll want to try it again with a derby or super thin at some point to compare now that i'm being attentive to proper grip